Posted by Daniel Gleeson on September 30, 2022
Twenty-seven years after introducing the Cat® 24 Motor Grader to the mining market, Caterpillar celebrated the production of its 1,000th unit.
In a ceremony held September 22, 2022, Caterpillar executives and grader production team members gathered in Decatur, Illinois to celebrate the production and sale of this landmark machine. The grader, destined for Australia, was sold by Cat dealer, WestTrac Pty Ltd, to Rio Tinto’s Pilbara operations in Western Australia.
During the event, Caterpillar team members heard from representatives of WestTrac and Rio Tinto Iron Ore, through video recorded commentary. The landmark machine includes a special 1,000th unit commemorative plaque.
In 1995, Caterpillar introduced the Cat 24 motor grader specifically designed to build and maintain haul roads on mine sites with ultra-class haul trucks. Now in its third generation, the Cat 24 offers power from 399 to 518 kW, weighs 61,950 kg, comes with a 7.3 m moldboard – with an 8.5 m moldboard option – and standard technology to work efficiently on wide haul roads, according to the OEM.
Sam Vedhakumar Manoharan, Caterpillar vice president of product management, Earthmoving, said, “The Cat 24 motor grader was a game changer and continues to be a game changer for haul road maintenance efficiency. wide needed for ultra class trucks. We thank the many global mining operations and dedicated Cat dealers around the world for their loyalty to the Cat 24 motor grader.”
Today’s Cat 24 motor grader has 30% more horsepower, 13% more weight and longer life than previous generations. It will also soon feature a high performance circular design for further improved reliability.
Stephen Jones, Rio Tinto Iron Ore’s Managing Director of Planning, Integration and Assets, said: “For years we have used Cat 24 motor graders to maintain our haul roads for our ultra class trucks. The Cat 24 Series offers an excellent combination of power, weight and blade width to support road maintenance coverage for our large mining fleet. We are honored to receive the 1,000th commemorative 24 grader, and this represents the third generation that we have used in our Pilbara mining operations.