Caterpillar’s 320D2 hydraulic excavator is a machine that has been designed with Saudi Arabia in mind.
Feedback provided by KSA end users was instrumental in the development of the model, which is the successor to the popular 320D.
In conjunction with its authorised Saudi Arabian dealer, Zahid Tractor, Caterpillar surveyed KSA customers to find out what they liked about the 320D, and what they thought could be improved.
The result is an excavator powered by a mechanical engine that offers lower operating costs, and that is better equipped to cope with contaminated diesel common across the Kingdom. To find out more about the 320D2, and to gain some hands-on experience of the machine, PMV travelled to Caterpillar’s Malaga Demonstration & Learning Center.
The beauty of this facility is that it provides visitors with the opportunity to engage in the practical as well as the theoretical. Located on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain, the site boasts an array of conference rooms, a 200-seat auditorium, and most importantly, wide-open terrain ripe for excavation.
The model in attendance during the demonstration day was the Caterpillar 320D2L; a hydraulic excavator that sports a longer chassis to aid stability on uneven and rocky terrain.
Not wanting to miss the chance to do a little extra digging, I climbed aboard to sink the machine’s teeth into the Spanish soil.
Although the excavator’s redesigned mechanical engine is slightly less powerful than the electrical equivalents of its predecessor, you’d be hard pushed to notice. The 320D2L felt both powerful and responsive. The movement of the unit was anything but sluggish, and the boom never appeared to strain when slicing through the terrain. Within no time at all, I was removing bucket loads of dirt from the ground, the only encumbering factor being my own limited skill as an operator.
The lines of sight to the front and sides are generous, and the excavator’s controls are just as tight as you’d expect from a Caterpillar machine. If anything, I found the 320D2L to be a little too responsive, but this is nothing that couldn’t be overcome with practice – and of course – a more experienced operator at the helm.
It’s important to note that improved performance was not at the top of the engineers’ to-do list when designing the 320D2. Caterpillar will have achieved its customer-led objectives if it succeeds in delivering increased reliability and lower operating costs whilst maintaining performance levels comparable to those of the 320D.
One thing that I cannot attest to is the machine’s ability to cope under KSA working conditions. The Malaga sun was certainly warm, but temperatures were nowhere near those that can be reached during the height of a Saudi Arabian summer. Even so, Zahid has undertaken a comprehensive testing regime to ensure that the 320D2 is tough enough to excel on its new stomping ground.
“We sent machines to very harsh customer sites across the Kingdom to monitor their performance in extreme conditions,” explained Khalid El Shurafa, marketing manager at Zahid Tractor.
“The models were used for a variety of applications and we even added a few to our rental fleet. Before we launched the excavator, we had to be 100% confident about its ability to cope with operating conditions in Saudi Arabia,” he concluded.
For full coverage of Caterpillar’s 320D2L hydraulic excavator, check out the June 2014 issue of PMV Middle East.
