Equipment operators from Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri competed in the first Caterpillar Global Operator Challenge dealer event, organized by Altorfer Cat of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and held at the Caterpillar facility in Edwards, Illinois. The day-long event challenged the skills of all operators with various trials using the latest Cat excavators, loaders, dozers and backhoe loaders.
Beyond the challenge, Caterpillar seeks to use the second Global Operator Challenge to bring awareness to opportunities available for people interested in the industry.
“We are highlighting the skilled trades industry and giving operators an avenue to showcase their skills and talents,” said Jason Hurdis, global market professional for Caterpillar, in a prepared statement. “Caterpillar isn’t looking for the best wheel loader or backhoe loader operator. We are looking for the best overall operator, one who can get in any machine and apply their basic skills and talents to perform on any machine platform for any given task.”
The Altorfer Cat challenge included four different timed challenges using six separate pieces of Cat equipment.
“We included the Cat 317 excavator and 982 XE loader, both equipped with Cat Payload as well as a Next Gen D5 dozer with Cat grade control,” said Trevor Shanahan, general sales manager south for Altorfer Cat, in a statement. Operators maneuvered through various obstacles with total combined time, including penalties, being the determining factor.
Kent Richmond, project manager for Klocke Inc., Palmyra, Mo. won the contest with an overall time of 2,115 seconds.
“This was a fun experience,” he said in a statement. “The course was set up well and tested the abilities, skill levels, and coordination of the operator; an all-around good course.” Richmond and 34 other dealer champions will travel to North Carolina in October for the North American regional semifinals.
In second place was Chris Dykes, superintendent for McCleary Excavating Co. of Blue Grass, Iowa, with a time of 2,294 seconds. Chandler Concrete & Excavating’s Brandon Chandler placed third with 2,470 seconds.
Altorfer Cat Challenge stations
Altorfer Cat’s four challenges, some including multiple pieces of equipment, were:
- “DOZE IT FIT”: Operators used a Cat D5 dozer and Cat Grade with Slope Assist to push a barrel around the course with penalties for going out of bounds and crushing the barrel. Participants also created a 20 percent slope with penalty for not making grade.
- “FORK + LOADER”: Operators first loaded a Cat 735 truck with 30 tons of material using the 982 XE loader with Cat Payload technology with penalties for not hitting the mark. Bucket capacity meant the third load needed to be tipped off to hit 30 tons, and those using the loader’s Tip-off Assist technology held an advantage. Operators then moved to a Cat 299D3 compact track loader to assemble a metal tree and load tires on the limbs.
- “HARD AS HEX”: Competitors first had to pick up a metal bar with a Cat 308 CR mini hydraulic excavator and maneuver it through a series of obstacles. Afterward, competitors moved to a Cat 317 excavator to load 7 tons of material in a Cat 740 EJ truck using Cat Payload with penalties applied for spilling outside the rock box and not hitting the 7-ton target.
- “BACKHOE”: Contestants used a Cat 420 XE backhoe loader to put tires on metal tree limbs, place large boulders on tires, and maneuver a metal bar to run through obstacles. The final task was to cross a trench without hitting a cord running through the trench.
Source: Caterpillar
