Cat shows off new products

Caterpillar Inc. held a press briefing at its Edwards (Ill.) Training & Demonstration Center to introduce a number of new products. In addition to equipment overviews from the company’s product application specialists, the event included equipment demonstrations, product walk-arounds and an optional tour of Tower Rock Stone Co., Ste. Genevieve, Mo.

Pit & Quarry was on-hand for the event, which was highlighted by a panel discussion with Ron Inman and Rodney Linker or Tower Rock; Terry Hennesey of Fabick Cat; and Todd Tuntland of Caterpillar. Jason Hurdis, Caterpillar’s senior market professional, quarry and aggregates, moderated the discussion.

Fuel efficiency was a common theme throughout the product introductions, and Cat also showed off its 988K wheel loader, which was introduced earlier this year at the Bauma trade show in Munich, Germany. Following is some of the equipment introduced at the briefing:

M Series 966 and 972 wheel loaders
The new 966M, 966M XE, 972M and 972M XE wheel loaders have U.S. EPA Tier 4 Final ACERT engines equipped with a combination of electronic, fuel, air and aftertreatment components. The company says deep system integration results in reduced emissions, improved performance and improved fuel economy without interrupting machine performance and making it seamless to operators. The 982M is designed to load 24- to 25-ton on-highway trucks in two passes, and all M Series models are available in an aggregate handler configuration.

770G and 772G off-highway trucks
The new Cat 770G and 772G off-highway trucks have been designed with major advancements in emissions control technology, transmission and traction control systems; frame, drive train and cooling system enhancements; added operator amenities; and serviceability improvements. Many of the features introduced on larger Cat G Series trucks are being incorporated on the new 770G and 772G models. With nominal rated payload capacities of 40 and 52 tons, respectively, the new trucks use Cat C15 (770G) and C18 (772G) engines, with net power ratings of 477 (770G) and 550 (772G) horsepower.

C Series articulated trucks
The new Cat C Series articulated dump trucks – 725C, 730C and 730C EJ ejector – feature new engines with more power, advanced transmission control, enhanced operator amenities, new serviceability features, and, for the 730C and 730C EJ models, automatic traction control. Cat says the design of the new models centers largely on customer requests for increased productivity, lower operating costs, superior availability, long-term durability, added rimpull/retarding capability, ease of operation, high resale value and maximum rental margins. The 725C has a rated payload capacity of 26 tons, and the 730C and 730C EJ models are rated at 31 tons.

Photo: Scott Thomas, product application specialist, shows off Caterpillar’s new C Series articulated haul trucks.