Congratulations to Lyndi May with U.S. Pipeline! 

Lyndi submitted this photograph of Cat equipment working on the  Southern Access Extension project for Enbridge in Illinois - USA.  The project consists of 168 miles (270 km) of 24 in. pipe  that will transport crude oil from Enbridge Flanagan Terminal near Pontiac, Illinois to an existing crude oil terminal near Patoka, Illinois.  T he pipelayers here are doing their job - lowering in.  

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's contest.  The 2016 PLM Pipeline Calendar will be ready to ship mid-November.  The calendar is full of pipeline photographs from various customers all over the world.   A new feature  this year is the equipment line-up spec page in the back of the calendar.  Place your order for today by emailing: [email protected].

Keep snapping those pictures and hang on to them for next year's photo contest! Requirements listed here:   PLM-Photo Contest.

In September Ralph Hendricks , a PSC with PLM, accompanied Eric Predeek, winch engineering manager, and Don Thomas, account manager with Allied Systems, out to a  customer's pipeline job-site in Williamsport, PA.  "Slick" Kenneth Wellborn is the master mechanic on this project and is pictured in the photo to the right with Eric Predeek.  The purpose of

the visit was to test the new "Gen II Hydraulic Manifold" on the W12 model winch.  

This product would eliminate the "roll back" felt while winching. A few program changes were made in the control manifold during testing and the winch seemed to be working perfectly.

Many thanks to "Slick" Kenneth Wellborn for taking the time to personally arrange everything for this visit. Slick's crew also helped with the installation and testing, which was also much appreciated. 

The D8T track-type tractor, or dozer, gets a lot of use on a pipeline right-of-way.  Excessive winching or "yo-yoing" machines in mountainous terrain can cause overheating issues because the winch hydraulics are tied in to the machine hydraulics.  If the system got too hot you would have to wait for the system to cool down and then start work again.  This is especially true in excessive heat conditions.

To address overheating hydraulic issues on the D8T tractors PLM has partnered with Caterpillar to design an external hydraulic cooler for the D8 tractor models with a hydraulic winch, whether Allied or Paccar brand.  Ralph Hendricks, a PLM PSC, worked closely with Mark Smith, lead D8 tractor service engineer with Caterpillar on this solution.

This collaboration came together in the form of the cooler's first field test on a Snelson Companies pipeline project in Moundsville, WV.    The test was successful and the customer is very pleased with the design of this cooler and how it's mounted on the tractor keeping in mind optimum operator visibility.  This product improvement was successful due to several persons

Rachael Davis, the service manager with Walker Machinery in Parkersburg, WV, was also an enormous help with setting everything up. Todd Schaad, field technician, was invaluable with his hard work and knowledge. Special thanks goes to Mark Smith (seen below in the yellow shirt) and his team for all his hard work on getting this together for the pipeline industry.

For more information on the PLM line-up of track-type tractor models please clink on this link  PLM Track-Type Tractors , or contact your PLM account manager.

The International Construction and Utility Equipment Exposition (ICUEE), also known as The Demo Expo, is the  premier event for utility industry professionals to gain comprehensive insight into the latest technologies, innovations, insights, and trends affecting their industry.

PRINOTH showcased their product line-up to include the PANTHER T8 carrier crawler, distributed to the pipeline industry by PLM.  

The pipeline construction industry requires specialized equipment to facilitate the building of pipeline infrastructures that is both operational and safe.  That is where the PANTHER T8 off-road vehicle comes in.  With its low ground pressure of 4.08 psi and all-weather capability, the PANTHER T8 makes tracks into hard-to-reach job-sites all year round with all of the implements necessary from site preparation to project conclusion.  

The   PANTHER T8  uses the Cat C7.1 ACERT ™  engine and is U.S. EPA Tier 4 Final emissions standard compliant.  The PANTHER T8 has a payload of 16,000 lb. (7 257 kg) and is available in four configurations:

Dump Box, Tilting Flat Bed, Crane with Flat Bed and removable sides (shown above) and the Weld Deck continuous powered welding package with slewing canopy.

PANTHER T8 with Weld Deck continuous powered welding package and slewing canopy

PANTHER T8 with Dump Bed

With the highest payload and lowest ground pressure in its class, the PANTHER T8 carrier delivers the toughness, tenacity and reliability you demand from a crawler.  Plus, you'll find excellent pull ratios and generous deck space to get the job done safely and efficiently.  No matter the terrain, weather conditions, or unique challenges presented with your project, you can rely on our innovative machinery to keep your jobs moving.  Let's work together.

For more information on the PANTHER carriers please see PLM PANTHER Carrier or contact your account manager.

PLM introduces a new resource for all of your questions on Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) and Tier 4 Final / EU Stage IV Cat® Engine.  This new brochure covers topics such as engine shutdown, SCR fundamentals, commonly asked questions about DEF and basic information on compatibility, storage and handling.  The digital copy of this brochure is available for download on the PLM website: PLM Tier 4 Emissions For more information please visit our website or contact your account manager.

For the full list of purpose-built parts click here:  

PLM Purpose-built Parts Fall Promotions