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Northern Idaho | Our caterpillar D6B ag crawler turned 50 this year and we put about 100 hours on it this spring without any breakdowns. It is mostly a retired tractor now and sometimes we dont use it at all for a couple years because of its slower working speed and lower horsepower than our later model D6C cat.
Been a good tractor for us and made alot of money with it over the years but it really is a nuisance to have to drive 4mph all day. It had a turbo added onto it years after leaving the factory which really helped decrease the amount of shifting needed on our hills of up to 40% slope. There are still a few D6B crawlers in use around here and into the palouse but they are very rare these days compared to the number of them there used to be, most of the steel tracked crawlers left are 70s and 80s models with faster working speeds, wet decked steering clutches and brakes, and other nice features.
Here are a few pics of it at work this spring with one from last year at the end.
One of our hills near the home place, there are steeper ones than this on our lower elevation ground.
Had over 14 inches of snow from the time our first spring crop was planted in March and our last was planted this week.
It really struggled with the 42' wil-rich cultivator, a little bit too big of a load on hills.
Just finished up seeding lentils, one of our newer model SA cats seen to the left, the D6C has more weight, a 3306 engine and with much more horsepower, heavier built transmission final drives etc., oil cooled clutches and brakes, and capable of working at 5.5mph makes it more desirable for farming with.
More pics of the other machinery and some crop pics coming in a few days.
Questions/comments welcome.
Edited by NIF 7/27/2010 23:39
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50 years and still going! (pics)
