Crawler tractors

A coworker always brings in one of the tractor classified publications in and throws them on the break table.  I thumb through them from time to time. 

Any way, I noticed one Cat dealer in MO had a high number of crawlers, mostly D4's and even some D6's, none with blades, most made in the Late 60's/early 70's.  I have been on a lot of cat dealers lots and never seen a crawler of this size without blades except for pipe layers. 

Now I know that some areas with black gumbo type dirt used to use crawler tractors but all the ones I have seen are 40's/50's and smaller, less than 50hp.  Why did this area in MO keep using them for so long?  My father has a D7, so I know that undercarriage cost is high but its a different use/application.  Has anyone hear used the 100+hp steel tract crawler for farming? How does operating cost compare to rubber tires or even rubber tract tractors?  Couldn't imagine transport issues between fields, would have to pray the county wouldn't consider paving the road. 

 

Might be used for pulling scrapers.

Not sure if this is the reason but runs in line with the scraper idea.  There was and may
still be a lot of rice raised in Southern Missouri.  They used a lot of land levelers in that line of farming (I am told) and could have been used to pull a land leveler.   Den

May have to ask the Cat dealer.  Inquisitive minds need to know! 

Not saying you're wrong, they might not have been scraper tractors but the pull behind scraper is still in use today.

firebrick43 wrote: A coworker always brings in one of the tractor classified publications in and throws them on the break table.  I thumb through them from time to time.  Any way, I noticed one Cat dealer in MO had a high number of crawlers, mostly D4's and even some D6's, none with blades, most made in the Late 60's/early 70's.  I have been on a lot of cat dealers lots and never seen a crawler of this size without blades except for pipe layers.  Now I know that some areas with black gumbo type dirt used to use crawler tractors but all the ones I have seen are 40's/50's and smaller, less than 50hp.  Why did this area in MO keep using them for so long?  My father has a D7, so I know that undercarriage cost is high but its a different use/application.  Has anyone hear used the 100+hp steel tract crawler for farming? How does operating cost compare to rubber tires or even rubber tract tractors?  Couldn't imagine transport issues between fields, would have to pray the county wouldn't consider paving the road.

Claus, thanks for the picture.  That is the first triangle track cat with a 4 wheel scraper bowl that I have seen. 

I know there are a few out there, and I have seen pics of D10s with a mounted scraper bowl (not a 4 wheeled one) but they are for special applications, custom built and rare.  The bowls are popular for 4wd tractors now, so much that both case and JD make a scrapper version that typically has two single axle bowls hooked in tandem, usually with triples on the tractor but not always.  I think they have heavier axles and modified hydraulic systems. 

I found the ad again.  It was Zimmer tractor in Versailles, MO.  http://www.crawlerbulldozer.com/

They do have a lot of dozers and track loaders as well list on their website.  They are listing the crawlers under construction equipment, 14 without blades many on the website description as "ag crawler".  Called my dad last night, that work/sold cat equipment for 20 some years. The SA stood for special application and typically included higher HP engines, no blade, Tall intake/exhaust stacks, hydraulic remotes, ptos sometimes,  and later ones very good postive pressure cabs.

They also have 2 HD6's listed as Ag crawlers

They also have a 6601 JD pull type combine listed pictured on a crawler w/pto, I have never seen that big of a pull type combine.  Do they still make such beast?

I'm sure the oldtimers didn't have big shops and overhead cranes in the old days.  Of coarse it would be nicer and safer.  Those tracks, sprockets and rollers get expensive pretty quickly.