Caterpillar Introduces New D7 Medium High Drive Dozer
Caterpillar’s new 33-ton (29.8-metric-ton) D7 crawler dozer is a more productive replacement for the D7E, with 10% more blade capacity and the ability to move 8% more material per hour. The 265-horsepower (200-kilowatt) machine features a fully automatic four-speed transmission, a spacious new cab, and support for technologies to assist the grading operation. The D7 is available in standard or Low Ground Pressure (LGP) configurations.
High-Tech Dozing
Cat says that the D7’s elevated sprocket undercarriage improves its penetration force, ride, and balance. Automatic Traction Control comes standard, and it no longer requires user interaction as on previous dozers.
Blade options range from a 5.4-cubic-yard (4-cubic-meter) angle blade to a 21.7-cubic-yard (16.6-cubic-meter) universal landfill unit for the machine’s Waste Handler configuration. The D7 can also be outfitted with guards and other optimizations for forestry and land clearing.
The dozer can benefit from a variety of optional technologies. Slope Indicate displays the chassis’ position in the cross-slope direction for better situational awareness. The Attachment Ready Option, or ARO, comes with brackets and mounting hardware to support grade control systems of any brand. ARO with Assist, meanwhile, adds basic blade control and a list of features that aid the grading operations behind the scenes. Cat GRADE with Slope Assist needs no GPS signal to automatically maintain the user-selected blade grade angles to make the proper fore/aft and left/right slopes easier to achieve. The 2nd-generation Stable Blade feature reduces operator effort in finish grading. AutoCarry lifts the blade automatically to maintain traction and blade load, while the Blade Load Monitor helps the operator use the blade efficiently. Cat GRADE with 3D uses a 10-inch screen, Inertial Measuring Units (IMUs), and in-cab GPS receivers with protected antennas to grade more accurately. Finally, the remote control-ready Cat D7 can use the Cat COMMAND for Dozing option for either line-of-sight operation using an over-the-shoulder console or non-line-of-sight operation for remote control through the Cat Command Station.
Power & Comfort
The D7’s engine is Tier 4 Final and Stage V emissions-compliant, and it’s 12% more powerful than the motor in the D7E. The dozer’s automatic transmission is smooth-shifting, Cat says, and is shared with the D6 and D8T.
The D7 also shares its new cab with the D6, the D6 XE, and the D5. It’s redesigned to be roomier inside, and it offers plenty of adjustments for the seat and controls. The feed from the standard rearview camera displays on the 10-inch touchscreen. The D7 supports Cat LINK telematics.
Source: Caterpillar