The Caterpillar 797B is an ultra class mining truck manufactured by Caterpillar Inc. The 797B is the largest mechanical dump truck in the world.
This truck is so large that it can not be driven on the highway to location, so it must be taken there in pieces and constructed at the job site. A single tyre of the Caterpillar 797B (the Michelin 59/80R63), costs $40,000, and is 13 feet (4 metres) high.
Caterpillar developed the 797 for the growing tar sands industry. When then former Cat CEO Glen Barton was asked what was the development for the 797 he gave this answer: “tar sands”. In the tar sands area companies like Syncrude, Klemke and North American Construction have bought many Caterpillar 797s since its introduction. Today the 797/797B is operating in places like Chile, Australia, Indonesia, Canadian Tar Sands and the Powder River Basin area of north-eastern Wyoming and south-eastern Montana.
The engine in the 797/797B is a 3524B which costs $600,000 and is made at Caterpillar’s LEC (Large Engine Center) in Lafayette, Indiana. This particular engine is basically a pair of 3512 diesel engines hooked up to form the 24 cylinder 3524B. The 3512 has powered the 150 ton 785, 785B and the 785C since its introduction in late 1984. It is 3,158 cubic inches (51,750 cubic centimeters) and is a V-12 diesel.
Caterpillar is testing an electric drive 797B off-highway hauler. Caterpillar displayed a new 797F in the 380-400ton range at Minexpo 2008 during 9/22-24 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cat also showed the new 345 ton 795F AC electric drive off-highway hauler at the same mining show. Caterpillar announced in 2006-2007 that they will be producing a electric drive system in some of their larger off-highway haulers. This new electric hauler will be known as the 795 and can carry between 320-350 tons. The first of the 795s are being built in Decatur, Illinois, and were first produced in late April early May 2008.
Photo by: dark orange
List of statistics for the 797B:
* Gross machine operating weight: 1,375,000 lb (623,700 kg)
* Payload weight: 380 short tons (345 t)
* Drive: 3524B Series, 24-cylinder, four-stroke diesel engine
* Max speed: 42 mph (67 km/h)
* Power: 3,550 hp (2,650 kW)
* Suspension: independent, self-contained, oil-pneumatic suspension cylinder on each wheel
* Height empty: 24 ft 11 in (7.6 m)
* Length: 47 ft 5 in (14.5 m)
* Body width: 32 ft (9.8 m)
* Dumping height: 50 ft 2 in (15.3 m)
* Fuel capacity: 1,800 US gallons (6,800 L)
* Cost: $4.7 million to $5.6 million U.S. dollars
