Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/426944
44 | Overdrive | December 2014 SEVERE SERVICE By Jack Roberts C aterpillar added a second model to its new line of vocationally focused work trucks – the CT681. The Class 8 truck borrows heavily from the existing CT660 but features enhancements designed for applications such as snowplow, mixer, dump and super dump. The CT681 features a set-forward front axle for a longer wheelbase with a 114-inch BBC measurement. Dave Schwartz, global on-highway product manager, [Ia[\PQ[KWVÅO]ZI\QWVWNNMZ[JM\\MZZQLMY]ITQ\aWV both long hauls and rough dirt roads while giving body J]QTLMZ[UWZMÆM`QJQTQ\aIVLZWWUNWZJMPQVL\PMKIJ installations. Power is provided by Cat's CT Series Vocational Truck Engine family, with ratings from 365 to 430 horsepower available. Schwartz says higher horsepower ratings will be offered as early as next year, coinciding with the launch of the next Caterpillar truck, the CT680, which will be a stylistic departure from the CT660 and CT681. The CT681 already has made a move away from the CT660 in terms of appearance. The new truck features a more robust spartan look, abandoning the CT660's wheel loader-inspired brushed aluminum grille guard and trim. Schwartz says this move was necessary to accommodate \PM+< ¼[PQOPMZZILQI\WZKWVÅO]ZI\QWVIVL\W[QUXTQNa front engine PTO access. The CT681's engine can be spec'd with Cat's proprietary CX31 automated manual transmission, which features a high power-to-weight ratio, full power shifting and quick acceleration. See the Overdrive's Drive Tests Playlist at youtube.com/ OverdriveMag for video coverage of the CT681's introduction. Caterpillar expands vocational line