Continuing Cat’s Next Generation compact excavator line up, the 6-ton class Cat 306 CR shares similar control layouts and common components with other machines in the series, along with the Cat Stick Steer system. Cat unveiled the new machine during ICUEE.
“We’ve never had a genuine 6-ton machine,” says Greg Worley, Caterpillar product expert. The 306 CR is not a replacement for Cat’s 305.5 model but rather an addition to the range, he adds.
When equipped with same cab as Cat’s 7- to 10-ton models, the 15,821-pound 306 CR has maximum depth of 162 inches. Using a swing boom, the machine’s compact radius design has a 58-inch tail swing with counterweight. A canopy version will be available in 2020.
The unit can lift up to 7,839 pounds at a 9.8-foot radius. “The 306 CR picks up three times more weight at full stretch than our 305.5 model,” Worley says.
A load-sensing hydraulic system with an electronically controlled variable-displacement piston pump generates 46-gpm hydraulic oil flow, which Cat says gives it increased travel performance and higher digging forces than competitive units.
