kscarbel Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Australian Transport News / December 10, 2013Cat Trucks is planning to release its much-anticipated bonneted B-double prime mover, the CT630S, in the first half of 2014.The S features short bumper-to-back-of-cab measurements of 138 inches for the sleeper, and 112 inches for the day-cab version.This puts the S model firmly within the 26m 34-pallet B-double envelope and gives Cat a viable contender in the potentially lucrative B-double and line-haul market.Under the bonnet the CT630S uses the same 15-litre Cat C15 ACERT engine as its CT630 and CT630LS stable mates.This latest incarnation of the venerable Cat engine puts out 550hp (410kW) and 1,850lb/ft (2,508Nm) of torque while still meeting ADR80/03 (Euro 5) emissions without using either exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) or selective catalytic reduction (SCR).Instead the C15 uses twin diesel particulate filters (DPF) under the chassis that use passive regeneration from engine operating temperature to clear the DPF of particulate.There are currently two CT630S engineering evaluation units on the road in this country and we managed to get access to one of these trucks, clocking up 3,500km over four days.My trip took me from Melbourne to Brisbane and back in a real world setting, with a real load in both directions. This gave me a chance to really get a handle on the new Australian platform.The S is an Australian platform – 80 percent of the design and engineering work has been carried out locally, though the model is still based on the Navistar Prostar.Engine wise, the C15 performed as expected. If you’re a Cat fan you’ll appreciate the lazy lug-down nature of the yellow engine.In today’s heavy duty truck market, this engine is as old school as it gets in terms of performance and even in terms of exhaust note.The Newell Highway is a rough choppy mess in parts, but that’s something to be expected from highways Australia wide.The S had already notched up 82,000km (50,952 miles) and surprisingly there wasn’t a rattle or squeak emanating from the plastic interior. The current extended sleeper cab is a bit cosy for full time line-haul at this stage, but does make for a good line-haul shuttle vehicle.The high roll stiffness of the Hendrickson Primaax rear suspension made for a bit of lateral kick on rough surfaces and this kept me steering out of bumps for a while.The journey wasn’t all smooth sailing though. An insect-clogged charge-air cooler saw me come to a stop south of Gilgandra. Raised exhaust temperatures had put the engine into limp mode.The transport gods then conspired to keep things interesting when in quick succession two boost clamps blew off.The Westrac Dubbo team (Caterpillar distributor) got me mobile again, however, and I was soon able to continue the trip. Once mixing it with the urban traffic, the strengths of the S model in terms of visibility and manoeuvrability really shone through. Easy is the term that springs to mind first – easy to drive, easy to operate and easy to live with.http://media2.apnonline.com.au/img/media/images/2012/04/27/IBR_27-04-2012_NEWS_01_IBR270412CATCOVER%20ETCH.jpghttp://images-2.drive.com.au/2012/04/12/3213944/turck_2_729-420x0.jpghttp://australia.cat.com/cda/files/2990003/7/P20454_Melbourne_C15ADR_Engine_Spec_Sheet_Rev2.pdfhttp://australia.cat.com/cda/files/2989921/7/P20454_Melbourne_CT13_Engine_Spec_Sheet_Rev2.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawel Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Hello!The machine looks good! How did you get to drive that baby? Do you think those particle filters are better than the SCR?Australia is a nice place to be this time of year!Have a nice dayPaweł Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2stacksuperdog Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Looks like a international with CAT on the front Quote Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j hancock Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Hopefully CAT can sell some over there because I don't think US sales of CAT trucks is that great. Quote JimIt doesn't cost anything to pay attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Horse Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Matt-Looks like it has less of a "disguise" than the US versions-agree with JH-can they be long for this world here in US? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaysm35a2 Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Yep , a IH with CAT logo's. They have some ugly trucks in the US, don't see any on the road Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yahir Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Resembles an universal with CAT on the front Quote Truck driving CDL schools Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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