Caterpillar 777 Wheels and Rims

The Caterpillar 777 is one of the most widely employed haul trucks in the world with an extensive manufacturing history and a reputation for reliability. As an off-highway haul truck, the 777 was specifically designed and engineered for use in high-production mining and heavy-duty construction environments. The first Caterpillar 777 model was introduced in 1974. Numerous model changes followed over the years as significant advancements in diesel engine technology saw haul trucks achieving increased horsepower, torque, and payload capacity with improved fuel efficiency. Current model Caterpillar 777s deliver 1025 horsepower (753 kW) and haul up to 100 tons of material while traveling at 40 mph (64 kph).

The Caterpillar 777 is designed with the truck’s center of gravity, load distribution, and power train all optimized to deliver maximum performance, longevity, and value. Among the reasons for its popularity is the Caterpillar 777’s energy efficiency: fuel economy is achieved both while hauling and idling.

Available in various configurations as a rock- or coal-hauler or as a water truck for surface mining the Caterpillar 777 is considered fast among its peers and features responsive traction control that automatically maximizes traction and prevents slippage, thereby reducing wheels and rims wear.

Caterpillar 777s can be found in the coal mines of Australia and Asia to the rock quarries of the southern US to megaproject construction sites in Canada.

RIMEX shares a long history with the Caterpillar 777. Just a few years after the truck was first introduced, RIMEX  began manufacturing heavier duty, precision machined wheels and rims that Caterpillar 777 operators quickly came to rely on for durability, safety, stability, and performance needed in the harsh operating conditions of challenging industrial operations and surface mining sites around the world. During the early years, heavy-duty haul trucks like the Caterpillar 777 had few options for wheels and rims that could  perform well under adverse conditions. Bias ply tires with weak sidewalls that created movement in the bead seat area were the only tires available. RIMEX recognized the need for a solution to the impact those weak sidewalls were having on wheel performance.

RIMEX set out to resolve the quality gap for this specialized market by designing and building the first wheels and rims using fully machined sections for true roundness — known today as our Machined Extreme Service series. RIMEX MES wheels and rims use stronger lock rings, heavier flanges and fully machined, precision gutter discs which sets these wheels and rims apart from others.

Mine operators and other industry users of Caterpillar 777 haul trucks quickly found that they could achieve longer tire life with fewer failures and reduced downtime by fitting their 777 fleets with RIMEX MES wheels and rims.

In addition to offering standard 49” 5-piece wheel assemblies for Caterpillar 777 trucks, RIMEX offers MES wheels and rims with Double Gutter Service (DGS) and Integral Gutter Lock Ring (IGLR) components for safer and significantly faster tire and rim changes.

One of the most significant innovations RIMEX developed for Caterpillar 777 wheels and rims is the EMH lock ring. This lock ring style improves on the half-century old lock ring design found on standard wheel assemblies with which Caterpillar 777 trucks are equipped from the factory. Standard 777 wheels and rims utilize EV-style lock rings which have been shown to have a tendency to dislodge from the gutter during tire fitting operations. The RIMEX-designed EMH lock ring addresses this with a beefier, more substantial design and a profile that features increased areas of contact with the bead seat band and in the gutter portion of the wheel base. This design works to ensure the components are all properly locked together and prevents movement and slippage during wheel and rim operations.

While RIMEX MES wheels with EMH lock rings offer design and safety improvements, RIMEX also manufactures industry-standard wheels and rims with EV-style lock rings for Caterpillar 777 trucks.

Another innovation that addresses lock ring safety for trucks including the Caterpillar 777 is the Lock Ring Support Stand (LRSS) designed and developed by RIMEX. The LRSS clamps securely to the inside of the wheel base and its two upward pointing posts safely catch single-piece lock rings in the event they spring off the wheel and rim assembly during mounting or dismounting.

The genius of the LRSS is that it acts as a support while the lock ring is placed in the gutter, virtually eliminating the need for operators to manually hold the lock ring during installation. And once installed, the LRSS can remain in the wheel during the tire change. It will not dislodge from the wheel base when catching the lock ring.

Weighing in at a robust 26 pounds (11.8 kg), the LRSS has a manual telescoping length with finite adjustments and a torque nut drive that ensures precise tension control.

The Caterpillar 777 has a record that stands for its loading, hauling, and dumping capacity, so to extend the wheel life, efficiency and dependability of a truck as hard-working as the Caterpillar 777 is a substantial advantage.

Saving time and money is important but so is running a highly productive and safe operation in an industry that is demanding and vulnerable to accidents and human injuries that can prove fatal.

Continuing its history of developing wheel and rim related products that improve safety and make operations more efficient, RIMEX developed a Mounting Stand that allows for pre mounting of wheels and rims components into tires for storage until needed.

There are several advantages to our Premounting Stand. It allows wheel and rim technicians to mount DGS and IGLR wheel and rim components into the tires prior to being mounted thereby dramatically reducing service downtime.

This means the wheels and rims on the Caterpillar 777 could be stored vertically with pre-mounted components. The wheel and rim components stay with the tire during changes or rotations, and the tires can be rotated across all positions on the truck for maximum wear and longer service life.

For the intense demands that come with projects that employ Caterpillar 777 haul trucks, rely on RIMEX for quality built, innovative products that save time and keep people safe.