Page 11 - Equipment Echoes Issue #137

THE RETURN OF THE D-2:

A LOOK AT CATERPILLAR’S REVISED MODEL NOMENCLATURE

By Thomas Berry, based primarily on material used with permission from Equipment World magazine.
Images courtesy of Keith Haddock, except as noted

For over sixty years, Caterpillar’s construction equipment model Number plate on the machine, and in Caterpillar’s internal
nomenclature has consisted of a number or letter and number and external communications.
combination, with a letter suffix indicating generational improve-
ments, also called a “major series.” In recent years, this basic sys- The 745 articulated dump truck was the first machine to sport
tem expanded for many machines to include additional suffixes the new nomenclature. A new generation model, unveiled at that
— another number for “minor series,” and letter combinations for year’s CONEXPO-CON/AGG, would have been the 745D as it
“value segment identifier” and “configuration modifier.” followed the 745C. Instead, it was dubbed the 745 Build 04, indi-
Starting three years ago, all that is changing. In April, 2017, cating the fourth generation, and the “Build 04” does not appear
Equipment World magazine reported that Cat had launched a on the truck, only in internal and external communications, and
campaign to abolish the letter suffixes in favor of a Build Number in parentheses at that. Only the model number is on the machine,
as each model underwent a generational upgrade. As Equipment for sake of simplicity.
World explained the change: Interviewed by Equipment World, Cat Product Identity Man-
ager Ed Stembridge explained, “We’ve historically only used 15
Caterpillar is running out of the alphabet…Because of letters out of the alphabet to indicate product series, and we’re
this, Cat is dropping the letter modifier that for so long running out of them on some of our products.” He also noted that,
announced a new generation of Cat products and replacing in light of more frequent advances in product development, “we
it with a “Build Number.” This Build Number will not be in needed to come up with a new way of tracking the series of our
the model name that appears on the side of the machine. products.” Simply starting the product series letters over again was
It will, however, be spelled out on the Product Information problematic because there are so many parts in its system for older

Caterpillar schematic, inside a loader bucket, showing the revised motor grader nomenclature. The 150 is the only truly new model designation, and its first generational improvement will be
the 150 (Build 01) instead of a 150B.
Equipment Echoes | 9