Machine models

Cat 212 wheeled excavator: engine arrangements, width and travel controls

Identify the wheeled 212 before comparing attachments

This 212 is Caterpillar's wheeled hydraulic excavator. Forum titles referring to a Cat 212 grader describe a different machine and cannot establish its engine, travel controls or digging equipment. Likewise, the later 212B belongs to a separate specification row.

A listing that drops the suffix can send a buyer to the wrong parts book or lifting chart even when the photographs look broadly similar.

Caterpillar's manufacturing history traces this wheel-excavator range to its agreement with Eder in 1983. Production of the 206, 212, 214 and 224 began in 1984. The history explains why a machine with a Cat badge can have a supplier-engine arrangement different from the tracked excavators beside it in a classified listing.

The Wackersdorf operation subsequently passed through the EDC joint venture before becoming wholly owned by Caterpillar in 2006. These are production-history facts, not evidence that every surviving 212 retains its original engine.

Caterpillar wheel-excavator production history, 13 November 2023

Width, reach and lifting figures describe different configurations

The former-model table in Performance Handbook Edition 41 lists the 212 with 3JC and 5DC identification prefixes and an 84–89 build range. Its engine entries distinguish Deutz and Perkins power ratings. Confirm the installed engine plate; the combined table alone does not justify assigning every serial prefix to one engine.

That handbook gives a machine width of 2.49 m, also printed as 8 ft 2 in. An earlier catalogue entry labelled 8.17 inches is a unit error, not an exceptionally narrow excavator. The handbook's overall length uses a medium stick with the bucket curled underneath, whereas its maximum reach uses the longest stick and a one-piece boom.

Those dimensions cannot be combined into a promised transport envelope for another front. Its lifting entry is also conditional: the stated load applies over the front at the specified radius. It is not a general bucket payload or an unrestricted side-lift rating.

Cat Performance Handbook Edition 41, former wheeled excavators, 19-49

Road travel reverses the familiar control relationship

The 206/212 operator-manual excerpt warns that steering and travel response reverse with the boom over the rear axle. Establish the axle and upperstructure positions before moving. Road and shipping preparation also require the swing lock.

A failed air system can leave the parking brake applied, while the hydrostatic drive has a separate towing bypass; releasing one does not prepare the other. The manual limits emergency towing to a short repair move at no more than 2 km/h. Longer transport calls for hauling, not treating the travel-speed specification as a recovery instruction.

Cat SEBU6044-01, 206/212 safety, towing and identification excerpt

Earlier reference entries and original manufacturer corrections
Model and field	Earlier entry	Manufacturer figure and scope	Source
212 Overall Width	8.17 in	2.49 m (8 ft 2 in.) overall width; earlier inches label was incorrect. Cat Handbook 41, 19-49.	Original document

Entries in this reference
Listing-entry count
1

Short answer

Cat 212 wheeled excavator: engine arrangements, width and travel controls: full-size excavator.

Selected configuration figures
Configuration	Documented field and quantity
212	Net Power 94 hp Operating Weight 28,290 lb

212 specification matrix — Boom/Stick Option (Mex) 1
Specification	212
Shipping Length Of Unit	26.12 ft
Shipping Height Of Unit	10.33 ft
Max Cutting Height	23.12 ft
Max Loading Height	16.15 ft
Max Reach Along Ground	25.25 ft
Max Vertical Wall Dig Depth	8.99 ft
Max Digging Depth	15.7 ft
Boom/Stick Option (Mex) 1	One-Piece Boom/Stick 5'3" (1600mm)

Dimensions and weight
Specification	212
Wheelbase	8.21 ft
Tail Swing Radius	6.89 ft
Overall Width (corrected unit)	2.49 m (8 ft 2 in.) overall width; earlier inches label was incorrect. Cat Handbook 41, 19-49.
Ground Clearance	1.2 ft
Overall Width - Outriggers Down	11.98 ft
Height To Top Of Cab	10.33 ft
Upper Structure Clearance	4.09 ft

Engine
Specification	212
Number Of Cylinders	4
Engine Model	T4.236
Net Power	94 hp
Power Measured @	2,150 rpm
Displacement	235.6 cu in
Aspiration	turbocharged

Operational
Specification	212
Operating Weight	28,290 lb
Fuel Capacity	64.8 gal
Cooling System Fluid Capacity	8 gal
Engine Oil Capacity	2.5 gal
Front Diff Fluid Capacity	2.6 gal
Rear Diff Fluid Capacity	4 gal
Hydraulic System Fluid Capacity	87.2 gal
Operational Voltage	24 V
Hydraulic System Relief Valve Pressure	4,351 psi
Hydraulic Pump Flow Capacity	57.1 gpm
Oscillating Axle Angle	19 degrees
Max Steering Angle	35 degrees
Tire Size	Dual 10.00-20

Transmission and speeds
Specification	212
Transmission Type	Fully hydrostatic, variable displacement piston motor
Max Travel Speed	12.4 mph

Buckets
Specification	212
Reference Bucket Capacity	0.8 yd3
Minimum Bucket Capacity	0.4 yd3
Maximum Bucket Capacity	1.3 yd3

Ratios
Figure	212
Engine horsepower per 1,000 lb of weight	3.3
Fuel tank per engine horsepower	0.69 gal
Hydraulic power from the listed pump flow and relief pressure	144.9 hp

Reference directory classification
Equipment group	full-size excavator

Where the 212 ranks in Cat's list — Scope of the captured comparison
Brand	Equipment group	Compared entry	Sort order
Cat	full-size excavator	212	Descending quantity; 1 is largest

Reference calculations using the earlier specification entries
Figure	212	Rank	Lowest in line	Highest in line
Engine power	94.0 hp	57 (tied) of 74	54.0 hp	542.0 hp
Listed weight	28,290 lb	61 of 74	14,330 lb	207,400 lb
Fuel capacity	64.8 gal	55 of 70	29.1 gal	327.6 gal
Horsepower per 1,000 lb	3.3 hp	18 of 74	2.2 hp	7.9 hp
Maximum digging depth	15.7 ft	50 of 60	12.4 ft	42.1 ft

The 212 beside its neighbours
Base version	215	212	219D
Engine power	85 hp	94 hp	140 hp
Weight	36,156 lb	28,290 lb	47,620 lb
Fuel capacity	55 gal	64.8 gal	71.4 gal
Wheelbase	212: 8.21 ft
Ground pressure	215: 7.5 psi; 219D: 8.4 psi
Maximum digging depth	17.39 ft	15.7 ft	14.87 ft

212: forum references — Forum-title search
Forum index	Equipment class queried	Names in the search	Matching titles
Heavy Equipment Forums	full-size excavator	Cat and the 212	7

Topics named by those titles
Title topic	Titles
transmission and drive	2

Topic in the title	Threads	Share of matching threads
transmission and drive	2	29%

1954 CAT 212 Grader (Heavy Equipment Forums, 2024-09-03)
1954 CAT 212 Grader Clutch (Heavy Equipment Forums, 2022-06-17)
1954 CAT 212 Grader Tires 10 00x24 (Heavy Equipment Forums, 2022-06-10)
1954 CAT 212 Grader Clutch Adjustment (Heavy Equipment Forums, 2022-06-10)

Used market for the 212 — Dated first-page listing snapshot
Observation date	Listing source	Equipment search	Listings
2026-09-24	MachineryTrader	Cat full-size excavator	2

Model	Listed	Model years	Lowest asking	Highest asking	Median asking	Median hours
212	2	1984 to 1992	$22,500	$22,500	$22,500	None shown

212: recall reference — Dated CPSC search
Search date	Database	Names queried	Search result
2026-09-24	U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission	Cat together with the full-size excavator 212	No matching recall in this search

Sources for this page
Evidence class	Document, classification and recorded date
Reference site	Reference site: Cat 212 — RitchieSpecs. Observed 2026-09-24.
Forum threads	Forum threads: Heavy Equipment Forums thread index for Cat 212 — Heavy Equipment Forums. Observed 2026-09-24.
Used-market listings	Used-market listings: MachineryTrader listings for Cat 212 — MachineryTrader. Observed 2026-09-24.
Federal agency data	Federal agency data: Recall database search for Cat — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Observed 2026-09-24.