Concrete Products covers the issues that attract producers of ready mixed and manufactured concrete focusing on equipment and material technology, market development and management topics.
Issue link: http://concrete.epubxp.com/i/304335
28 • may 2014 www.concreteproducts.com FEATURE COVER STORY Company has added to its Class 8 heavy-duty work truck line the CT681, a mixer- and dump-ready, set-forward axle model designed for operators contending with restrictive road and bridge load limita- tions. It was unveiled at ConExpo-Con/Agg 2014, nearly three years after a charter model, the set-back axle CT660, proved a key draw at the Las Vegas show's 2011 staging. In a dozen-plus customer demonstrations, the CT681 has toiled in a variety of feld applications since the third quarter of 2013, equat- ing to more than three years of truck operation. "Customers hauling heavy loads or working in extreme conditions appreciate the CT681's rugged durability and styling," says Caterpillar Global On-Highway Truck Product Manager Dave Schmitz. "We designed it to work hard and last for years, even in the toughest applications." With a 114-in. bumper-to-back-of-cab length, the CT681 is pow- ered by a Cat CT Series Vocational Truck Engine and available with Cat CX31 automatic or Eaton manual transmissions, plus an optional front frame extension and front engine power takeoff. Vertical tie-in plates mounted behind the cab simplify concrete mixer drum mount- ing. The CT681 and CT660 share many features and components, including a spacious, ergonomic cab, and are backed by bumper-to- bumper service at 400-plus Cat dealer locations in North America. Full CT681 production is expected in mid 2014. — www.drivecat.com TRUCKS & COMPONENTS Major truck and component manufacturers arrived at this year's Con- Expo-Con/Agg, Las Vegas, and Mid-America Trucking Show, Louisville, with new models or existing equipment upgrades—all bearing steel, aluminum, rubber or technology touches ready to lower ready mixed and concrete product delivery costs. With Environmental Protection Agency 2010 diesel exhaust treat- ment engrained in heavy-duty vehicle specs, OEMs are moving on to vehicle weight-reduction measures—rooted in EPA fuel effciency and greenhouse gas benchmarks drawn for the remainder of the decade— and remote diagnostics and other telematics-enabled management tools. Caterpillar, Kenworth and Peterbilt have the newest truck mod- els suited to mixers, dumps, and severe-duty tractor-trailers, while Mack Trucks—whose iconic Bulldog sports a new profle—maintains its market position on the strength of the Granite series. With mixer truck sales gradually on pace to return to more nor- mal annual shipment levels—following a slump matching the drop in concrete deliveries from 2007 to 2012—body builders are improving drum designs, rolling out new front discharge models, and adapt- ing mixers for compressed natural gas power. These and other devel- opments are evident as Concrete Products tracks offerings shown in March at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Kentucky Exposition Center gatherings. — Don Marsh CATERPILLAR INC. | CT681 VOCATIONAL TRUCK Demonstration CT 681s for a variety of heavy-duty applications hit the road in the second half of 2013. As part of the 114-in. BBC, set-forward axle model's formal launch, Caterpillar dispatched a CT 681-mounted Con-Tech BridgeKing to its ConExpo-Con/Agg Gold Lot exhibit. Concrete Products May 2014.indd 28 4/28/2014 10:42:35 AM