I am guessing something like 30 or 40, or maybe even more D8L tractors came into Australia either new or second hand, they all went to the North West plains of NSW and Darling Downs in Qld. I think I may have brought in the last one and on sold to line ripping in the pine plantations in the South West Slopes region of NSW, as a result due to its incredible stability a number of D9N and D9R tractors have been wide gauged by local engineers and most recently some new D9's also for this work.
The only weakness I am aware of was the two speed marine clutch, though even it was not a significant problem. The nose weights could be fitted to soft nose tractors as well as conventional tractors, mostly D9N and R.
Regarding overheating issues, no one ever complained with D8H/K direct drive tractors, their main problem was struggling for horsepower, a number of D9G/H tractors were direct coupled by removing the torque converter, a handful until you got used to them. The high track tractors burnt many final drives early on doing heavy line ripping and cutter bar work, then it was worked out to change the final drive oil every 250 hours, problem solved, I had a conventional D8L doing line ripping, the final drives had 25,000 hours on them when I sold it.
The D8L I imported had an electric switch under the right hand to operate the two speed, same as a D8L I saw in a shed in Borneo.

Regards, Wombat

Hi, Wombat.
I would love to know just how far you could take one of those widened D9N-Rs 'cos I had a standard D9N dozer with a single point pick on two different measured 43 deg, side slopes on TWO separate occasions and it never felt like it was anywhere near lifting the top track. On one of those occasions, I was turning across the slope and it was still driving solidly on the top track.

Amazed me, especially when they measured the slope.

Just my 0.02.

Neil: I know several folks that live close by, so I won't have to ask the gal friend to do me a "favor". Now that the "cat" is out of the bag, she told me that they had various makes of everything since day one; I would not be surprised if Old Willy D. had been there years ago. Gal pal said a mutual friend of ours flew his plane over the place once, and spotted oodles of goodies. He drove to the place and spoke to the owners and they basically ran his butt off. Not interested. Not selling. Good bye. Hahahah. Let's see what I can come up with.
And to think I tried to get you to buy one already. Tsk tsk. JM