 | | Caterpillar branded box. |  |  | | No side grilles in the engine block. |  | | Front axle is modelled well. |  | | No hoses crossing the pivot point but there are excellent small warning graphics. |  | | Hydraulics to the bucket ram. |  | | Loaded with rocks. |
|  Comment on this model.
The Caterpillar 950 GC wheel loader has an operating weight of around 19 tonnes and bucket capacities of 2.9 - 3.6m³. It is aimed at emerging markets.
Packaging
The model comes in a Caterpillar-branded box style with windows. It is enclosed within a one-piece plastic holder that pops open to release the model.
The review model had no missing parts or defects.
The box includes a small card which has some information about the real machine and a nice photo.
Detail
The underside has the rear axle modelled and the transmission to the front axle runs into the front assembly. Nice quality rubber tyres with a good tread pattern are mounted on wheels with detailed plastic exterior faces and simple inside faces.
The engine cover has twin grab rails on one side, and the mesh side grilles of the original machine are solid on the model. The rear grille has the CAT logo, but the counterweight has open ends at the front edges. The rear lights are painted.
The walkways around the cab have a non-slip texture and the metal handrails are very good. The cab is detailed with wipers front and back, and the mirrors are plastic. The interior has controls and there is a CAT logo on the seat back.
There are excellent sharp warning graphics below the cab and at the pivot point but there are no hydraulic hoses and the front axle drive shaft is not modelled.
The loader arm with the Z-bar linkages is modelled well with hoses running to the ram jacket, and decent detail in the metal parts. The rivets in the loader arm are quite large and visible which is similar to other Tonkin Caterpillar wheel loaders.
The rock bucket has good detailing on the outside.
Features
The wheels roll well with each pair of tyres fixed to a common axle. The rear axle is able to oscillate significantly and the front axle is fixed.
The model steers across the pivot point and the overall steering angle is very good.
The loader arm lifts the bucket to a moderate height and can hold most poses although not all. Both the tipping angle and the carrying angle are slightly shallow.
Quality
This is a solid and generally well made model with a high metal content.
The paint finish is generally good and the graphics are sharp.
Price
It is a reasonable value model.
Overall
This is an interesting variant of a wheel loader for emerging markets. The model is just good enough to be highly recommended.
Footnotes
The model was announced in 2013 and was available from April 2014.
|
| |
|  | | Very good tyres. |  | | Nice rear end. |  | | Decent underneath. |  | | Cat logo on the seat. |  | | Profile view. |
|
