Abstract: An earthmoving machine primarily for land drainage and irrigation purposes has a pivotally mounted boom (8) carrying an arm (12) pivoted at one end to one end of the boom and having a bucket (14) or the like attached at its other end. At the end of the arm which is pivoted on the boom a quadrant (20) is formed around which passes a pendant cable (18) attached to a counterweight (22) which is slidable on the rearwardly extending end of the boom, the counterweight, and thus the arm, being moved by a ram (24) so that radially outwards movement of the arm (12) is accompanied by outwards movement of the counterweight (22) along the end of the boom in the opposite direction to balance the machine. A draw-in rope or cable (26) is attached to the free end of the arm in order to draw-in the arm towards the pivot axis of the boom, the ram (24) and draw-in rope winch (25) being hydraulically connected so that the one is operative when the other is in neutral and vice versa.