I have a lease 420F backhoe. Got it last Friday. It is real nice , loaded with electronics almost too much. It developed a problem after about 4 hours of use. The extendable stick hose caught under the retraction somehow and shaved it to where it started to leak. There was nothing overhead to have caused this , digging in a wide open field. It does have a FnR rocker switch on the loader control which I could get use to. The hood is very wide compared to my 416C. Digging power is good , cycle times are fast. When digging with the hoe , when you raise the front bucket to scoot up and put it back down it easily trips into float. The machine has 1000 hrs on it and the ext stick has visible play. Between tilt steering , multiple adjustable seat and having to set the backhoe controls back its a chore getting everything set. The outside appearance of the cab reminds me of the Komatsu WB146. It also uses DEF. Keep in mind I have been running an almost 20 year old backhoe daily this new technology is thrown me for a loop. The guy at the yard told me this machine weighs 22000lbs. I can't see that but who knows. I am looking into buying a new backhoe , I am gonna look at a Deere and Case. Call me backwoods or old school but which ever one is the most simple will most likely be the one I buy. I do like the pilot controls.
I rented one the other day. Boy, they are nice. The front bucket on the 420F was 1.4 cu yds compared to my 420D at 1.2 cu yd. Damn they're high priced. Yes, it's Tier 4 but so is Case and JD. I've used them all and I still prefer the Cat, mainly because of the weight. It just seems to load and handle better. Looking at one to buy now but I think I'm just going to get a used 420E, if I can find a good one with a cab. I don't know if I'm getting smart or lazy with the cab.
I would like to look at a 420E as well. The reason I don't like the ext hoe , we are on steep terrain a lot. The extra weight plus the counter weight makes it so heavy it doesn't want to pull up these hills. I like the cab , but I'm on and off a lot. I think I would benefit from it as far as dealing with fatigue. This one with just over 1000 hrs is 94 grand. Have you looked at Deere or Case?
I ran a Deere about 3 years ago and really liked it. It had a cab. Deere and Case just need to add some weight to their tractors. Well, we rented another 420F today and worked two hours and the warning lights came on. Called out the Rental Store and it was needing a regen. They have to plug into the machine to do it? Got it done and two hours later the dash lit up again. Come get this POS and bring another, we have guys sitting around twiddling their thumbs on the payroll.
The one I have takes DEF. I don't think it has the DPF? Maybe the difference between the F and the F2?
Looks like they changed from a DPF type to a DEF type emissions now because the one we got now has a DEF tank. The machine only has 10 hours on it.