Get the Right Truck Pass Match Every Time

Getting just the right amount of material into the bed of your Cat® articulated truck is critical in load and haul applications. Load the truck too light, and you’ll make more trips over time. Too heavy and it will burn excess fuel and wear prematurely. Plus, you could deal with materials spilling over the sides. But with just a little bit of research you'll find the optimal pass match every time.

Estimated read time: 2 minutes

In essence, getting the correct pass-to-truck match on your jobsite is a matter of pairing your articulated truck (AT) with the correct size excavator or wheel loader.

Your production goal is relatively straightforward as well: You want your operators loading the articulated truck to capacity in three to five passes. If you’re loading a truck with too small of a machine, and it’s taking you, say, 10 passes to reach full bed capacity, then you’re wasting both time and fuel. 

You want a smooth, seamlessly flowing system of trucks and machines loading and hauling with minimal disruptions and wait times. When one articulated truck is pulling away, another should be pulling into the loading area. To help make this a reality, Caterpillar meticulously designs each bucket size to match both the power and capability of the loading machine as well as the size of the specific articulated truck they’re meant to be matched with.

And remember: A bucket only halfway filled with material still counts as a full pass for the machine. Don’t waste fuel and productivity by picking an incorrect pass match. 

Caterpillar makes it easy to determine the correct truck pass match as seen here:

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Articulated Truck Pass Match Chart


Simply locate your Cat® articulated truck model and match it with the appropriate Cat excavator or wheel loader model.

 

You can also work out the optimal truck pass match for yourself using the following formula:

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Pass Match Calculator


For true pass match specific to your application, you'll need to consider additional factors such as material and density.  


Remember that you will gain efficiencies and profit when you use your equipment optimally. Incremental changes over time — spec’ing the right size bucket for a machine or matching the correct loader to a truck — can create downstream benefits for your business. Get your truck pass match formula right to improve workflow and save money while working.

See the full range of excavators and wheel loaders Caterpillar has to offer.

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