I don’t normally post in the Dozer Section, but rather than lowboy our own D8R over 200 miles to close up a pit we just finished mining, we rented a local contractor’s D8K. This was a trip back in time for me as I was asked to operate the machine. I’d spent a lot of time on these back in the 80s and still believe this was the best machine for it’s time. Real levers; no switches and buttons here! It had also been a long time since I’d been on an OROPS machine. Ohhhhhh the sound of that 342 up against the governor…Nice…Really Nice. And yes I had to heat it to get it to start talking, but once it start chattering it never shut up. It ran like a top the past 2 days. The only down side to this awesome tractor was at the end of the day; it loves fuel! Regards, Randy
LoL, loved fuel they did Randy, but they had an engine that said "go ahead...make my day"
Ya willie, and a whole machine that would make your day too. Love mine to the end of the world along with D8H here, D7G, and my loveable ol D7E with 342's little sister 339 under the hood. Yes she will drink up to 14 gallons an hour, but it does 14 gallons worth of work too.
Now this I like..I'll tell you why. I have read a lot of Randys stories and very good stuff. Now when I read this post I have to say good on you Randy your an operator. A bloke that can appreciate a beautiful machine like that is a friend of mine. I have had the pleasure to operate many old cat's and you cant beat them. Left many an operator on a high track for dead. They heaps of low down Low GRUNT at the right rev's they will push anything. ( I could say more this is just a quick message to a bloke that I think understands ) And work they may be a little slow and may use more fuel but at the end of the day they were killers left many high revving new stuff in the dust. What a pitty I hope Cat know what there doing. Oh BTW don't throw the plans away for those girls. In my opinion of 40 years there one of the best tractors I have ever had the pleasure to have driven bar none. And it's testimony to there manufacturer that a lot of people I know wish that CAT still made them. JESUS WERE ARE WE HEADING TO ?
Hey it's even got fair dinkum bolt's. ;P
Great looking tractor, I see she has had the CAT mod done to the hoist cylinders and I must say she looks a smart banger, the "K" series tractor is still a well used and liked tractor within the U.K. with scrapers hooked up to the tow pin, the important thing is they can still move Muck like no other tractor, the bit of fuel extra they suck down is still well within limits to earn good coins on by the cube price work, just last week I was sorting out a 31E CCU on the back case of a D8H ready for pulling down a High Wall and site stripping in a Gravel Quarry, it seems the D8H/K is realy the CAT with 9 lives, as you can keep on re-building them, I still seem to be able to find good engines for them that have not been counter bored down to the sump?? so as long as the bits are about the D8K will always find a bit of work for the owner. Nice post nice pics, tctractors
The gurgler apparently////.
Great photos of a D8K. They were made when a bulldozer was a bulldozer.
They were an awesome machine. I was running a new D8N and we put D8K blade to blade against it. The K could have pushed the N backwards in third gear ! But, I hated running an 8K or an 8H if the the rubber bushings at the bottom of the rollover cage were worn out. Ear plugs or earmuffs couldn't block the all the noise they made.
the d8-h is my all time favorite tractor to run, followed by the k. you just feel like you accomplished something after a 10 hour shift on one.