CUSTOMER:

Wetland Equipment Company

PRODUCT:

Amphibious Buggies

LOCATION:

Thibodaux, Louisiana

SCOPE OF ENGINE USE:

Cat^® 3.4B U.S. EPA Tief 4 Final Industrial Diesel Engine

CAT^® DEALER:

Louisiana Cat

WADE, WHACK AND WORK

Swamps, marshes and lowlands are some of the toughest terrains heavy machines can trek through – the mud, muck and waterlogged areas make forward progress nearly impossible for standard-wheeled machines. That’s why Wetland Equipment Company has been creating fully customized vehicles that help oil and gas, utility, construction and landscaping companies access and prep sites in difficult environments with safety and ease since 2002. Their solution? Amphibious buggies.

Manufactured in a 35,000-square-foot facility in Thibodaux, Louisiana and shipped to over 30 different countries around the globe, Wetland Equipment Company’s amphibious buggies are designed with an excavator fitted onto a recessed track undercarriage pontoon that allows the machine to traverse across solid and wet grounds or float across waterways. The company’s latest creation, the amphibious tree-cutting buggy, adds in a rotary or drum-cutting attachment that allows operators to easily knock down trees, brush and other overgrowths to make way for future pipelines, infrastructure and landscaping projects. Other attachments like suction dredges and ditchers for dewatering can also be packaged in, affording the ultimate versatility.

“My goal is to have all of our equipment built and designed so our customers can grow and adjust along with their business needs so that they don’t have to buy another machine or another attachment,” said Jody Simoneaux, sales manager at Wetland Equipment Company.  

CUTTING-EDGE CUSTOM EQUIPMENT  

This particular amphibious tree-cutting buggy includes a Cat^® 305.5E Excavator with a Dennis Cimaf 065 cutter while a Cat C3.4B U.S. EPA Tier 4 Final engine is used for the buggy’s propulsion. A pump on the auxiliary engine provides 35 gallons of flow per minute at 5,000 psi, ensuring that no power is lost to the boom or stick on the excavator during heavy use. And that heavy use can last 10-20 hours per day, sometimes running up to six days a week. According to Simoneaux, the Cat C3.4B is crucial to maintaining that power for the short and long haul.  

“We needed a lightweight, compact, power dense package that met our horsepower, torque and RPM requirements. After sitting down with Louisiana Cat, we worked together to find a great engine for this machine with the Cat C3.4B,” said Simoneaux. What’s more, the Cat C3.4B engine achieves emissions goals without DEF, meaning users have one less fluid they need to store on the machine. 

COLLABORATING WITH CATERPILLAR 

While Wetland Equipment Company works closely with Louisiana Cat to find and develop engine solutions, they also collaborate with many other Cat dealers throughout the nationwide network. Simoneaux often works with other Cat dealers to develop customers’ custom machines with Cat machines and engines that can be serviced and maintained by the dealer. 

“We work with several dealers across the country where we’ll work out a deal together, so it’s a great process that benefits everyone, including the customer. Caterpillar has given us another feather to add to our hat,” said Simoneaux.

• The Cat C3.4B Industrial Diesel Engine is offered in ratings ranging from 45-55.4 bkW (60-74.3 bhp) at 2200-2500 rpm.
• World-class manufacturing capability and processes, coupled with proven core engine designs, assure reliability, quiet operation and many hours of productive life.
• Leading-edge technology provides significant improvements in power, torque, fuel consumption and response. Technology includes single, smart, waste-gated turbo systems, durable high-pressure common rail technology and closed-circuit breathing system.
• Fuel consumption optimized to match operating cycles of a wide range of equipment and applications while maintaining low operating costs.
• The Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) technology chosen performs through the work cycle of the engine, allowing it to work efficiently. Engine performance has been optimized to provide maximum power and the emissions module is invisible to the operator in most duty cycles.