A Bigger Cat in the Yard

The late great Steve Jobs once said “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works”.  This holds true for the new Cat K-Series medium wheel loaders which have been introduced in New Zealand by Gough Cat, with the first South Island arrival being a 950K taken by Gill Construction.

Offering the latest innovations and technology, the K-Series features many components which leverage product designs that have delivered reliable and durable Cat machines for years.

The Cat 950K was designed to improve operator comfort, performance and productivity and features some key improvements such as the optimised Z-bar linkage, load sensing hydraulics and increased fuel efficiency says Caterpillar.

Visibility has been optimized by placing line routings and structural components out of the operator’s sight lines.  New parallel lift capabilities and 30 to 60 percent increase in tilt force at maximum lift enhance performance and versatility.

Blenheim-based contractor Tony Gill, the owner of Gill Construction, says the decision to upgrade to the 950K was mainly due to the technological improvements to the Cat K-series range.  “As time progresses technology gets better and this machine is more modernised to improve performance”.

Development of the new optimized Z-bar linkage was done in conjunction with the Performance Series Buckets, Fusion™ coupler and Fusion family of work tools to ensure that all components function together to enhance visibility, performance and fuel efficiency.

“The Performance Series bucket makes loading really easy” says Tony.

Fusion is the patented wheel loader coupler system from Caterpillar.  The Fusion Coupler system provides performance virtually identical to pin on – with all the flexibility of a quick coupler system.

Imagine lifting a hundred pound box with your arms fully extended.  Now imagine lifting that same load close to your body.  That’s the genius of Fusion: designed to integrate the work tool and the machine by pulling the coupler and tool closer in to the loader.

“Data comparisons from customer machines show Cat wheel loaders are among the most fuel efficient machines in the industry” says Gough Cat Territory Sales Manager, Chris Jones who sold the 950K.  “Several features such as the load-sensing hydraulics, the fuel management system, the engine idle shutdown and shift strategy all contribute to this excellent fuel efficiency”.

The 950K wheel loader has been integrated as a system; from linkage and work tool carrying the payload, to the engine, transmission and torque converter moving the machine, the system has been optimized to achieve the lowest cost per tonne.

Gill Contracting has two crushing plants, one of them being portable, this is where you will find the new Cat 950K, working to produce road metals, base course, top course and AP products.

“The new wheel loader is a little bit bigger than the G series loader we also have, and it does have more power”, says Tony “I enjoy the factory installed options such as the auto greaser and payload scales”.

Having the Auto Greaser and Cat Payload Control System factory fitted means that these come standard with the machine and are under the Cat warranty allowing full dealer support.

Tony says the 950K is proving to be more operator friendly as his operator is pretty happy with the comfort of the machine.  “He likes the heated seat and arm rests as well as the easy-to-use controls and display”.

With over 80 years’ experience in the industry, the Gill Construction fleet consists of only Cat machines.  Tony says he’s happy to keep it that ways as the Cat machines perform well.  “We get good performance out of them, they don’t give us any trouble, and they just keep going. We always get a good resale on them.  The availability of Cat parts and the quick back up from Goughs give us peace of mind.  Cat is good quality equipment!”