400 COMMONWEALTH DRIVE WARRENDALE, PA 15096 810926 The Caterpillar 966D Wheel Loader Robert E. Evenson Caterpillar Tractor Co. International Off-Highway Meeting & Exposition Milwaukee, Wisconsin September 14-17,1981 Downloaded from SAE International by Columbia Univ, Monday, August 20, 2018The appearance of the code at the bottom of the first page of this paper indicates SAE's consent that copies of the paper may be made for personal or internal use, or for the personal or internal use of specific clients. This consent is given on the con­ dition, however, that the copier pay the stated per article copy fee through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., Operations Center, 21 Congress St., Salem, MA 01970 for copying beyond that permitted by Sections 107 or 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law. This consent does not extend to other kinds of copying such as copying for general distribution, for advertising or promotional purposes, for creating new collec­ tive works, or for resale. Papers published prior to 1978 may also be copied at a per paper fee of $2.50 under the above stated conditions. SAE routinely stocks printed papers for a period of three years following date of publication. Direct your orders to SAE Order Department. To obtain quantity reprint rates, permission to reprint a technical paper or per­ mission to use copyrighted SAE publications in other works, contact the SAE Publica­ tions Division. ISSN 0148-7191 Copyright Ó 1981 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc. Downloaded from SAE International by Columbia Univ, Monday, August 20, 2018810926 The Caterpillar 966D Wheel Loader Robert E. Evenson Caterpillar Tractor Co. THE 966D WHEEL LOADER is intended to be. a direct replacement for the previous 966C in the popular 3.1 M3 (4 yd3) size class. This size machine is primarily used for loading loose material into 9—23 t (10-25 ton) on-high­ way trucks. Other applications include: bank loading, excavating, load and carry, stockpiling, logging and a variety of specialty usages that are beyond the scope of this paper. The 966 designation dates back to 1960, when this machine was originally introduced as a 2.0 M3 (2.5 yd3) rear-wheel steer vehicle. It embodied many advanced features compared to contemporary wheel loaders of that era. In the mid 60's it was redesigned to be an articulated (pivot steer) vehicle and was designated the 966B, the second Caterpillar Wheel Loader of that type. In the late 60's it was again redesigned, this time into a 2.7 M3 (3.5 yd3) machine, having higher horsepower and a new four speed powershift transmission to match its productive capa­ bility. The 966C, with continuous product improvements, quickly became a very popular 3.1 M3 (4 yd3) wheel loader. The 966C was a well established machine, with proven customer acceptance; however, it was evident it was reaching its practical design limit in its ability to adapt to increasingly stringent customer and regulatory demands, both domestic and foreign. ROPS and FOPS requirements had been de­signed, tested and incorporated into the 966C. Foreign requirements, such as French spectator sound suppression, required extensive corporate development work and became an attachment package for the European market area. Special requirements for roading a machine in Germany required extensive modifications to the brake control system and the necessity of full fender coverage. Further proposed legislation by E.P.A., O.S.H.A. and certain European countries could only be met on the existing vehicle by major modifications that would compromise serviceability, manufacturability, visibility, cost and appearance. It was decided that a new machine was required to more effectively meet the require­ ments of the 1980's marketplace. Functional specifications for the new model were agreed upon by Marketing, Engineering and the Test and Evaluation Group. Basic design objectives of the new 966D were establishe