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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
AUGUST
2016
u Preez says Canterbury’s
first Cat 307E, delivered by
Barloworld in 2015,
has completed more than
1 374 hours in construction
applications where it is in particularly high
demand for digging foundations, and in
irrigation including drainage installation,
trenching and backfilling.
“Fuel efficiency for us and our customers
is one of the best features,” he notes.
The largest in the Cat mini hydraulic exca-
vator range at 7 100 kg, the 307E is a strong
contender in the 7 to 8 tonne machine class
with 43 kW gross power, 6 340 mm reach,
4 070 mm dig depth, and 5 150 mm dump
height. Stick and bucket digging forces on the
Cat 307E productively perform at 37 kN and
50 kN respectively.
Its size to power ratio gives it excellent
versatility across multiple industries from agri-
culture to construction, plant hire and mining.
Surprisingly tough
Barloworld also offers three other mini
hydraulic excavator models in Southern
Africa. These start with the Cat 301.7D, the
most compact at 1 735 kg with a canopy and
extending undercarriage and well suited to
internal building demolition tasks equipped
with a Cat hammer.
Completing the range are the Cat 303.5E2
CR and Cat 305.5E2 CR, both popular choices
for construction and plant hire.
Du Preez believes the breakout force
of the Cat 307E easily matches that of a
backhoe loader.
“To our amazement this machine has
handled areas where we thought we would
need a 20 tonne machine, and the 0,33 cubic
metre, 850 mm bucket size adds to its appeal.
One of my customers commented that the
Cat 307E outperformed a backhoe loader on
a project involving digging foundations and
trenching in very rocky terrain.” He adds that
the dozer blade for backfilling
has also earned the approval of Canter-
bury’s customers.
Adding to its flexibility, Caterpillar’s
Cat 307E can also be configured as a ‘front
shovel’ by turning the bucket around to
perform tasks such as utility pipe services,
backfilling along walls and cleaning material
from inside truck beds.
“Barloworld Equipment goes out of
its way to assist us to get the most out of
our fleet, so we know what this machine is
capable of and can in turn ensure that our
customers get the best out of it.”
Smarter ways of working
Caterpillar started producing mini hydraulic
excavators in 1998. While the Southern
African market was sceptical at first, Hugo
van der Walt, Building Construction Products’
product manager for Southern Africa at
Barloworld Equipment, says this
has changed.
“Cat mini hydraulic excavators have
gained recognition in the construction sector
as machines that provide new, smarter
ways of doing jobs quickly and effectively in
urban expansion and renewal projects where
building takes place in increasingly smaller
spaces,” he points out.
“Other industries have also realised the
cost efficiency inherent in the use of small,
versatile machines to make light work of
tedious and time consuming jobs. The Cat
307E has been particularly well received
since we launched it locally in 2015.”
Improved features
The Cat 307E offers several improvements on
the 307C, the previous model offered in the
Southern African market. According to van
der Walt the new Cat C2.6 DI turbo engine
reduces fuel consumption and improves
fuel efficiency, aided by a standard/power
dual mode offering the choice of lower fuel
consumption or superior productivity.
The auto idle function, which allows the
engine speed to decrease to low idle auto-
matically if not in use after several seconds,
translates directly into fuel savings and
results in reduced noise levels.
A new intuitive flow sharing ‘high defi-
nition’ hydraulic system provides superior
control for any application from fine grading
and dozing to backfilling. Powerful bucket
and stick digging forces are combined with
fast cycle times for world class productivity
and performance.
The dozer blade float function facilitates
ground levelling for landscaping and finish
grade applications as well as efficient job
site cleaning.
Caterpillar’s attention to detail in the cab
is evident in the 307E with a new spacious
design incorporating ergonomic low effort
100% pilot controls which deliver lifetime
‘as new’ performance and eliminate linkage
and cable maintenance, a suspension seat
DYNAMITE COMES
in small packages
Impressive breakout force, generous bucket size
for a compact machine, great fuel efficiency, and
versatility: these are the qualities that have led
Swaziland-based Canterbury Plant Hire to order
a second Cat® 307E mini hydraulic excavator from
Barloworld Equipment this year, according to plant
operations manager, Lourens du Preez.