Classic Cat 245B ME Restored

Another visit to some great material produced by global roving plant man Chris Maginnis, the Irish man and the brains behind the Awesome Earthmovers You Tube channel.

Ask any old school muckshifting man what his favourite big excavator was and nine times out of ten, he will say that the Caterpillar 245 was the daddy of them all. You often hear these guys comment, that companies just don’t make excavators like these anymore, solid, simple, powerful and reliable, it’s a real testament to the durability of these old machines, that many are still working around the globe.

I discovered this fine example of a Cat 245B ME in Fuerteventura while on holiday in December 2007.

Caterpillar were a late arrival to the hydraulic excavator market, having not actually produced a machine until 1972 when they launched the first of the 200-series the 225 which tipped the scales at around the 27-tonne mark. Other models followed shortly after including the 235, 245 and later the smaller models came along starting with the 215, followed by collaborations with other manufacturers like Eder and Mitsubishi.

A number of these old Caterpillar excavators including the famous 245B ME (Mass Excavation) have been restored to their full glory not far from Dublin in Ireland and Chris popped along to grab a load of footage of the machine in action. Chris writes that this example which weighs in at 65-tonnes was first sold in 1991. You have to say, they have done a wonderful job on her and its great to watch and listen to the marvellous sound of that big Cat engine purring away, Enjoy!

The Digger Man Blog would like to thank Chris Maginnis of Awesome Earthmovers for the share of this video.