Cat targets B-double market with new CT630S

Cat Trucks Australia says its new CT630S is tailor made for B-double work, bringing leading performance and fuel economy to the role

Cat Trucks Australia recently unveiled its new CT630S, a CT630 derivative built specifically to handle the rigours of hauling 34-pallet (26m) B-doubles.

Australia got its first glimpse of the model at the 2012 International Truck, Trailer & Equipment Show in Melbourne, where Cat’s display featured a pre-production version, but now the finished version is looming large.

A product of extensive local testing and development, the CT630S features a shorter snout to enable 26m B-double work, with its cab now 50mm higher and 250mm further forward to achieve a bumper to back of cab (BBC) measurement of 2845mm for the non-sleeper version.

The integral sleeper version sees this measurement stretch to a still-compact 3505mm, while a premium stand-up sleeper has a BBC of 3590mm. Cat says the mid-rise sleeper compartment was designed and built here in Australia and boasts a generous internal width of 2250mm and 1985mm of standing room. Niceties include a 711mm-wide fully sprung mattress, lockers on both sides and an under-bunk storage area.

Cat says the compact BBC enhances the truck’s manoeuvrability while the shorter snout improves the driver’s view of the road. The sloping hood, with its rake angle of 18 degrees, aids aerodynamics and therefore fuel economy, while the raised cab delivers greater airflow beneath it, improving cooling efficiency.

An extensive options list includes an aero roof kit, fridge, woodgrain trim and a TV mounting kit.

According to Cat Trucks Australia’s chief engineer, Adrian Wright, the CT630S is destined to fill an important gap in the Australian market.

“Here and in the US we have been absolutely dedicated to developing a model that not only meets the physical length and weight requirements of a conventional truck aimed squarely at modern B-double work, but a model which also produces performance and fuel efficiency standards which, we believe, are at the forefront of the B-double business when compared on equal terms with any other brand of truck,” he said.

As a member of the CT630 family, the CT630S is powered by Cat’s 15.2-litre C15 engine. Said to produce 550hp and 2508Nm, the engine drives through an Eaton 18-speed overdrive transmission (manual or Ultrashift-Plus auto available) and rolls on Meritor rear axles with Hendrickson Primaax air suspension.

Cat says the C15 is also Australia’s only heavy duty truck engine to achieve ADR 80-03 emissions compliance without resorting to Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) or Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) emissions systems. Instead, the C15 uses far simpler and more cost-effective Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF).

Recently unveiled to Australia’s press in Melbourne, orders are now being taken for Cat’s CT630S, with deliveries expected to begin in the second quarter of 2014.

Cat targets B-double market with new CT630S

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