Caterpillar D11 - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Caterpillar D11 - General Characteristics

Engineering Role:	Heavy bulldozer
Propulsion:	Caterpillar track Caterpillar track Continuous tracks or caterpillar tracks are a system of vehicle propulsion in which modular metal plates linked into a continuous band are driven by two or more wheels... s
Engine model:	CAT C32 ACERT
Gross power:	936 hp Horsepower Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the... (698 kW)
Flywheel Flywheel A flywheel is a rotating mechanical device that is used to store rotational energy. Flywheels have a significant moment of inertia, and thus resist changes in rotational speed. The amount of energy stored in a flywheel is proportional to the square of its rotational speed... power:	850 hp (634 kW)
Operating Weight:	230,581 lb (104,589.8 kg)
Length:	35.8 ft
Width:	10.4 ft (track) 22 ft (blade)
Height:	14.9 ft (top of stack)
Blade capacity:	57 yd³

The Caterpillar D11 is a large bulldozer, manufactured by Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...

in East Peoria, Illinois

East Peoria, Illinois

East Peoria is a city in Tazewell County, Illinois, United States. The population was 23,402 at the 2010 census. East Peoria is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area, located across the Illinois River from downtown Peoria. It is home to many Caterpillar Inc. facilities...

, and mainly used in the mining

Mining

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...

industry. Primarily designed as a bulldozer, it also used for push-loading scrapers, and ripping rock overburden.

D11N

The D11N was introduced in February 1986 to replace the D10

Caterpillar D10

The Caterpillar D10 is a track-type tractor manufactured by Caterpillar Inc. . It was the first modern tractor to use the elevated drive sprocket to improve durability, operator comfort, and ease of maintenance....

. The D11N had some major improvements over the D10, it includes a bigger track and blade, a longer track by 21 inch (0.5334 m). The U blade was just under 21 feet (6.4 m) long and 7 feet (2.1 m) high. This increased the blade capacity to 45 cu yd (34.4 m³). The D11Ns weight was 204517 pounds (92,767.4 kg). It was powered by a 770 hp, 2,105 cubic inch 3508 V-8 Diesel engine. The D11Ns improvements made it over 10 percent more productive than the D10. In 1987 a hydraulically powered impact ripper was added to the D11N which raised the weight up to 225950 lb (102,489.2 kg). This would become known as the D11N Impact Ripper.

D11R & D11R Carrydozer

The D11R and D11R Carrydozer were introduced at the Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

at MINExpo International

MinExpo International

MinExpo International is a trade show sponsored by the National Mining Association. The show exhibits the latest mining and minerals processing technologies, and state-of-the-art machinery and equipment for the coal, metal and nonmetal mining processing industries...

1996. Both were 770 hp and that would be increased to 850 hp later in 1997. Other improvements made to the D11R were Fingertip Controls and Electronic Clutch and Brakes. The Finger Tip Controls (FTC) allowed the D11R to be steered with a single lever (joystick) on the left hand side. The D11R now weighed 230935 lb (104,750.4 kg). The Carrydozer version has a special blade with a curvature that allowed 57 yards (52.1 m) to be pushed. The "Carrydozer" had the structure strengthened considerably for the extra weight and much bigger blade that it carried up front. Both D11Rs received a new Caterpillar 3508B EUI diesel engine with electronic controls at 915 gross hp. The Carrydozer versions weight is just over 120 tons at 248,600 pounds. According to Caterpillar by the year 2000 over 3,000 D11s had been produced at their plant in East Peoria.

D11T & D11T CD

The current D11T was introduced in early 2008 and is also 850 hp. This comes as a regular bulldozer and a Carrydozer like the previous model. As with the D11R, the D11T Carrydozer can push 57.9 yards (52.9 m) while the regular D11T can push 45 yards (41.1 m) of earth. A new D11T was on display at the Caterpillar display at Minexpo during the 22 to 24 September 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The D11T and D11T CD are both powered by the CAT C32 engine with ACERT technology. Another difference between the D11R and the D11T is the controls inside the operator's cabin. Several levers have been changed into electronic switches, and several controls have been moved for increased visibility. Another difference is that the D11T has its exhaust mufflers moved back closer to the front of the cab like the D10T. They stand taller than the ones on the D11N/D11R.

Shipping

These machines are so big that they have to be broken down for shipment to most sites. Some are shipped in the United States by flat railcars, with just blade and frame removed. Others are broken down into several units for transport by multiple tractor trailers.

Blade options

The dozer blade

Blade

A blade is that portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with a cutting edge and/or a pointed tip that is designed to cut and/or puncture, stab, slash, chop, slice, thrust, or scrape animate or inanimate surfaces or materials...

on front of the tractor usually comes in three varieties:

A Straight Blade ("S-Blade"), which is short and has no lateral curve, no side wings, and can be used for fine grading.
A Universal Blade ("U-Blade"), which is tall and very curved, and has large side wings to carry more material.
A "S-U" combination blade, which is shorter, has less curvature, and smaller side wings.

There is also a special "Coal U-Blade", capable of carrying 74.9 cubic metres (98.0 cu yd). These are only attached to bulldozers that work solely on coal.

Applications

D11s are primarily used for moving large quantities of material (dirt, rock, aggregate, etc.) short distances in relatively confined places. For example, they are often used in quarries. The D11 is most commonly found in use in large scale forestry, mining, and quarry operations.

D11s can be adapted for agricultural and rock ripping by fitting a ripper, a long claw-like device on the back of the tractor. Rippers can come singly (single shank) or in groups of two or more (multi shank rippers). Usually, a single shank is preferred for heavy ripping.

Ripping rock allows the ground surface rock to be broken into small, easy to handle and transport rubble which can then be removed so that grading can take place.

Agricultural ripping allows rocky or very hard earth to be broken up so that otherwise unarable land can be put to use in agricultural applications. For example, much of the very best land in the California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

wine country consists of old lava flows. Ripping shatters the lava, allowing practical agriculture for the wine industry. Hard earth can also be ripped and decompacted to allow the planting of orchards which otherwise could not grow on the land.

Competition

The nearest direct competitor to the Caterpillar D11 is the Komatsu D475

Komatsu D475

The Komatsu D475A is the second largest bulldozer in the Komatsu line after the D575A, the world's largest production bulldozer. The current version is the , D475A-5 Tier 2...

.
The Caterpillar D11 can be distinguished from the Komatsu D475 by the elevated drive sprocket, or "High Drive" system, which results in a triangular, rather than oval, shaped track.
The updated version of the Komatsu, the D575A

Komatsu D575

The Komatsu D575A is a tractor crawler available as a bulldozer/ripper, the D575A-3, or as a dedicated bulldozer, the D575A-3 SD Super Dozer. Equipped with a standard blade, both versions are capable of moving of material per pass although the D575A-3 SD Super Dozer is capable of moving of...

, is the world's largest production bulldozer at 168 tons and 1150 hp.
A bigger machine was built by Italian firm ACCO, with twin Caterpillar diesel engines giving a combined power of 1300 hp,
and weighing 183 tons, in the 1980s, but this was a special model.

External links

Caterpillar D-Series Track-Type Tractors — Official Caterpillar website
Short review of large dozers

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