Images for new CAT truck out today on there website I can tell you I have never seen so much excitement for a new product like this at our dealership looking forward to seeing one in person http://www.drivecat.com/
Ahh its ugly! thats a big disappointment, the fenders are the worst part!
OMG...that thing is...well not pretty:throwup. I was going to say ugly but someone beat me to it. I'm not just saying that cause its a Cat product...I really think they tried too hard to make it look "tough" and totally missed the mark. I'd skip the Cat transmission and buy the real deal...Navistar.
The transmission is based on the one in the articulated trucks so it should be pretty good. As for the truck, Kinda ugly at first, but like the new pick ups, it grows on you.
I don't think its to bad looking it defiantly different.
i thought it would look more like an International with subtle Cat style mods. I can see the influence of cats ridgid frame haul trucks look. I think it looks tough, It will be interesting to see if this new truck is tough and how it will be excepted by customers loyal to the other brands. Did they get it right?
i cant recall ever seeing a CAT branded truck... When i think of tough i think old Mack... I think Kenworth builds some heavy duty units, but thats about it.
I read awhile back in a diesel power mag that cat was done makin on road truck engines.... guess they changed there mind
I think it looks pretty good! Huh. Which model articulated-truck is the transmission based on Lee?
You think that's ugly......have you seen the new Western Star they just released:lmao:throwup:throwup:throwup
ya!!!!
700 series
Thanks Lee. Do you know if it's a 725, 730, 735 or 740? Just curious.
I was thinkin the same thing ...I think they are not building motors for North America ???
I understand that the engine in being made by International under license from Caterpillar for these trucks. Ya, they are ugly. But, on the other hand most of the trucks built now are ugly. If it is going to look like a truck and be good lookin' go for a Peterbilt 359, Mack Superliner or Mack RB series. AS for tough and Mack in the same sentence that went to h--- in a hand cart when Volvo did their thing to the Mack line after they got their hands on it. I know of several people who bought Granites and hate or hated them until they got rid of them. Volvo also trashed the Mack engine line too. I have run Macks around here for over twenty years. Good thing I am not going to be buying any mroe trucks because I don't know what I would go for any more. Not impressed much with any of them.
it is kind of like an ugly kid.....you want to love it, but its ..........ugly!
I found it interesting that their "Heavy Haul'' display truck only had a C-13 and 6 speed Automatic?
It is different looking. I wouldn't go so far as saying its ugly. Navistar has ugly all sewn up IMO. I will be sticking to my T-800's think.
there 15L wont be out till 2012 and they put their automatic in it because they want to sell their tranmission
Yeah, well, if it's got Navistar's engine, it'll be a dog from the get-go!
i dunno what you guys are thinking, I think thats the best looking truck out there, it looks great i love the black fenders and the headlights....I just dont really see how its ugly lol, Id buy one in a heartbeat!
Cat exited the truck engine business in 2008, at the same time they announced their agreement with Navistar to develop this on-road truck. It is a Cat-branded Navistar engine. The CX31 is the on-road automatic they've been building since 2004 (I think that's the year), and the design concept used in their articulated dump trucks. When pressed, Cat director of on-highway truck sales says the CT660 introduced March 20 is "all-new from the frame rails up." In other words, Cat worked with Navistar on the specs for the engine and chassis, but thoroughly designed and engineered its own cab. The whole thing rolls off a Navistar assembly line in Texas. There will only be vocational Cat trucks in North America, due to the supply agreement with Navistar, but the two makers operate a joint venture globally that will supply long-haul trucks outside of North America. The initial introduction of the CT660 offers only the C11 or C13 engines (up to 475 hp) and the set-back front axle. A C15 and set-forward front axle are on the way. Talking with a couple of Cat dealers, it's obvious that Mack and the Paccar brands are Cat's key targets. Given their relationships with the buyers of 70% of the vocational trucks in North America, I'd be betting that Cat is going to take some of their market share. Note: The particulars of this CT660 introduction are classic Cat protocol. Peoria is VERY conservative with departures from normal operations. Consider the diesel-electric drive introduction. Cat doesn't put it on a D6 or D8, where they already dominate the market and have great margins. They put it on a D7. A small-volume, oddball size where they can test the waters. They get a feel for how it goes once they're doing business in the market, refine and adjust marketing messages and support programs, get it all teed up just right, and then introduce in the more popular sizes. There's decent volume in set-back-steer, 11- and 13-liter vocational trucks so Cat dealers are happy, but inevitably, Cat's target market is owner operators and severe-application (read: 15-liter) fleets. This story is just beginning. I think the big question is, "Will they ever get into long-haul trucks?" Given their vast volume superiority, I gotta think Cat dealers are anxious to cut a piece of that pie. Video: George Taylor discusses the CT660 with FCP.com's Roger Mann Larry
imacatskinner2 How is this thing a CAT. Engine, frame, cab, outsourced. Same running gear(axles, suspension, manual tranny) as any other truck. I guess the auto tranny from CAT is the only thing thats CAT. I would rather have a KW or Pete. What is CAT thinking? Not only that it's ugly and has a pansey front bumper with no friggin tow hook!
I dunno if youve driven the Maxxforce 13 international engine yet, but if you compare it to a mercedes or cummins fo the same size and power its closer to the top of the performance pile than the bottom!
Why the almost of you say that it´s ugly? Under our european viewpoint the truck looks awesome!!! maybe I would put it on a meiller kipper attachment . I still don´t know anything else about engine,gear etc but really I like.
Perhaps some of of you fellers would prefer the Australian version, compared to the US one. I have put up pictures of both for a comparison. One truck comes with a Fuller RTLO-18918B 18-speed overdrive gearbox, the other one a Fuller RTLO-20918B 18-speed overdrive. Here are the specs, if anyone is interested. http://australia.cat.com/cda/files/2446764/7/CT610+Spec+Sheet.pdf http://australia.cat.com/cda/files/2446750/7/CT630+Spec+Sheet.pdf RnR.
I only see ugly until I crawl in the cab . I wanna know , Can you see out of it ? Will I feel beat up at the end of the day ? Will it stay together ? All questions I will have to wait on to be answered . If ugly counted against ya , I would start out in to hole every time !
Hiya Rocks, wondering where you got off to. The yellow Cat above looks very much like an IH prostar with a different grill to me. http://www.internationaltrucks.com/Trucks/ I've not ridden in a Prostar, but reports are they ride very well.
Don't worry, Tiny, there would be a few of us in that hole with you, you don't have the monopoly on the ugly stakes. Their are a few reports coming in from the various truck magazines on the performance and road manners of the Cat trucks. They are mostly favourable, but one journo complained about the lack of foot room when driving it. Apparently the firewall protrudes into the cab to allow for the EGR turbo system to fit in the engine bay and this made driving it somewhat uncomfortable. Bear in mind, this is a right hand drive truck, so this may not be a problem with the left hand drive models. I am not a big fan of the EGR system, I just wonder how it will go in our hotter conditions. Hello Scott, still here, we are really busy, but we are not complaining. The Prostar does look similar to the Aussie Cat, you would imagine that they would use existing panels where they can to keep costs down. I just wonder why they didn't have one cab, perhaps the US likes to be different to everyone else. All of the European truck manufacturers use one cab per model and it is sold world wide, it keeps manufacturing simple. RnR.
We have a Cat truck running around here at the moment. A test truck loaded down with concrete blocks just accrueing miles. Looks much better in person than the pictures do it justice. Specially the digital computer generated photos. Contemporary design yes. You can pick it out from a mile away. But I think it looks good
The cab really is the Cat part of the CT660. Visibility, comfort, durability will determine whether or not Cat knows what it is doing on-road.
I have yet to see one here in the Pacific NW set up as a log truck, I know they have been on the road elsewhere for test purposes. Is CAT afraid what a logger will do to their truck? Send one west so we can try to break it….
Here is a pic from the show
I was pretty disapointed when my Cat key wouldn't start any of the trucks at the expo.
:falldownlaugh
Got word today that one of the largest contractors in the area just received one from Cat on a trial basis set up as a tri-axle dump. It should be interesting to see how it works out.
It is slowly growing on me. I am very excited to see one at the dealer though and take it for a spin!
It ain't growing on me. See my original comments on page 1.
Compare anything to a Mecedes and it'll seem like top dog.. Just sayin.. I dont understand the grill on the CT. It does not seem like it would let alot of air flow.
So who is going to enter to win the new truck? I know some members on here can make a good video and we can all team up to vote. http://www.drivecat.com/Pages/TruckBuzz/WinATruck.aspx
Wow, I thought it was just a model. Didn't know Cat was really making a truck. Well if it goes with the rest of their pricing it's gotta be $200,000.00 for a dump truck
There is one running around Birmingham AL. A dump truck with cat all over it. Looks good going down the highway.
I just wonder if the engine sits out where it belongs, or if it's stuffed in under the dash like the rest of these snub nosed things that are running around nowdays.
This truck stopped at the shop today. Only it doesn't have the dump body on now.
There sure is. I have seen it several times running in and out of the quarry.
So other than the transmission what part is Cat? If there's so much buzz over this truck I can't wait until John Deere makes one and puts a Cummins in it to power it, isn't that about the same thing? Oh, other than the cab, I almost forgot the most important thing on a truck and the logo on the steering wheel and hood, that'll make the truck a true purebred once those are in place.
I haven't seen any of these on the road yet, but I favor the look in the pictures. Time will tell if they are any good.
http://www.mycattruck.com I was stumbling through some google images of the CT660 and found mycattrucks.com. There are some great photo's of the CT660 working in the real world and it also has some great information on the site!
I'm still undecided on it. It looks cool, but I think there is just too much PayStar influence. I still can't believe they used the PayStar's floor mounted accelerator & brake pedals. Fully suspended pedals would be a nice feature to have, like most other manufactures are going to. At least once the MaxxForce 15...errr, sorry, CT15 becomes available, there will at least be a little Cat influence in the engine. I hope Cleveland Brothers sends that demo up to my local dealer so I can check it out for myself.
Sales are very slow here, they were released early in the year and Cat were hoping to sell 500 in the first year. By July they had only sold 50. Things are slowing down here, so that could have an effect on sales as well. RnR.
We had one as a demo and parked next to our Kenworths, they are tiny!!
Yes, I heard that cat wants to sell 500 the first year and a 1000 the next. My understanding is that there is already a waitng list. The guy's here are chomping at the bit to get it.! I bought my 9 yr old one witha three axle load king this weekend. 1:50 scale of couse. Looks great! Had to buy a 950 loader as well. Can't have an emty haul truck.
They caused quite abit of concern with the other makers before hand but when they were launched they only rated them at 70t GCM which everyone over here (triple quad and heavy haulage) laughed at the fact they tried to sell them against a Mack or KW or even the euro brands so they spec'd them to 90t to which everyone thought they wouldnt last, CAT had afew dramas with their last batch of engines too which didnt help Last i heard they only sold 78 of the 500 which they rushed into the country to beat the euro 5 laws so now they are stuck with over 400 2010 plated trucks which are all sitting in the weather at CAT in Melb, its quite a sight!