Rio Tinto takes delivery of the 1000th Cat® 24 Motor Grader

Caterpillar® has celebrated a major milestone with the 1,000th Cat® 24 Motor Grader coming off the production line in the US and handed over to Rio Tinto in Perth, WA.

The 72t grader will now make its journey to Rio Tinto’s Paraburdoo iron ore mine in the Pilbara region in the northwest of WA.

Caterpillar area manager for large motor graders Florian Dumalle says the large Cat 24 Motor Grader machines have “evolved over the past two decades to be a top performer with a great reputation in the mining industry”.

WesTrac general manager of mining Shane Thomas said the handover marked another significant milestone in WesTrac and Caterpillar’s relationship with Rio Tinto, as the mining giant continues to develop mines across WA.

“We’ve celebrated countless milestones, many to do with world-leading technological advances, but it is pleasing to be reminded that the loyalty many operators have for Cat equipment stems from tried-and-true models such as the 24 Motor Grader, which has been made in the Decatur manufacturing facility for more than 25 years now,” he said.

Rio Tinto general manager of mining equipment Ben Woffenden says the Cat 24 Motor Grader is well regarded within Rio Tinto as it provides the right combination of power, weight and blade width to manage haul road maintenance at Rio’s remote mine sites.

“The Cat 24 Motor Grader is a safe, reliable and high-performing machine, that plays a core role in building and maintaining haul roads across Rio Tinto’s Pilbara and US operations,” he said.

“This is the third-generation model we’ve used across our Pilbara mining operations and it is a privilege to take delivery of the 1,000th machine from Caterpillar and WesTrac.

“The machine will be put to work when it arrives at Paraburdoo.

As a 24 x 7 operation, the effective upkeep of haul roads is required to keep our fleet working productively and efficiently, so the 24 Motor Grader has a vital role to play.”

The first Cat 24 Motor Grader was manufactured and assembled at the Decatur factory in 1996, designed specifically to build and maintain haul roads for ultra-class haul trucks.

Since then, miners around the world have favoured the model, which features a wide 7.3m blade, allowing operators to make fewer passes than in smaller graders.