Caterpillar‘s new 990K Aggregate Handler is designed to handle greater payloads in aggregates yard applications.
Compared to the standard 990K, first introduced in 2014, the Aggregate Handler variant ups the payload by up to 25 percent, allowing customers to load trucks and railcars faster and to move more material in load-and-carry and stockpile management tasks.
Configured with a 17-cubic-yard general purpose bucket, the loader has a payload of 22 tons and a full turn static tipping load of 96,426 pounds. Additional counterweight maintains machine stability, and robust 990K structures ensure durability in the Aggregate Handler configuration. “Machine mass went up,” notes Todd Tuntland, product application specialist, Caterpillar. “It’s a direct reflection of the counterweight we’ve added for stability.”
Available in standard lift configuration with 13.5-foot dump clearance and in high-lift configuration with 15-foot dump clearance, the loader’s increased capacity and high dump clearance enable customers to load railcars and large trucks with a better pass match for faster material handling at lower cost per ton.
For example, when it comes to loading a 110-ton rail car with limestone, the Aggregate Handler can load the car in five passes — two passes less than the standard 990K. With the upsized 22-ton bucket payload (compared to the 16.9-ton bucket of the 990K), load time is cut by a full minute and hourly loading rates climb from 1,419 tons per hour to 1,980 tons per hour. Its efficiency in loading applications is similar to the larger 992.
The 990K Aggregate Handler complements the smaller 986K and 988K Aggregate Handlers in the Cat large wheel loader line. The Aggregate Handler, however, is not designed for use in quarry face or other shot rock applications. “This machine is for rehandling applications,” Tuntland stresses.
The new 990K Aggregate Handler is built on the features of the 990K, including its powertrain. Powered by the Cat C27 engine, which delivers 699 net horsepower, the lower engine speed helps drive economical fuel use. Additional fuel savings accrue with the ECO Mode (on-demand throttle), engine-idle shutdown system, and engine-idle kickdown/auto-resume system.
