973

The Caterpillar 973 Track Loader was introduced in 1982 as a replacement to the Cat 977L in America and later also produced in Japan and France, The first 973 had a Caterpillar 3306 Turbocharged Diesel engine producing 210 flywheel horsepower (FWHP) starting a series which lead from 973B, 973C, 973D and since 2019 todays latest Caterpillar 973K.

At present, the Caterpillar 973K Track Loader is the flagship of the 973 family. Powered by a Caterpillar C9.3 ACERT Engine good for 278 hp, an operating weight of 63900.0 lb and a bucket capacity of 4.0 yd3 – 6.4 yd3 a serious piece of machinery in the class of Track Loaders made by Caterpillar.

Of the 973 Track Loader series are 1:48 diecast three different version scale models of the 973 made by CCM. Lets hope Diecast Masters will release a modern Caterpillar 973K version!!