Cat upgrades older skid steer and CTL models with smart blade options

Contractors still using Cat D or D2 Series skid steer loaders and compact tracked loaders can now use various smart blade mounts thanks to caterpillar's new external control set options.

Customers with previous models can control the GB120 and GB124 smart grader blades thanks to the external joystick kits. Also, a new 3D-grade control kit uses already existing connections to enable automatic control of the Cat smart dozer blade, allowing more contractors to use 289 or 299D3 models access to state-of-the-art technology.

With a grader blade, a Cat 259D CTL with the help of the new external control kit for the GB120 and GB124 smart grader blades, clients with fleets of older model skid steer and CTL machines may now use smart grader blades. According to Scott Britton, Cat's worldwide marketing manager for attachments, "The smart attachment is that when you connect them in, there's a handshake between the attachment and the machine. The device detects the type of attachment, and joystick operations are modified accordingly.”

For instance, wagging a blade back and forth is similar to the way you might regularly curl and pour a bucket. It's a really sleek setup and an excellent piece of technology, according to Britton. “The technology's limitation to the D3 skid steer and CTL versions was a drawback. We have to draw a line somewhere along the way, he added. "X, Y, and Z specs were required for the base machines." Customers who had fleets for 262Ds, 279D, or 299D2 models were the first to contact Cat.