Caterpillar’s largest backhoe loaders, the 440 and 450, have gotten the next-generation treatment, including new engines, an advanced hydraulic system and more customization options for operators.
In the video above, Equipment World gets up close and personal with the new 440 at Utility Expo 2025.
The redesign of the 29,321-pound models mirrors the engine platform and electronics changes Cat made to its 416 through 430 models, with “more component commonality and enhanced operating similarity,” according to Senior Product Consultant David Young.
The center-pivot models also feature advanced machine control and the latest Product Link telematics.
Cat’s C3.6 engine powers meets Tier 4 Final emissions standards through selective catalytic reduction and diesel oxidation catalyst. Compared to the previous design, Cat says, the gross horsepower rating on the 440 has increased by more than 9% to 127, while the 450 maintains its 145-horsepower rating.
A load-sensing piston pump delivers full hydraulic lifting and digging forces at any engine speed, and the variable-flow pump automatically adjusts hydraulic power to meet work demands, the company says.
The new advanced hydraulics lets operators adjust the loader and backhoe auxiliary flow to match attachment specifications, program the loader bucket kickout and return-to-dig functions, and enable parallel lift.
While Cat will still offer the legacy seat-mounted adjustable joystick controls, a new pod-mounted joystick option will be available on the next-generation 440 and 450.
In this layout, the advanced electronic joysticks are positioned on rear pod control towers. The backhoes also feature a dedicated electronic joystick for loader control, equipped with an integrated forward/neutral/reverse rocker switch, in addition to the standard FNR lever positioned on the steering column.
Canopy configurations of the 440 and 450 will feature the same soft-key display on 416 through 430 models, while the cab-equipped backhoes will get an upgraded touchscreen display. The intuitive interface will enable machine control customization for greater operating precision, Cat says.
Settings on the touchscreen allow the operator to adjust modulation and response for the lift and tilt cylinders independently, matching machine behavior to specific tasks, such as material handling with forks or other Cat attachments.
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:18:17
David Young
The ideal customer for a machine like this. I would say certainly the crowd here at the utility show in Louisville. This is a 15ft blast machine, so your base dig depth is 15ft, and it's got our wider stabilizer footprint as well. So if you're doing heavy lift, deep digging, hard breakout, this is the machine for you.
00:00:32:24 - 00:00:52:03
David Young
I'm David Young, had the senior product consultant for cat backhoe loaders covering North America. I want to talk about some updates we've made to our 440 and our 450 sales models here today. This is our 440. Now some of the updates we've made, we've made several. And these updates are available now. They went into production in June of this year.
00:00:52:04 - 00:01:14:13
David Young
I'll start with the engines. So we now have both the 440 and the 450 on the C 3.6 engine. Historically they've been on the C 4.4 engine. So now they're on the same engine and engine installation as our 430 and down models. In doing so, we were able to bump the horsepower spec up on our 440 machine, taking it from 115 gross horsepower to 127 gross horsepower.
00:01:14:16 - 00:01:35:22
David Young
And the 450 still retains its 143 gross rating as well. So now we have the 440 position very nicely from a power rating between our 430 model at 115 and our 450 model at 143. Another thing we've done is brought in some of the electrical components from our 416 through our 430 models. And I'll start with our touchscreen display.
00:01:35:22 - 00:01:53:01
David Young
So standard on the 40 and the 50. When you get the cab you get the new cat, touchscreen display with the most recent UI 3.0 interface. And through that touchscreen display, we now have the ability to tune by function on the back end of the machine and on the front end, the machine sits on the back end.
00:01:53:01 - 00:02:18:26
David Young
That means your four primary digging functions your boomstick bucket, and swing. I can go into the display and set my joystick response and modulation for each one of those circuits, and likewise for the lower end. Through the display, I can set the response and modulation as well for my lift and my tilt circuits. Okay. This machine, as you can see, about halfway down the stick, it's got the optional auxiliary circuit.
00:02:18:29 - 00:02:40:23
David Young
Another nice update we've made is we have the ability to change from one way flow for tools like hammers or compactors to two way flow for tools like augers and thumbs. By just hitting a rocker switch in the cab. Before this change operator, I'd have to manually reach up in the rear hitch of the machine and turn a ball valve handle about 90 degrees to switch from one way to two way flow.
00:02:40:29 - 00:03:11:08
David Young
Now it's all inside the cab. Another update is courtesy lighting. If the machine comes from the factory with the optional LED work life package, we have Underhood lighting now as well and lighting in our battery box. Last thing I want to mention is controls and this is another nice update we made as well. Well, ever since the 40 and the 50 got updated and came out in late 2018, the only control system was our, caterpillar seat mounted joystick that's still available for the 440 and the 450.
00:03:11:10 - 00:03:35:13
David Young
However, now we are offering, I'll call it a traditional control layout, where we have a dedicated loader control handle, and now the joysticks to run the back into the machine are on the pod towers, just like it is on our other models as well that have the pilot hydraulics. However, these are still electronic joysticks for both the loader and the back end, which again is why you do have the ability to tune by function through the display that I spoke of earlier.
00:03:35:15 - 00:03:45:27
David Young
So those are some of the big highlights for the 440 in the 450 update. Again went into production in June of this year. Any more questions? Go see your local cat dealer.
