#D8h caterpillar dozer series

The ability to cast, etch, machine and form this metal at any scale is what allowed us to create a model that approaches being a part-for-part recreation of the actual machine. With this information, the process of creating the first model from raw brass began.Īs museum curators know, there is no material better suited for creating mechanically accurate miniatures of complex equipment than brass.

In addition to the schematics and diagrams, hundreds of photographs with measurements were compiled from two separate prototype 36A D8H machines.Ĭountless days were spent examining the smallest details and documenting them for the model makers’ reference. With the specific tractor selected, we began the process of sourcing all the information required to build a true, precision scale model.Īs it turned out, the primary source of information for creating the model of this vintage machine was not Caterpillar, but instead the photographs, drawings and machine surveys we compiled ourselves.

#D8h caterpillar dozer series

After discussing the different versions of the H series tractors, it was decided to build a model of an early machine with a direct drive transmission and cable operated blade – specifically a circa 1960’s 36A machine. With this well established family of models, the decision to produce an H series D8 – in essence the great grandson of the Caterpillar Seventy – created a model that fit into the middle of the long line of legendary tractors produced by Caterpillar.Īlthough this model was released in December of 2004, development actually began in 2002 when CCM acquired a set of factory general arrangement drawings. Following the Seventy, we produced 1:24 scale models of the Caterpillar Ten and D2, the smallest gasoline and diesel powered tractors made by Caterpillar, and the D11R, the largest diesel tractor Caterpillar has manufactured to date. The decision for Classic Construction Models to produce a model of the D8H was made in honor of the legendary status this machine earned, as well as to continue our 1:24 precision scale brass models that started with the release of the Caterpillar Seventy in 1996. Their durability and enduring popularity is easily verified by the number of these tractors still in use today in every conceivable type of earthmoving operation imaginable. During that time span, more than 50,000 D8H tractors were delivered around the world.

In the world of construction equipment, that in itself is an accomplishment that very few machines have ever attained. With an innovative new design that optimized operator comfort and usability to help maximize production, the D8H was quickly accepted as the industry standard for large earthmoving applications.Īs testimony as to how advanced the tractor was when introduced, consider first that it was in production for almost 15 years. First introduced in 1958, the D8H had more of an impact on the earthmoving industry than any machine before it and many, many after it. With an operating weight in excess of 47,000 pounds and a 235 HP turbocharged diesel engine for power, the Caterpillar D8H track type tractor literally changed the face of the world.