Caterpillar earlier announced a new line of planetary automatic transmissions designed for heavy-duty vocational on-highway applications. Caterpillar is now announcing that the CX31 and new CX28 automatic transmissions can be utilized in recreational vehicle applications.

"For decades Caterpillar has been building planetary transmissions for its construction equipment. We are now leveraging this expertise and applying it specifically to the transmission needs of RV manufacturers and their end user customers," said Chris Schena, Vice President, Motion and Power Control Division.

"We surveyed OEMs and their customers to find out what they wanted and needed in an automatic transmission—their answers included improved performance, more power take-off options, and a single source of service," said Larry Riekert, On-Highway Manager, Caterpillar OEM Solutions Group. "These transmissions are designed to deliver all of these features, giving North American RV and motorcoach owners a new choice in automatic transmissions."

The new CX28 has six forward speeds with horsepower up to 400 and torque up to 1,250 lb-ft (1695 N×m). It matches up with the Cat^® C7 and C9 diesel engines.

The CX31 has six forward speeds and one reverse speed with horsepower up to 600 (477 kW) and torque up to 1,850 lb-ft (2508 N×m), with a weight comparable to currently available alternatives equipped with power take-offs (PTO). The CX31 matches up with the C13 and C15 diesel engines.

Caterpillar will begin production in 2006 and OEM availability will be announced at a later date.

Power take-off options are a major advantage when specifying a Cat Automatic Transmission. These transmissions have three power take-off locations: two on the torque converter housing and a new high-output drive at the rear of the transmission. This drive can be fitted with a live yoke, a direct drive pump or a clutched adapter. The resulting narrow profile provides excellent packaging flexibility.

Cat transmissions have an electronic control module (ECM) and will use industry standard J1939 communication protocol.

Cat parts and service support for the transmissions will be available through the Genuine Network of authorized Caterpillar^®dealers.

For 80 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been building the world's infrastructure and, in partnership with its worldwide dealer network, is driving positive and sustainable change on every continent. With 2004 sales and revenues of $30.25 billion, Caterpillar Inc. is a technology leader and the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines.