Operator Tips:
Cat^® 432 Backhoe Loader with Seat-Mounted Controls

0:03  
Hello again, I'm Simon Hill, I’m the product demonstrator at the Leicester customer and training centre based here at Desford UK. Today we're going to be looking at the new 432 backhoe loader. This one is equipped with the new seat-mounted controls.

0:32  
A bit more information on this 432: you can have 95 horsepower, or the optional 110 horsepower engine. 

It's a 3.6 litre engine with a maintenance-free after-treatment. You've got power shift as standard. And then you've got the optional auto shift or auto shift with lockup torque converter available on this as well. 

All Cat backhoe loaders have a variable piston pump, which gives you fuel efficiency and longer life. The new range of backhoes are available with mechanical controls, pilot operator controls or seat-mounted controls. 

The new backhoe loaders come with a host of new features and functions so we're going to talk about those in a short while. 

1:22
Well, here we are inside the cab of the 432. As you can see, I've got seat-mounted controls. These are adjustable independently of the seat back, so if you've got longer arms you can push them forward. I'm quite short at five-foot-six, so I have them brought in, so everything is close to hand. 

Down the side here is a new feature now, it’s now asking me for a passcode. So, you can customise this if you’ve got different operators, they can all have their own codes. So, I will put my code in.

1:51  
And that will come up, there’s my name so it knows I'm here.

1:5 
You've then got your proprietary display here, so you've got your fuel and your AdBlue, so how much AdBlue I've got in the machine. So, rev counter, coolant temperature and hydraulic oil temperature down here. Then you've got your menu screen down the side. 

So, this at the moment is showing me which pattern I'm in. Now, I'm running this in an excavator pattern, because that's what I'm used to on the backhoe. When clicking on that now I can quickly change to backhoe style controls, which will reverse the boom and stick function over onto the other joysticks, and I'm going to pull that back into excavator, because that's how I like it. 

2:33
You've got continuous flow on here so if you run any continuous flow tool, we can set that. You can also set the flow rate on there. The economy mode. 

2:44  
And then on here, you've got your automatic engine idle.

Click on the top there, the menus, so in AUX settings, you can adjust your load or auxiliary flow if you've got a quick coupler on the front such as we have on this one with auxiliary connectors. So, if I'm using a broom, we're going to have the broom slow down if it's kicking a lot of dust up, I just want it going nice and slowly. If you've got an aftermarket mixing bucket or something like that on the front again you can adjust the flow to that. 

On the rear, you've now got your flow rates for your auxiliary circuit. So, if you're using an auger whacker plateyou can adjust the flow rate to that, and it also, without a hydraulic tool connected to it, it will adjust the speed that the E-stick responds to. So, I have it with 100%, I like the E-stick nice and quick, but sometimes if I'm trimming stone out, it's nice to slow it down, so I find 70% is quite good for that. So, we can quickly click on that and now it's immediately gone to 70% flow for the E-stick so you can control that to whatever you like.

3:59  
With that, one of the main questions I get asked on the new seat-mounted controls, is can you walk the machine, i.e. can I operate the loader facing backwards? Well, with this you can because down here you have a switch, which is dual mode, so you click on that. This is now gone green to signify that it’s active, and on this left-hand joystick now there's a trigger. If I pull the left-hand trigger in, I can then operate the loader function by pulling this right-hand joystick. If I pull this back now whilst holding the trigger in on the left-hand joystick, that will raise the loader, so we're going to do a short video next showing how that works.

4:52  
I'm going to show you now how you can walk the machine. So, you can walk the machine, by using the hoe and raising the loader arm. It’s a quick way of positioning the machine when doing ditch work, etc. 

So, what I'm going to do now to be able to lift the loader up, is push myself down first to take the weight of the stabiliser legs off the floor, so I'm just slightly off the floor with the stab legs. Now with the left-hand joystick, I’m going to pull the trigger in, and the right-hand joystick, with the trigger in on the left, I'm going to raise the right joystick and I can just see now the loader bucket is clear of the floor. I can now release the trigger on the left-hand joystick, and I can push myself forward using the boom and stick of the hoe. There we go, push myself forward a few yards. Lower myself back down, back onto the stabilised legs by raising the boom on the hoe. Pull my trigger in again on the left-hand joystick, now with the right-hand joystick, if I lean over my shoulder and look, I can now push my loader bucket back down on the floor, make me nice and stable. And again, we can continue trenching. 

So, you can do that facing out the rear, and you can also do it facing out the side if you wanted. So same procedure.

6:10  
With facing out the side, you have to make sure the dual mode switch is active, and the green light is on.

6:16  
So, I'm in dual mode. Again, gently raise myself clear on the stabiliser legs. Left-hand trigger in, right-hand trigger place my bucket clear of the floor. Release the left-hand trigger, push myself forward.

6:36  
Trigger in, right-hand loader, lever down. And again, we're ready for trenching again. So, two ways of doing it: facing out the back, facing over the side. 

6:50
Another feature of the seat-mounted controls is the ability to have your seat positioned 90 degrees from the rear, and still be able to use the hoe. So now I can raise the hoe up, I can move my seat round so if I'm doing ditch cleaning or any operation - truck loading, for example - anything where I'm loading looking through the window here, I can now position myself so it's more ergonomic, I’m not craning my neck. Now, I can bring the machine round.

7:27  
For example, today we are parked in front of the shed because the weather's been atrocious all day. So now I've got the hoe facing across the side there, you can work that nice and easily, see what I'm doing, everything is controlled. Very easy on my neck. So, throughout the day, you are not going to be so tired, you’re more comfortable when you are sat at back of the seat. I’m now digging out straight out the back of the machine, dig down to the back.

7:58  
So, for example, for all intents and purposes, I am pretending to dig a trench. As like I say, I’m parked in an area out of the wind today, I’m going to swing the hoe round. I could be loading over the side of my trailer or truck, and I’m nice and comfortable. So that's one good feature.

8:18
[Upbeat instrumental music plays]

9:32
Well, that concludes the short video we've just done regarding the 432. I hope you found it informative, and I look forward to doing some more in the future.