kscarbel2 Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Truck News / February 3, 2016 Caterpillar has announced its model CT681 vocational truck is now in full production. The CT681 is a Class 8 set-forward axle truck intended for snow plow, concrete mixer, dump and super dump applications. The company says it conducted extensive testing on the new model before putting it in full production. “This process provides a crucial feedback loop between our customers and our vocational truck product team, identifying any required changes to design and production,” said Dave Schmitz, global on-highway truck product manager. “Customers who have tested the truck tell us it drives well, it’s powerful, it’s quiet and their drivers enjoy getting behind the wheel. Based on this feedback, we’re confident the CT681 is ready to handle whatever tough jobs our customers throw at it.” Cat says its field follow program is the equivalent to more than three years of heavy truck use. The company boasts an industrial, attachment-ready design and a comfortable, productive cab for drivers. It’s powered by a Cat CT Series vocational truck engine with up to 430 hp and peak torque ratings from 1,250-1,550 lb.-ft. An optional Cat CX31 automatic transmission is available, as well as the Eaton UltraShift Plus vocational transmission and a variety of manual offerings. “We designed the CT681 based on hundreds of hours of customer input,” said George Taylor, director of Caterpillar’s global on-highway truck group. The result is a truck that’s built to maximize payloads, work hard and last for years, even in the toughest applications, and the success of our field follow program bears that out.” Related information - http://www.drivecat.com/ . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Horse Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Again I say.....WHY?? They sold under 2000 trucks in the previous 3 years? Looking at the interior in the "driving impressions" thread of the CT 680 its got the new International instrument panel. KSC-is this a Cat 3406 block or is it a MAN? This truck is still built by International for Cat at Escobedo? But Cat in the future will build it in a former excavstor plant in Texas? Can't see how the economics of this are going to work. The only thing Cat has going for them in the short term is they will strong arm any haulers who move machines for them to "buy Cat". Once you've beat up everyone on the playground, there is no one left to play with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j hancock Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 “We designed the CT681 based on hundreds of hours of customer input,”In all those hundreds of hours of input did any of those customers ask for a hood that was less ugly? A vocational truck needs to be built strong but it doesn't need to be a "butter-face". 2 Quote JimIt doesn't cost anything to pay attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
41180 Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 That actually looks like a Volvo vhd 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobblin-Goblin Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 I'm assuming this is a rebadged International HX...that uses an uglier hood. Why buy the CAT when the HX is the same truck without the hideous hood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 In all those hundreds of hours of input did any of those customers ask for a hood that was less ugly? A vocational truck needs to be built strong but it doesn't need to be a "butter-face".To each his own my friend.........I don't feel the hood is ugly at all. For a mixer chassis, it looks reasonably attractive, and extremely functional in design (my humble opinion). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 Again I say.....WHY?? They sold under 2000 trucks in the previous 3 years? Looking at the interior in the "driving impressions" thread of the CT 680 its got the new International instrument panel. KSC-is this a Cat 3406 block or is it a MAN? This truck is still built by International for Cat at Escobedo? But Cat in the future will build it in a former excavstor plant in Texas? Can't see how the economics of this are going to work. The only thing Cat has going for them in the short term is they will strong arm any haulers who move machines for them to "buy Cat". Once you've beat up everyone on the playground, there is no one left to play with.The 12.4-liter International-branded N13 and CAT-branded CT13 are the proven MAN D26 (D2676) built under license in Huntsville, Alabama. Both have been revised, away from a "massive EGR" design to SCR.However the ADR80/03 (Euro-5) C15 available in Australia is very much a CAT engine.Website - http://www.cattrucks.com.au/trucks/ct630sc/#tab=3CT15 PDF - http://www.westrac.com.au/Promotions/NSW/Documents/Cat%20CT13,%20C15%20Engine%20Specifications%5B1%5D.pdfAbout the N.A. market CAT truck production relocation:http://www.drivecat.com/blog/2015/08/truck-manufacturing-moves-to-u-s-caterpillar-facility/http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/41132-caterpillar-to-build-its-own-vocational-trucks-in-us-end-navistar-cooperation/?hl=victoria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kscarbel2 Posted February 18, 2016 Author Share Posted February 18, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james j neiweem Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Not as oooogly as the set back axle Cat but still oogly On second thought it's not that bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Red Horse Posted February 19, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted February 19, 2016 Again-my very unsophisticated prediction-in about two years we will see a Cat press release that says....." in an effort to focus on its core business and maximize returns to shareholders, Caterpillar will no longer be producing Cat brand on highway vehicles so it can focus on the product lines that have made Caterpillar a leader throughtout the world as the premier builder of construction and mining equipment." 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james j neiweem Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Red Horse. Add to that and they are looking at acquiring Mack from Volvo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Horse Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Red Horse. Add to that and they are looking at acquiring Mack from Volvo.Hah-that to me would make more sense than trying to build up a brand from scratch. Navistar keeps building these "Cats" for what-- another year? And then they start building them in a Cat plant in Texas that was built originally to produce excavators???The Chinese will start flooding the market here with their clone construction equipment-Cat should worry about that-not trying to take vocational truck business from Navistar-Paccar-etc. IMOBy the way, hate to say it but a friend of mine bought a new Liugong loader last winter-before we got the record snow. About a 3 yd. machine-half the cost of a Cat. We all chuckled about all the nickel dime shit he was going to go through. well he paid for it with the record snow fall we had and he I'm sad to say has no regrets. reminds me of when Ford was still in the tractor business. I had a friend that sold yellow Deeres. He would say, once he lost a customer to Ford (555!), the customer got used to that extra cash he still had in the bank or the much smaller monthly payments. The greater residual the Deere would have? His kids would have to deal with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtymilkman Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 The Liugong's have been a decent machine. Cummins motor, Hitachi hydraulics and I think zf axles. They just need an actual dealer network. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Horse Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 The Liugong's have been a decent machine. Cummins motor, Hitachi hydraulics and I think zf axles. They just need an actual dealer network.Supporting comment---I believe my friend got his from an outfit in Syracuse. We are in central Mass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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