Caterpillarwork toolcrusher

Caterpillar CR50

Maintenance schedule, common problems & OEM parts breakdown

The Cat CR50 is a hydraulic concrete crusher and pulverizer work tool, not a self-propelled machine. It is the largest unit in Caterpillar's original CR-series demolition attachment line, which also includes the smaller CR20, CR28, and CR35. The CR50 carries no engine, no undercarriage, and no cooling, fuel, or transmission system of its own; every function runs off the auxiliary hydraulic circuit of its host carrier. Caterpillar matched it exclusively to 375-class excavators fitted with a standard stick or GP boom, at stick lengths from about 2.9 to 5.5 m (9'6" to 18'1"). Service weight, tool only and excluding the mounting bracket, is approximately 7,000 kg (15,450 lb), with an overall length near 3.44 m (135 in) and a jaw opening around 1,600-1,620 mm (63-64.8 in).

Within the CR family the CR50 sits at the top of the range: the largest jaw opening and the highest crushing and shearing forces of the four sizes, with tip crushing force near 1,628 kN (183 st), middle-tooth force near 2,100 kN (236 st), and peak shearing force at the cutter center up to about 6,857 kN (770 st). That force lets it break reinforced concrete sections up to roughly 150 cm (5 ft) thick, embedded rebar included, without torching. Records point to a single production generation with no documented direct successor model. Even so, the CR50 still has a place in the used and parts market: Caterpillar's dealer network continues to support it with pin, bushing, hose, and jaw-tooth service parts, which keeps well-maintained units viable for demolition contractors running 375-class carriers long after the tool's original introduction.

Below: full specifications, fluids & capacities, the factory service schedule, common service parts, verified fault codes, what owners discuss, attachment guidance, the complete assembly directory, and a serial-number reference. Complete parts lists with full OEM part numbers, exploded diagrams, quantities, and fitment data are available free in Heavy Parts AI.

Caterpillar CR50 specifications

Engine

Power sourceNo onboard engine. Hydraulic attachment powered off the carrier excavator's implement circuit.
Matched carrierCat 375 excavator, standard-stick and GP (general purpose) boom arrangements.
Hydraulic cylinder flow (max)579 L/min (153 gpm).
Hydraulic cylinder pressure (max)34 300 kPa (4,980 psi).
Rotation circuit flow20 L/min (5 gpm).
Rotation circuit pressure (max)17 200 kPa (2,465 psi).

Weights

Service weight (excl. mounting bracket)7 000 kg (15,450 lb).
Matched carrier operating weightApproximately 50 000 kg (110,000 lb) class.

Dimensions

Overall length (excl. mounting bracket)3 440 mm (135.4 in).
Jaw opening, maximum1 600 mm (63 in) per the spec table; the factory cutter-throat diagram shows 1 620 mm (64.8 in) for the same opening — treat as 1 600-1 620 mm (63-64.8 in).
Jaw depth880 mm (34.6 in).
Crushing-tooth width per arm700 mm total width across the arm (28 in total).
Cutter offset dimension260 mm (10.4 in).

Performance

Maximum crushing force, tip1 628 kN (183 short tons).
Maximum crushing force, middle tooth2 100 kN (236 short tons).
Maximum shearing force, cutting center6 857 kN (770 short tons), for cutting rebar and light steel profiles.
Cycle time10.8 seconds per open-close cycle. Varies with carrier configuration and operating conditions.
RotationContinuous 360°. A relief valve and accumulators guard the carrier's stick and boom from excess hydraulic pressure.
Reach range on matched carrier2.9-5.5 m (9'6"-18'1") stick range on the Cat 375, the same range for standard-stick and GP boom setups.
Rated demolition capacityReinforced concrete structures up to 150 cm (5 ft) thick or in diameter, including embedded rebar and light steel, without torching.

Service capacities (summary)

Fuel tankNot applicable — no onboard engine.
Hydraulic systemNo dedicated onboard reservoir. Runs on the carrier excavator's hydraulic oil supply.
Engine oilNot applicable — no onboard engine.
Cooling systemNot applicable — no onboard engine.

Values vary by configuration, region, and serial range — confirm against your machine before planning transport or lifts.

CR50 fluids & capacities

SystemCapacityRecommended fluid
Hydraulic system (work tool)No separate tank or capacity for this tool. The crusher jaw cylinders run off the host excavator's own hydraulic circuit and share its oil supply.Match whatever hydraulic fluid the host excavator's OMM specifies for its hydraulic system (Cat HYDO Advanced or Cat BIO HYDO Advanced grades sized to ambient temperature). The work tool itself carries no separate fluid recommendation.
Grease - pivot pins, cylinder rod ends, and crushing-arm bushingsGrease points only, no fill capacity listed. Lubricate per the schedule in the tool's maintenance chart (daily/every shift under normal use, more often in wet or abrasive demolition work).Cat Grease (multipurpose, extreme-pressure, NLGI 2). Cat Advanced 3Moly Grease is the upgrade choice for heavily loaded pin joints under continuous impact/crushing duty. No separate cold- or hot-climate viscosity split is called out for this tool; use a general-purpose EP grease suited to the ambient range.

Capacities are refill values from factory literature — always fill to the dipstick/sight gauge, not the number.

Caterpillar CR50 maintenance schedule

Service intervalTasks
Every 10 h
  • Grease the crusher cylinder rod-end pins and crushing-arm bushings at both jaw pivot points every shift; shorten this interval in wet or abrasive demolition conditions.
  • Inspect jaw teeth and cutting edges for cracks, chips, or excessive wear before starting work.
  • Check hydraulic hoses, fittings, and quick-couplers for cuts, abrasion, or seepage caused by flying debris.
  • Cycle the jaw and rotator through full range and confirm smooth, continuous rotation with no jerking or hesitation.
  • Wipe down the crusher body and cylinder rods and look for fresh oil film indicating a new leak.
Every 50 h
  • Grease the top-mounted rotator bearing and check for excess play or drag when rotating under load.
  • Check jaw pivot pin and crushing-arm bushing clearance; note any movement beyond normal working tolerance.
  • Inspect structural welds around the cylinder mounts and jaw pivot bosses for hairline cracking.
  • Torque-check the mounting bracket fasteners that secure the tool to the host excavator stick.
  • Check the rotation circuit's accumulators and relief valve for correct operation under pressure spikes.
Every 250 h
  • Remove and inspect crushing-arm pins and bushings for wear or egg-out; replace any set that exceeds allowable clearance.
  • Inspect jaw tooth and cutting-edge hardfacing and re-face or replace as needed.
  • Check crusher cylinder rod seals for weeping or leakage while cycling under load.
  • Inspect hose routing and clamping for chafing against the jaw or frame.
Every 500 h
  • Check the crushing circuit's relief settings against the host excavator's auxiliary-circuit specification.
  • Inspect the rotator's seals and relief valve for internal leakage or pressure loss.
  • Inspect the full jaw structure and cylinder mounting brackets for weld fatigue cracks, especially at the pivot bosses.
  • Replace any worn or loose pins and bushings identified during inspection rather than running them to failure.
Every 1,000 h
  • Pull a hydraulic fluid sample from the host carrier's auxiliary circuit for analysis; the tool shares that oil and has no reservoir of its own.
  • Inspect the crushing cylinders for rod scoring, bent rods, or seal degradation and rebuild as needed.
  • Check accumulator pre-charge on the rotation circuit.
  • Carry out a full structural inspection of the frame, jaw, and mounting bracket welds.
Every 2,000 h
  • Overhaul or replace the jaw pivot and crushing-arm pin-and-bushing sets together to restore factory clearances.
  • Rebuild the crushing cylinders (rod, seals, glands) if wear or leakage was flagged at the prior inspection.
  • Inspect and, if needed, rebuild the rotator assembly, including its bearing race, seals, and relief valve.
  • Repair or reinforce any structural welds found cracked during periodic inspection.

Servicing the CR50 beyond the schedule

Predictive Maintenance & Fluid Analysis

The CR50 has no engine or reservoir of its own, so fluid condition tracks the host 375-class excavator's auxiliary hydraulic system. Pull regular oil samples from the carrier's aux circuit to catch contamination before it scores crusher cylinder bores or rotator seals. Track jaw pivot and cylinder rod-end bushing play at every grease interval; rising clearance predicts pin-and-bushing failure before it shows up as jaw slop. Watch jaw-tooth wear rate against tonnage crushed to plan hardfacing or replacement before a tooth breaks off mid-cycle.

Corrective & Common Repairs

Most CR50 repairs trace to abrasive demolition debris, not internal wear. Cylinder rod seals weep first when grit gets past a torn wiper; replace wipers and seals at the first sign of a wet rod rather than waiting for a full leak. Jerky or stalled rotation usually points to the rotator's relief valve or accumulators, not the motor itself, so check those first. Hydraulic hose and fitting damage from flying rebar and rubble is the most common field failure; carry spares and inspect routing after every heavy demolition run.

Overhaul & Rebuild Points

Jaw pivot pins and crushing-arm bushings take the heaviest cyclic shock load on the CR50 and are the main rebuild item; replace pins and bushings together as matched sets to restore factory clearance rather than mixing worn and new. Crusher cylinders warrant a full rebuild (rod, seals, glands) once rod scoring or persistent seepage appears. Because the whole tool is a welded frame under repeated impact loading, inspect the jaw and cylinder-mount welds for hairline cracking at every major service and repair cracks before they propagate through the pivot boss.

Seasonal & Environment Servicing

Wet, muddy, or abrasive sites wash grease out of the jaw pivot and cylinder rod-end points fast, so shorten the grease interval below the standard shift cycle whenever debris or water intrusion is heavy. Grit at the rod seals is the top cause of premature cylinder wear, so wipe rods clean before greasing. The CR50 has no hydraulic fluid or engine of its own, so cold-weather starts are governed by the host 375-class carrier; follow that machine's OMM for cold-weather hydraulic fluid grade and warm-up before applying full crushing force.

CR50 attachments & work tools

Concrete crusher jaw (primary work tool)

CR50 is the largest tool in Cat's original CR-series concrete crusher lineup (CR20/CR28/CR35/CR50), built for large reinforced-concrete demolition such as bridge decks, parking structures, columns, and abutments up to roughly 1.5 m (5 ft) thick or in diameter. Service weight is approximately 7,000 kg (15,450 lb) excluding the mounting bracket, overall length is near 3.44 m (135 in), and the jaw throat opening runs about 1.6-1.62 m (63-65 in) depending on the measurement point used.

Rebar-cutting knives and crushing teeth

Throat-mounted rotatable rebar-cutting knives handle reinforcing steel and light structural profiles inside the concrete, removing the need for separate torch cutting. Crushing teeth on each jaw are bolt-on or weld-on alloy steel that can be built up or replaced, and the cutting knives can be rotated to bring fresh edges into use before the set needs replacing.

360-degree hydraulic rotator

A top-mounted, large-diameter slewing ring gives the CR50 continuous 360-degree rotation so the operator can reposition the jaw over the structure without repositioning the carrier. The rotation circuit is protected by a relief valve and small accumulators that keep hydraulic pressure spikes from reaching the excavator's stick and boom.

Mounting / coupler system

The CR50 mounts through a carrier-specific top pin bracket matched to the host excavator's stick, and the quoted service weight excludes this bracket. Factory literature for this tool family shows a dedicated pin mount rather than a quick-coupler pin-grabber interface, so bracket selection is tied to the specific carrier model rather than a universal coupler.

Hydraulic arrangement / kit requirements

Crushing-jaw cylinders need high auxiliary flow, up to roughly 579 L/min (153 gpm) at up to about 34,300 kPa (4,980 psi), while the rotator runs on a separate low-flow line near 20 L/min (5 gpm) at up to about 17,200 kPa (2,465 psi). The host excavator needs a matched auxiliary or tool-control hydraulic kit sized for both circuits; base excavator hydraulics without the correct kit will not run this size of crusher properly.

Carrier and boom matching

Factory matching data ties the CR50 to the Cat 375-class excavator, run stick-mounted with a stick range of about 2.9-5.5 m (9'6" to 18'1"). The same stick range applies when the carrier is fitted with a general-purpose reach boom, so boom choice does not change the usable stick window for this tool.

Crushing and shearing force

Rated tip crushing force is about 1,628 kN (183 st) and middle-tooth crushing force is about 2,100 kN (236 st), with peak shearing force at the cutter center near 6,857 kN (770 st). These ratings place the CR50 well above the smaller CR20/CR28/CR35 tools in the same family, matching it to large-diameter reinforced sections and heavier carriers.

Falling-object guarding option

Cat recommends falling-object protection for the carrier cab on demolition jobs where overhead debris is a risk. This guarding is offered as a dealer-fitted option rather than standard equipment on the crusher package, so it needs to be specified separately when ordering for this kind of work.

All CR50 assemblies by section

Every catalogued assembly group for the Caterpillar CR50. Open an assembly to preview the parts inside — full OEM part numbers are available in Heavy Parts AI.

Frame And Body
145-4026 Housing Gp-Crusher
13***24Screw-Flat Head12
14***63Lockwasher12
14***07Plate4
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160-9070 Housing Gp-Crusher
13***24Screw-Flat Head20
14***63Lockwasher20
14***79Bolt; (M20x2.5x100-mm)30
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160-9067 Housing Gp-Crusher
14***63Lockwasher12
14***86Screw-Flat Head12
14***64Gear & Bearing Group1
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160-9068 Housing Gp-Crusher
14***63Lockwasher12
14***86Screw-Flat Head12
14***79Bolt; (M20x2.5x100-mm)30
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145-4007 Housing Gp-Crusher
14***63Lockwasher12
14***86Screw-Flat Head12
14***79Bolt; (M20x2.5x100-mm)30
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160-9069 Housing Gp-Crusher
13***24Screw-Flat Head12
14***63Lockwasher12
14***79Bolt; (M20x2.5x100-mm)30
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160-9323 Mounting Gp-Rotator Motor
09***74Bolt-Socket Head; (M12x1.75x65-mm)4
14***93Plate-Mounting1
15***18Lockwasher4
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160-9324 Mounting Gp-Rotator Motor
09***74Bolt-Socket Head; (M12x1.75x65-mm)4
15***19Lockwasher8
16***75Plate-Mounting1
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145-6438 Mounting Gp-Rotator Motor
14***63Lockwasher1
14***93Bolt; (M12x1.75x40-mm)1
14***80Gear-Planetary1
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Hydraulic System
160-9107 Cylinder & Lines Gp-Crusher
14***30Mounting Group-Cylinder1
16***45Cylinder Group-Hydraulic2
16***97Lines Group-Cylinder1
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160-9106 Cylinder & Lines Gp-Crusher
14***89Mounting Group-Cylinder1
15***93Cylinder Group-Hydraulic2
16***96Lines Group-Cylinder1
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145-3666 Cylinder & Lines Gp-Crusher
14***66Cylinder & Lines Group-Crusher1
14***24Cylinder Group-Hydraulic2
14***30Mounting Group-Cylinder1
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160-9109 Cylinder & Lines Gp-Crusher
14***31Mounting Group-Cylinder1
16***47Cylinder Group-Hydraulic2
16***99Lines Group-Cylinder1
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145-4020 Cylinder & Lines Gp-Crusher
14***08Mounting Group-Cylinder1
14***11Lines Group-Cylinder1
14***20Cylinder & Lines Group-Crusher1
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160-9108 Cylinder & Lines Gp-Crusher
14***08Mounting Group-Cylinder1
15***19Cylinder Group-Hydraulic2
16***98Lines Group-Cylinder1
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160-8245 Cylinder Gp-Hydraulic
03***25Ring-Backup2
08***48Ring1
09***31Seal-O-Ring1
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145-3724 Cylinder Gp-Hydraulic
09***77Setscrew-Socket1
10***19Ring-Retaining4
14***45Bearing2
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155-4019 Cylinder Gp-Hydraulic
03***25Ring-Backup2
09***33Seal-O-Ring; (Id=209.30mm)1
12***17Bolt-Socket Head; (M24x3x70-mm)12
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145-4039 Cylinder Gp-Hydraulic
09***13Ring4
09***77Setscrew-Socket1
14***84Bolt-Socket Head; (M20x2.5x110-mm)20
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160-8247 Cylinder Gp-Hydraulic
11***65Ring-Wear2
14***23Dowel1
14***33Drive-Hex Socket1
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158-7793 Cylinder Gp-Hydraulic
03***25Ring-Backup2
08***91Ring-Backup1
09***28Seal-O-Ring1
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160-9096 Lines Gp-Cylinder
14***60Fitting4
14***54Hose As2
15***82Swivel Group1
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145-3733 Lines Gp-Cylinder
12***88Flange-Split20
14***60Fitting4
14***64Hose As1
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160-9099 Lines Gp-Cylinder
09***85Bolt-Socket Head; (M14x2x30-mm)8
14***60Fitting4
14***25Hose As2
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160-9098 Lines Gp-Cylinder
09***85Bolt-Socket Head; (M14x2x30-mm)8
14***60Fitting4
14***25Hose As2
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160-9097 Lines Gp-Cylinder
14***60Fitting4
14***25Hose As2
15***82Swivel Group1
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145-4011 Lines Gp-Cylinder
09***85Bolt-Socket Head; (M14x2x30-mm)8
12***88Flange-Split16
12***22Bolt; (M14x2x50-mm)8
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160-6668 Lines Gp-Motor
11***30Hose As2
15***94Adapter As6
15***44Seal1
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160-6669 Lines Gp-Motor
15***94Adapter As6
15***44Seal1
16***66Hose As2
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145-6494 Lines Gp-Motor
14***56Valve Group-Pressure Control1
14***61Accumulator2
14***25Plug3
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160-6670 Lines Gp-Motor
11***23Hose As2
15***94Adapter As6
15***44Seal1
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145-6439 Lines Gp-Motor
14***56Valve Group-Pressure Control1
14***61Accumulator2
14***25Plug3
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160-9713 Motor & Lines Gp-Rotator
16***68Lines Group-Motor1
16***22Motor Group-Gerotor1
16***23Mounting Group-Rotator Motor1
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160-9714 Motor & Lines Gp-Rotator
16***69Lines Group-Motor1
16***22Motor Group-Gerotor1
16***24Mounting Group-Rotator Motor1
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145-4021 Motor & Lines Gp-Rotator
14***21Motor & Lines Group-Rotator1
14***53Motor Group-Gerotor1
14***38Mounting Group-Rotator Motor1
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160-9715 Motor & Lines Gp-Rotator
16***70Lines Group-Motor1
16***22Motor Group-Gerotor1
16***24Mounting Group-Rotator Motor1
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145-3667 Motor & Lines Gp-Rotator
14***67Motor & Lines Group-Rotator1
14***53Motor Group-Gerotor1
14***38Mounting Group-Rotator Motor1
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145-6153 Motor Gp-Gerotor
14***53Motor Group-Gerotor1
14***54Key1
14***55Kit-Seal1
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164-7282 Motor Gp-Gerotor
16***82Motor Group-Gerotor1
16***59Key-Square1
16***24Nut-Hex; (1-1/4-18 Thd)1
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160-9122 Motor Gp-Gerotor
09***66Bolt; (M8x1.25x75-mm)4
16***22Motor Group-Gerotor1
16***82Motor Group-Gerotor1
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145-3730 Mounting Gp-Cylinder
14***42Plate4
14***49Pin As2
14***19Pin As2
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145-4008 Mounting Gp-Cylinder
14***07Plate4
14***08Mounting Group-Cylinder1
14***09Pin As2
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145-5731 Mounting Gp-Cylinder
14***31Plate4
14***31Mounting Group-Cylinder1
14***32Pin As2
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145-5389 Mounting Gp-Cylinder
14***42Plate4
14***38Pin As2
14***31Spacer; (118mm Dia X 9.5mm Thk)8
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144-1056 Valve Gp-Pressure Control
14***56Valve Group-Pressure Control1
14***88Connector2
17***54Valve Group-Relief2
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179-1254 Valve Gp-Relief
17***54Valve Group-Relief1
6V***06Seal-Bonded1
6V***80Seal-O-Ring; (20.35mm Id)1
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Service Equipment And Supplies
161-2661 Plate & Film Gp
10***89Film; (Stripe) (82cm)0
14***36Film-Warning; (Flying Debris)2
14***69Film-Warning; (Alert)2
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161-2659 Plate & Film Gp
10***89Film; (Stripe) (82cm)0
14***36Film-Warning; (Flying Debris)2
14***69Film-Warning; (Alert)2
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161-2660 Plate & Film Gp
10***89Film; (Stripe) (82cm)0
10***45Film-Identification; (Cat)2
14***36Film-Warning; (Flying Debris)2
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161-2658 Plate & Film Gp
10***89Film; (Stripe) (82cm)0
14***36Film-Warning; (Flying Debris)2
14***69Film-Warning; (Alert)2
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Work Tool Arrangement
145-5772 Crusher Ar-Hydraulic
14***72Crusher Ar-Hydraulic1
14***74Tooth & Cutting Edge Group1
16***70Housing Group-Crusher1
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145-4006 Crusher Ar-Hydraulic
14***66Cylinder & Lines Group-Crusher1
14***67Motor & Lines Group-Rotator1
14***06Crusher Ar-Hydraulic1
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145-5510 Crusher Ar-Hydraulic
14***10Crusher Ar-Hydraulic1
14***12Tooth & Cutting Edge Group1
16***67Housing Group-Crusher1
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145-4077 Crusher Ar-Hydraulic
14***20Cylinder & Lines Group-Crusher1
14***21Motor & Lines Group-Rotator1
14***23Tooth & Cutting Edge Group1
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Work Tools
208-5144 Bracket Gp-Mounting
20***43Bracket As1
20***44Bracket Group-Mounting1
7X***82Bolt; (M30x3.5x110-mm)12
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145-4010 Tooth & Cutting Edge Gp
14***31Bolt; (M16x2x70-mm)8
14***37Shim; (0.3-mm Thk)2
14***38Shim; (.5mm Thk)1
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145-4023 Tooth & Cutting Edge Gp
14***35Tooth-Crushing4
14***23Tooth & Cutting Edge Group1
14***75Bolt; (M20x2.5x75-Thd)12
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145-5774 Tooth & Cutting Edge Gp
14***15Screw-Flat Head; (M20x2.5x100-mm)12
14***84Tooth-Crushing4
14***78Lockwasher12
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145-5512 Tooth & Cutting Edge Gp
14***31Bolt; (M16x2x70-mm)8
14***12Tooth & Cutting Edge Group1
14***16Crushing Tooth4
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CR50 serial number reference

The ID plate is riveted or bolted to the crusher's main frame casting, usually near the pivot/mounting bracket where the tool attaches to the excavator stick, not on the excavator itself. Read the first three characters as the serial prefix (ties the unit to its model/build range) and the digits that follow as the sequential unit number within that prefix. If the plate is painted over or worn, the same prefix and number are usually stamped into the casting near the plate.

PrefixIdentifies
5ZWCR50 hydraulic concrete crusher/pulverizer work tool (largest unit in the CR20/CR28/CR35/CR50 line, sized for the Cat 375 excavator, stick range about 2.9-5.5 m / 9'6"-18'1")

Frequently asked questions

What engine does the CR50 use?

None. The CR50 is a hydraulic work tool with no engine, cooling system, or fuel tank of its own. It draws all its power from the auxiliary hydraulic circuit of its host 375-class excavator, which supplies both the crushing cylinders and the rotation circuit.

What is the CR50's operating weight?

The tool's own service weight is approximately 7,000 kg (15,450 lb), excluding its mounting bracket. That figure is the attachment's weight alone, not the weight of the host excavator it is mounted on.

What replaced the CR50?

No documented direct replacement exists. The CR50 was the largest unit in Caterpillar's original CR20/CR28/CR35/CR50 concrete-crusher line and appears to have run as a single generation. It remains supported today through Caterpillar's parts network for service items like pins, bushings, hoses, and jaw teeth, with no confirmed successor model identified in Caterpillar's current attachment lineup.

What CR50 owners discuss

What wears out fastest on a CR50's crushing jaw, and how do crews deal with it?
The teeth and cutting edges on the crushing jaw take the brunt of the wear on a CR50. They're bolted or welded segments of high-abrasion alloy steel, and after heavy rebar-and-concrete work they're the first thing checked at the start of a shift. Common field practice is to build up a worn edge with hardfacing while there's still enough base metal underneath, then replace the segment once it thins past a safe margin or cracks. Treat the jaw teeth as a consumable on a daily inspection, not a run-to-failure item. A jaw that's worn or unevenly built up shows up first as more cycles needed to break the same slab, and material that slips out of the jaw instead of shearing cleanly.
What's the real-world wear pattern on the CR50's cylinders and jaw pin and bushing joints?
Hydraulic cylinders drive the jaw, and the pin-and-bushing joints they act through are the next wear point after the teeth. Owners watch for play at the jaw pivot and at the cylinder rod-end pins, since a demolition tool cycling all day against reinforced concrete loads those joints hard, both in steady shear and in shock loading whenever the jaw slips off a piece. Accepted practice is to grease the pivot and cylinder pins every shift, more often in dusty or wet demolition conditions where grit works into the joint and speeds up bushing wear, and to pull pins for a look whenever play becomes noticeable in the jaw's action. A cylinder that's slow to close or weeps past the rod seal points to internal cylinder wear rather than jaw wear, and gets pulled for a seal or rebuild rather than run through.
How does the CR50's rotator behave, and what does trouble look like?
The CR50 carries a large-diameter, continuous 360-degree rotator on top so the operator can spin the jaw onto a structure without repositioning the carrier. That rotation circuit is backed by a relief valve and small accumulators specifically to stop pressure spikes coming back from the carrier's boom and stick from damaging the rotate drive. Healthy rotation is smooth and controllable through the full turn at any jaw angle. Jerky, hesitant, or one-direction-only rotation points to a seal problem in the rotary drive, a relief valve that has drifted off its setting, or an accumulator that has lost precharge. Any of those can look fine with the jaw unloaded and then bind or stall once the jaw loads up against material.
What hydraulic hose and fitting problems come up most on a crusher this size?
The CR50 runs entirely off the host excavator's auxiliary circuit, so its hoses and fittings see the same demolition-site hazards as the rest of the machine: falling rebar and concrete chunks that pinch or abrade a hose, and fittings knocked around or over-torqued during attachment changes. Abrasion and impact damage are the most common reported causes of hose failure on demolition attachments, ahead of simple age. A fitting crimped onto an already-hardened hose, or a reused crush washer or O-ring from a previous fitting, is the usual root cause when a fitting blows off rather than the hose itself splitting. Hoses and fittings on this tool run at full carrier system pressure, so a weeping fitting, a kink, a bulge, or visible cover damage is a failure risk and not cosmetic wear. Have your dealer verify hose and fitting condition before returning the tool to service.
What carrier hydraulic output does the CR50 need, and what happens if it's mismatched?
The CR50 is sized for a 375-class excavator with a stick in roughly the 2.9 to 5.5 m (9 ft 6 in to 18 ft 1 in) range, and since it has no pump or power source of its own it depends entirely on that carrier's auxiliary circuit for flow and pressure. Consistent advice from people who set these tools up is to verify the carrier's actual auxiliary flow and pressure with a hydraulic flow meter rather than trust the cab display, and confirm the carrier's output falls inside the tool's rated flow and pressure window before coupling up. Too little flow starves the cylinders and slows the crushing cycle. Too much flow or pressure overstresses the cylinders, hoses, and rotator circuit, exactly what the rotator's relief valve and accumulators are there to guard against. Field mismatch complaints almost always trace back to a carrier circuit that was never actually flow-tested for this attachment.
Does the CR50's frame or jaw structure show fatigue over time?
Like any heavy demolition tool cycling against reinforced concrete, the CR50's frame and jaw casting take repeated shock loading. Beyond the teeth, the wear points people watch are the weld areas around the jaw pivot and cylinder mounts. Hairline cracking at those high-stress welds is the failure mode operators check for on a crusher this size after extended heavy-duty use, and it's worth a visual check at every greasing interval, not just at scheduled service. This is a structural inspection item given the load the frame carries, not routine cosmetic wear. Have your dealer verify any suspected cracking before continuing to operate the tool.
What should you check on a used CR50 before buying it?
Start with the jaw teeth and cutting edges: how much original material is left versus how much has already been built up or replaced tells you how much life remains before the edges need renewal. Cycle the jaw open and closed and watch the cylinders for smooth, even movement and any rod seal weeping. Check the jaw pivot and cylinder pins for play by hand with the tool off the ground and unloaded. Rotate the head through its full travel in both directions under light load, not just free-spinning with nothing engaged, and confirm it's smooth with no hesitation. Inspect every hose for cover damage, kinks, or soft spots, and check fittings for old weeping stains that point to a slow leak history. Look over the frame and jaw casting welds for cracking, especially around the pivot and cylinder mounts. Finally, ask what carrier and stick length it was run on, since the tool has to be matched to a carrier's flow and pressure to run correctly, and a history on an oversized or undersized carrier is a warning sign for hidden wear. Have your dealer verify pin and bushing tolerances and structural condition as part of final inspection before purchase.

Compiled from owner and technician discussions across the industry — experiences vary by serial range and machine history.

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