Road train Cat unleashed

Navistar brand Cat Trucks has expanded its line-up with the addition of the new CT630HD, a model that targets the heavy demands of the road train sector.

Developed over three years, Cat says the model responds to demands in Western Australia and northern Queensland in particular for a road-train-triple rated Cat capable of on-highway work of up to 131 tonnes.

The CT630HD has a standard GCM of 120 tonnes but can go up to 131 tonnes. Previously all Cat CT630 models had a GCM of 90 tonnes.

Navistar Auspac Chief Engineer, Adrian Wright (pictured), says the new Cat CT630HD sports a number of updates to ensure it is truly fit for purpose in the road train triple market.

"We started with the Caterpillar C15 engine, renowned for its work in heavy-duty applications, and we combined that with our 56-inch integrated sleeper cab, which is also industry-leading as far as comfort, visibility and driver convenience go," he said.

"To get everything to work and to make sure the truck had the reliability for those [road train triple] operations, we knew we had to make some changes.

"Starting at the front of the truck we've got a new larger grille to get more natural airflow through to the truck and afford better cooling for highway applications.

"It's also got a large bull bar fitted – we've reinforced the front frame of the truck to carry the bull bar and also the tow pin.

"The cabin's got a higher stance – that's again for better cooling – and moving further back the rear suspension features upgraded components.

"There's an upgraded front axle that allows you to go for the wide front tyres that are popular in these applications and the final detail was the frame rail, which has been updated to an 11mm rail to give the strength and durability required in this market sector."

The narrower-track Meritor MFS73 beam front axle allows the wider tyres but it's an option – the standard wide-track Meritor MFS front axle drops the rating from 7.3 tonnes to 6.5 tonnes. Both set-ups are mated to a tapered three-leaf parabolic spring arrangement rated at 7.3 tonnes.

At the rear is Meritor’s RT50-160GP drive tandem rated at 22.7 tonnes (50,000lb), with rear axle ratios from 3.9 to 4.1, 4.3 and 4.56:1. In standard form, the Meritor layout features steel hubs, a power divider and cross locks on the rearmost drive axle. Optionally available are alloy hubs, an additional cross lock on the forward drive axle and a lube pump for the rear axle assembly.

Smoothing the ride is Hendrickson's Primaax EX air suspension, in this instance bolstered by heavy-duty transverse torque rods.

Powered by the C15, the truck relies on diesel particulate filters to maintain emissions compliance, circumventing the additional cost and complexity of EGR or SCR systems.

Mr Wright said the new model would open up new possibilities for Cat Trucks in Australia.

"Sure, our primary goal with the CT630HD was to create a truck for road train work up to 131 tonnes, but not at the expense of losing important features or putting so much weight into the truck that it would lose the viability to also operate effectively as a B-double or B-triple.

"The simple fact is that with the CT630HD we achieved exactly what we set out to achieve."