Taking Charge: Cat 374FL

Built to keep production numbers up and owning and operating costs down, the Cat 374FL large excavator gives the ultimate control on the job site. Saskia Shelton explains.

Working in the Winstones Belmont Quarry, the Goodman Contractors new Cat 374FL is one of the first F Series Cat machines of its size in New Zealand. Currently it’s being used to excavate over 200,000 m3 of overburden and loading it into 40 tonne dump trucks.

The Cat 374FL is built to keep production numbers up and owning and operating costs down and this is true of the new Goodman’s machine.  According to company director to Stan Goodman, after only two months they have already seen an 18 percent increase in production from their previous excavator – a smaller 50 tonne unit.

“[The production] is quite a significant difference,” he says. “We think that it can be attributed to the 70 tonne machine just excavating out the harder material much more easily than the 50 tonne machine we had before”.

“The amazing thing is one of our top operators Hayley, who comes from a family that has earthworks running in their veins, is operating it at the moment. She is really productive and treats it as her baby, that’s for sure, she loves it”.

“She’s very impressed with the speed at which it can load and is proud as punch to have a new machine, plus it’s the biggest machine in the fleet, so it’s a real honour to be in the seat for her”.

While this excavator is cared for like a baby by its operator, it certainly does not behave like one on site.  Controllability is one of the best attributes of the Cat 374FL.  This F Series machine features the new ACS valve that’s designed to manage restrictions and flows.  Carl Southee, Gough Cat territory manager says the 374FL opens slowly when the range of joystick lever movement is small, and then opens rapidly when movement is high. 

“It puts flow exactly where and when it’s needed, making for a smoother operation,” he says, and “with great speed and efficiency, and lower fuel consumption.”

“Major components like the pumps, main control valve, and oil tank are positioned to reduce the effects of heat and excess sound levels on operators.  And, they are close together so shorter tubes and lines can be used.  All of this results in less friction loss, fewer pressure drops and increased power to the ground for more work to get done”.

The Cat 374FL consumes significantly less fuel than the previous series model, and two built-in features help contribute to that: automatic engine speed control and automatic engine idle shutdown. 

“Automatic engine speed control lowers rpm when the machine doesn’t need it for work.  Automatic engine idle shutdown turns the engine off when it’s been idling for more than a specified amount of time and can be set through the monitor. 

“There is also a choice of two power modes – high power and economy.  It is simple to change between the modes through the console switch panel to meet the work needs presented.

“Collectively all of these benefits add up to reduced fuel consumption, reduced exhaust and sound emissions, reduced repair and maintenance costs and increased engine life”, says Carl.

Goodman’s has opted to have their Cat 374FL excavator factory-fitted with GPS.

 “The Cat ProductLink™ GPS system is deeply integrated into the machine monitoring system, taking the guesswork out of managing your equipment”, says Louis Cooper, from the Goughs Equipment Management Solutions team.

“The system tracks location, hours, fuel usage, productivity, idle time and diagnostic codes then shares it with you through VisionLink®.

 “All of this information will help maximise efficiency, improve productivity and lower operating costs,” Louis says.

Other factory-fitted extras that Goodman’s have opted to include auto grease, extra lighting, extra guarding, fast-fill nozzles and heavy duty protection for the bucket.

“We don’t have to touch the machine”, says Stan, “It just goes to work and we can be self-sufficient”.

The all-new cab provides a safe working environment, the reinforced frame with special viscous mounts limit vibration and unnecessary sound.  The seat range includes air suspension, heated and air cooled options.  All seats include a reclining back, upper and lower slide adjustments and height and tilt angle adjustment.

“The joystick consoles in the cab can be adjusted to improve comfort and productivity. The joystick levers themselves can also be adjusted for gain and response.  The 374FL has multiple gain and response settings to make the machine respond exactly how you want it to,” says Stan.

Stan says that longevity of machines, the back-up and service they receive are some of the main factors he takes into account when purchasing a new machine.

Although the Goodman’s fleet is mixture of a variety of brands, Stan says it is predominantly made up of Cat gear.

“We’ve gone more and more that way because of their availability, being all around the district where we work, is a big advantage, like Wellington, Palmerston North and Rotorua.  Being able to call on Goughs to help fix machinery and even to just keep on the servicing is real advantage for us”.

“The support we get from Gough Cat and the back-up is exceptional.  They really do go the extra mile”.

Goodman’s are currently working on the Kapiti expressway being built in Wellington and have over 30 dump trucks on the project.

“We have been utilising the workshop services of Goughs a lot more recently, because of the number of dump trucks we’ve been running.  On the job here on the expressway we are currently running over 30 dump trucks, a lot of the servicing is being done by the guys from Goughs now, which is fantastic, it’s picked up the overload of work that our mechanics were having to do previously”.