Caterpillar joins ERF's EC line-up
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• ERF is to fit Caterpillar engines to its EC range, which could end its relationship with Perkins.
The Sandbach firm already engineers Caterpillar engines into the export-only Western Star Commander, a cabover design based on the EC cab. An ERF insider says: "With that technology in place we are bringing it into the UK and believe it will bring our market share forward."
ERF has recently adopted the 12.7-litre Detroit Diesel Series 60 engine; along with Cummins' Mll and Perkins' 12-litre Tx, this gives EC customers a wide choice of power plants in the 350-410hp range.
But the mechanically controlled Perkins engine has not been developed to meet Euro-3 emissions standards. Parent company Caterpillar (which bought Perkins in December) might want Perkins to concentrate on industrial and off-highway applications, retaining the automotive market for its own electronically fuelled designs such as the CIO and C12.