Caterpillar targets construction industry with new generation excavators

Cat 336 excavator

Caterpillar (CAT) have unveiled a series of new state of art excavators in a bid to expand its portfolio in the building and construction industry in the East Africa region.

Christened Nexgen Excavators, the new generation machines come loaded with technology features for maximum productivity, optimal performance, highly improved fuel efficiency reducing average consumption by 25 per cent and even a 15 per cent reduction in maintenance costs.

“Our target market is construction companies engaged in roads, building and mining. The government is also a consumer of this type of excavator for cleaning ditches, water pans and opening up new water pans in the arid regions of Kenya.

All these sectors are looking for affordable equipment at acquisition and a strong after-sales support as machine uptime is critical to their operations,” said John Waikwa, Machines Sales Manager for Mantrac.

The Next Generation 36-tonne size class excavators from Caterpillar – the 336 and 336 GC – are said to increase operating efficiency, reduce fuel and maintenance costs, and improve operator comfort compared with previous models.

Delivering high-production performance, the 36.6-tonne Cat 336 offers the most power and biggest lift capacity of the two models, resulting in maximum productivity at the lowest cost, whilst the 34.6-tonne Cat 336 GC is said to combine the right balance of productivity features with reduced fuel consumption and maintenance costs, resulting in high reliability and low-cost-per-hour performance.

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With a new electrohydraulic system built for responsiveness and efficiency, the Cat 336 and 336 GC feature a new main control valve that eliminates the need for pilot lines, reduces pressure losses, and lowers fuel consumption.

Offering extended and more synchronized maintenance intervals, the new Cat excavators are said to do more work at a lower cost and reduce maintenance costs by up to 15% over the previous series.

The new Cat air filter with integrated pre-cleaner and primary and secondary filters has double the dust holding capacity of the previous design, whilst the new Cat hydraulic return filter has a 3,000h service life – a 50% increase over previous filter, and the fuel system filters are synchronized for service at 1,000h – a 100% increase over the previous filters.

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In addition, the fuel system, water and sediment drains and hydraulic system oil level are positioned close together at ground level, making routine daily maintenance faster, easier and safer.

With a choice of Comfort, Deluxe, or Premium cab packages, all Next Generation Cat excavator cabs come equipped with standard features such as keyless push-button start, a large 8in (203mm) touchscreen monitor with jog dial keys for control, Bluetooth integrated radio with USB ports for connecting and charging phones, and sound-suppressed rollover protective structures (ROPS) for operator comfort and safety.

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A tilt-up console for the Deluxe and Premium cab designs affords easy cab entry and exit, whilst advanced viscous mounts reduce cab vibration by up to 50% over previous models. Automatic climate control maintains internal cab temperature settings, regardless of external ambient temperatures, and large front, rear and side windows enhance visibility. Optional 360° visibility (336 only) combines images from multiple machine-mounted cameras to enhance the operator’s sight lines in all directions.

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