The “Big Mac” Cat® 797 Mining Truck is 25 Years Old!

                                                                                                                                                        The largest mining truck in the world at the time

In 1998, Caterpillar officially launched the Cat® 797, the largest mining truck in the world at that time. The huge steel body is equivalent to a three-story building of 418 square meters, which can be called a “big mac”! The load of 360 tons is monitored by 8 computers. It took only 18 months to complete the design and manufacture, meeting the industry’s demand for reducing the cost per ton of large-scale operations.

Design and develop “Passing Five Passes, Killing Six Generals”

Need an engine over 3,000 horsepower?

Engineers overcame technical difficulties and combined two 3512B diesel engines into one to create a high-horsepower engine 3524B.

Are the tires too small?

The largest tires available at the time couldn’t handle the 797’s bulk, so Caterpillar worked closely with Michelin to develop radial tires with a tread width of 63 inches.

Driver comfort needs to be guaranteed?

The source describes the 797’s cab this way: “The cab of the 797 mining truck offers all the comforts of home, with power windows, an adjustable steering column, air conditioning, a stereo, and even a cup holder.”

Test, production, all in one go!

The Cat 797 was one of the first pieces of equipment designed at Caterpillar’s Virtual Design Center to be thoroughly tested in the virtual quarry before the physical equipment was born. Afterwards, 20 797s were mass-produced and used in various large-scale mining operations in North and South America.

Across the world, battle-tested

Over the past 25 years, Cat 797 has achieved the goal of reducing costs in large-scale operations with its outstanding performance, proving its “hard power”. After several generations of upgrades, today, the third-generation model 797F has achieved unmanned driving. Driverless trucks equipped with the Cat Command automated haulage system can be up to 30 percent more efficient than trucks with a driver.

The first 797 trucks have accumulated more than 160,000 hours of operation, some of which are still in operation, continuing to help customers succeed. Twenty-five years later, the Cat 797 remains a remarkable feat of construction machinery and manufacturing.

A set of numbers to feel the “big mac” temperament of Cat 797