Off-topic: Cat D2

[Jerry]

I was out riding my Concours yesterday and had an interesting trip. I was running down a side road when I spotted some old ('30s - '50s) crawler tractors sitting in a yard. I rode up to the house, introduced myself, and found myself talking to a guy who has been collecting old crawlers for many years.

To make a long story short, after getting a tour of his place, including his sheds where he has some pretty rare machines (including a 1918 Cletrac with a steering wheel) he invited me to drive one of his D2 Cats. I had never driven a dozer before.

He started the pony engine, then started the main engine. I hopped into the driver's seat, raised the blade, and put the Cat in gear. Having used a hand clutch before the gearing and clutching was not new, but steering with the two levers - they activate left and right-hand track clutches - was new.

It was a hoot. It took very little time to get the measure of the steering clutches and gauging how the amount of lever movement translated into actual steering changes. I did not push any dirt but still had a good time.

I was invited back, and the next time I'll have my camera with me...this is one of the few times I had not picked it up when I left for my ride.

I realize that antique dozers are not everyone's cup of tea, but for those who might have an interest, if you ever get the chance to pilot one of these old Cats around, take it. While I may never own one, although I would like to, I can now say I have completed a Bucket List wish of running a Cat dozer, even if it was an antique.

[JeffH]

he invited me to drive one of his D2 Cats. I had never driven a dozer before.

He started the pony engine, then started the main engine. I hopped into the driver's seat, raised the blade, and put the Cat in gear. Having used a hand clutch before the gearing and clutching was not new, but steering with the two levers - they activate left and right-hand track clutches - was new.

Jerry,

that's quite and experience. Nice the guy was so friendly.
Good that you were out riding too.








Was curious about that Pony Motor you mentioned
so I had to see what that looked like


Guess you can check another one off your bucket list???

Jeff

[DiverRay]

Great that you had a chance to drive a track! I've done it, but in the Army. Had my 30 minutes as a APC driver. Same basic design, just with an aluminum box around the driver and a periscope to look through..

[Gmac]

That sounds like a hoot

I never have had the opportunity to drive a tracked vehicle, sat in the drivers seat of a few of them, but never running.

I'd love to see pictures of older Cat's..
Thanks for sharing!

[natemoen]

Dozers are fun!

[kevxs]

I've had the pleasure of pushing some dirt around on my Dad's old Cat . . .




He has all kinds of old metal around the farm, a few dozers, a crane or 2 and a homemade wheel trencher for putting in drainage tiles. He says many guys replace the pup (pony) engines with electric start but he's a 'purist'. He brought home a dozer with 30 year old diesel fuel in the tank and didn't even bother to change out the fuel (he got it running). No wonder he can't understand why I'm always talking about bad gas and cleaning carbs etc.

[Jerry]

Later Cats replaced the pony (starting motor) with an OEM electric starter. Some had pony motors with electric start, the D2 I drove was not one of them. Rope pull wrapped around the pony engine flywheel...the classic way to start an old Cat.

kevxs...if your Dad has some old iron he would like see go to a good home, let me know. I would like to pick up a D2 or D4 of any age.

My Dad used to drive Cats, mostly larger D8s, in logging operations in northern California in the late '30s and into the mid-'40s. His dream was always to own his own machine but, alas, it never came to pass. I grew up on his stories of "cat-skinning", as it was known at the time. That's why operating a Cat was a Bucket List item for me...wanted to get some idea of what my Dad experienced back in the day. (He passed away 4 years ago.)

It really was a hoot. I've moved dirt with a backhoe and put in the driveway on our recreational lot with one, ran a lot of farm tractors and equipment when I lived in Wisconsin, but always rubber-tire equipment. I could use a small crawler on the lot, at least that is what I tell SWMBO....

This guy also had a lot of Cletrac crawlers, later produced by Oliver, but they quit producing them in '61. I need to do some research on that brand.

[webbcraft2150]

I had the pleasure of working for a major Cat dealer for about 10 years. Access to all kinds of big boy toys. Fortunately, rigs like what you saw have come along way. Old school rigs were a bear to operate and beat you to death. I remember when we got the first (read prototype) D10 high track dozer. It was a big departure from traditional dozer construction and at the time was king of the hill (kinda like our Xs's). We had to keep it under a tarp when it wasn't running so the "competition" couldn't get a look at, or take pictures of it. Electronic controls, air conditioned cab, air ride seat and even a cassette deck. It was being tested in a uranium mine outside Grants New Mexico. Meet a unfortunate death when a turbo lube line ruptured and caught fire. Anything that could burn did. The windows even melted. I still remember the night we played soccer with a dead Honda car in our test pit. Two excavators made short work of it. When we got done, we just dug a really deep hole and buried the evidence.

[3Phase]

Soccer with excavators and a Honda? Oh, yeah!
<vuzuvelas>
Go-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-a-a-a-a-l!
THUD
</vuzuvelas>

Jerry, it's a good thing it wasn't a D7:-
Killdozer!

.

[kevxs]

picture

my Dad had his fleet all lined up when I was back at the farm over Easter. Thought I'd share a pic . . .

[Jerry]

Quite the line up. Thanks for posting.

If anyone is interested I have added some more old equipment photos to one of my on-line galleries titled Old Machinery:
http://www.appleattic.net/Galleries/old_machinery.html