Content area

Full Text

 
Headnote

CFI looks at the latest offerings, paying particular attention to tail swing.

Caterpillar

Full tail swing

The Cat 541 Series 2 and the Cat 552 Series 2 are full tail swing track machines designed for high production clear cut and for clear or select cut in rough terrain. The 552 is a levelling machine that provides more comfort on steep terrain. The Series 2 machines are powered by the 226 kW (303 hp) C9 engine with ACERT Technology. Cat track harvester/feller bunchers have the best-in-class combination of lift capacity, swing torque and tractive effortto-weight ratios. With a full 889 mm (35 in.) ground clearance between the tracks from front to back, the Series 2 machines are less likely to get hung up on stumps or rocks. Tractive effort for the 541 Series 2 is 336 kN (75,500 lb.ft.), and for the 552 Series 2 it is 462.6 kN (104,000 lb.-ft.). Boom reach is 8.6 m (28 ft. 1 in.) for both models configured as standard feller bunchers, and 9.9 m (32 ft. 6 in.) configured as long reach feller bunchers. As harvesters, the standard reach is 10.7 m (35 ft.) and the short reach is 8.8 m (29 ft.).

Limited tail swing

The new Cat B Series limited tail swing track machines feature a new, upsized undercarriage, more horsepower and a new hydraulic design for improved multifunctioning performance. The Cat 522B is a levelling machine for select or clear-cut logging in rough, steep terrain. The Cat 52 IB is a non-levelling model best for plantation thinning, swamp logging, medium-production clear cut, and highproduction biomass applications. The ? Series machines are equipped with the Cat C9 ACERT engine delivering 303 hp (226 kW) of gross power, 20 hp more than the previous models. Swing capacity of 61,000 lb.-ft. (82.7 kNm) gives the operator the ability to swing big loads up slopes. Standard tractive effort for the 52 IB and 522B is 336 kN (75,000 lb.-ft.) and with a high drawbar option for the 522B is 378 kN (85,000 lb.-ft.). Boom reach for both models configured as feller bunchers is 8.1 m (26 ft. 6 in.), and as harvesters the reach is 9.9 m (32 ft. 6 in.).

Zero tail swing

The Cat 501HD track...

Show less