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Caterpillar focuses on technology at year-end press event

Grade with Assist demonstrated on the 323F hydraulic excavator and Slope Assist demonstrated on the D6N dozer.
Grade with Assist demonstrated on the 323F hydraulic excavator and Slope Assist demonstrated on the D6N dozer.

Caterpillar held their year-end press conference November 11-12 in Peoria, Illinois, where they unveiled 14 new products and placed particular focus on new technologies. Highlights included Cat Grade with Assist for the 323F hydraulic excavator, Cat Grade with Slope Assist for dozers including the D6N, integrated technologies for M Series motor graders, and RemoteTask remote control for D Series skid-steer, multi-terrain and compact track loaders. All of these technologies were demonstrated for the press at Caterpillar's Edwards Demonstration & Learning Center in Illinois.

Grade with Assist

Cat Grade with Assist is the first operator Assist feature with semi-autonomous grade control available on Cat excavators, offered as an option for the 323F. Assist technology goes to work when the bucket’s cutting edge gets within 4 inches (10 cm) of target by locking onto grade and automatically adjusting boom up/down and bucket in/out movements. The operator simply controls stick speed using a single lever. The system also automates bucket movements to maintain a constant bucket angle, which is operator adjustable to match cutting angle to digging conditions and can be automatically recalled for next pass. To eliminate the chance of overcutting, a grade protection feature prevents the cutting edge from penetrating below grade – saving contractors the time and cost of rework, additional fuel, grade checking, labour hours and fill material. Grade control is standard on the 323F and Assist is available as a factory option for all new machines or as a dealer install kit to retrofit machines already in the field.

Grade with Slope Assist

Cat Grade with Slope Assist uses in-cab guidance and blade control to help operators work efficiently and accurately with less effort. The system automatically maintains blade mainfall (fore/aft) and slope angles allowing operators to reduce manual inputs by up to 80 percent. An in-cab display with real-time mainfall/slope indicators guides the operator, providing an easy way to monitor progress at a glance. The result is quick, confident grading – so work gets done faster with fewer passes, greater accuracy, less fuel and less fatigue. Slope Assist is now standard on a number of Cat dozers including the Tier 4 Final D6N, as well as the D3K2, D4K2 and D5K2. Retrofit kits are available.

Integrated technologies for M Series motor graders

Cat Grade with Cross Slope is a new optional technology. This 2D system automatically adjusts the slope of the blade based on the operator’s input, instantly delivering a uniform elevation change across the cutting edge. Also optional is Stable Grade, which detects and reduces machine bounce to improve grading precision. Advanced Control Joysticks is an optional feature that allows operators to steer, shift, articulate, adjust the blade, use Cat Grade with Cross Slope, operate a snow wing and control auxiliary hydraulics all without taking their hands off the joysticks.

Auto Articulation allows the motor grader operator to articulate automatically while steering, which greatly reduces fatigue. The result is improved productivity and maneuverability, particularly when working in tight spaces or around curves, obstacles and turnarounds. All M Series and M Series 3 motor graders come from the factory with Auto Articulation hardware installed and a 500-hour software trial.

RemoteTask remote control

In partnership with Torc Robotics, Caterpillar introduced RemoteTask remote control system for Cat D Series skid-steer, multi-terrain and compact track loaders. The RemoteTask system enables operators to precisely control the machines from outside the cab – as far away as 1,000 feet (300 m) and at a safe distance from potentially hazardous tasks and environments. It only takes about an hour for a Cat dealer to install the RemoteTask system. With the system installed, the machine can transition from manual to remote mode at the turn of a key switch. The system is completely transferrable between units.

The portable console allows the operator to move as needed for good lines of sight. RemoteTask can be integrated into 16 models of Cat D Series skid-steer, multi-terrain and compact track loaders and can control more than 200 work tools with all hydraulic functions controlled via the remote system. The system will be available in North America in January 2016.

Look for more product announcements and news from Caterpillar's year-end press briefing during the coming weeks at heavyequipmentguide.ca.

RemoteTask remote control is demoed at Caterpillar's year-end press event.
We test out Slope Assist on the D6N.
New technology features for M Series motor graders demoed at Caterpillar's year-end press event.