Heavy Equipment

Cat’s New Excavators Provide Muscle for Big Jobs

Cat 340 and Cat 352 are said to feature very powerful engines.

Updated on

December 14, 2022

Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar has released two new hydraulic excavators that combine more power and heavier counterweight to work with bigger tools.

According to the company, the new Cat 340 hydraulic excavator is fitted with a more powerful engine, wider track, and a 7.5-tonne counterweight to raise productivity by 10% over the 2020 model Cat 336.

The equipment maker says the reinforced structures of Cat 340 are designed to provide long-term durability while optimising the excavator for harsh digging, truck loading, and hammer applications.

“The 340 reaches a new level of performance,” Brian Abbott, Cat’s global product manager for large hydraulic excavators said in a press statement.

“Our additions make the machine more productive and stable with larger work tools, giving contractors more flexibility to complete a wider range of projects.”

The Cat 340 is said to be a highly versatile machine that promises to start in 0˚ F winter weather with automatic hydraulic warmup.

The excavator is designed to operate in ambient temperatures of up to 125˚ F, and a height of up to 14,764 ft above sea level.

On the other hand, the Cat 352 hydraulic excavator – which is built for bigger jobs – combines more power with a heavier counterweight to work with bigger tools.

The hydraulic excavator’s 443-hp engine and electrohydraulic system can power through rocky ground, tough clay and other hard jobsite environments.

Its auto dig boost raises bucket penetration by 8%.

The auto heavy lift feature of Cat 352 increases lift capacity by 8% – which is useful when lifting bulky buckets of sandboxes and other dense materials.

“[The Cat 352] can be equipped with high-capacity buckets to dig and load tons of material in fewer passes or large hammers to work in demanding quarry applications,” Abbott said.

The Cat 352 offers a choice of fixed or variable gauge undercarriage.

The variable gauge undercarriage pulls back to a 7-ft, 10-inch width, thus making transportation easier.

When prolonged, the Cat 352’s variable gauge undercarriage is 6 inches wider than the fixed gauge undercarriage – which adds stability to the excavator.