In the sales

A glance around an auction yard reveals some unusual machines entering the country.

Efficiency is the name of the game when it comes to selecting the right track-type tractor - or bulldozer, for the task.

Sometimes a small ‘dozer is perfect for the job, for example when clearing scrub on a new roadbuilding project and the site manager has his eye on the amount of diesel consumed. However, when the dirt hits the shovel, it might be better to think outside the box shovel.

We're not strangers to large bulldozers in the GCC, with colossal machines such as Caterpillar D10 and D11 having been a regular introduction on major projects since their introduction back in the 1970s.

Less common are the Komatsu family of bulldozers. There are some - about a dozen examples of the 475a are currently grazing the site of the Arabian Canal for example.

However, it is the enormous D575a which really excels in size and power. With an operating weight of 168 tonnes it is by quite some margin the largest bulldozer in production today.

These V12-powered machines are most usually to be found in the word's open cast mines, but today there is one sitting in the Jebel Ali freezone. Though the size of the blade depends on the specification ordered the one we saw measured more than 24 feet wide.

This particular example dated from 1998 and came with full service records. As it was the slightly earlier D575a-2 model, it ‘only' had an operating weight of 140 tones, where as the later D575a-3 model tips the scales at 168 tons. Another D575a-2, an earlier model from 1993, was also due to arrive.

There is no telling which part of the world will buy such a machine of course, although there is a good chance it might go to a local buyer. A high percentage of machines do stay in the region, and even though the construction boom has cooled through much of the GCC, there are still many ongoing civil engineering projects like highways and junction improvements - just the sort of thing where the aptly-named ‘Super Dozer' would come in handy.

High drive

These giants were not the only crawler tractors in the sale. A Cat D10 hulked over smaller equipment. This particular model had been specified with a four-shank ripper, rather than the more usual single shank common in this region. When introduced, the original D10 was the first model in the Caterpillar line-up to introduce the trademarked raised final drive.

However, these very large machines are still rare. Far more common is the 49 ton (operating weight) Cat D9. These machines are vary popular if in good condition, and frequently fetch a strong auction price. Eight models of varying ages and condition were entered into this sale.

READERS' COMMENTS

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM