Editorial Review

Mighty indeed! This Tonka backhoe is aptly named. Riding high above the ground (11 inches) on large, rugged tires (4.5 inches indiameter), it's constructed of heavy-duty steel and durable plastic. Realistically styled after a full-size backhoe, it has a long steel arm for digging deep or scooping up rocks and dirt. The backhoe can swivel a full 360 degrees on the truck bed, making it easy to load dirt into other trucks or get to those hard-to-reach rock piles. There's a sure-grip handle on the side of the arm for lifting and lowering, and another handle at the base of the arm lets the "driver" extend or retract the work bucket for scooping and dumping. The backhoe sits on strong steel axles that have been tested with a 50-pound load. With a lifetime guarantee to back it up, the Mighty Backhoe is built to withstand all the rough play your kids can dish out. --Chris Burns ... Read more

Reviews (12)

The way Tonka ought to be!
I got this backhoe for my 3 year old last year and it has put up with more abuse than any toy should have to face -yet it still works well & looks fine. My son has had an enormous amount of fun playing with it, riding on it, attacking his sister with it, etc. and it keeps coming back for more. Don't bother with motorized plastic, this is the real thig!

My 3 year old grandson loves favorite trucks
I bought the backhoe, dump truck and the back loader and recently purchase the crane for him. He takes them everywhere he goes. His father takes him to see the real ones at work and he know what each one is called.

They are very durable. Great trucks.

Great toy
My boys (2 and 3) love this!!!
(It's metal, so not great for really little children.)

Your kid is going to LOVE this!!
I bought this backhoe, the front loader, and the dump truck for my 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old boys. The quaility is great and we love the steroid size of these classic construction vehicles! My children really dig these huge toys. They get lots of imaginative and creative play with these construction toys as well as practice with hand-eye dexterity and manipulation. There is so much fun to have in piles of sand, rocks, gravel, or plain old dirt!

Fun and leaning in one toy.
This is a toy that works great in combination with the Tonka Mighty Dump Truck.

My nephew normally is glued to computer games, but this toy actually got him to play outside for a change.

It is durable and works best when the child has access to dirt/sand. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great trucks, and a great value!
These trucks are the perfect size for my three year-old construction fanatic. The "mighty" Tonka trucks are too big for him, the "jr. basic" Tonka trucks are too small for him (though they were excellent for him in the sandbox a year ago), and the "jr. force" Tonka trucks are too flimsy for working in our tough Oklahoma dirt! These trucks have a steel body and plastic wheels and accents. The description does not contain their dimensions, so here they are...the grader is roughly 17Lx8Wx7H, and the dump truck is roughly 14Lx6Wx7H. The price is excellent, the quality is very good, and my son loves them! What a deal! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Perhaps the cutest construction vehicles to ever take to theroad, the tough oversize trucks from Little Tikes feature well-roundedseams and corners and a rugged plastic build, perfect for the smallhands and boisterous attention of enthusiastic young road workers. This12-inch-long, 9-inch-high, and 9-inch-wide dump truck, cast in brightyellow and black, gets around on fat plastic tires and has a bed thatreally lifts up to dump its load.The truck's simple design also makes a quick hose-off easy after a long day in the sandbox. --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Hidden Dangers
My son loves his truck now that we have fixed the dump bed. The day it arrived he was pushing it around the house and the bed raised up and hit him in the mouth. Only a fat lip and a little bleeding, no major damage. I used a self tapping screw to attach the bed to the cab, and we haven't had any more problems with that part. Another problem we have had is with the tires. They don't stay on the hubs. It still works fine, but has to be fixed when he plays with the truck. He doesn't seem to care that it doesn't dump anymore, and he enjoys working on the tires.

Not sturdy and well-designed like other Little Tikes toys
This truck is not at all like the Little Tikes Car Carrier truck that we have. Children can sit on it and ride it with no problem (the 2 sports cars are equally as sturdy). You have to watch the back of this truck because it is constantly tipping back, causing the child to fall down. It's not designed to be played with the way children of this age like to play.

A friend of mine had to call Little Tikes for a replacement for her truck because the rear wheel kept falling off. Then the whole metal axle would slide out - not a very safe thing with little ones around.

It seems that the newer Little Tikes stuff that is being outsourced to Chinese manufacturers is really junky compared to the stuff that was produced in US factories. Guess they're trying to reduce costs, but the product is suffering.

I would not recommend this product at all.

Well-made w/ smooth edges, unintended ride-on toy holds up
My 2.5 yo DS's played w/ this truck for the last year and a half. I agree w/ the other parents' comments about the back of the truck flipping up easily. But I've gotta' laugh a little: my son always turned around and sat down in it, then pushed himself along with his feet. As he got older and heavier, the truck dumped him out as soon as he started to push. That big-time frustration and his growing caboose led to a new way to ride it: he'd lift the back and sit down on the chassis beneath and with his feet out to either side, he'd push himself along. So more than anything, this truck has been a ride-on toy.

He's probably too big to use it that way now, though I'm sure he'll try. But this summer, it'll be a beach toy. Already have it in the back of the car. Oh, survives melted crayons, too. (Didn't discolor.)

Be careful with the back!
Like all Little Tikes trucks this is well-made--but we have had the same problem as other parents with the dumping end flipping up and hitting our child in the face (and then the truck slipping out from under him) whenever he put weight on it! He received it for his first birthday and after a few injuries we put it away for over a year...we keep bringing it back out to try again, but at 2 1/2, this still happens occasionally. You can't go wrong with most Little Tikes trucks--but watch this one, especially with younger toddlers!

Durable and fun
I'm getting so that the only kind of toys I want to buy for my son are Little Tykes because they are the only ones that last. He has enjoyed this dump truck (along with other Little Tykes trucks) for years. They take such a beating and yet they never break or crack. This dump truck is fun because the bed can hold a lot of dirt, rocks, or toys. In fact my son even likes to sit in it and get pushed. He also runs along as fast as he can with it on the sidewalk. This truck has been played with very hard and is none the worse for wear. Little Tykes is the best at durability. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great trucks, and a great value!
These trucks are the perfect size for my three year-old construction fanatic. The "mighty" Tonka trucks are too big for him, the "jr. basic" Tonka trucks are too small for him (though they were excellent for him in the sandbox a year ago), and the "jr. force" Tonka trucks are too flimsy for working in our tough Oklahoma dirt! These trucks have a steel body and plastic wheels and accents. The description does not contain their dimensions, so here they are...the backhoe/loader is roughly 17Lx5Wx9H, and the bulldozer is roughly 13Lx8Wx8H. The backhoe/loader is a bit difficult for my son to operate because the levers that control the bucket are small, but I'm sure he will get better with practice. Nonetheless, the price is excellent, the quality is very good, and my son loves both of these trucks! What a deal! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great truck
My son got this for his second birthday. He has great fun putting things in the truck bed and dumping them out. The orange is a great color and the truck seems pretty sturdy. He sits on it and pushes it around and it hasn't shown any signs of breaking yet. The wheels are supposed to be non-marking and we haven't seen any marks from them on our floors. I'm not sure of it's educational value as it's just a truck but I guess he learns how to dump things and load things and push it around, which I think is pretty important to a two year old! All the edges are smooth and the thing seems pretty safe for just about any age. If your child likes trucks like mine you can't go wrong with this toy.

Great Tough Toy
My son plays with this and another at the doctor's office when we go. The office goes through a lot of kids and it still looks brand new. My son is 3 1/2 and wants this one and the other one (regular blue truck) for Christmas. It has a big holding area and the back flap opens to "dump" whatever is in there. It's very sturdy and fun. The only draw back I see is there is nowhere to put a driver in the seat. It's not been an issue for my son, yet, but think it might one day. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

the truck we have been looking for
WOW! I knew that Little Tikes was good- but not this good. This truck is it for two year olds. It is very durable, moves well, and it does something- while being the right size for little hands. We have A LOT of other trucks- either too much detail or not well made- this on the other hand is going the distance. The only problem so far is that the back two doors can come off if enough pressure is applied. However, the snap right back into place. The right truck for a truck oriented two year old and no worries about duribility and parts for the parents. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Go forth and fertilize with a Simonsen Dry Fertilizer Spreader--just don't put wet silage in it oryou'll clog the mechanism, void your warranty, and get laughed at down at the feed store. In this 1:64 scalemodel, the Fertilizer Spreader is a yellow plastic, V-shaped container 3 inches long, with a rear spreadermechanism and a white plastic canopy. The Versatile Flotation System (the cat-tracked base) snaps off andcan be used interchangeably with several other pieces of equipment, sold separately. --Richard Farr ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Don't buy this toy!
We bought our son the big ride-on John Deere gator for his 3rd birthday and thought this "little gator" would be cute for him to play with when he couldn't be with the big one. He loved it when he got it, but within 15 minutes, a piece had broken off. Two hours later, a wheel broke off and another piece of plastic was coming off. It was very disapointing for my son, especially since he was only driving it on the carpet and not playing roughly with it. I'm sending it back for a refund and will choose another toy. (The big gator is running strong, however! Save your money and buy the ride on!) ... Read more

Editorial Review

The soft corners and indestructible design of the Little Tikesgiant construction vehicles make them ideal for aspiring junior roadworkers. These tough trucks can handle all sorts of abuse, from haulingdirt across the playground to taking those accidental spills down thestairs. Over 12 inches long, 7 inches high, and 9 inches wide, thissturdy bulldozer speeds around on oversize, hard-plastic tires, and ithas a working scoop that can really dig out, lift, and carry a load.--Paul Hughes ... Read more

Reviews (6)

This toy is tops!
My son recieved it for his 2nd birthday and a year later still loves it. We keep it as an outside toy where he can dig and load dirt with it. Its nice and chunky for little hands and has a handle you push to make the loading part lift up. I imagine this toy will last forever.

Loads of Fun
My two boys(5 and 6) have both the loader and dump truck and they have put about 1,000 miles on tires and they keep going. They enjoy playing in the dirt with these toys.. They are kept outside and have lasted along time(3 yrs).. Even when left out in the rain, they have kept together with no problems.

Little tikes diggers and trucks
I am a grandmother of a little boy and little twin girls, all 3 years old, and a Little 2 year old girl. All have fun digging in the sand or dirt with the Loader and Dump truck. I own almost all of Little Tikes Cars, Trucks, and "Diggers" and they provide hours of fun, are safe, and last forever. I have found that both boys and girls love digging and driving. It has given me much pleasure to watch them play.

Sturdy and Tough
With two sons, it became apparent that just one wheel loader wasn't enough. Now we own two, and everyone is happy.

However both boys had trouble initially with the dumping-out mechanism. A small notch on the back of the bucket keeps it in place while the child scoops. To dump, one must lift up and release the notched back to dump. Many whines and tears of frustration followed a successful scoop before the boys could maneuver the bucket's notch alone.

Don't let this discourage you from buying, just be aware of the necessity of helping out.

A great addition to your sandpit
Little Tikes have made a great, easy to use, durable loader. My daughters (yes girls!)love playing with it in their sandpit. They are only 11 months and 2.5 years so the chunky handle and size of the loader makes it really easy for them to use. Fantastic for the price. ... Read more