I ran across these pictures on machinary trader. I don`t think i have seen a bulldozer converted to a rubber tired machine. Has any one else had any dealings with something like this. In the ad it was called a sugar babe. I think they pull sugar cane wagons with it. :beatsme
Caterpillar built a few of these in the late 1940s/early 1950s (?) as specialty tow tractors for specific customers........seems like the impetus for the idea was a request by Ringling Bros. Circus for a more powerful tired tractor than they could buy from the ag manufacturers at the time and a more mobile tractor than the conventional tracked machine or some such. I know there are others on this board who'll have all of the info but this is the first one I've seen for sale in a looooong time.
where does that exhaust pipe stop? lol
if that uses steering clutches to steer I'll bet that thing can trow you around a bit,especially on pavement.
I've read somewhere on this forum that Ringling wanted it to pull railroad cars on sidings and trying to cross a railroad track and then line up a tracked machine would be a mess.
i would imagine that would be interesting to operate , it'd be a wild ride
That's a DW6B, based on a D6B tractor. About 150 or so were built in the early 60's.
I saw one sitting in the weeds in Northern California last summer, near Sacramento I believe, probably used in the rice fields originally. I have seen these in the distant past pulling sugarbeet wagons near Saginaw, Michigan, up in Turbo's country.
oh man- you dont see those too often. last time i sawone, well , it was on here. a year or so back i think....
youtube here is a clip of one on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L4BhdSP5Bk&feature=related enjoy cheers graham
I saw on a bout 2 months back in a Classic Plant and machinery Im subscrbed to. It was at a show in I think Holland. It had a cable pan behind it. I know a fellow that saw one used years ago up nrth working a sheeps foot and a pan. His also had a littl knock down blade. They also made one for a D2 I think a collector would snap that tractor up in a hurry.
It looks very similar to the LeTourneau Wheel dozers of the 40's to the 60's, right down to the skid steer turning.
the power unit looks like the 1's used when you pull a scraper
It can be a ROUGH ride, if not done properly. It really helps to have a PAT blade!!! When not done properly, it can break windows, if you got them.
The machine was also used for a test bed during development of the Challenger tractor line, I believe. Caterpillar also provided another four-wheeled tractor to the military, the 830M, which was used to pull towed scrapers. The engine was in the front, and I think it was very similar in design to one og their wheel loaders of the day. Shepherd Machinery in LA sold a number of the 830M tractors, and advertised them pretty heavily there.
Very cool! I have never seen anything like that before.
That thing is awesome! I cant really tell from the video, but i would assume it is only rear wheel drive? Or do they have it somehow connected to power the front wheels as well?
Kinda hard to say from the photos but I'm willing to bed it has a kind of chain drive, similar to some motor graders.
i saw one very old too here http://www.machineryzone.com/used/wheel-dozer/682752/caterpillar-824b.html