Cat showcases track drills, hybrid excavator in Peoria

By |  April 8, 2013

Caterpillar hosted a special event April 3-5 at the Edwards Demonstration & Learning Center in Peoria, Ill., showing off a few new products for the trade press. Among the products Cat covered were its track drills and the 336E H hybrid excavator. The 450F backhoe loader was also discussed and demonstrated.

One track drill Caterpillar’s Matt Jacobs and Jeff Dudley discussed is the MD5090, a non-cabbed unit that can drill more than one hole before needing to be moved to another location. Jacobs and Dudley also showed off the MD5075, which has a hydraulically operated rod changer.

The next track drill Cat is taking to market is the MD5150, which has a hole diameter of up to 6 in. The ability to service the MD5150 has improved, Dudley says, because all service can be done at ground level. The unit, which Cat says is an improvement over the MD5125, eliminated about 30 lubrication points with pins and bushings. The drill itself also has remarkably fewer parts ­– 78 in all ­– than other Cat units.

“Many rock drills have to be removed and taken to the shop to perform maintenance,” Dudley says. “Eliminating any manual servicing on the machine saves time.”

The 336E H hybrid excavator, Cat’s first hybrid unit, is another machine company reps touted during the press event. Cat had three primary goals it sought to achieve as it designed and engineered the 336E H: conserve fuel, optimize performance and reuse energy.

Ken Gray, Cat’s global product manager for large hydraulic excavators, talked with customers about the role a hybrid excavator could play in their operations long before the 336E H was developed. The sentiments Cat customers shared were largely the same.

“Customers were telling us, ‘Don’t tell me it’s environmentally friendly; tell me how it’s going to get the job done and how the technology can save us money,” Gray says.

The 336E H’s performance is virtually the same as its 336E predecessor. The hybrid excavator, however, captures oil used to decelerate the machine and stores it in two hydraulic accumulators to reuse. The oil is ready for use when an operator wants to return to dig.

“There’s an electrohydraulic pump that runs only when needed,” says Brian Stellbrink, a Cat product application specialist. “It’s a more intelligent pump that turns at a slower speed yet doesn’t lose any of the 300 hp. It feels the same as the 336E.

An adaptive control system valve sends power where it’s needed when it’s needed, optimizing performance. Gray says payback can be had in as little as one year, although a more typical payback is 18 months. He also says the hybrid technology will likely be applied to other equipment areas within Caterpillar.

“We’re only an inch deep right now,” Gray says. “I think this technology has legs.”

Kevin Yanik

About the Author:

Kevin Yanik is editor-in-chief of Pit & Quarry. He can be reached at 216-706-3724 or kyanik@northcoastmedia.net.

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