The Caterpillar D6 track-type

Caterpillar track

Continuous tracks or caterpillar tracks are a system of vehicle propulsion in which modular metal plates linked into a continuous band are driven by two or more wheels...

 tractor

Tractor

A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...

 is a medium bulldozer

Bulldozer

A bulldozer is a crawler equipped with a substantial metal plate used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc., during construction work and typically equipped at the rear with a claw-like device to loosen densely-compacted materials.Bulldozers can be found on a wide range of sites,...

 manufactured by Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...

 with a nominal operating weight of 18 tons. The military versions were classified as the SNL G152 medium tractor, under the G-numbers classification system used for army tractors.

D6 Version history

The D6 started out in 1935 as the RD6, fitted with a 3 cylinder 45 hp D6600 engine. The numbering was changed to the D6 in 1937.
Caterpillar first introduced the entirely new D6 in 1941 with the 4R & 5R series. This was powered by the D4600 engine of 55 hp (drawbar).

• The D6 4R/5R was replaced by the D6 8U & 9U series, fitted with the 6 cylinder D318 engine of 66 hp, in 1947.
• In 1959 the D6 was replaced with the D6B after 60,000 D6 4R/5R and 8U/9U tractors had been built.
• In 1963 the D6C was introduced.
• In 1977 the D6D with a 140 hp engine was introduced, as well as the D6D SA version with 125 hp (drawbar) for agricultural use.
• The D6H was introduced in 1986 along with 3 other H-Series track-type tractors. This was the first D6 with Caterpillar's elevated drive sprocket undercarriage.
• The D6R replaced the D6H in 1996.
• The D6M was a LGP version with 140 hp.
• Since 1996 the D6K at 125 hp and 28,409 lb, the D6N at 150 hp and 36,497 lb and the D6T at 165 hp at 46,690 lb all have been introduced.

Dozer blades

The dozer blade on front of the tractor can come in different varieties:

• A straight blade ("S-Blade") which is short and has no lateral curve, no side wings, and can be used for fine grading.
• A universal blade ("U-Blade") which is tall and very curved, and has large side wings to carry more material.
• An "S-U" combination blade which is shorter, has less curvature, and smaller side wings.
• A Variable Pitch Angle and Tilt ("VPAT") blade is a straight blade which has the ability to change the pitch of the blade (leaning forward or backwards) as well as the ability to hydraulically raise, tilt and angle the blade. This configuration is typically used in fine grading applications.

Rear equipment

The rear of the machine can be outfitted with various work tools to complement the front blade:

• The rear of the machine can have large slabs of steel to add weight to the rear of the machine to aid in heavy dozing applications.
• A drawbar and CCU (Cable control unit) for pulling towed scrapers
  Wheel tractor-scraper
  In civil engineering, a wheel tractor-scraper is a piece of heavy equipment used for earthmoving.The rear part has a vertically moveable hopper with a sharp horizontal front edge. The hopper can be hydraulically lowered and raised. When the hopper is lowered, the front edge cuts into the soil or...
  
   and trailed implements; later models now use hydraulics in place of the CCU to operate scrapers.
• A hydraulic winch
  Winch
  A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in or let out or otherwise adjust the "tension" of a rope or wire rope . In its simplest form it consists of a spool and attached hand crank. In larger forms, winches stand at the heart of machines as diverse as tow trucks, steam shovels and...
  
   can be outfitted on the rear of the machine for towing or pulling; for forestry work, usually with a lighter front blade as well for pushing the brush and trees about.
• A ripper
  Ripper
  Ripper may refer to:* Jack the Ripper, a pseudonym given to an unidentified serial killer active in the largely impoverished Whitechapel area and adjacent districts of London in the latter half of 1888...
  
   with a single or multiple shanks can be added to the rear of the machine to break up hard soil or rock.
• Fitted with a linkage (three-point hitch
  Three-point hitch
  The three-point hitch most often refers to the way ploughs and other implements are attached to an agricultural tractor. The three points resemble either a triangle, or the letter A...
  
  ) for use in agriculture with mounted implements like plows.

The crawler tractor is powerful, yet small and light weighing 16 to 20 tons (18 to 23 short tons) depending on configuration. This makes it ideal for working on very steep slopes, in forests, and for backfilling pipelines safely without risking damage to the pipe.

A low ground pressure

Pressure

Pressure is the force per unit area applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of an object. Gauge pressure is the pressure relative to the local atmospheric or ambient pressure.- Definition :...

 version is also available with extra wide tracks to provide low ground pressure

Ground pressure

Ground pressure is the pressure exerted on the ground by the tires or tracks of a motorized vehicle, and is one measure of its potential mobility, especially over soft ground. Ground pressure is measured in pascals which corresponds to the EES unit of pounds per square inch...

which allows working in muddy areas without sinking.

External links

• Caterpillar D-Series Track-Type Tractors - Official Caterpillar website
• Configure your own Caterpillar Track-Type Tractor - from the official website