There are many advantages of buying and using purpose-built pipelayers over converted crawler tractors for your pipelaying applications. These advantages make a huge difference in capacity and performance of the machines and profitability for your company. Cat pipelayers are built from the ground up with your job tasks in mind and are designed for the needs of pipeliners.
Cat Pipelayers are built for low ground pressure and greater side-to-side stability. The track shoes are wider than a standard crawler tractor thereby improving flotation, protecting the ROW and minimizing side tipping. A purpose built pipelayer has an undercarriage that is both longer and wider than that of similarly sized dozers. A standard dozer is designed with a narrower gauge (the gauge of a tractor is the measure of center of the roller frame to the center of the other roller frame) best suited for the applications of a bulldozer where pipelayers have a wider gauge, which equates to greater side-to-side stability.
State of the art draw works are also part of the dedicated pipelayer. Cat draw works are pilot operated and are closed loop hydrostatic to prevent accidental contamination and to keep them working better. Conversion pipelayers often have different operator stations making it more difficult for an operator to move between machines easily versus the consistency of the Caterpillar line of pipelayers.
Safety is at the forefront of Caterpillar`s core values, which is why their pipelayers come standard with Roll Over Protection Structures (ROPS). Pipelayer ROPS are rated for the Gross Machine Weight of the pipelayer whereas with a conversion package it is possible that the addition of the counterweights, boom, and winches could put the converted machine over the capacity of OEM ROPS. Cat Pipelayers have a power train matched to pipelayer applications. Converted dozers have a weight to HP (KW) ratio that was not designed to handle the additional pipe loads needed for pipeline applications.
Caterpillar Pipelayers have a longer roller frame than standard crawler tractors for improved stability of your machine and to withstand demanding pipelayer loads. A standard dozer has a shorter roller frame that does not provide the forward-aft tipping angles nor the durability of purpose built machines. Also, bulldozer structures such as the case and frame, pivot shaft and hard bar were not designed for the extreme side- forces placed on them in pipelaying applications and are not as dependable as those on a purpose built pipelayer. Cat Pipelayers are intentionally built with heavy undercarriage components to withstand pipelayer side-carry loads.
Finally, if you buy an aftermarket conversion kit you are limited to one source of parts and components for the attachment at one location where it was built. Caterpillar Pipelayers are 100% quality Caterpillar components. That means 100% Caterpillar parts and product support anywhere in the world.
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