Caterpillar

Type:
Founded:
Headquarters: Peoria, IL
Key people: CEO: James W. Owens
Industry: Industrial & Farm Equipment
Products: tractors
Website:http://www.cat.com

General Information

The Caterpillar D10 is a track-type tractor manufactured by Caterpillar (then called the Caterpillar Tractor Company) between 1978 and 1986. It was the first tractor in the world to use the elevated drive sprocket to improve durability, operator comfort, and ease of maintenance.

History

The Caterpillar D10 was the result of a need for a tractor even larger than the Caterpillar D9. At this time, competitors were building bulldozers that had overtaken the D9 in power. For example, the Fiat-Allis FA-41 track-type tractor had 525 horsepower (391 kW) at the time; the D9 had only around 450 hp (336 kW). The challenges involved in building a machine bigger than all of the rest, especially in the drivetrain, led a group of engineers to build a small machine out of old lawnmower parts. This machine used a high-drive system with a sprung lower roller system. When the test engineers hitched a Jeep onto the little machine, they found that it could pull the Jeep with ease.