Tracks and Treads - Finning Canada

Yesterday/Today
Story by keith haddock
Affordable and versatile, the backhoe loader has evolved over
the years and remains a vital tool on construction sites
Still Digging
For the past four decades, backhoe loaders
have been the mainstay of mechanized
utility work. Even with the advent of miniexcavators,
the increasive popularity of
skid steer loaders and number of companies
making compact-sized machines, the
backhoe loader has held its ground. It has
become more versatile and has adapted to
modern construction practices. It wins out
over most other small digging machines because
of its superior mobility: it can travel
at highway speeds over short to medium
distances.
Towards the end of the 1970s, Caterpillar
recognized the importance of the loader
backhoe and the potential for even wider
markets for this type of machine. Noting the
success of pioneer builders, especially those
in the United Kingdom, Caterpillar decided
to add backhoe loaders to its product line. It
started up an intensive development program
to design and build its own machines. With
production of loader backhoes assigned to
Caterpillar’s plant at Leicester, England, the
wraps were taken off the first model, the 416,
in 1985. In the 14-foot digging depth class,
the 416 carried a 62-flywheel horsepower
engine. Special features included a back-ofcentre
carry position for the backhoe, which
provided superior stability when travelling, as
well as single cylinder bucket roll-back.
By 1989, Caterpillar had expanded its
backhoe loader line to six models ranging
in size up to the 95-flywheel horsepower
446, which offered a standard digging depth
of 17 feet and up to 21 feet with its extended
arm. Included in the line were two side-shift
models, the 428 and 438. On side-shift models,
the backhoe boom assembly is carried
on a sliding frame so the boom pivot can be
positioned at any point from the left to the
DIG IN: Caterpillar’s first loader backhoe, the 416, proved that power was in the eye of the beholder
right of the machine. This simple feature,
more popular in Europe than in North America,
allows the operator to dig flush to walls
and footings and offers more flexibility when
excavating around obstructions. The 428 and
438 could dig to 15 feet 9 inches and came
with power units of 70 and 84-flywheel horsepower,
respectively.
Caterpillar refined its loader backhoe
models with the introduction of the Series II
models in 1990, then followed in 1992 with
the announcement of the upgraded B-series.
The B models sported a curved excavator-style
backhoe boom, which first appeared on the
original 446 in 1989. This design provided
more clearance when digging over obstacles
and a greater overall digging depth. The
B models were also endowed with increased
power to 74 flywheel horsepower for the 416B
to 84 flywheel horsepower for the 436B.
Keeping pace with the latest technology,
in 1993 Caterpillar introduced its first
loader backhoe with optional four-wheel
drive and four-wheel steer on its side-shift
438B model and, in 1996 made this feature
available on certain models in its newly designed-series.
Never allowing its designs
to stagnate, in 2001 Caterpillar introduced
the first of its D-series backhoe loaders: the
420D and 430D. The entire D-series line,
completed in 2004, with the introduction of
the 446D at 102 horsepower, boasted pilotoperated
joystick controls for ease of operation
and increased backhoe bucket rotation
to 205 degrees.
Today, Caterpillar serves the loader backhoe
market with its latest E-series, which
comprises 10 sizes of machines available
in different options, including tool carrier
and side-shift models. They range from the
78-horsepower 416E to the 137-horsepower
450E. Affordable for even the smallest
contractor and capable of performing a
wide variety of jobs, the backhoe loader will
continue to perform a vital role on construction
sites for the foreseeable future.
photograph courtesy keith haddock
12 tracks & treads • Fall 2008 www.finning.ca