Hi, I have a long list of Serial Numbers for our earthmoving machines and wondered if CAT use a specific way of determining a VIN/PIN number? We have sites Australia wide - so wondering if I can figure this out myself before sending lots of emails asking our site fitters to send me photos of the manufacturer's plate (which I do already have but they only contain a Serial number - no VIN/PIN number) Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks
I'm not sure what you're asking TBH. A lot will depend on whether you have late-model machines which use the 17-character PIN (Product Identification Number), or older machines that only ever had an 8-character Serial Number marked on the plate. In the case of the former the machine Serial Number is the last 8 characters of the 17-character PIN. Are you asking whether it is possible to determine a machine PIN or Serial Number using "other data". If so what data would you plan on using to "figure it out" as you put it.? When it comes to obtaining information relating to Parts or Service for any Cat machine the only thing that matters to the dealer are the last 8 digits of the PIN (Serial Number in other words). The first 9 characters are just bumf, put there from 2001 onwards under ISO Standard 10261 so that Cat comply with worldwide standards for product numbering. Here's the key to identifying a PIN for any manufacturer. 1. 3-character Manufacturer Code 2. 5-character Model Code - with zeros at the start if the Model Code is less than 5 chracters. (The example above is a 120H model) 3. Check character - Assigned at random by the manufacturer. Used in an attempt to prevent knock-off plates being produced. 4. 8-character machine Serial Number.
This info is exactly what I wanted Nige - I really appreciate it !
Not sure what I did, but you're welcome.