Exclusive to Cat machines and undercarriages, the proprietary Cat Track Wear Sensor (CTWS) remotely monitors undercarriage wear to predict and plan maintenance and increase machine uptime. Monitored within the Cat Wear Management System, the new CTWS wirelessly communicates critical track wear information from the machine to the dealer for monitoring.
Timed alert intervals — a 40 per cent wear alert for possible bushing turns, 70 per cent to signal for measuring and replacement part ordering and 100 per cent for required replacement — improve inspection scheduling and streamline ordering of replacement parts. The real-time track wear status enables no-touch track link measurements, increases fleet coverage by automating inspections, provides visibility to track wear when operating in remote locations and allows for prioritized timing of service visits by optimizing manual inspections.
Field tested for reliability, more than 2,000 Caterpillar machines have been shipped with the sensor technology. The small electronic sensor installs in a custom pocket in the track link for protection. Each link assembly includes a smart link, resulting in two sensors on a machine, one on each side.
The CTWS survives high frequency shock loads and meets sensor functional and environmental tests. Subject to operating conditions, sensor battery life has been shown to last up to seven years. The wear sensor is standard on new Cat D5, D6 and D8 dozers, as well as 953 and 963 track loader models in select regions with planned expansion to models in the dozer line in the future.
The Caterpillar wear sensor can be retrofitted on to eligible dozer undercarriages.
