D9HCAT D9L, the first D9 model to employ the "high drive" configuration. 'High drive" refers to the position of the drive sprocket. The triangular track shape is caused by the need to accommodate the drive sprocket, which is mounted high on the machine relative to ground level and higher than previous existing designs.A Caterpillar D9N on a beachCAT D9T, the current generation of the Caterpillar D9 tracked-type tractor series.
The Caterpillar D9 is a large track-type tractor designed and manufactured by Caterpillar Inc. It is usually sold as a bulldozer equipped with a detachable large blade and a rear ripper attachment.
The D9, with 354 kW (474 hp) of gross power and an operating weight of 49 short tons (44t), is in the upper end of Caterpillar's track-type tractors, which range in size from the D2 69kW (92hp), 9 short tons (8.2t), to the D11 698kW (935hp), 104 short tons (94t).
The size, durability, reliability, and low operating costs have made the D9 one of the most popular large track-type tractors in the world.
Engineering and technical description
The D9 is a series of heavy tracked-type tractors, carried on continuous tracks and usually used as bulldozers. The series began in 1954 with a prototype tractor called the D9X. Ten D9X prototype models were built in 1954. In 1955, the 286hp (213kW) D9 was introduced to compete against the more powerful Euclid TC-12. The D9 came equipped with a 1,473 cid D353, which powered the D9 until the 1980 introduction of the D9L. In 1956, the D9 had its engine power raised to 320hp (240kW). The new 335hp (250kW) D9E replaced that model in 1959. Two years later, the legendary 385hp (287kW) D9G was introduced; it remained in production for 13 years; it became the main crawler on many job sites, testifying to its sturdiness and design.
In 1965, West Coast businessman Buster Peterson hooked up a pair of D9Gs to pushload the largest wheel tractor scrapers built. In 1968, Caterpillar bought the rights to this concept, thus the 770hp (570kW) DD9G was created (DD stands for Dual D9G).[1] Peterson also built the first SxS D9G, which has two D9Gs side-by-side, pushing a 24-foot (7.3m)-wide bulldozer blade.
In 1969, Caterpillar introduced this new SxS D9G. In 1974, the improved 410hp (310kW) D9H was introduced to replace the D9G. The D9H is still the most powerful conventional track-type tractor in company history. The DD9H and the SxS D9H soon followed.
In 1980, the 460hp (340kW) D9L was introduced. The unit featured the same new type of elevated drive sprocket undercarriage as had been introduced on the larger D10 in 1977.[lower-roman 1] The new undercarriage design reduced strain and shock loads on the final drives[2] and gave the "belly pan" more ground clearance. The elevated-drive-sprocket undercarriage is a modular design. To repair the machines, one breaks down the tracks and pulls the drive sprockets out. As a result, one can pull the powershift transmission out of the rear. The 370hp (280kW) D9N replaced the D8L in 1987.
In 1988, Caterpillar produced their 25,000th elevated-drive-sprocket track-type tractor, a D9N. The 405hp (302kW) D9R replaced the D9N in 1996. The 410hp (310kW) D9T replaced the D9R in 2004. The D9T has a low-emissions ACERT diesel engine. The current model is the D9T; however, older models such as the D9R, D9N, and D9L are still commonly used. The L, N, R, and T models of the D9 are visually very similar, differing primarily in the design of their internal systems.
The D9L was replaced by the 520hp (390kW) D10N in 1987. The 370hp (280kW) D9N replaced D8L in 1987. The main difference between the D9T and the D9R is the installment of the new Cat C18 ACERT inline-six engine in the D9T vs the V8 3408 HEUI in the D9R. The D9R has clutch and brake steering, while the D9T has differential steering. The D9L is the most powerful D9 in history, with a flywheel power of 460hp (340kW). The D9L is also the heaviest D9 in history at 130,000 pounds (59,000kg).
The D9's primary working tools are the blade, affixed to the front and controlled by four hydraulic cylinders, and an optional ripper, which can be attached to the back. The blade is mainly intended for earthmoving and bulk material handling: pushing up sand, soil, and rubble. It also can be used to push other heavy equipment such as earthmoving scraper pans, and in military applications, main battle tanks. The dozer blade usually has three variants:
A straight blade ("S-blade") is short and has no lateral curve, with no side wings, and can be used for fine grading.
A universal blade ("U-blade") is tall and very curved, and has large side wings to carry more material.
A "S-U" combination blade is shorter, has less curvature, and has smaller side wings. This blade is typically used for pushing piles of large rocks, such as at a quarry.
Like many other bulldozers, the D9 can be fitted with other devices, such as mine plows.
The rear ripper is intended for use in loosening rocky ground and ripping out larger stones. It can also break frozen ground and excavate small ditches. The ripper can be replaced with a multi-shank ripper, allowing the bulldozer to comb the ground.
The size, power, and weight of the larger track-type tractors dictate that they are used primarily for major projects. The D9 is most commonly found in use in construction, demolition, forestry, mining, waste, and quarry operations.
Caterpillar Inc. does not manufacture a military version of the D9 per se, but the attributes that make the D9 popular for major construction projects make it desirable for military applications, as well, and with Israeli modifications and armor, it has been particularly effective for the Israel Defense Forces[3] and also used by KBR[citation needed] in Iraq.
The US Army used D9 bulldozers to clear forest in the Vietnam War, but after the war, they were replaced with smaller and cheaper Caterpillar D7G bulldozers. D7G bulldozers are still very common in US combat engineering battalions, but a series of oft-recurrent suggestions have been made to replace the lighter D7Gs with the newer and more heavily armored D9s.[citation needed]
The Caterpillar D9 have been used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) since it was introduced, but an armored model, with Israeli-developed vehicle armor kit, was introduced only in 1986, on the D9L. The IDF Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozer is operated by combat soldiers from the Combat Engineering Corps (Hebrew: חיל ההנדסה הקרבית) after going through a 2-month course. Many of the D9 operators are reservists and veterans, who operated heavy equipment also as civilians. The current models of the D9 employed by the IDF are the D9L, D9N, D9R, and D9T. Most of the IDF's D9 fleet today are composed of the D9R with slat armor.
A military engineering vehicle is a vehicle built for construction work or for the transportation of combat engineers on the battlefield. These vehicles may be modified civilian equipment or purpose-built military vehicles. The first appearance of such vehicles coincided with the appearance of the first tanks, these vehicles were modified Mark V tanks for bridging and mine clearance. Modern military engineering vehicles are expected to fulfill numerous roles such as; bulldozer, crane, grader, excavator, dump truck, breaching vehicle, bridging vehicle, military ferry, amphibious crossing vehicle, and combat engineer section carrier.
Continuous track or tracked treads are a system of vehicle propulsion used in tracked vehicles, running on a continuous band of treads or track plates driven by two or more wheels. The large surface area of the tracks distributes the weight of the vehicle better than steel or rubber tyres on an equivalent vehicle, enabling continuous tracked vehicles to traverse soft ground with less likelihood of becoming stuck due to sinking.
Excavators are heavy construction equipment primarily consisting of a boom, dipper, bucket and cab on a rotating platform known as the "house" - although the largest form ever, the dragline excavator, eliminated the dipper in favor of a line and winch.
A bulldozer or dozer is a large, motorized machine equipped with a metal blade to the front for pushing material: soil, sand, snow, rubble, or rock during construction work. It travels most commonly on continuous tracks, though specialized models riding on large off-road tires are also produced. Its most popular accessory is a ripper, a large hook-like device mounted singly or in multiples in the rear to loosen dense materials.
A loader is a heavy equipment machine used in construction to move or load materials such as soil, rock, sand, demolition debris, etc. into or onto another type of machinery.
Heavy equipment, heavy machinery, earthmovers, construction vehicles, or construction equipment, refers to heavy-duty vehicles specially designed to execute construction tasks, most frequently involving earthwork operations or other large construction tasks. Heavy equipment usually comprises five equipment systems: the implement, traction, structure, power train, and control/information.
A grader, also commonly referred to as a road grader, motor grader, or simply blade, is a form of heavy equipment with a long blade used to create a flat surface during grading. Although the earliest models were towed behind horses, and later tractors, most modern graders are self-propelled and thus technically "motor graders".
Caterpillar Inc., also known simply as CAT, is an American construction, mining and other engineering equipment manufacturer. The company is the world's largest manufacturer of construction equipment. In 2018, Caterpillar was ranked number 73 on the Fortune 500 list and number 265 on the Global Fortune 500 list. Caterpillar stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
The IDF Caterpillar D9 — nicknamed Doobi — is a Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozer used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It is supplied by Caterpillar and modified by the Israel Defense Forces, Israeli Military Industries and Israel Aerospace Industries to increase the survivability of the bulldozer in hostile environments and enable it to withstand attack.
The Israeli Combat Engineering Corps is the combat engineering forces of the Israel Defense Forces.
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D9, D09, D.IX, D IX, D.9 or D-9 may refer to:
The Caterpillar D6 track-type tractor is a medium bulldozer manufactured by Caterpillar Inc. with a nominal operating weight of 18 short tons (16 t). The military versions were classified as the SNL G152 medium tractor, under the G-numbers classification system used for army tractors.
In civil engineering, a wheel tractor-scraper is a type of heavy equipment used for earthmoving. It has a pan/hopper for loading and carrying material. The pan has a tapered horizontal front cutting edge that cuts into the soil like a carpenter's plane or cheese slicer and fills the hopper which has a movable ejection system. The horsepower of the machine, depth of the cut, type of material, and slope of the cut area affect how quickly the pan is filled.
The Caterpillar D10 is a bulldozer manufactured by Caterpillar Inc. between 1977 and 1987, when it was superseded by the D11. It was the first modern tractor to use the elevated drive sprocket to improve durability, operator comfort, and ease of maintenance.
The armored bulldozer is a basic tool of combat engineering. These combat engineering vehicles combine the earth moving capabilities of the bulldozer with armor which protects the vehicle and its operator in or near combat. Most are civilian bulldozers modified by addition of vehicle armor/military equipment, but some are tanks stripped of armament and fitted with a dozer blade. Some tanks have bulldozer blades while retaining their armament, but this does not make them armored bulldozers as such, because combat remains the primary role — earth moving is a secondary task.
The Caterpillar D7 is a medium track-type tractor manufactured by Caterpillar Inc. and most commonly used as a bulldozer.
The Caterpillar D8 is a medium track-type tractor designed and manufactured by Caterpillar. Though it comes in many configurations, it is usually sold as a bulldozer equipped with a detachable large blade and a rear ripper attachment.
The Caterpillar D5 is a small track-type bulldozer manufactured by Caterpillar Inc. The original D5 series was only produced in 1939. The current D5 series being produced is the D5K.
The Oliver OC-9 was the first tractor crawler by Oliver Farm Equipment Company to employ the use of a torque converter. Along with the OC-96 variant, this model was introduced in 1959 as the final model in the OC series, marking a significant advancement in the company's technological standards.
References
↑ The D10, and the elevated sprocket drive, was developed over several years from 1973 before its commercial debut.
↑ Berry, Thomas (18 April 2017). "The Dual D9". OEM Off Highway. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
↑ "Caterpillar D9". www.Israeli-Weapons.com website. www.Israeli-Weapons.com LTD. Retrieved 24 July 2013. The Israeli Armored D9 is a Caterpillar D9 bulldozer that been modified by IMI for IDF.[permanent dead link]
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