Lincolnshire based agricultural contractor T A Hinch is celebrating 55 years of dependable service not for a member of staff but for its Caterpillar^® D8E tractor. The 55 year old is still paying its way and showing just what Caterpillar dependability and Lastability® is all about.

For Arthur Hinch the history of the machine, which has been part of the family, is one that he treasures as he explains : “The D8E was in production for 4 years from 1955 before it was replaced by the D8H in 1959. The D8E was available in 2 variants, the direct drive 14A (which is our machine) and the torque converter drive 15A. The 6 cylinder D342 diesel engine generated 191 flywheel horsepower which when compared to the operating weight of 20 tonnes made for a well balanced, agile and productive tractor which was popular with both operators and owners alike.”

Legendary reliability

“With 9692 units of the direct drive 14A tractors produced compared to 3383 units of the 15A, the 14A was by far the most popular for its time. With its legendry reliability and productive power, the 14A was a match for all of the competing machines and a step change in Caterpillar tractors, a bit like the introduction of the electric drive D7E dozer is today.”

The 14A direct drive was the first D8 to be equipped with in-seat starting controls which was a major advance at the time and the hydraulically boosted steering clutches helped to reduce operator fatigue.

Arthur continues “The tractor was available with a selection of straight and angled blades and push blocks for push loading scrapers operated by either choice of cable or hydraulic controls. This tractor is fitted with a front mounted No 46 hydraulic control, 8A angle blade and a No 25 double drum cable control unit to operate a towed scraper box.”

The tractor along with another 14A was imported from Holland 30 years ago by T A Hinch and is pictured pulling a cable controlled Onions model 10-14 scraper, with a capacity of 10 cubic yards struck to 14 cubic yards heaped.

55 years on and the innovation in Caterpillar tractors continues, with the new electric drive D7E. Like the D8E 14A before it, is innovative, powerful, and of course carries Caterpillar’s renowned reliability.

Arthur “It is great to see the contrast between our D8E and the new D7E who would have thought that 55 years later they would be still working alongside each other. Of course a lot has changed and from an innovative point of view the D7E has made leaps and bounds.

“Having looked at the stats, the D7E really makes its mark with efficiency, for example, it is 25% more efficient than its predecessor, the D7R Series 2. There is so much to the D7E that it is well worth looking at the special website Caterpillar has put together for the machine www.cat.com/d7e

“It is also worth looking at the D7E in action on Lastability®, showing just how it puts all the power to good use on a landfill site. http://www.lastability.com/index.php/vids/262-cat-d7e-in-action-extended

To view more image of the D8E and other Link Club member machines visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/link_club