Hi everyone please forgive me for my ignorance as i am still new to vintage cats ad am thus still learning.   I have recently become interested in getting a hold of an old d2 dozer and doing it up for shows ect.  Now heres my dilemma, d2 dozers are in short supply so my questions are as follows.
1 - is the only difference between the dozers and crawlers that the dozers were fitted with hydraulics from factory.

2 - can a crawler be fitted with these same hydraulics and a blade or are the undercarriages different and unable to support a blade

3 - if it is possible then is there a lot of work involved in getting it to look standard as the last thing I'd want is for it to look like a half hearted attempt. 

I ask these questions as i have recently come across a crawler that looks in decent condition, the owner claims it is from 1948 and furthermore it is the extended track version with 5 rollers.

All replies and advice welcome 
Many thanks
kenneth
 

Until the early 1950s Cat didn't make their own attachments for the D2. Dealers sold customers a basic crawler tractor and would install aftermarket blades, hydraulics, etc. So yes you can buy a basic ag crawler and out fit it as you see fit and have it look correct. A couple pieces of advice. If I was doing that I would find a nice ag crawler and a junk dozer and swap the dozer parts over to the ag crawler. Dozers tended to live much rougher life than an ag tractor. Also remember that because or the weight balance and short undercarriage many people considered the D2 a less than ideal dozer tractor. Having run a D2 and a D4 I will tell you that for doing any real work the D4 is twice the machine. For playing at shows the D2 is fine. Also do some measuring and make sure the longer undercarriage will not cause issues with fitting a blade.

Thanks for that! thats actually very helpful i shall keep an eye out for a spare parts machine also

You might want to check and see if it is a rigid suspension. Some 5 roller bottoms dont have a spring mount suspension. They have a solid bar. I have read that some people like the solid suspension on a dozer and some dont like it. I have no experience with it , but you might check to see.

What is the serial number of the machine? Also, when you buy a parts machine try to get the same gauge (width) or you will be doing a lot of cutting and welding on the blade to make it fit.
Just my 2 cents worth. Grant.

Another thing that I just thought of is our club library. There must be over 100 articles and videos about D2s. One of our members has rebuilt just about every part on a D2 and video taped all of it. It is a tremendous amount of good information. Grant.

Welcome to the club Kenneth!
Yes, D-2's are fun little guys to own and operate. IMHO, the easiest way to convert into a bulldozing unit, is to hunt down The CAT toolbar unit and bolt it up to your machine; the only thing I see is the push arm length may hinder operation with the 5 rollers (clearance issue); an "incorrect" fix is to swing the trunnion caps 180 degrees to give you a few inches.
Depends on how "correct" you wish to make your CAT; there are aftermarket blades such as Dakota, HOLT (Swede) that bolt on.
Question is how much dirt are you planning on pushing, or better yet, if you are trying to level out the woods or just want one for fun.
Share a picture of your machine if you may, please. We LIKE photos!
Feel free to ask away. JM

Cheers man i will keep those aftermarket blades in consideration and will send photos if i buy it,  tbh I'm buying it for a bit of fun and for shows, not like I'm going into major landscape works with it 

I will keep this in mind as thats a very useful resource to have!
 

Cheers grant i will keep the track guage in mind,  i think its solid suspension from the look of it, and I'm led to believe that the serial number is 5u1912

I agree with juiceman that a toolbar setup would be a good way to go. They are fairly common and have the added benefit of being able to add rear attachments if you want something a little different for shows. I would advise checking for clearance on the dozer blade mounts with a five roller undercarriage. I tried to mount mount a toolbar dozer on a five roller D4 7U and the blade mounts would not clear the tracks. If you want to use just the rear toolbar then you will be fine. Our D4 also had the solid bar and no springs. It was not a very pleasant plowing tractor either so you may want to factor that into what you are looking for.