Off-Highway Trucks

At the beginning of 2009, Caterpillar announced the production of its 50,000th off-highway truck – a milestone achieved at the Decatur, Illinois plant in USA. Caterpillar started the off-highway truck manufacturing nearly 50 years ago and due to the product quality, durability and unparalleled support has become the market leader in the large mining truck market. Designed for construction, quarry and mining applications CAT off-highway trucks are pass-matched with CAT wheel loaders and CAT shovels to speed cycle times and maximize productivity at low operating costs. The CAT off-highway truck range includes 9 models with nominal payload from 36 to 380 metric tons. The CAT mechanical drive power train and power shift transmission provides unmatched operating efficiency and control on steep grades, in poor underfoot conditions, and on haul roads with high rolling resistance. The F-Series trucks with nominal payload from 54 to 91 metric tons, as well as the 36-ton 770 and the 45-ton 772 are powered by CAT engines with ACERT technology, that meet all EU Strage IIIA regulations and provide power and fuel efficiency. The other technical innovations, apart from the engine, include automatic transmission with electric clutch pressure control system for smooth shifting; hydraulically controlled CAT oil cooled, multiple disc brakes; wide, comfortable cab with ergonomic controls; information and monitoring system CAT Messanger. The CAT 797B with nominal payload of 380 metric tons is the largest truck in the world with mechanical drive. Caterpillar is planning to launch mining trucks with electric drive in 2010. The 793 series in the 240-250-ton class will be available in both mechanical (793F) and electric (793F AC) versions. The 345-ton 795F AC, a new size for Caterpillar, will be available in electric drive only.