by Nick Drew | Wed 04 Sep 2013
Big Cat on the loose in New York
Owner of Six Mile Excavators and keen Digger Man Blog reader Steve Shevill, has been out and about spotting machines during a break in America, for another of our popular holiday digger photos blogs.
Whilst Steve and his partner were doing the “touristy” bit in New York, he was fortunate to come across a machine we hardly ever see in the UK, except for those being transported to the docks from the Caterpillar factory in Desford, Leicestershire. The Caterpillar 450F is a giant amongst backhoe loaders, and the biggest BHL in the Cat range, built in Leicester, these machines are primarily built for the North American market, but are also sold into Russia and other countries, where a larger backhoe loader is in demand. Powered by a Cat C4.4 engine, this machine has a gross power output of 144hp (107kw) and can attain an impressive maximum dig depth of 17.2 ft (5260mm).
Steve also spotted this Cat “rubber duck”, seen here in a long range shot from across the road.
Here is a walk-around video on the Caterpillar 450F which gives a bit more detail on this big machine.
We thank Steve for sharing his holiday digger photos with us here on the Digger Man Blog.