New Cat 385C boosts productivity for Swiss customer
In April 2005 the Vergelletto Piano delle Cascine gneiss quarry, near Locarno, in southern Switzerland, supplemented their ‘mountainous’ job site with a new Caterpillar 385C hydraulic excavator — the largest excavator in the Cat range.
Edgardo Pollini & Son, the owners of the quarry site, already had a B-series 385 excavator in their fleet and, according to Arturo Pollini, good product quality and excellent service from Swiss Cat dealers Avesco encouraged them to choose Cat again.
The 385C is used to load a Cat D30D articulated dumptruck with unused material blasted from the quarry. The annual extraction of gneiss blocks is between 15,000m3 and 20,000m3 and the usable material, which amounts to only 50%, is transported 35km from the quarry. The new excavator is also used in block-handling applications.
Compared with the former B-series model, machine operator Christian Jerich is particularly pleased with the improvements in the cab: ‘The new cab is much better than the former cab. I have better visibility and can sit higher than on the 385B. I can also feel an improvement in the hydraulics, which are smoother and have increased pressure. In addition, there has been a great improvement in the Smart Boom.’
The Smart Boom allows the boom to go down under its own weight, simultaneously increasing pump flow to other machine functions, which Caterpillar say gives superior operator comfort, reduced cycle times and enhanced fuel efficiency in most applications.
The 385C is powered by an EU Stage IIIA-compliant Cat C18 engine with ACERT technology, which produces 383kW at 1,800 rev/min. With this new engine, Mr Jerich says he has noticed a difference compared to the B-series: ‘You can feel the machine has more horsepower. It penetrates the material better and lifts better. Fuel consumption is also good compared to the B-series.’
Arturo Pollini adds that the improvements in the C-series excavator, especially the new cab, have contributed to a significant increase in productivity: ‘Better comfort and visibility combined with simplified operations mean less fatigue for the operator and thus higher productivity. This machine is up to 10% more productive than the 385B,’ he says.
Edgardo Pollini & Son, the owners of the quarry site, already had a B-series 385 excavator in their fleet and, according to Arturo Pollini, good product quality and excellent service from Swiss Cat dealers Avesco encouraged them to choose Cat again.
The 385C is used to load a Cat D30D articulated dumptruck with unused material blasted from the quarry. The annual extraction of gneiss blocks is between 15,000m3 and 20,000m3 and the usable material, which amounts to only 50%, is transported 35km from the quarry. The new excavator is also used in block-handling applications.
Compared with the former B-series model, machine operator Christian Jerich is particularly pleased with the improvements in the cab: ‘The new cab is much better than the former cab. I have better visibility and can sit higher than on the 385B. I can also feel an improvement in the hydraulics, which are smoother and have increased pressure. In addition, there has been a great improvement in the Smart Boom.’
The Smart Boom allows the boom to go down under its own weight, simultaneously increasing pump flow to other machine functions, which Caterpillar say gives superior operator comfort, reduced cycle times and enhanced fuel efficiency in most applications.
The 385C is powered by an EU Stage IIIA-compliant Cat C18 engine with ACERT technology, which produces 383kW at 1,800 rev/min. With this new engine, Mr Jerich says he has noticed a difference compared to the B-series: ‘You can feel the machine has more horsepower. It penetrates the material better and lifts better. Fuel consumption is also good compared to the B-series.’
Arturo Pollini adds that the improvements in the C-series excavator, especially the new cab, have contributed to a significant increase in productivity: ‘Better comfort and visibility combined with simplified operations mean less fatigue for the operator and thus higher productivity. This machine is up to 10% more productive than the 385B,’ he says.
