With a track gauge of 60 inches and a 5-roller track frame, the RD6 was powered by a 3-cylinder Caterpillar D6600 diesel which put out 52 flywheel horsepower. The following year with a slight horsepower tweak, the machine was re-introduced as the Diesel 40, and in 1935, in order to comply with Caterpillar’s new machine identification system, it became the RD6. The Caterpillar D6 can trace its origins right back to the Diesel 35 of 1933 when it was one of a trio of Caterpillar diesel tractors introduced during that year (the other machines were the Diesel 50 and the Diesel 70).Īlthough it was in production for only one year, it sowed the seeds for what was to come. Here is an overview of how things got started. For over 80 years, the Caterpillar D6 has been the backbone of the medium size Cat track type tractor range.
