At mining and quarry sites, haul road dust can take a toll on safety and productivity, leading to a continuous struggle to balance dust suppression with overwatering. Built on the proven Cat® 777G truck platform, the new Cat 777G Water Solutions truck offers mining and quarry operations an innovative and smarter water truck to help control haul road dust. It is an interesting direct move by Caterpillar into the water truck market in mining that has traditionally been served by dealers and specialist third party companies using Cat chassis.
Integrating truck, tank, and water delivery system, connected with technology, the 777G from Cat Water Solutions “helps solve overwatering and underwatering issues with a focus on sustainable operations. The Cat Water Delivery System (WDS) combined with Cat® MineStar Edge™ connectivity helps operations manage the site more safely and productively with scalable levels of technology, offering both basic and premium options to fit site needs.”
The new Cat 777G Water Solutions truck comes standard with an integrated, 76,000 l (20,000 gal) Cat-branded water tank, complete with spray system, splash guards, fill chute and rock ejectors. Featuring Adaptive Economy Mode operation, the truck’s engine uses up to 13% less fuel than full power mode. The water cannon operates at engine idle speed, further reducing fuel consumption by up to 50%.
The “exclusive Cat WDS” delivers variable waterflow based on truck speed and determines the appropriate flow to reduce the risk of accidents due to poor visibility, while conserving water. The variable displacement pump automatically starts and stops when the truck slows or comes to a halt, preventing overwatering and subsequent poor traction at road intersections.” It also features soft start-ups and turns off automatically when the tank is empty, preventing damage to the system from the pump running dry. WDS components include a water cannon, oil cooler, variable displacement pump, hydraulic oil tank, electronic control boxes and hydraulic motor/water pump.
Reducing health hazards associated with airborne particles, automated water delivery also allows the operator to remain focused on driving to enhance site safety. Remote tank fill control, complete with auto shut-off to prevent overfilling, enables the operator to remain inside the cab during refilling to reduce potential operator slips and falls.
Scalable technology with Cat MineStar Edge
Integrated with the Cat WDS, cloud-based MineStar Edge collects and communicates machine data, allowing site supervisors to monitor the fleet and meet production targets. Scalable to fit specific site needs, the system can provide a range of data to improve fleet productivity, including real-time and historical reporting, truck location and utilisation, fuel and water levels, volume of water distributed, area covered, and rate of water being put down, among other operating metrics.
This fully integrated system with Cat-branded tank is supported by the local Cat dealer. The water truck, including tank and components, is covered by the Caterpillar factory standard warranty and is eligible for Cat equipment protection plans (EPP) and customer value agreements (CVAs). Retrofit kits are available for existing Cat 777G truck platforms in the field.