Caterpillar mining for customers

With commodity prices low, Caterpillar wants to make mining as productive an enterprise as possible for customers. To that end, it put several mining machines on display recently at MINExpo 2000, including a new excavator and wheel loader that the company claims offer not only superior performance, but also a good fit with its existing mining truck products.

Caterpillar's 5110B hydraulic excavator and 988G wheel loader are perfect mates - but not for each other. The company's two newest products were designed with many performance specifications in mind, one of the more important being load capacities that match well with those of Caterpillar's mining trucks. It's the company's hope that all their families of equipment live long, productive lives together - and put more money into their customers' pockets.

The 5110B establishes a new size class and is, according to the company, “ideally suited for loading the Cat 773D” and other trucks in the 45- to 55-t (50- to 60-ton) capacity range in four passes. The 988G also is able to fill a model 773D truck in four passes - one fewer than the 988F II that the larger and more powerful 988G replaces - and a 769 in just three passes.