The Caterpillar D2 is an agricultural tractor of the track-type kind, introduced in 1938 as the smallest diesel crawler that Caterpillar made. It stayed in production for nineteen years, and the machines are still worked by collectors today.
Caterpillar D2 at a glance
| Type | track-type tractor for agricultural work |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1938 |
| Production | 1938–1957 |
| Built at | Peoria, Illinois |
| Gearbox | five forward gears and one reverse |
| Weight | 7,420–8,536 lb (3,366–3,872 kg), depending on the year |
| Total built | 26,454 |
| Place in the range | the smallest diesel track-type tractor Caterpillar built |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article is short and gives no engine or performance figures.
History of the Caterpillar D2
Built for the New Deal years
Caterpillar made the D2 from 1938 to 1957 at its factory in Peoria, Illinois. It was the smallest of the company’s diesel track-type tractors, a crawler with five forward gears and one reverse. Its weight ranged from about 7,420 to 8,536 pounds (3,366 to 3,872 kilograms) depending on the year of manufacture, and the model was one of those Caterpillar produced in response to the New Deal programmes of President Franklin Roosevelt, which were meant to stimulate the American economy.
Nineteen years and 26,454 machines
Over the nineteen years of production a total of 26,454 D2 tractors were built. The size and the simple crawler frame made the D2 a farm and light construction tractor rather than a heavy earthmover, the kind of machine that pulled ploughs and cleared land; the restored example in the film below is still pushing dirt in the Netherlands.
Design and features
- Smallest diesel crawler: the entry model of Caterpillar’s diesel track-type tractors.
- Five gears forward: with one reverse, on a crawler frame.
- 3.3–3.9 tonnes: a light machine for farm and light earthmoving work.
- Long life: nineteen years in production and 26,454 machines built.
Caterpillar D2 versions
- D2 of 1938–1957: the model described here.
- Agricultural use: the D2 was sold as an agricultural tractor and used with farm implements.
- Surviving machines: many are preserved and still work, as the film and photographs here show.
The D2 is the small machine below the Caterpillar D4 and the much older Caterpillar Twenty-Two of 1934; more machines are in the Caterpillar collection.
Video: Fully restored 1948 Caterpillar D2 Dozer Pushing dirt in Holland [HD]
Video by Tractorspotter on YouTube.
Sources
- Caterpillar D2, English Wikipedia: production years, factory, gears, weights, total built, New Deal context
