Cat Media Event Highlights Advancements

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Caterpillar announced new products, equipment enhancements and Tier 4 updates at a media event in Peoria, Ill., attended by Rock Products Editor Mark S. Kuhar, who was the only chief editor of an aggregates industry publication to attend the event.CAT-400

The company showed off the new Cat 335F L CR excavator, which delivers a 16 percent improvement in fuel efficiency compared to the 328D model it replaces. The compact radius machine is made for heavy work on congested job sites. Equipped with 33-in. (850mm) track shoes, the 335F L CR limits over-the-side tail swing to just 7 in. (178 mm); a heavy counterweight enhances overall stability and provides lift capacities up to 41,500 lb. (18 300 kg). With efficient hydraulics, heavy-duty structures, a quiet and comfortable full-size cab, high-ambient cooling system, ground-level service points, and a range of work tools, the 335F L CR is one well-built, versatile machine for demanding work needs.

At a special educational session on operational efficiency, Cat reiterated its commitment to fuel efficiency. “It matters to our customers,” said Jason Hurdis, global construction and infrastructure. “They want more done with less fuel, and it is a key measure of machine performance.”

The company also announced that integrated Cat Grade Control Technology is now standard equipment for 323F hydraulic excavators with 9.6-ft. Stick. This 2D system is integrated into the machine’s standard monitor and indicates real-time positioning and cut-and-fill information to assist operators with efficiently and accurately achieving consistent depth and slope grades without guesswork. This results in faster times to complete work with fewer passes, increased fuel savings, and minimal expense for grade staking and checkers. Significant productivity increases of up to 35 percent and documented fuel savings of up to 6 percent have been achieved with the system.

In addition, Cat displayed its 390F and 374F excavators with Cat ACERT engines that focus on fuel efficiency – the C15 in the 374F and C18 in the 390F – and also meet U.S. EPA Tier 4 Final emissions regulations. The new models build on the durability, reliability and performance of the D Series, and they reflect Cat F Series design criteria, which include low fluid consumption for minimal operating costs, optimum operator comfort, easy serviceability and class-leading productivity.

The company said the 390F burns 7 percent less fuel yet delivers more productivity than the 390D it replaces. The 374F burns 13 percent less fuel and has the same productivity as the 374D it replaces.

Caterpillar also announced that it is making the first in a series of authorized modification processes available for used Cat Tier 4 Interim products that require modification for operation outside of Highly Regulated Countries (HRCs), where the products were originally manufactured to operate. Beginning Dec. 1, the processes will be available exclusively from Cat dealers in certain countries with less stringent or no non-road emissions standards for used Tier 4 Interim products that customers will operate in those countries.

At the Cat event, former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood spoke about the importance of passing a long-term infrastructure bill, and decried the partisanship and short-sighted obstructionism of today’s legislative atmosphere in Washington.

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