Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Antique Caterpillar Machinery Museum: Road Graders

IMG_8582 Caterpillar 66 Pull Grader at Antique Powerland in Brooks, Oregon on August 1, 2009
Caterpillar 66 Pull Grader on August 1, 2009

The pull grader, pulled by a crawler tractor, was commonly used in the maintenance of country roads in the 1920s. This Caterpillar 66 Pull Grader is an example of Caterpillar's largest model at the time. Two operators were required: one to drive the tractor and one to operate the grader. The combined length of the tractor and grader made turning and maneuvering in tight locations difficult. A grader blade attachment was made for the smaller gas tractors, which was more maneuverable but still required two operators.

IMG_8640 Caterpillar 212 Auto Patrol Motor Grader at Antique Powerland in Brooks, Oregon on August 1, 2009
Caterpillar 212 Auto Grader on August 1, 2009

In the early 1930s, Caterpillar introduced the Auto Patrol motor grader, which only required a single operator. Caterpillar's first diesel-powered motor graders were introduced in 1938-1939. This Caterpillar 212 Auto Patrol Motor Grader is an example of the smallest of the three models Caterpillar offered at the time.

Continue to Diesel Caterpillars

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