Caterpillar 775G Rigid Hauler
Presented here is the 1:50th scale Caterpillar 775G quarry truck which has been manufactured in China by Tonkin Replicas. For their first off-road truck, the model has some very nice features, especially the ability to remove the outer rear wheels to allow the model to be depicted as a load on the back of a trailer (Although I am not sure this actually reduces the width of the model any)
The 775G is a 70 ton capacity off-road haul truck powered by the Caterpillar C27 ACERT Tier 4 diesel engine delivering 825hp. The truck is fitted with a new planetary powershift transmission control strategy (APECS) for exceptionally smooth shifting and excellent ride quality and with a choice of three body designs (dual slope, flat floor and quarry) the truck is at home on any material transfer task.
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Air filters are located on the upper deck along with nicely modelled tubing and the exhaust pipes and coupler for the heated body.
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At the heart of the chassis is a modelled engine block which is visible from the sides and has various components modelled including the oil filters and exhaust piping. |
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The rear of the cabin has a window and sloped shape with plastic mud guards fitted to the wheel arches and a large fuel tank installed on the side of the chassis. The safety railings running around the upper deck are produced of accurately scaled metal which is great to see and really enhances the model. The railings are fairly straight although the base mounting blocks look a little over scale. |
Access to the cabin is via steps on both sides of the large engine compartment which has accurately captured the curved aesthetics with inset silver finished lights and prominent Cat logo. Safety mirrors have been added to the front railings to warn the operator of anyone standing in front of the truck while large curved rear view mirrors extend out on both sides of the model.
The rear body has plenty of structural detailing including the ribbed underside and front bulkhead which has the extended recess for the heated body. Fitted to the underside of the body are two black plastic mud guards while towards the rear, pivoting bars are located to prevent material getting trapped between the wheels. The upper edge of the body has lifting holes which is a nice addition and adds to the realism. While the dump cylinders are two stage, the loose fit on the second stage prevents the body from remaining in the fully raised position and this is a real shame. They have also painted the hydraulic rams yellow which again detracts from the visual appeal of the silver rams on the real truck.
The underside of the model is also adequately detailed including the front panel that protects the engine block from damage. The front wheels are freely rotating and there is a very slight wobble which is hardly noticeable. The rear wheels are connected together and rotate freely with no noticeable wobble, as can be seen in the picture below.
The rear differential gear housing is connected to the chassis with extending dampers which is a nice touch, simulating the suspension of the full sized truck and the driveshaft is fitted through to the transmission. Tiny printed labels have been added to the rear struts and this enhances the realism.
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The steering adjustment is hydraulically powered and achieves a fairly good range of movement before the tyres touch the body. |
One rather nice feature on the model is the ability to detach the outer rear wheels to allow the model to be displayed as a transport load on the back of a low loader and on the sample reviewed here, separating them was actually quite hard. |
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The tread moulded into the tyres has an intricate pattern but is very shallow and I think it would have looked better with a deeper and more substantial tread. The tyre material is fairly flexible and there are several flat areas on the tyres where they have been pressing against the packaging. Hopefully this will disappear over time so the tyres go back to their normal shape.
The paint finish is of a good quality and high standard with the exception of the lift hydraulic cylinders where the paint has scraped off. For a first quarry truck, Tonkin have certainly added some very nice touches and yet there are a couple of quality issues observed, with several parts loose in the box and needing gluing back into place. This is no big issue to resolve although it should not have happened in the first place. My sample was also missing the exhaust pipe but this was quickly sent by Tonkin within a day of informing them it was missing, so good customer care.
