Came across a magazine article today that Cat are changing up the motor grader models in 2020. Mining models stay as 14/16/18/24. Construction models will be 120/140/150/160. The 12M will become 140 and the current 140M will be known as 150. All M letters will be dropped. Sad to see the 12 gone from the line up after over 80 years
buy one before they are gone?
I've always wondered why that model existed in the first place. Take a 140 frame, cut down on the horsepower, install a 12' mold board, install smaller tires and you have a 12. I guess that is the way to save money awhile ago but now days they just cut features.
Cat can play name games all it wants, but until CAT brings back the traditional grader control levers, it's graders will remain in the trash pile. Used to be, you couldn't get a motor grader operator off his machine. Now you can hardly find an operator on a joy stick motor grader. Nobody wants to run them around here, so they stay parked up for the most part.
From what I understand, CAT is dropping all letters from all their machine model names in the near future.
I think you’re right. I was looking at some new-model SSL info the other day and there was no letter after the model number.
horses for courses I think. I know I wouldn’t fancy a 12-hour shift day after day on an 18 or a 24 blading for big haul trucks with the old-style controls. Carpal Tunnel here I come.....
Well it’s your lucky day cause they have with the 140.....the 1 and only model that the levers and old school cab are back on.
First they scrapped the pony motor. Then they changed the paint and took away the steering wheel. Now they are changing the nomenclature. And the key. They changed the key. That was their one step to far. Is it still a CAT, or is it a VOLVO? Hey, thanks big ben. Seems our posts crossed in the mail. I'll look that 140 up.
From the CAT website, We have prayed, and HE has heard us.
The new wiggle wagons out now have no letters. Just says 730, 745 etc.
Praise the lord.... now that's a Cat grader, this picture shows the new updated cab, notice the rollover pillar in the middle of the back window just behind the operator, you can now see out the two back corners which is great news, great job Cat.
A picture is worth a thousand words:
I just ran a newer grader for the first time ever today. Ya'll can have that goofy mechanical 10 lever setup lol.
Man that looks nice and comfy, I run the 140M series in the winter for snow and ice control and a 140h in the spring summer fall grading, the 140h is my baby and I do NOT like the joysticks of the 140m, my hands and arms are always going numb in the m series causing circulation problems by the end of the season , they never get numb in the 140h and i'm more relaxed when operating with the steering wheel, i'm hoping this new 140 will be my new replacement in a few years, they should have all the kinks worked out of them by then.
The 140 is nimble like a 12 but heavy enough to handle material like a 14. There really is nothing quite like one. Kudos for CAT for bringing the steering wheel-control lever system back where it belongs. Sidebar, does anybody detect a hint of the OLD COKE/NEW COKE market manipulation of yesteryear here? As soon as the public got it's fill of NEW COKE, demand for OLD COKE soared and the old flagship refreshment came roaring back and the rest is history. Beware, you joystickers. Your days could be numbered.
Letters are gone for everything but the dozers. Cat still builds 4 different D6's.
Dozers are dropping the letters, D6T is the 6 6XE if it’s electric, current 6N will be the new 5 and so on, bigger then 6 same thing
3 years ago I demo'd a 12 and put 50hrs on it. I had also previously demo'd a 140 and put 30hrs on it. I could tell little difference in the two. A bit less HP which was only noticeable in the hardest pulls. I appreciate CAT offering the two styles of cabs/controls. That's unusual for them. Their mantra is "take it or leave it". I use one hand lift on my JD controls. Have set them up this way for the past 25 years. I hated the standard ISO setup. Could never understand why I would want to use both hands to simply raise the blade....
I don’t think anyone’s mentioned it yet, but they’re also doing the same thing with the 120 https://www.cat.com/en_US/products/new/equipment/motor-graders/motor-graders/1964548806141795.html