First Cat D6XE in the U.K.

Collins Earthworks new diesel Electric Cat D6XE in action at East Midlands Gateway.

During Bauma I’d the pleasure of meeting Sam Meeker AKA @yieldmap on Instagram. Sam does the marketing in North America for Cat dozers and was able to fill me in on all the details on the new D6XE, which is Cat’s second generation electric drive dozer. ⠀
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The D6XE comes 8 years after the launch of the first generation D7E in 2010 and Sam likens the leap in electric drive technology since then as akin to the development of the smartphone in the same space of time. ⠀
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The D6XE is the first diesel-electric high drive dozer as opposed to the D7E which was a low drive system. Refinements in technology have allowed the electric drive system to now fit in a high drive system. ⠀
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Sam stresses that the D7E was and still is a great dozer, but much effort has been put into learning about and perfecting the technology in the D6XE. A switched reluctance system is used on the D6XE, and in terms of benefits, it’s a more power dense system, motors are smaller, generators are a little bit smaller and you get more power out of them, generating less heat in the process. ⠀
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The D6XE requires less servicing than a traditional power shift system, requiring only 4 bearings to be changed on the generator and motor before 15k hours as opposed to clutches, bearings and gears on a power shift system. Sam says this equates to a dollar an hour saving. ⠀
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The D6XE’s inverter is now serviceable compared to the D7E’s which wasn’t. The D7E used an auxiliary power system for the water pump, air con and charging batteries compared to the D6XE which uses common belt driven accessories, meaning parts are easier to come by. ⠀
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The efficiency and productivity figures are pretty incredible for the D6XE, and although there is a premium to pay for the XE that premium will pay its self back within 1.5 to 2 years depending on what application you use the dozer for. ⠀
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In a heavy applications like slot dozing the D6XE will burn 7% less fuel than a power shift D6T and 9% and 12% less fuel than the two competitors Cat tested the D6XE against. In terms of overall efficiency in slot dozing the D6XE is 20% and 17% more efficient than those competing dozers. ⠀
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Light applications like finish grading offer massive benefits in efficiency, with the electric drive system able to run at around 1400rpm as opposed to competing dozers running at 1900 to 2100 rpm. This delivers between 30 and 40 percent more efficiency than power-shift or hydrostatic dozers. ⠀
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According to the Sam “the D6XE turns like no other”. In Sweeping trench back fill applications where space is limited, when a dozer has to turn to backfill a trench, the D6XE outshines competitors by 30 to 40 percent in productivity and up to 40 percent in fuel efficiency. See less
#catd6xe #dieselelectric #hybriddozer

Видео First Cat D6XE in the U.K. канала Awesome Earthmovers