Cat started manufacturing branded articulated trucks at the site in 1985 and they are now “a key member of Caterpillar’s core product line,” said Brent Losey, product manager for Cat’s articulated trucks.
Trader Construction Company of New Bern in the US state of North Carolina received the 50,000th unit during a recent ceremony at the Peterlee plant. Carl Huddle, president of Trader, and Gregory Poole Cat dealer representatives were on hand for the presentation of Trader’s newest Cat 745 – a 41tonne articulated truck.
“Trader has owned or leased a total of 500 of Cat’s 36tonne class articulated trucks over the years,” said Anthony Pollock, articulated trucks marketing manager for Caterpillar.
Featuring the recently re-engineered cab, Caterpillar says that the 745 offers improved ease of operation, uninterrupted rear-quarter visibility and in-cab operating sounds levels 7dB lower than previous designs. Its gear range selector delivers efficient single-lever control over truck speed and body hoisting functions to improve cycle times.
Featuring economy mode operation for an average 5% fuel consumption improvement, the truck’s power train is driven by the Cat C18 ACERT engine, rated at 375kW, with a range of emissions control platforms to meet global environmental standards.
The 745 features a host of standard integrated technologies, including Product Link, Cat Production Management and Cat Detect with Stability Assist to monitor, manage and enhance job site operations.
The Cat family of articulated trucks features six three-axle models with rated payloads ranging from 21-41tonnes and heaped capacities from 15-25m3.
Caterpillar first premiered a 36-tonne payload class articulated truck with the D400 in 1985. Since that time, Caterpillar has been a leading manufacturer of 36+tonne class articulated trucks.
