WOLFE HEAVY EQUIPMENT – Power in the trenches

Company History

The Wolfe story dates back to 1953, when John Wolfe started a drainage contracting business with a new wheel trencher. After 14 years of successful operation, he sold the company and formed Wolfe Equipment to manufacture and supply parts for all types of trenching equipment. The company delivered its first prototype self-propelled drainage plow in the late 1970s. In 2012, Veeke Inc. purchased Wolfe, moved it into a modern manufacturing facility and implemented new systems and processes to enhance the overall customer experience.

Leveraging experience to improve performance, lower costs

Over the years, Wolfe acquired other manufacturers and distributorships and began supplying products across Canada and the United States. With its machines covering a broad geographic area, the company encountered a wide range of soil types, climatic conditions and special applications — always responding with equipment updates and technological advances to meet those needs. For the past two decades, Wolfe has manufactured completely hydrostatically driven track and rubber-tired equipment. Eliminating a large number of moving parts — including transmissions, drive shafts, belts, pulleys and right-angle drivers — has greatly reduced machine downtime and operating costs while increasing output. The company also continues to leverage its many decades of experience servicing all manufacturers’ equipment to extend service life and lower operating costs on its own products.

Customer Challenge

Space constraints made it difficult for Wolfe to identify an engine solution for its wheel trenchers, drainage plows and dewatering trenchers that would meet Tier 4 Final emission standards without sacrificing equipment performance. To tackle the problem, Cat dealer Toromont brought the Wolfe and Caterpillar design teams together — and the two groups ultimately collaborated on a solution that is delivering optimal results despite the tight space.

Cat® Industrial Power Engine Solution

Cat® C15 and C18 engines, providing horsepower ranging from 475 hp to 630 hp, not only enable Wolfe’s trenching equipment to meet Tier 4 Final emission standards, but also help the company ensure those products hold grade even in the toughest conditions. The combination of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology and Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) systems delivers clean power without compromising durability or uptime.

Delivering on the promise of performance and support

Wolfe originally selected Caterpillar because of the brand’s strong reputation, and C15 and C18 engines are delivering on that promise in agricultural and municipal drainage, oil and gas pipeline and dewatering applications across North America. Paul Veeke, Wolfe Equipment, Project Manager, is impressed with the durability, longevity, fuel efficiency and total cost of ownership of Cat industrial engines. Worldwide support is another factor in Caterpillar’s favor, particularly given the wide reach of Wolfe’s equipment. “We’ve never had to try to sell someone on our equipment using a Cat engine,” he says.

Cat Dealer Relationship

Since Veeke Inc. purchased Wolfe in 2012, the company has worked closely with Cat dealer Toromont. According to Veeke, Toromont doesn’t just provide the service and support he expects from the Cat brand — the dealership goes above and beyond to help Wolfe succeed. In addition to bringing the Wolfe and Caterpillar design teams together to solve the Tier 4 Final challenge, for example, Toromont also supplied a sample Tier 4 Final engine for Wolfe’s 2017 CONEXPO-CON/AGG booth. “Toromont has been excellent to work with,” he says. “They do what they say they will.”

"We’ve never had to try to sell someone on our equipment using a Cat engine.”