Cat beefs up ACERT ratings

The quest to control emissions brought the race for ever-higher torque and horsepower to a halt in 2002, with heavy-duty diesel engine manufacturers suspending sales of high-output engines. It was hard to swallow, particularly for owner-operators and heavy haulers who value the extra oomph.

But this fall, Caterpillar will venture back above the 600-horsepower plateau with a new “King of the Hill” rating, a C15 ACERT diesel that hits the 625-horsepower mark at 1,800 rpm. The King of the Hill C15 uses the same engine platform, bore, and stroke as the 550-hp C15 on the market today but has new turbochargers, a unique camshaft, and a speedier electronic control module (ECM). In addition to the horsepower the engine yields a 38-per-cent torque rise, producing 2,050 foot-pounds at 1,200 rpm and constant torque to 1,700 rpm.

With the new rating come beefed up retarders — a compression brake with 600 retarding horsepower and a hydraulic retarder that delivers 260-horsepower engine braking. You can combine the two for up to 725 retarding horsepower, the most allowed by most driveline manufacturers.

More new ratings are on the way. One of the most appealing is a C15 producing 600 horsepower and 1,850 foot-pounds of torque, an ideal option for heavy haulers and owner-operators who want lots of pull but not the cost of a bulked up driveline.

Caterpillar has teamed with Eaton on a new “Super Fuel Saver” 470-horsepower multi-torque rating. It mates a C13 or C15 engine with an Eaton Fuller 10-speed transmission jointly developed with Cat, model RTLOC-16909A-T2. The combination allows low engine revs at cruising speed — 1,325 rpm at 65 mph.

In addition to the fuel-saver spec, Caterpillar will offer more ratings for the C13 by year’s end. This include 470 horsepower with 1,550 foot-pounds of torque; 470 horsepower with 1,650 foot-pounds of torque; 470 horsepower multi-torque with 1,550/1,750 foot-pounds of torque; and 500 horsepower with 1,650 foot-pounds of torque available as a field up-rate.

The C11 engine is stretched to 350 horsepower with 1450 foot-pounds of torque and 370 horsepower with 1,450 foot-pounds of torque. Cat says the ratings, combined with the rear power takeoff capability and low weight of the C11, make the engine a good fit for the mixer and dump truck market.

Details are online at www.cattruckengines.com, or visit your Cat dealer.


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