Caterpillar

Adapters and Bucket Tips

Cat has bucket tips for all kinds of digging
G R O U N D E N G A G I N G T O O L S
F or Cat

l oaders and excavat ors

Picking the right one for your job can pay big dividends.
Examples:
Lower Replacement Costs, because job-matched tips optimize
wear material
Longer Wear Life, because the use of special alloy steels and superi-
or heat-treat procedures produces consistent, dependable performance
Lower Bucket Maintenance Costs, because the right tips
protect bucket edges and reduce loads on bucket/machine
structural components
Higher Production, because the right tip options assure fast
penetration and quicker, bigger loads in material ranging from sand,
gravel and loam to rocky, hard-packed or frozen materials
Less Downtime, because bucket edges, corners, sides and tips live
longer with less need to shut down for repair, rebuild or replacement
To match varying work conditions,
Caterpillar offers a range of adapters that
provide varying degrees of tip penetration.
How fast and easily a tooth digs depends on
its offsetthat is, the angle at which it pro-
jects from the base edge. The greater the
angle, the more aggressively the tooth digs.
Offset is measured as the vertical distance
between the front of the base edge and the
front of the tip.
The amount of offset is determined by the
adapter, since it positions the tooth in rela-
tion to the base edge.
The adapters and tips also take most of the
leading impacts. Bolt-on adapters are used
where such impacts are moderate. Weld-on
adapters are used in severe impact
work, or on rock buckets, where adapter
mounting takes the most severe beating.
Caterpillar Bucket Tip Adapters Provide
Different Performance for Different Jobs
Large Offset Medium Offset
Two-Strap
Weld-On Adapter
Provides best
retention in high-
impact work
For general loading,
where adapter reten-
tion is a concern
Protects the base
edge well
Available for 966,
980, 988, 990, 992
and 994 Loaders
Rock Bucket Adapters
Bottom-Strap
Weld-On Adapter
Provides the largest
offset for the most
aggressive digging
Thick bottom strap
provides the greatest
protection of base
edge
Promotes fast load-
ing; permits easy,
complete dumping
Available for 910
through 992 Loaders
G R O U N D E N G A G I N G T O O L S
Thicker to provide
increased adapter
strength
Weld-groove enlarged
for easier welding,
which enhances
adapter retention
Bottom strap is
thicker for longer
wear life and greater
base-edge protection
Shouldered on bottom
to provide rear tip
protection and
improved retention
A.R.M. version for
extended adapter
wear life
Available for 966
through 992 Loaders
Medium Offset No Offset Medium Offset
Two-Strap
Weld-On
Upsize Adapter
Provides size-up tip
option without
increasing thickness
of base edge
Stronger, more
protection
Available for 980,
988, 990, 992 and
994 Loaders
Flushmount
Weld-On Adapter
Provides smooth
bucket footprint,
leaving a clean,
unrutted work
surface
Extends tire life
Available for 910
through 992 Loader
Heavy Duty
Two-Strap
Weld-On Adapter
Two-Bolt Corner Adapter
Keeps adapter securely
attached; wont shift in
demanding
applications
Reduces stress,
adding service life in
high-wear applications
Easy to retrofit and convert your old buck-
ets to the two-bolt design with a simple
welding operation
Available for 916 through 988G
Wheel Loader
Center Bolt-On Adapter
Used in general loading
work, where
leaving a smooth
work surface isnt
needed
Provides good base-edge protection
Easy to install, remove and replace
Available for 910 through 992 Loaders
The Corner Guard System allows for either
tooth or edge-protection options. The tooth
option uses two-strap, bolt-on center
adapters and left- and right-corner adapters.
When used with optional bolt-on segments,
base-edge wear life can increase by as much
as five times.
Single-Bolt Corner Adapter
Puts wear material under the
base edge and on the front
inside and outside of the
corner
Easy to install,
remove and replace
Available for 910 through 988F Wheel
Loaders and all Track Loaders
Caterpillar Corner Guard
Adapter Systems
All Cat excavator buckets come with two-
strap weld-on adapters. (Ditch-cleaning
buckets come with bare base edge or
bolt-on cutting edge.) The adapters are
designed especially for excavator work, but
they accept the same tips used on Caterpillar
loader buckets.
Optional Larger
Tips and Adapters
Longer Life in Tough Conditions
High impact and highly abrasive conditions
can eat up even the best tips before their
time. Now, you can get relief with Cat larg-
er tip and adapter options. On most buckets,
you just install new adapters and use tips a
size larger than customary. This graph
shows how much more wear material you
get by going a size larger than standard on
the 988 and 330B/345B.
Excavator
Adapters
Penetration
Wear material in standard-size tips (988/330)
Wear material in next-larger-size tips (992/375)
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Short Long Heavy Duty Long
30
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10
5
14
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G R O U N D E N G A G I N G T O O L S
What to Consider When Youre
Choosing Tips
Bucket tips come in so many different
shapes and sizes, you might think it takes
an expert to pick the right one. Not so.
It can all be reduced to a few
simple guidelines.
Impact: the ability to withstand digging
and penetrating shocks and high break-
out forces
Penetration: the ability to penetrate
tough material, when its tightly com-
pacted, rocky or frozen
Wear Life: the ability to withstand
wearing, scouring, and abrasive action
of the material being handled
Choose tips that have the right balance
of these for your work, and youll get the
full return from your investment.
Tip Selection Guide
Penetration
Better penetration than
Long
Less wear material
Short
Strong
Less wear material
Heavy Duty
Long (HDL)
More wear material and
strength than Long
Longer and thicker
Heavy Duty
Penetration (HDP)
Best combination of
wear material and
penetration
Center rib for strength
Long
General applications
Good combination of
strength, wear material,
and penetration
High
High Low Abrasion
I
m
p
a
c
t
Penetration
Penetration
Long
Penetration
Long
Long
HDL
HDA
HDLL
HDL
HDP
Long
HDLL
HDA
HDL
HDP
HDP
HDP
All Cat bucket tips are
made from one of two special
steel alloys:
DH-3, which resists softening in
applications that generate high heat
(980G/325B and larger-size bucket
tips and all single point sharp tips)
DH-2, which is through-hardened
to provide consistently low wear
rates throughout the life of the tip
LoaderLoading Application
* The Heavy Duty Long Life tips
should be positioned pocket down on
the adapters for maximum wear life.
Heavy Duty
Abrasion (HDA)
More wear material and
less penetration
Wider frontal area
Heavy Duty
Long Life* (HDLL)
ARM applied to resist
abrasive wear
Penetration improves
with tip wear
G R O U N D E N G A G I N G T O O L S
High
High Low Abrasion
I
m
p
a
c
t
Penetration
Penetration
Plus
Penetration
Long
Penetration
Long
Long
HDL
HDA
HDL
Long HDA
Penetration
Plus
Penetration
Long Life
Penetration
Plus
Penetration
Plus
Penetration
Long Life
High
High Low Abrasion
I
m
p
a
c
t
Penetration
Plus
Penetration
Long
Twin Sharp
Sharp
Long
Long
HDL
HDL
Long
HDL
Penetration
Plus
Penetration
Long Life
Penetration
Plus
Penetration
Plus
Penetration
Long Life
Twin Sharp
Long Sharp
Penetration
Long Life
ARM applied to resist
abrasive wear
Self-sharpening profile
Wide
Less penetration
Produces smoother cut
Long Sharp
More wear material than
Sharp
Longer, "cross-shaped"
section
Sharp
Least wear material
Short and strong
Twin Sharp
More wear material
than Sharp or Long
Sharp
Less penetration
Penetration Plus
More wear material
than Penetration
Resists blunting
ExcavatorLoading Application ExcavatorTrenching Application
Caterpillar Tip Retention System Heavy
Duty Pin and Retainer Assembly
In some applications, premature pin and
retainer wear can lead to pin walking,
which results in bucket-tip loss.
Caterpillar has solved this problem
with a new Heavy Duty Pin and
Retainer Assembly. It is designed for use
where pin and retainer wear is a problem,
retainer spreading occurs due to side
loads, tip retention is critical, or tip life is
very long.
The Heavy Duty Tip
Retention System
Eliminates retainer rotation
and associated wear
Maintains retainer clamp force
in abrasive, long
tip life or side-load
applications
Compatible with the
standard Cat bucket
tip/adapter system
Available for a wide range
of Cat Loaders, Excavators
and smaller Front
Shovels
G R O U N D E N G A G I N G T O O L S
PEHP9011-07
www.CAT.com
2002 Caterpillar
Printed in U.S.A.
Best Tools in the Trade
When you use Cat GET, youre assured
of top quality. All Cat GET are backed
by the Cat Ground Engaging Tool
warranty. If any GET breaks during
normal operation, at any time, Caterpillar
will replace it free. Combine that
quality and support with the biggest
off-the-shelf stock available and
you see why Caterpillar builds the
best tools in the trade.
Retention Enhancements
Several changes in Cat pins and retainers
have increased side-pinned tip retention.
Retainer holders align the pin and retainer
during installation. This eliminates any
chance of retainer damage.
Pin diameter has been enlarged for the
988/235/330 modelsincreasing
pin strength by 50%, thus increasing
retention.