Caterpillar 797B is the world's largest manual transmission dump truck

The most powerful mining dump trucks. After this phrase, the brand name helpfully comes to mind - BelAZ. Once upon a time in the USSR it was believed that it was at this plant that the world's first mining dump trucks began to be produced.


But in fact, BelAZ is not exactly a “pioneer”. Although the creators do not admit it, they copied the American Caterpillar dump truck, at least externally. It was just not customary to talk about this in the USSR. But this is a topic for a separate investigative article.

Today we will talk about the Caterpillar 797B. This is one of the largest mining dump trucks equipped with a manual transmission. Before the appearance of the model with the index 797F, the hero of our today's publication was a leader in its class.


The Caterpillar 797B can transfer up to 345 tons. The car was assembled from 2002 to 2009.

Short story

The Caterpillar brand comes from the USA. It is one of the oldest in the world - the first mention of it dates back to 1886. Then Holt, the future founder of the brand, created a combine harvester.

The topic, as they say, has “gone”. Therefore, a few years later the manufacturer released an experimental tractor.

In 1892, they finally decided to put the enterprise on an industrial basis. But they called it Holt Manufacturing Company - in honor of Benjamin Holt.


But the first tractor was already called Caterpillar. This model was sold mass-produced, although the volumes were clearly small. In 1904, when the tractor debuted, production was piecemeal - full-fledged manual assembly.

As for mining dump trucks specifically, they appeared in 1962. Then the first experimental Caterpillar-769 was presented to the public. You can argue for a long time about whether it was copied from the BelAZ-540, or whether everything was exactly the opposite. After all, prototypes of mining dump trucks appeared around the same time.

In fact, the “palm” does not belong to any of the above manufacturers. First there was the LeTourneau-Westinghouse HaulPak 35 model 1957, which by the end of the 50s was absorbed by Wabco and produced under this brand.


Only the Caterpillar bosses never said that they were the creators of mining dump trucks, unlike BelAZ. By the way, the first such car from the Americans had a carrying capacity of 35 tons. BelAZ-540, let us remind you, could transport only 27 tons.

After the appearance of the serial Caterpillar-769, the brand firmly established itself in the market of mining dump trucks. The manufacturer worked to improve and develop the model range. As a result, the Caterpillar 797B appeared - already the second generation of the family with the 797 index.

Features of the model

Any large dump truck must work in its specialty. For Caterpillar, the 797B is all about mining and quarries. The car can be used to transport:

✅ Coal
✅ Ore
✅ Sand
✅ Gravel and other minerals

The model's carrying capacity is 345 tons. The engine has a power of 3 hp. With. When fully loaded, the Caterpillar 370B can reach speeds of up to 797 km/h.


At first glance, it seems that a manual transmission is not suitable for such a dump truck. But this is a model from the USA - the manual transmission is capable of shifting even under high load.


The truck's cabin seems small, but this is only a visual impression. In fact, it is spacious and comfortable. Equipped with air conditioning and autonomous heater, sound and dust insulation. However, the configurations vary, depending on the client’s requests.


Already in the database, the car is equipped with a proprietary vision system. It includes a radar, a video camera and a number of sensors.

Engine

The truck's power unit is unique in that it was designed based on two time-tested engines from Caterpillar 3512B. The result was a 24-cylinder engine with a displacement of 117 liters. Engine power – 3 hp. With.


By the way, such schemes are often used by car manufacturers when designing power units. For example, V12 engines are often made from a pair of V6s.

If you divide the engine power by its volume, you get fairly modest numbers. Per liter only 30,34 liters. With. Thanks to this, the power unit is low-speed and has a high resource life.

Frame and chassis

Like a classic truck, the Caterpillar 797B is body-on-frame. The base is made of high strength steel. All welded joints are checked by ultrasound, so that the frame will not break even under overload.


By the way, as practice shows, Russian owners of expensive foreign equipment rarely overload it. This is one of the reasons why BelAZs are considered far from being so reliable. Simply because of the cheapness of the latter, they are often exploited “for slaughter.”


About 80% of the main components that bear the load are made by casting. This helps avoid weak points that are inevitable when using welded or bolted connections.

The suspension of a mining dump truck is built on the basis of cylinders. This minimizes vibrations and shock loads, which affects the strength of the body as a whole.


In general, if you look at it, the Caterpillar 797B is made according to the classic truck design. It has rear-wheel drive, front-wheel steering and a turbodiesel engine. Modern mining dump trucks often differ from the classics, but Americans stubbornly adhere to traditions.

But this truck has more electronics than newer models from other manufacturers. But thanks to its origin, it is reliable.

Service

One of the secrets to Caterpillar's success is after-sales service. The manufacturer offers proprietary maintenance and diagnostics. If you follow the recommendations and carry out periodic maintenance, the machines can operate for years, 24 hours a day.


Until recently there were no problems with spare parts. The company's network ensured delivery of parts to almost any location and in the shortest possible time.

The manufacturer offers special programs that guarantee the operation of dump trucks without breakdowns. Among them are:

✅ Diagnostics
✅ Preventative examination
✅ Oil sampling
✅ Major repairs of old equipment
✅ Restoration of failed copies

Caterpillar specialists do not try to deceive the customer. Costs for prevention, maintenance and repair are “floating”. They depend on a number of factors, primarily on operating conditions.


There are even special courses for those interested. They will teach staff how to properly operate mining dump trucks.

Another aspect is a thorough visual inspection of equipment before starting a shift. Only after the operator is convinced that the components and assemblies are in good working order should the self-diagnosis system be launched.

The Caterpillar 797B has been out of production for a long time. But this technique continues to work in quarries. This already speaks volumes about its reliability, although the most recent dump trucks are 14 years old.