Move material at a lower cost with a fully automatic transmission, outstanding fuel efficiency and reduced service/maintenance costs. The broadest range of technology features in the industry work together to help you make the most of your equipment investment.
Assist features help make work easier, especially for less experienced operators. Some blade and steering functions are automated so newer operators can work at productivity levels closer to their veteran counterparts. Seasoned operators can enjoy reduced effort and fatigue, along with faster, more accurate results.
Cat Assist and Grade technologies work in the background to help dozer operators of varied skill levels and are especially beneficial to less experienced operators. To demonstrate just how much these built-in technology features help, Caterpillar put them to the test. Two novice operators and two expert operators took on slot dozing, truck dump spreading/grading in sand, and side slope work. Each operator completed three runs of each task – one in manual, one using Assist technology features, and one using Assist plus Cat Grade with 3D. The team measured productivity*, efficiency**, completion time, final surface quality, and operator inputs.
Slot Dozing
• Productivity and Efficiency – Novice operators went from 9% lower productivity and efficiency than the experts in manual to matching the experts when using Assist.
Truck Dump Spreading/Grading in Sand
• Completion Time – Novice operators took 49% more time than the experts in manual and narrowed the gap to 17% using Assist and to 9% by adding Grade.
• Blade Inputs – Novice operator blade inputs were reduced 45% with Assist, and 55% with Assist plus Grade. Expert operator blade inputs were reduced 32% with Assist, and 53% with Assist plus Grade.
• Surface Quality – Novice operator surface quality improved up to 51% using technology while expert operator surface quality improved up to 27% using technology. Novice operators using technology produced similar surface quality to the expert operators in manual.
Side Slope/Steer Assist
• Steering Inputs – Novice and expert operator steering inputs reduced by 75% in forward and by 67% combining forward and reverse.
*Material moved per hour
**Material moved per unit of fuel/Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF)
Study conducted by Caterpillar, August 2022