by Nick Drew | Sat 01 Feb 2014
New Cat’s on the prowl in Malaga (Part One)
With ConExpo 2014 in Las Vegas just around the corner, American industry giant Caterpillar, chose Malaga in Spain, to reveal a number of new machines to an illustrious gathering of European journalists, and the Digger Man Blog was kindly on the guest list.
It goes without saying that ConExpo will be a big event for Caterpillar, and on home turf the company will be officially launching in excess of 12 new products, with a massive focus on the latest Tier 4 emissions compliant engines, which are said to offer the best ever fuel efficiency whilst maintaining high levels of productivity. On display in Malaga, were the new C series articulated haulers, 725C and 730C, the first two models of upgraded F series excavators, 374F and 390F,the new 772G rigid hauler, and two new M series wheeled loaders, 972M XE and 982M.
I will be covering some of my operating experiences in the magazine and in future blogs, but in this post let’s take a look at the 772G rigid hauler. Last year saw the 50th anniversary of Caterpillar rigid hauler manufacturing, which had started with the introduction of the legendary 769 model way back in 1963, and has subsequently seen in excess of 50,000 units produced. The machine we see today is a result of those many years of experience in the design and manufacture of rigid off highway trucks.
The 772G is powered by Caterpillar’s C18 ACERT engine, which offers a gross power output of 451kw (605hp) and has a target payload capacity of 46.8 tonnes (51.6 tons). Prototype machines have amassed over 20,000 hours of validation in quarries and mining sites prior to production, and this example on display in Malaga had recently returned from a quarry in Germany, where it had accumulated 4,400 hours during a field follow programme.
The 772G features no less than six fuel efficient features, as opposed to the outgoing F series, including adaptive eco mode, auto neutral idle, speed limiting (reaching top gear) traction control system, transmission control electronics, and second gear start. In the field follow reports it was estimated that the old F series was consuming 30.8 litres of fuel per hour, with the new G series coming in at around 20.5 litres per hour, which is a considerable saving over the course of a year.
The machine also features Cat’s Truck Payload Management System (TPMS), where the operator can monitor his payload and load cycle data via the on screen monitor. In addition, the machine has a traffic light style warning light system to aid the loader operator when filling the truck. Once the green lights starts flashing, the full payload is nearly achieved and when the light turn’s red the truck is fully loaded.
The machine features a whole host of in cab improvements on the previous model, including lower operator noise level reduction, automatic temperature control, electric window on left hand side of cab, right hand side window – hinged for emergency egress, new foot rests, additional storage areas for the operator’s personal effects, and an all-new Cat comfort series III suspension seat.