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Delivering Excavator Undercarriage Solutions for the Most Extreme Conditions
How Cat®'s Hybrid Undercarriage Handles Rugged Norwegian Terrain
With its extreme mountain ranges, rocky underground and bitterly cold winters, if a machine can work in Norway, it can likely work anywhere in the world.
Norwegian customers know how harsh the country’s terrain and environment can be on their machines. In particular, the undercarriages of excavators suffer the most as they have to deal with a tortuous mountain landscape, freezing temperatures and steep inclines.
“For some time now, we’ve seen a high demand for excavator undercarriage repairs,” explains Sondre Karlsen, Product Manager of Ground Engagement Tools/Undercarriage at Pon Equipment Norway. “So, we wanted to proactively help our customers who were losing uptime by needing these frequent repairs.”
Developing a Hybrid Undercarriage
In particular, it is the shoes that suffer the most punishment, as they are constantly under incredible stress. Pon set out to find a solution, developing a hybrid undercarriage, which took a general-duty link and replaced the standard shoes with heavy-duty ones. These stronger shoes worked brilliantly, with the undercarriage standing up well against the Norwegian elements. Improved durability meant higher productivity – and greater profit for Pon’s customers.
One challenge was how to streamline components and part numbers to suit customers' applications and requirements. The solution was for Caterpillar® to manufacture and ship them to Norway, already assembled.
While Pon hoped customers would appreciate the innovative hybrid undercarriage solution, they were surprised by some newer customers’ entirely changed perception of Caterpillar.
Matthew Briggs
Undercarriage Aftermarket Services Consultant
Caterpillar
Delivering on Cat's Reputation for Quality
This introduction to Cat quality has resulted in many customers purchasing this hybrid solution to equip their fleet. Today, Caterpillar sells its hybrid undercarriages to customers worldwide, not just in Norway. They’re available for excavators ranging from 20 to 50 tons and are part of the full Caterpillar undercarriage offering, which provides solutions for excavators between 10 and 90 tons.
If you would like to learn more about Caterpillar’s range of undercarriages or to discuss which one is right for your excavator, contact your local Cat dealer.
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