Cat Unveils Tracking Device For Attachments

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The little black box on this Cat attachment is a PL161 locator device. (Photo courtesy of Caterpillar.)

Remote machinery tracking has become par for the course in the construction equipment industry. Caterpillar has gone a step further with a new tracking unit designed to keep track of your attachments.

Present & Accounted For

The PL161 attachment locator measures 2 x 1.5 x 0.6 inches (5 x 3.8 x 1.5 centimeters). It can be used in harsh environments, according to Cat, and is installable by the user.

When you come within Bluetooth range (up to 100 feet, or 30 meters) of a PL161 with your smartphone or tablet, and you have the Cat App running, it will “phone home” through your Wi-Fi or cellular data connection to update the attachment’s last known location in Cat’s VisionLink application and My.Cat.com.

The PL161 is also usable with other PL Series scanning devices that come with Next Generation excavators, as well as those that have been retrofitted to older equipment.

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The PL161 is just 2 inches long and can survive in harsh environments, according to Cat. (Photo courtesy of Caterpillar.)

Device Specs

The inexpensive PL161 has a two-year battery life, Cat says. It’s part of the company’s Locator series in the Cat Product Link family. The purchase price includes a subscription to VisionLink for the lifetime of the device.

Cat plans to install PL161s on all excavator attachments at the factory, starting around the midpoint of the year. The device is already available on certain attachments.

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Source: Caterpillar

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