Ok... its not too often I jump in a tractor backhoe anymore, but when I do its usually a Deere 710. When I was at Waiward I had a brief experience with a Cat 430D IT and now at Sureway I am using one of the IGL 430D IT's for hoe packing. I am not a fan of Cat Backhoes to begin with I kind of view them as a machine cat has no business building... or if they do they need to seriously get a better design working. I have always found cat TLB's to be clumsy, slow, sluggish, underpowered and I blame them for the excavator style boom. The IT Loader while it was the first of the good IT's.... I still don't like the design. I love the coupler..... but don't like the design. Anyways my question is who here has a D series machine and where does the engine run? Both the Waiward machine and now this IGL machine and another 426C of IGL's are all limited to 1700rpm. Is this common? I at first thought something was just wrong with the machine from Waiward but now 2 more? Yeah it saves fuel but wow... this machine is gutless. My Cat P.H. says 2200rpm that sounds reasonable since the tach goes to 2200. I noticed it big time the other day, I needed to move a wheel loader bucket because it was in my way, so I took off the little clam bucket and hooked onto the 6yd bucket for our Komatsu WA480. I wasn't trying to do anything with it.... ok yes I was I tried for a bucket of sand... I'll admit it. But I was goin around site impressing the ground crew with my new found toy and I went to climb a small hill and the backhoe just sat there in 2nd gear not moving.... makin lots of noise but not moving. I downshifted into 1st.... no better. What does your backhoe run at? And.... no chrome stack? C'mon all of our Deeres have chrome. And even our new 450E sounds too girly for a backhoe. I am used to that raspy sound of the 710..... anyone make a flowmaster exhaust for backhoes?
I agree.:drinkup I know a 430E is a slug unless ur at 1800RPM or more.
It's been a while since I've run a 430D IT but I sorta remember it not revving up that high either. I'll see if the guy that normally runs it has more input, and I'll get back to you. As far as not having the chrome stack, I think the reason for that is so you won't get sun glare from it. One thing I can say I like better about the 450e over the 710j is the boom on the cat is much narrower than the deere which makes it easier to see into the trench. Also on the 710g model, the engine fan exhausts under the machine which in dusty conditions is a pain in the ass for everyone around it. Although that problem was fixed on the 710j model. But I have to agree the 710 does sound like a beast!