Yellow Power CC

Cat has a long history of "special edition" machines for specific promotional purposes. This tradition goes back to at least the 1915 Pan-Pacific Exhibition with the Holt Caterpillar's displayed there, and continues through present day. One recent example of special edition track-type tractors produced by Cat were some D6s produced to commemorate a dozer manufacturing milestone in 2020.

Caterpillar splits their dozers into 3 families; "small" D1-D3, "medium" D4-D8, and "large" D9-D11.  One of the most distinguishing characteristics of the medium and large dozers is the "elevated sprocket" undercarriage, or "high drive" as it is often called. The Caterpillar medium tractor group recognized that in mid-2020 they would reach the milestone of 175,000 elevated sprocket tractors produced. Planning began in late 2019 on a way to commemorate this milestone.

Harkening back to the earliest days of Caterpillar, it was decided early on that the special edition tractors should be painted a special color. While overall appearance was definitely a key factor in deciding on the tractor's appearance, the manufacturing process also played a part. Ultimately it was decided to use three of the flagship D6 XE models for this milestone, and to contrast the normal yellow appearance with a "black" paint scheme and commemorative markings.

A unique challenge in executing this project was that all components for the D6 and D6 XE come into the factory already painted, and there is typically no "final paint" step in the D6 manufacturing process. A great deal of work goes into making sure that all the components that come into the factory match in terms of color, glossiness, and finish quality. Since this rigorous process would be impractical for a special color, provisions were made to run these commemorative units through the "traditional" process so that the special paint could be applied after primary assembly. To avoid issues with trying to match components already painted black, it was decided to paint the normally yellow parts dark gray.

The key to a high quality paint job is the preparation before the paint gets applied, and this project was no different. From the outset, the intent for these units was to deliver machines that met all normal paint quality requirements. Key concerns were having yellow painted surfaces on the inside of the machine being visible beyond the black/gray exterior, and having yellow paint underneath draw attention to the inevitable scratches the machines would get during use. To alleviate this, in instances where it was possible, the team worked to have suppliers run parts through their black painting process instead of the yellow process. These special parts were carefully tracked to make sure they arrived at the assembly line at the right time and were installed on the designated machines. Once installed, the black parts blended in better, and provided a better base on which to apply the final gray paint.

As with most things in 2020, COVID 19 factored into the story of these special edition machines as well. The original plan was to have a grand ceremony at the factory involving the Caterpillar team as well as the receiving Dealers and Customers. The participating dealers and customers were identified early in 2020, but of course once COVID hit, there was a great deal of uncertainty. Despite early hopes that the COVID measures would be short-lived, it was ultimately decided a large, in-person gathering was not possible. Rather than cancel the project entirely, it continued as a media shared only event. Concerns about the impact of COVID on their business also led one of the intended customers backing out. This resulted in the number of gray/black D6 XEs being reduced to two. Ultimately, a third unit, a D6, was added back that got black tracks, a black blade, but the rest the normal yellow.

With all the unique process steps for the special paint, it was a great deal of extra work for those involved. Under normal conditions, this deviation from the standard process likely would have been met with resistance, but given the uncertainty COVID was causing at the time, many welcomed the distraction. The East Peoria team put in a great deal of extra effort to produce a beautiful, high quality product. In addition to the special paint colors, all three units received commemorative decals on the fenders and a plaque in the cab denoting their special status. Upon completion, all three machines were photographed together to commemorate the occasion. The machines were featured on social media, in multiple industry trade press articles, and by the dealers and customers as well.

For the tractor collectors of the future, it may be worth noting that each of these machines was at least slightly unique. Machine #1 was a D6 XE LGP VPAT equipped with 30 inch track shoes, a ripper, and was painted black/gray. This machine also had a deluxe seat and was the only one that got the 175,000 high drive logo embroidered in the head rest. Machine #2 was a D6 XE (STD) VPAT equipped with 24 inch track shoes, a ripper, and was painted black/gray. Machine #3 was a D6 LGP VPAT equipped with 30 inch track shoes, a winch, and it remained yellow but got black tracks and a black blade.

What all three of these machines have in common with their special edition predecessors is that they are all, first and foremost, designed to work. After their promotional purposes are served, their owners can be proud of not only how they look, but how they perform on the job.

175K machine #2 on the assembly line