2017 d10 dozer price12/22/2023 A person afterwards said to me, ‘Wherever you go, you will see the results of your work,’” recalled Alexander. “After I retired in the 1990s, I gave my presentation on the development of the elevated sprocket design. It is also on the D8T, D9T and D11T large dozer models as well as the current D10T2 model. Therefore, it helped to improve machine pushing power and undercarriage life and enhancing operator comfort.Ĭonsequently, the elevated sprocket track concept has been expanded to today’s Cat D6N and D6T medium dozers. The resilient undercarriage with elevated sprocket conformed to the ground better than solid tracks. Also, studies showed the cost per yard to move material using the D10 was comparable to that of larger draglines. Their ripping and pushing capabilities made a significant impact on the mining industry. The pilot D10 dozers built in 1977 were embraced by Caterpillar customers. It also allowed engineers to move both the dozer blade and ripper closer to the tractor, providing a concentrated center of gravity and improving the balance of the machine. The new undercarriage design required mounting the transmission t behind the engine to provide for the only track-type tractor final drive system with a common centerline between the steering clutches and brakes. “The entire dozer was different in almost every way, except for the engine.” “It didn’t look like any traditional Cat dozer,” Alexander said. While initial testing proved the value of the resilient undercarriage with elevated sprocket design, there were still some skeptics. The elevated sprocket design was also better able to absorb ground shocks for longer life and greater operator comfort. “Our team generated 93 patents involving all systems of the concept,” adds Krolak.īy separating the drive sprockets from the track roller frame and elevating them above the tracks, more track remained on the ground for improved traction. Results showed significant potential for improving undercarriage durability for extreme tasks.įollowing two years of testing, Cat filed the first elevated sprocket patent application and began building the first two D10 test models in August of 1973. The new and resilient track, with elevated sprocket design, was also tested thoroughly in multiple applications to verify its durability. “We worked on undercarriage geometry a lot, and within six months we had it operational,” Alexander said. Engineers started by flipping the final drive for a D9G upside down. In 1970, a test bed was built for the new track. It quickly became evident a new track design and improved undercarriage were needed to meet the production and durability goals for the new dozer. The D10 research team established a set of design goals for the new dozer: high productivity modular design simplified maintenance operator efficiency and transportability. The challenge of beating the competition in our core product was a tremendous incentive,” recalled Ron Krolak, retired track-type tractor chief engineer. It was highly successful because of the total team effort. “The development and product introduction involved every discipline of the company. To address market need, Caterpillar recruited a team of researchers and engineers to develop a new, more powerful dozer, the D10. “It worked great for dirt operations, but interstate and heavy rock applications were hard on the solid bottom tracks that were a part of all dozer designs of that era.” “The D9 dozer was the best track-type tractor of the day,” Alexander said. The mining industry led the charge for a dozer with more and more horsepower. A changing industry in the late 1960s and early 1970s stretched the D9, the D10’s predecessor, to its productivity limits.
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