Hi In case of nobody having seen this, here it is, Cat´s official presentation of the electric D7: http://www.cat.com/D7E?WT.mc_id=catcom_homefeature_D7E_Microsite Very cool presentation and a cool design in many ways. Wonder if anybody out there has seen the beast with their own eyes or even tried it. Hjolli
that is cool a new low tracked d7 i thought we would only see high tracked dozers now
yeah i think it looks like a dozer straight from the jetsons, single lift jack, hybrid (kinda), i dunno, i think it would work good, but if it messed up....you would have to get a stimulus package to buy parts for it, and i kinda think it resembles the D6K in the way the interior looks and the way it turns like a john deere...one track spins forward the other backwards when you bump the steering lever all the way to one side, i would really like to run one though
I think it's great idea. I like the idea of no transmission with all the gears, shafts, and bearings to fail. I have wondered why the single lift cylinder isn't used more often after I ran an old terex. The visibility is awesome. The all electric A/C unit is a no brainer if you have the available power. No belt to break. Again, no need for a traditional alternator. Wonder if it has a 110V outlet in the cab? I want one.
that'd be nice, put a ps3 and a tv in there for those rainy days
That's what I was thinkin', but I was afraid to say it.
Is this machine available now?
It's a neet idea using the diesel engine powering the generator to drive the dozer.Cat should have came up with a better name for the new electric drive D-7.They had a D-7e back in the 1960's.There is no comparison between the to dozers.The D7 E has earned its keep.Time will tell if the electric dozer will withstand the job.
i don't know why... but i like it!!!
Re single lift cylinder Hi Guys Blackbeard, you just reminded me about the Terex dozers in your post. I operated an 82-50 for a time, a real screamer. Apart from the old TD-8's, I can't remember another dozer with the single lift ram. This Terex put me off the idea, as there was so much movement in the blade, which two cylinders would have controlled better. The two corners pitched over a foot in relation to each othe on hard ground. There will be other electric drives, whether they'll go back to twin cylinders remains to be seen.
loose blade two cyl. lift blade will do the same thing when the cross linkage is loose. the hyd. lines are not phased so that the blade can tilt. I ran an 8220B once that had a nice tight blade and it would go where you put it. I liked the single cyl. lift. Very fast acting. As for the D7E.. well, I would imagine E drive will cost considerably more at this point than a PS trans. which is quite long lasting and not expensive per hour use to maintain. Just not "GREEN". I think pc crap has pushed this some, still it is a very interesting idea, and I wonder where they get rid of all the heat generated by the generator/drive motors? This will not be green..or maybe it will (antifreeze)..
Single lift cylinder Caterpillar built some D-9`s with single lift cylinder`s. They were set up with narrow, cushion push blades. These were built in the late 60`s or early 70`s
I suspect the new D7E is a Guinea Pig for Cat. We'll see how it does.
Wonder what happens when you get in wet stuff with this dozer. I will bet shorting this thing out would be a wallet killer.
They say it is sealed up darn good. Besides, if you sink a standard dozer, the bill gets up there in a hurry. Had a night shift dust control water truck driver get stuck one night, and instead of calling for help, he took the D-6R and proceeded to sink it in a pond while trying to pull out his water truck. He was not an operator, and had no business on any machine. The bill for the D-6 was about $45,000 for the trans, diff, and finals from the water and mud damage. I doubt it would be a whole lot different with the electric version. If they really are sealed like they say, it might even be less, but I doubt it.
The idea of single cylinder is great. I also have two old 82-40 Terexes , the amount of slop on the blade is almost unnoticable, like anything else if its mantained it will work as planned. We use them mostly to rip thru rock but do a good amount of other work when no other machine is on site.
WOW! With that single lift cylinder and the center post cab you can see a blade out in front of that thing, who da thunk it? LOL. I'm glad to see the low drive, I dont care for high drives, now if they would just offer a six way blade for it that thing would be super sweet!!
If this was anything but a CAT it would have gotten laughed right off the forum.
And why is that?
I think the members of this forum can be equally critical of all brands. And as far as a criticism of something new when the time comes it will get posted pro or con.
Reference about any thread on this forum relating to any other dozer manufacturer. That's why.
I have some pictures of one of these working East of Dallas on my camera phone. Aint no way I'm posting them though. I couldn't believe the machine is stickered up, CAT , D7E and all. Normally these type of machines run under cover for awhile. Anybody close want's to see it it's on a Austin bridge job at the edge of Lake Ray Hubbard on I-30.
There's really not much reason to try to hide something that can be seen on a public website and has been featured in trade magazines for a few months. Even if it's running without markings anybody with a keen eye is going to notice it is different.
Lousiana Machinery put one together in their shop for a demo machine. they called me to come take a look at it, run it, and take to the engineers. It is a very impressive machine in the area of control, very smooth, visibility and quiet. I couldnt hear it run with the doors closed, which is something i dont like especially when it doesnt have a decelarator, just a brake. The engineers told me they are targeting this machine to all areas of work with emphisis on gps grading and 24hr mining work.
Why would you not post them? Are you thinking that Cat's counter-intelligent secret agents will sneak into your bedroom and put bamboo shoots under your fingernails?
Looks like dozer 575 got a new name.....