Caterpiller D4 Bulldozer
| Vehicle Type: | Bulldozer | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 10 feet 6 inches | |
| Height | 5 feet with drawbar – 13 feet | |
| Width | 5 ft 2 inch | |
| Weight | 10,000 lbs without attachments | |
| Engine | Make: Caterpillar. Model: D4. Fuel: Diesel commercial. Cylinders: 4. Bore and Stroke: 4}£ x 5K-in. Governed speed: 1400 rpm. Valve adjustment: 0.010-in. Firing order: 1-3-4-2. Equipped with Independent, 2-cylinder, 4-stroke-cycle gasoline starting engine. | |
| Speeds & Pull | Five forward speeds and one reverse. Reverse speed: 1.9 mph. Forward speeds with maximum drawbar pull are: 1st: 1.7 mph, 7852 lb. 2nd: 2.4 mph, 5811 lb. 3rd: 3.0 mph, 4541 lb. 4th: 3.7 mph, 3471 lb. 5th: 5.4-mph, 2230-lb | |
| Crawler: | 44-in. Track length: 61%-in. Track shoe width: 13-in. Grouser height: 2 in. Track shoes, each side: 31. Ground contact: 1589 sq in. | |
| Contract Manufacturer: | Caterpiller Tractor Company | |
| Attachments: | standard equipment with the D4 Caterpillar: ANGLEDOZER, LaPlante-Choate 4R. ANGLEDOZER, LeTourneau C-4. BULL- DOZER, LaPlante-Choate or LeTourneau A-4. POWER CONTROL UNIT, LeTourneau T-4. COMBINATION POWER CONTROL UNIT AND WINCH, LeTourneau, HN. WINCH, Hyster D-4A. WINCH, Hyster D4. | |
| Status | Static Display | |
| Owner | Estrella Warbirds Museum | |
History
One of the greatest contributions Caterpiller made towards winning World War II, was the crawler type tractors, the D2, D4, D6, D7 and D8. They were used extensively by the US Army Engineering Battalions and the US Navy Construction Battalions (otherwise known as the “Seabees”). Keep in mind that Caterpiller not only produced the crawler tractors, but also enhanced the war efforts with tank transmissions, diesel generators, and gun carriages among other things. Many refer to this type of a tractor as a bulldozer, but in reality, it was a crawler tractor and the primary attachment, in this case, is the bull dozer blade. Companies such as LeTourneau, built bulldozer blades and their controller mechanism; then installed them on the Caterpillar tractor.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower noted in “The Great Crusade,” that “…four other pieces of equipment that most senior officers came to regard as among the most vital to our success in Africa and Europe were the bulldozer, the jeep, the 2-1/2 – ton truck and the C-47 airplane.”
Prior to and during the Second World War the United States Army called several tractors M1 Light Tractor. Under the Ordnance Corps these “off the shelf” tractors were meant to tow artillery pieces so were not equipped with blades like their Engineer counterparts. Eventually these were replaced by purpose built “High Speed Tractors” (HST). Some tractors were equipped with crane attachments for ammunition, and material handling.