Caterpillar updates hydraulic excavators for 2025

The updates include wheeled units, material handlers, forestry machines and specialist excavators.

Among the enhancements are a move to incorporate the Cat Grade with Advanced 2D system into the standard Cat Grade with 2D offering. This delivers real‑time vertical and horizontal guidance, allowing operators to make cuts and fulls to exact specifications, without undercutting or overcutting, and eliminate the need for traditional ground stakes in most applications

Meanwhile, Grade with 3D technology becomes factory-installed that can be ordered for tracked and wheeled excavators. The option comes pre‑installed and tested, in order to offer customers an easier path to upgrade after purchasing their machine.

Separately, Caterpillar has updated the user interface (UI) to allow for more rapid access to setup, work‑tool reordering and coupling configurations. It said the changes would reduce operator delay and calibration time.

The OEM has also introduced Advanced Payload, a system upgrade to Cat Payload. Cat Payload provides operators with on-the-go weighing to help them hit load targets and avoid overloading, underloading, or misloading materials.

Caterpillar has updated its hydraulic excavator user interface (UI) to allow for more rapid access to setup, work tool reordering and coupling configurations (Image: Cat)

Advanced Payload expands those capabilities, including custom tags, daily totals, and electronic ticketing.

Payload can also be combined with Cat’s VisionLink Productivity to analyse jobsites and individual assets for remote management of production targets and key metrics.

Cat said upgrades would help operators to save on time, labour and fuel costs, as well as improving accuracy and efficiency and prevent truck overloading.

Jason Ho, senior global product consultant, Excavation for Caterpillar, said, “While Cat Payload helps operators to accurately hit load targets and avoid underloading, overloading or misloading materials customers with track excavators can upgrade the system to Advanced Payload for expanded capabilities such as custom tags, daily totals and electronic ticketing. When combined with VisionLink, Advanced Payload enables customers to analyse job sites and individual assets for remote management of production targets and key metrics.”

Meanwhile, Cat has made all the latest APU 2025 features available to view in action on Cat Operator Training.