CAT COMPACTION IN EUROPE

Caterpillar has entered the European compaction business with a vengeance. After significant success in the North American market, the company has spent the last couple of years developing a robust line of new equipment destined to shake its compaction rivals in Europe.

After a year in which results rocketed to an all time high, Cat's investment in new products - including compaction - remains strong.

Last week, within months of its launch of the CB-434B and CB-534B asphalt compactors, Cat introduced another rake of compaction machines.

This time the five new machines - to be produced at Cat's Rantigny factory in France - are the 10.7t CB-544 drum steer vibratory asphalt compactor, the 13.4t CB-535B combination compactor, and three 8-12t class vibratory soil compactors.

Explaining the company's European push into compaction, Vito Baumgartner, chairman of the board of Caterpillar Overseas, said: 'Concerned by declining sales in the mid-1980s and excess factory capacity, Cat sought out new market opportunities that were closely linked to our traditional customer base - compaction and paving products seemed to represent a "good fit".'

In 1988 the company not only bought the design rights to RayGo, CMI and Albaret products, but it also acquired Albaret's Rantigny factory. Since 1991, the factory has been extensively modernised to accommodate Cat's latest models.

The CB-544, the first Caterpillar asphalt compactor with drum steering system, is powered by a 60kW Cat 3054 engine and equipped with two 1,700mm-wide split drums.

The drums, driven by four low-speed hydraulic motors, are mounted on swivelling yokes. This set-up gives four different steering modes: front drum steer; rear drum steer; co-ordinated steering and crab steering. Crab steering, achieved by independently controlling the front and rear wheel drums, is said to increase the machine's effective compaction width by up to 60%, from 1,700mm to 2,726mm.

Other features include a dual amplitude patented eccentric weight system, a drum spray system and a ROPS cab with a new maximum visibility control console. The operator console, offering 1m x 1m visibility, slides into four different positions. Visibility improvements enable operators to see objects 1m in front/behind the machine as well as those that are 1m high. A forward tilting operator platform is likely to impress fitters when it comes to maintenance access.

Approximately 10% more expensive than Cat's 60:40 articulated CB-534B compactor - launched late last year - the CB-544 drum-steer offers a turning radius of 3,005mm as opposed to 4,165mm on the CB-534B.

Terry Tonks, Finning's UK compaction specialist said: 'While the CB-534B - a match for Bomag's BW161 - will impress the UK market, Cat's drum steer concept on the CB-544 is likely to have greater impact on the German market.' To date, Hamm's DV8- 42 is the CB-544's principal competitor in Germany.

Cat's second new machine, the 13.4t CB-535B, gives users the performance of a vibratory compactor at the front and characteristics of a pneumatic tyred compactor at the back.

Powered by an 80kW Cat 3054T engine, the unit offers a 1,700mm-wide front drum and three pneumatic rear tyres. A three amplitude vibratory system on the front drum allows the machine to work on thin, medium and thick mats.

Cat says that a hydraulic cylinder on the central wheel allows vertical oscillation to prevent bridging on low spots, while producing uniform distribution of the load on the three wheels.

Concluding Cat's new product line-up are the CS-563C, CP-563C and CS-563C AW (added weight) vibratory soil compactors. Respective operator weights are 11.58t, 12.04t and 12.31t. All three are powered by a 108kW Cat 3116T engine and offer independent propulsion systems for the front drive and rear wheel motors. A no-spin differential on the rear axle gives a balanced tractive effort to the rear wheels. All five products - to be shown at Bauma '95 - will be available in the UK from May onwards.

Terry Tonks, former Bomag and Benford man, has been appointed UK compaction specialist for Finnings, and Clive Greenaway, UK paving product manager for Levertons.

Cat's view of the year ahead is positive, not only does it anticipate production levels at Rantigny to increase by 75% on last year's increase of 100%, but it also expects to become a world-class production source.

Cat's compaction push is set to continue. By the end of 1995, the 15t CS583C, and 13t CS573C soil compactors are forecast to roll out of Rantigny.