Case Study, Cat, Caterpillar, Earthmoving Machinery, Track Loaders

Jack is back

 

MotoGP identity Jack Miller puts the new Cat® 255 Compact Track Loader through its paces.


Followers of Australian Grand Prix motorcycle racing are familiar with Jack Miller, a highly popular and unique character in the sport.

Winning a maiden MotoGP event in 2016 at the age of just 20, Jack has made a name for himself on the global circuit, with several podium and top 10 finishes.

With such an illustrious pedigree, no-one can blame Jack for building his own dream motocross dirt track on his property in Townsville, Queensland, where he can practice and perform as he pleases.

And to help him move the dirt around and upgrade the existing bike tracks on the property, there was really only one brand on his mind.

From a farming background, Jack’s been around Cat® equipment since he was three years old.

Indeed, he’s as passionate about Cat machines as he is about motorcycle racing. Having grown up around his grandfather’s D3 dozer from the 1940s, Jack always dreamed of having one of his own.

In 2021, that day finally came, when he took delivery of a new Cat D3 dozer followed by a 259D3 compact track loader, primarily for jobs on the home farm.

Last year, Jack needed more machinery to build his very own motocross track. A quick call to Cat dealer Hastings Deering and the Cat Rental Store in Townsville led to a procession of latest technology equipment making its way to the Miller homestead, including a Cat D6 dozer, a 330 excavator, a 730 articulated dump truck, and a 970F wheel loader, adding to Jack’s existing machines.

Test driving the new Cat 255 Compact Track Loader

Cat compact track loaders are renowned for their strength and versatility, featuring a steel embedded track and steel undercarriage components for maximum life in applications where maintenance, operator technique and underfoot conditions may not be ideally suited for a skid steer loader.

When Cat equipment specialist Rohan Mills learnt of Jack’s bike track project, he wanted to get the rider to have a test drive of the new Cat 255 loader, released earlier this year and already receiving widespread favourable reviews.

“We’ve made some significant improvements on the 259D3, the predecessor machine that Jack’s got,” Rohan said.

“That model was the number one selling machine in the whole Cat range in Australia … and the new model has a range of feature and performance improvements.

“We’ve really upped the ante with the 255, the key platforms being improved power and more performance. There’s a lot more torque giving more ability to push through piles or climb slopes.

“The 255 has a Cat C2.8 turbo charged engine. In this machine, we’ve increased the engine torque. Operators are loving that these new loaders will give them more pushing power and more ability to move dirt faster.

“We’ve got more hydraulic capability, more performance. We’ve increased bucket breakout force by 36 per cent. That’s massive and something operators moving from the 259 are really going to notice.

“We’ve increased the rated operating capacity from 910 kilograms up to over 1100 kilograms, so that’s a 24 per cent increase.

“So better dump height, more bucket breakout and lift force, greater lift capacity and tipping loads.

“Comfort is next level too, with advanced controls and an 8-inch touchscreen monitor, everything is at the operator’s fingertips, which is really nice and comfortable.”

Jack used the Cat Smart Grader Blade to carry out track maintenance.

For his part, Jack was as keen as mustard to try it out.

“From the start, I wanted to get into this thing. It looked awesome,” Jack said.

“There’s been a lot of hype around the 255, and I’d been hearing last year about the new tech that was coming in and the capabilities of the unit.”

Jack especially liked the higher lifting capabilities, essential to not just shift earth, but also help mound the various hills, slopes and berms of a sound motocross layout.

He was also keen to see how the 255 functioned with a grader blade attached.

“It gave me the perfect opportunity to do a little bit of track maintenance,” he said.

“Some of the tracks needed a bit of TLC, they’re a bit bumpy. I’m keen to try out one of these attachments on parts of the track which have never been levelled up quite properly.”

Twenty minutes of playing with his new toy was all it took to convince Jack of its merits.

“The machine exceeded expectations in pretty much every area, from the fantastic build to the pallet lifting capabilities,” he said.

“To be able to lift the bucket up that high is a game-changer. I was lifting it so high but not feeling like the load was too heavy.

“From the first time I hopped in it, I had that same old Cat feeling, but also that it had all the new creature comforts.

“With the advanced joysticks, I was able to get up to speed with how the machine worked very quickly, it’s so easy to use.”

Rohan said coming from a very experienced operator like Jack, the comments were high praise.

“It was great to see him working the machine, really picking up big loads of material in that bucket and just seeing that he had a nice degree of stability with that machine,” Rohan said.

The Cat 255 sits proudly inside Jack’s workshop.

Jack’s final word?

“I was really struggling to get the 255 to slow down on me anywhere, you can definitely feel the increase in power and torque. All in all, I love it. I definitely need to look into upgrading my 259 and getting a grader blade as well,” he said.

Cat is running demo opportunities for the Cat 255 throughout the country. If you want to try one out, contact your local Cat dealer.

Cat 255 features

With its vertical lift design, the Cat 255 delivers extended reach and lift height for quick and easy truck loading. Its standard torsion suspension undercarriage system provides superior traction, flotation, stability, and speed to work in a wide range of applications and underfoot conditions.

It offers 13 per cent more torque than the previous model and more lift height together with greater lift and tilt breakout forces.

The larger cab features a redesigned layout with more cab space and easier entry and exit, delivering a significantly larger operating environment, and combined with additional seat travel, provides more space for operators of any size.

  • The optional one-piece, sealed, and pressurised cab offers a clean and quiet workspace with excellent air distribution through optimally placed vents throughout the cab.
  • The high-performance power train provides selectable settings for drive power priority and maximum travel speed (overdrive) to customise the machine performance to match the task.
  • Three levels of auxiliary hydraulic performance are available. Standard flow is used for attachments that require a base level of auxiliary flow and horsepower, High Flow boosts the auxiliary flow for applications that demand additional hydraulic flow for increased attachment performance, and the High Flow XPS hydraulic system provides maximum auxiliary hydraulic performance by delivering additional flow and additional pressure for the most demanding attachments and applications.
  • The standard torsion suspension undercarriage and standard two-speed travel, combined with the optional speed-sensitive ride control system, improves operation on rough terrain, enabling better load retention, increased productivity, and greater operator comfort.
  • The 20.3 cm (8-inch) advanced touchscreen monitor offers cutting-edge functionality and control that includes an integrated radio, Bluetooth connectivity, and multi-camera (side-view) option, and supports 32 different language choices.
  • In the cab, the advanced joysticks provide unmatched control of machine functions and adjustments within the display without the operator having to remove his hands from the controls. This includes on-joystick navigation of the advanced touchscreen monitor, radio volume up/down/mute, creep activation, creep on/off, creep speed increment/decrement, one-button smart attachment control activation, and additional auxiliary control buttons that deliver single-button control of complex attachment functions.
  • For easy maintenance, ground-level access to all daily service and routine maintenance points help reduce machine downtime for greater productivity.
The grader blade made short work of levelling the track.

 

 

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