The Demag DF 135 C is a crawler dozer from Demag, the German machinery group. Our archive holds a video of one standing at a used-machinery dealer. No encyclopaedia article covers the DF 135 C, and the only Demag dozer programme with a Wikipedia page is the R series of the 1950s, so this page tells that history instead of inventing figures for the machine in the video.
Demag crawler dozers at a glance
| Maker | Demag, Düsseldorf works |
|---|---|
| Machine type | crawler dozer |
| Production | early 1950s to 1960 |
| Series models | R 609 (90 hp) and R 613 (130 hp), from 1953 |
| Later model | R 615 (150 hp, about 16 tonnes), from 1958 |
| Engine layout | behind the operator’s seat |
| Undercarriage | fixed crawler track, up to seven rollers per side |
| Equipment | loading shovel, angled blade, fixed blade, root rake, rear winches |
| Other tracked machines | G 161 trencher, B 504 crawler excavator |
Based on German Wikipedia, the only source we found on Demag’s dozer programme. The DF 135 C’s own specifications are not given here: no reliable source for them was found.
History of the Demag crawler dozers
Why Demag built dozers
After the Second World War Demag’s engineers wanted to add dozers to the rope-excavator programme the company already had. From the start of the 1950s prototypes were built in Düsseldorf, and they did not follow the American layout of the day: Demag put the engine behind the operator’s seat, which gave a clearer view of the work. The machines were made in the Demag works in Düsseldorf, and production ended in 1960, partly under pressure from domestic and foreign competitors.
R 609 and R 613
Two models went into series production in 1953: the R 609 with 90 hp and the R 613 with 130 hp. Both could be had as plain crawler tractors or with equipment — a loading shovel, an angled blade, a fixed blade or a root rake — and different winches could be fitted at the rear. A fixed crawler undercarriage with up to seven rollers per side was one of their main features. The concept, above all the engine mounted at the back, was regarded as innovative, but sales stayed below expectations.
R 615 and the end
Demag answered with the R 615, marketed from 1958: 150 hp and an operating weight of about 16 tonnes, without major technical changes. Production stopped in 1960. The dozer was not the only tracked machine of the period: Demag also built the G 161 trencher and the B 504 crawler excavator in the 1950s. The DF 135 C in our video is a Demag crawler dozer, but no source we have describes its own development, so this page stops at the documented programme of the R series.
Design and features
- Engine position: behind the operator’s seat, for a clearer view of the blade and the ground.
- Equipment: loading shovel, angled blade, fixed blade or root rake, with winches available at the rear.
- Undercarriage: a fixed crawler track with up to seven rollers per side.
- Two body styles: a plain crawler tractor or a machine with working equipment.
Demag crawler dozers versions
- R 609 (1953): the smaller series model, 90 hp.
- R 613 (1953): the larger series model, 130 hp.
- R 615 (1958): further development with 150 hp and about 16 tonnes operating weight.
- DF 135 C: the Demag crawler dozer in our video, a later machine outside the documented R series.
More German machinery is in our Demag collection; see also the Demag AC 200 all-terrain crane.
Video: Demag DF 135 C
Video by RÜKO GmbH Baumaschinen on YouTube.
Sources
- Demag Planierraupe, German Wikipedia: R series, dates, engine power, design
- Demag, English Wikipedia: company history and construction machinery
