(Photo courtesy of Caterpillar)
Cat’s D1, D2 and D3 Next Generation Small Dozers now offer expanded operator assist and remote-control ready features designed to increase dozing efficiency, performance and productivity. Technologies offered include Stable Blade Lift and Tilt, Blade Load Monitor, Slow Slip Traction Control and AutoCarry.
The dozers also offer a Cat Command for dozing Remote Control (RC) ready option, and include added mounting features and wire harness routing paths to streamline installation of third-party grade-control systems. In an aim to simplify training and operator transition from small to medium machines, the small dozers now provide a common technology solution with Cat Command on medium dozer models.
Cat’s operator assist features expand on existing technologies: Traction Control, Stable Blade and Slope Assist. Bundled with the company’s attachment ready option (ARO) with Assist and Grade 3D with Assist packages, new Stable Blade Lift and Tilt improves performance over Stable Blade. The feature combines accelerometers with an advanced control algorithm to automatically make minor blade raise, lower, and left/right tilt commands to compensate for machine movement, resulting in a smoother surface.
New Blade Load Monitor, Low Slip Traction Control and AutoCarry are integrated into Cat Grade 3D with Assist. Blade Load Monitor produces real-time feedback of current versus target machine load, assisting both novice and experienced operators to fully use machine capacity. Automatically compensating for ground conditions, the technology actively monitors both machine load and track slippage and provides feedback to the operator on current load compared to optimal pushing capacity.
With its two operating modes – normal and low slip – Low Slip Traction Control automatically prevents excessive track slip to increase machine efficiency while reducing operator burden. The default normal mode setting automatically limits non-productive track slip when pushing heavy blade loads. Operator-selected low slip operation technology substantially limits track slip in applications sensitive to any minor track slip like material spreading on top of a liner.
Working in unison with other operator assist features, AutoCarry automatically raises and lowers the dozer blade to maximize pushing capability and prevent excessive track slippage when pushing heavy loads.
