The Cat motor grader is designed keeping in mind lower maintenance and ownership costs to assist owners to benefit from higher productivity and profit potential, says Ajay Shankar, Country Manager, Caterpillar India. Excerpts of the interview.

Tell us more about the features to increase tractive effort while improving steering and side draft control.
The Cat K Series balance of weight bias front to rear is optimised to provide enough weight forward for effective steering control and blade down force while providing enough rear weight to provide better traction to rear drive wheels. Side-draft forces are overcome by leaning the wheels in the same direction as the blade heel (material exit point). The Cat K Series has high wheel lean angle of 18o left and right to assist in overcoming blade side draft forces. Our front axle is designed to maintain a high axle oscillation angle available when wheel lean is used to maintain blade contact with ground in undulating surfaces.

Brief us on the technology used to protect the draw bar, circle and moldboard from shock loads.
A standard feature included in all Cat motor graders is a circle drive slip clutch to prevent horizontal shock load forces associated with unintentional blade contact with obstructions that could cause damage to circle drive gear. In hard underfoot conditions, such as cutting packed haul roads, the Cat motor grader line up has optional blade lift accumulators providing cushioning in the lift circuit to prevent vertical shock loads through the drawbar, circle and mouldboard linkages.

Brief us on the grade control systems used in your range.
Caterpillar has a number of grade control technologies available for customers to select depending on the level of job infrastructure and completion requirements. Our motor graders can be factory fitted with an AccuGrade Ready Option (ARO), which is the foundation for the addition of other machine control and guidance technologies. ARO includes the integration of all the wiring harness, switches and brackets required for fitting of blade controls technology. Caterpillar's grade control portfolio includes 2D cross slope, 2D sonic, 2D laser, 3D GNSS: global navigation satellite systems, and 3D UTS: universal total station

How maintenance and operator-friendly is the range offered?
Caterpillar offers a complete range of motor graders to carry out applications from small road construction and site development through to larger expressway construction up to demanding mining haul road construction and maintenance works. The Cat motor grader is designed keeping in mind to lower maintenance and ownership costs. Filter replacement schedules are optimised to extend service intervals. All daily operator maintenance checks and filter replacement positions are located on one side of the machine centrally located to assist personnel to complete service requirements quickly and efficiently.