Caterpillar 301 CR Micro Mini Excavator Specs
- Engine: Cat C1.1
- Net Power: 15.7 hp
- Operating Weight: Approximately 2,900 pounds
- Dig Depth: 71.7 inches
- Max. Reach: 124 inches
The new 1-ton 301 CR will replace the 300.9D in Cat’s mini excavator lineup, touting zero tail swing, a retractable undercarriage, a foldable blade and folding ROPS for work on tight jobsites.
Bahar Ozturk, senior marketing manager at Caterpillar, gave us a closer look at the new model at ConExpo 2026. For a complete overview, check out our video above.
The 2,900-pound 301 CR is powered by a 15.7-horsepower Cat 1.1 diesel engine. It offers a higher 2.2 mph travel speed. The seat tilts up for access to the engine compartment.
The operator station features seat-mounted pilot controls on the reclining seat with adjustable armrests. The simplified gauge cluster, showing fuel level, oil temperature and machine hours, is easy to understand for new operators or rental customers, the company says.
The undercarriage can be retracted to 29 inches to fit through narrow passageways or expanded up to 44 inches for added stability. It has a 71.7-inch dig depth and a 124-inch maximum reach.
The 301 CR is slated for commercial availability in early 2027.
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To see all of the products and technologies unveiled at ConExpo 2026, check out our show coverage page here.
00:00:00:01 - 00:00:14:04
Bahar Ozturk
I'm happy to introduce our new complex product that's launching in Q1 2027. This is our 301 compact radius, smallest excavator that we are adding into our product portfolio.
00:00:14:06 - 00:00:19:29
Jordanne Waldschmidt
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00:00:20:02 - 00:00:42:27
Bahar Ozturk
This is a catch engineered designs and built machine. It has AC1 point one Catz engine, which can go to a 15.7 horsepower or 12kW. The seats is lifting up to reach the engine compartment, which gives an easy access for its engine service. What you can see here on this machine is basically we did some improvements to its predecessor.
00:00:42:27 - 00:01:09:19
Bahar Ozturk
We have now joystick mounted pilot controls. We are looking at a comfortable operator station. So we have adjustable armrests and also reclining seats and also moving backwards and forwards. We are intentionally looking at a very simplified gauge on this machine. So for customers who are in the rental business, this is going to be just getting the enough information they need such as fuel levels, oil temperature and also machine hours.
00:01:09:20 - 00:01:28:25
Bahar Ozturk
It's got two way speeds so the speeds can go up to 2.2 miles an hour. And our customers have been asking us to have a machine that is narrow enough to go through tight spaces such as a gates, even an elevator to reach some interior jobsite to be able to do that. The undercarriage is actually retractable and expandable.
00:01:28:27 - 00:01:52:00
Bahar Ozturk
When it's retracts, it's the width is about 29in wide, and if it's expanded, you can go up to 44in. We also have here our blade, where the blade can be also narrowed down by lifting this. And this one goes just right in the ox flow control. There's going to be through the pedal a foot pedal. And we are having also the boom swing control from there.
00:01:52:00 - 00:02:13:28
Bahar Ozturk
But this can also act as a footrest for operators who are looking at operation. That is with a steady flow moving forward through the boom and the six. So the reach of this machine is going to be about 124in. Max depth is going to be 7 to 3in as we're moving towards from a hydraulic flow perspective. We have first looks of your line on second line as a factory option.
00:02:14:01 - 00:02:33:01
Bahar Ozturk
The end of the stick. What we have is a new simpler coupler for this size machine. The simpler coupler is a very easy solution. We just have to pull the cord and take the pin out. And then it's basically one pin in and out. And you can see here our new addition to our attachment trains and a 13 auger, which is a 30 Newton meter.
00:02:33:02 - 00:02:59:15
Bahar Ozturk
This is designed to be 30% lighter but with extra torque and power up to 30% increase. So we are really looking at offering to customers lighter attachments for better stability with the undercarriage that we are offering on expandable and retractable fitting into narrow job sites. This is going to be a great machine from a weight standpoint. This weighs just about 2,900 pounds or 1250 kilograms, so it's pretty easy to transport going from one jobsite to another.
00:02:59:21 - 00:03:08:27
Bahar Ozturk
This brings our excavator DNA to its smallest footprint, helping customers work efficiently and confidently at some point, and site job sites.
00:03:09:00 - 00:03:12:08
Jordanne Waldschmidt
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