01/09/2026
It's our 50th birthday in October.
As part of the celebrations we asked Richard Campbell our machinery expert- the man who has been writing for Contractor for 26 years- to name his top 10 machines. Here they are.
Number two – the earlier Caterpillar D8 track-type tractors
The backbone of track-type tractors from the moment they were first released in 1935 until the present day, the Caterpillar D8 has seen many changes over the last 90 years, and is still a stalwart in earthmoving, quarrying, forestry and mining.
My personal favourites are the earlier D13000 powered variety with the manual transmission. What is of particular interest with these earlier machines are the many different blade combinations that were fitted, prior to Caterpillar manufacturing their own attachments. The Caterpillar D8 is truly a great earthmoving machine.
Caption: A Caterpillar D8-1H series machine fitted with LeTourneau WCK8 angle blade, frame, and model N rear cable control, photographed in the USA prior to World War II. Over the years, the D8 has gone from strength to strength over many versions. The very early machines have heaps of character with their petrol start donkey engines (no two ever started the same way), and simple cable controls. A great many manufacturers built attachments for these machines prior to 1946 until Caterpillar started building their own.
