KATO Debuts IC110R Rotating Crawler Carrier

As a concept, the rotating crawler carrier is “gaining serious momentum,” the company says. Japanese construction equipment firm Kato is hoping to make its market on the wider market with the new machine, after the successful debut of its IC110R at this year’s CONEXPO-CON/AGG trade show.

Built to “change the math” of construction jobs across the industry, the new machine is an innovation on Kato’s existing IC70R. About three years after the 70R’s release, Kato saw an opportunity to “level up” its crawler carrier machinery, officials say.

“Crawler carriers have worked the same way for decades. Load it, crawl to the spot, dump it, crawl back, repeat. The IC110R changes that equation,” the company says. “Full 360-degree upper-body rotation means the operator can receive material, swing, and place it with precision — all without ever moving the undercarriage. No crawling back and forth. No three-point turns on a crowded site. No wasted motion.”

Tighter cycle times, higher capacity, and less overall site damage are massive contributors to the rate of investment for contractors, Kato representatives say.

“Fewer repositioning cycles means faster cycle times and more material moved per hour,” the company says. “Increased carrying capacity means fewer total trips. And because the tracks stay planted while the upper body does the work, the IC110R isn’t ripping up finished surfaces, tearing through turf, or leaving ruts that somebody has to come back and fix. The jobsite looks the same when you leave as when you got there.”

IC110R’s key features

“KATO has expanded its line of crawler carriers to meet the greater demand for full 360-degree rotating units. For any construction, utility, or municipal crew needing a go-anywhere, do-anything machine—the 110R checks every box,” says Jenny Smith Price, president of sales and operations at KATO Compact Excavator Sales. “It’s simply one of the most customizable and essential rotating carriers on the market.”

First and foremost, the new machine promises a full range of motion with a 360-degree rotating upper structure. This particular improvement allows for more precise dumping, without having to move the machine along the ground at all.

“Our newest rotating crawler carrier was built to go places other machines simply can’t — without leaving a trace,” the company says. “Dump precisely where you need to without repositioning the undercarriage. Less turning means less ground disturbance on soft, wet, or sensitive terrain.”

The carrier is specially designed for tougher jobs like pipelines, slope work, wet construction sites, forestry, and “environmentally sensitive projects.”

The machine’s new features, complete with a payload of 24,250 pounds and a low ground pressure level, “reflects 30 years of proven engineering, Japanese manufacturing quality, and U.S.-based support.”

“As rotating carriers gain traction across North America, the IC110R gives contractors a machine that’s purpose-built around productivity and precision — not just payload,” the company says.