Caterpillar's Lost Giant: The Story of the D8 Twin Dozer
Caterpillar has been building its iconic D8 dozer since 1935, but one variant stands out from the rest. The double-wide Caterpillar D8 recreation, powered by two big inline-six diesel engines, was built to honor the three original units from the 1950s that no longer exist.
Peterson Tractor Company, a key Caterpillar dealer on the West Coast, had an idea in the 1950s. They wanted to build larger equipment than what Caterpillar sold at the time for their customers who were building major metropolises like San Francisco.
The result was the D8 Twin Dozer, which effectively combined two D8s behind a single blade. Each of these massive dozers featured mechanically linked D13000 engines measuring 1,246 cubic inches apiece and produced tremendous pushing power, crucial for construction outfits on hilly terrain.