Hi, Folks.
Phil Gowenlock from Australia just sent me this photo of the original hi-sprocket D9G test bed alongside a standard D9G. I thought it made for an interesting comparison. It looks to me like they had gone to a V8 engine in the test bed.

 

Just my 0.02.

Very interesting photo, showing the development of the high drive concept to an experimental tractor. It makes you think about the logistics in the fabrication shop to create the tractor.

Wombat.

Guys got to wonder what ever happened to that high drive in that photo. Really neat photo

Hi, Wombat.
Yep, it does. And it makes me also think of the respect that Cat must have had for Buster Peterson that they would give him projects to put into iron because he could do it quicker. They even took large chunks of Buster's designs for a stretched D7 for use on the DEW Line and built them into the stretched D8s, even down to the hydraulically controlled swinging drawbar to facilitate turning in deep snow with a heavy swing of sleds in tow. I have seen the drawings for those D7s in Peterson's workshop at San Leandro.

There are 3 'stills' of this same test bed D9G with a 'U' blade on it starting at 5.22 in this video on Youtube:

Just my 0.02.

Hi, Folks.
Here is another 'comparison' photo, again courtesy of Phill Gowenlock.



Stevens205, to answer  your 'kwestyun', it likely finished up being scrapped which I suspect happened to a few of Cat's 'experimentals' - like the first experimental rubber tracked crawler which was made from the back end of a Cat 130 grader. I have a photo of it somewhere amongst my 700 + Gb of 'stuff'.

Just my 0.02.

Most basic items were reused on standard machines, anything steel specially made for the experimental models was melted in the foundry.