Crawler dozers play vital roles at many mining operations, whether dozing, pulling, pushing or ripping. Like other equipment sectors, new technology means that the latest dozers are more efficient, more productive and will take longer to wear their own tracks thin under hard use, representing a huge advance over the first crawler tractors of 100 years ago. The leaders in the dozer field, Caterpillar and Komatsu, both have improved models that benefit from new engine technology and better undercarriages, as well as a host of other more general upgrades. The two companies also continue to debate the relative merits of their very different track configurations, Cat's high drive and Komatsu's low drive. But both firms are making great strides and most noticeably in track life, a major issue with regard to dozer running costs, as well as in making their machines easier and more comfortable to use.
NSTL
