The smart boom on the 336F L EX offers factory installed 2D grade control, upgradeable to 3D, and weighs the load in each bucket.
Now we know.
In 2012 when Caterpillar first unveiled it’s 336EH hybrid excavator, the company spokespeople offered only vague notions about how and when they might deploy this new technology on other excavators.
But at a press event last week in Tinaja Hills, Arizona, Cat showed us not only it’s newest hybrid machine the 336F L XE , but talked about the hybrid strategy going forward. Brian Stellbrink, product application specialist, confirmed that “elements of” the new hybrid technology would be migrating into two additional excavators this year, the 374F and 390F and more machines in the years to come.
What “elements of” means is that Cat will use a mix of different hybrid components when and where they make sense for that size class of excavator. These second generation hybrids will be badged “XE.” The XE doesn’t stand for a specific acronym, says Stellbrink. Rather it denotes that the excavators so labeled will have the most advanced hybrid technology and systems for their size and applications.
In other words, these XEs going to be marketed not merely as hybrids, but as Cat’s premium excavators. At the same time Cat is developing a line of “GC” branded excavators which don’t have the high-tech bells and whistles but offer a low cost per hour solution for contractors with lower utilization rates.
Unlike all other hybrid systems which store and release excess flywheel power in electrical form, Caterpillar’s hybrid systems are all hydraulic. The company’s suite of hybrid technologies includes three elements (all three of which appeared on the original 336EH and now on the 336F L XE:
