A new 440 center-pivot backhoe joins Caterpillar‘s backhoe lineup, featuring advanced controls and a 25-percent backhoe lifting improvement over the 430F2. And improvements to the 17-foot Cat 450 deliver 15 percent more backhoe lifting capacity and 14 percent more loader capacity than the 450F – along with a new cab designed for operator comfort.
Breakout forces have also significantly increased on both the 440 and 450, and electronic control allows the new single-tilt loader arms to provide full-time parallel lift, say product specialists.
“We’ve been working on a lot of new features with this machine,” Todd Lange, who manages backhoe products sales and support for Caterpillar, told editors recently at Cat’s facility in Edwards, Illinois.
Dustin Adams, a product application specialist, says the 440 is designed to complement the existing 430F2 single tilt. It’s aimed to compete and win in the 15-foot size class, he says.
That’s thanks to a more balanced weight design and longer backhoe stabilizer legs that improve your operating stability. The new stabilizer systems can be equipped with available guards to prevent damage to the cylinder rod, and optional leg plate guards prevent material build-up on the underside of the stabilizer leg, Cat experts say.
The 17-foot digging depth classic – the 450F – had a successful run, and now the new 450 has arrived with upgraded emission equipment to meet the latest Tier 4 final standards, Adams says.
But the upgrades didn’t stop with the 450’s engine. Also improved is machine balance, stability, lift capability and overall performance, according to Adams.
