Cat Trucks will be offering a new engine option in 2012
By Gary Worrall | December 13, 2011
Cat Trucks will be offering a new engine option in 2012, with the Navistar-sourced CT13 replacing the long-serving CAT C13 unit in under 500 horsepower applications.
Cat Trucks Managing Director Bill Fulton confirmed the new motor would debut in 2012 but remained coy on the issue of local production, just moments after saying Cat Trucks is developing a local engineering arm to implement customer requests.
Instead Fulton acknowledged the likelihood of completely built trucks arriving in Australia, with only final trim and optional items, such as battery boxes and dual exhausts, to be fitted at the Tullamarine factory.
The announcement of the CT13 as a replacement for the C13 also saw Fulton confirm the ACERT tag, used on both the C13 and C15 engines, is no longer part of the Cat Trucks vocabulary. The 15-litre version will be referred to simply as the C15.
Interestingly, Fulton referred to the North American Cat CT660 vocational truck in his description of CT13 applications, sparking speculation it may be destined for Australian dealerships to supplement or replace the CT610 and the heavier duty CT630.
Cat Trucks national sales manager Jeff Tyzack says while he would welcome the CT660, it would only happen if the specification is right for Australian operators.
Fulton says the engine is primarily the Maxxforce 13 engine developed by Navistar – Caterpillar’s joint venture partner in NC2 the parent company of Cat Trucks – although the decision was made not to offer it in Australia in EPA 10 form.
Instead it will conform to EPA 07 requirements in line with ADR 80/03 regulations.
Compared to the C13 Caterpillar engine, the CT13 is slightly more powerful at 475hp/1700ft/lb compared to 470hp/1650ft/lb for the current powerplant, with a dry weight of 1089kg.
The CT13 uses cooled EGR to meet emission requirements, including the forthcoming ADR80/04 levels addressed by the USA’s EPA10 emission standards. It is a big win for Fulton, who says fuel consumption figures should now include AdBlue usage in SCR-equipped engines.
Australian applications fitted to the CT 610 chassis will include tipper and dog and 19-metre B-doubles operating at lower GCMs than the heavier CT630 versions.
Despite local testing not starting until June 2012 Fulton says having peak torque available between 1000-1200rpm promises good driveability for operators seeking an engine able to lug from low rpm.
While current models offer Bendix 4-channel ABS brakes with automatic traction control, Fulton says there are no plans to upgrade this to EBS, or to fit other active safety systems.