Cat 320C to 320C S specifications

Choose the undercarriage and front linkage together

Caterpillar's 320C/320C L brochure distinguishes the standard undercarriage, suited to frequent repositioning and restricted or rough working areas, from the longer platform intended for greater stability and lifting ability. Transport width still depends on the shoes. A long track frame alone does not tell you the width of the offered machine.

The front also changes what the excavator can do. In that brochure, the longest reach stick trades bucket size for working envelope. The shorter reach stick supports larger buckets and hammer work, while the mass-excavation boom and its matching stick favor digging force with a more limited envelope.

Those choices cannot be reduced to one maximum bucket capacity.

Fine Swing Control is optional in the same document. It cushions swing starts and stops for implement control; its presence should be established from the fitted equipment. The engine schedule separately identifies flywheel and gross ratings.

Reusing the flywheel number under a gross-power heading obscures the distinction even though the engine itself has not changed.

The separately documented Utility arrangement is another reason to identify the complete product. Caterpillar describes a shorter tail swing radius and a heavier counterweight than the conventional 320C L. Its fuel and hydraulic refill schedules also differ.

Do not replace a conventional or S-labelled machine's figures with Utility values merely because a document says 320C. The brochure names its particular arrangement and specifies the boom, stick and track conditions behind the weights.

For front-end wear, the original BDE-prefix factory procedure treats stick bearings, seals and the stick-cylinder connection as separate service work. It notes that shims can be fitted at the cylinder and stick pin bores. Record their location before disassembly; missing or misplaced shims can make a replacement assembly comparison misleading.

The procedure also lists dedicated pulling equipment for the bearings. A listing for a loose pin is not a complete repair specification. Hydraulic cylinders with lock valves can retain pressure after hoses are removed: use the applicable pressure-release procedure before opening the assembly.