Caterpillar Sixty

The Caterpillar Sixty was a 60 horsepower (45 kW) crawler tractor manufactured by the Caterpillar Tractor Company from 1925 until 1931. The Sixty was the largest tractor in Caterpillar's product line at that time.[1]

1929 Caterpillar Sixty on display in the Kauri Museum, Matakohe, Northland, New Zealand.

The Caterpillar Sixty was originally introduced for sale beginning in 1919 as the C. L. Best 60 Tracklayer, manufactured by the C. L. Best Tractor Company. The Best 60 was the most successful tractor in the Best model line.[2] After the 1925 merger of the C. L. Best Tractor Company and the Holt Manufacturing Company that formed the Caterpillar Tractor Company, the Best 60 was renamed the Caterpillar Sixty.[1]

Between 1919 and 1931, 18,948 C. L. Best 60 Tracklayer/Caterpillar Sixty tractors were manufactured.[1]

The Sixty

The Caterpillar Sixty was famous for its overhanging radiator, individually mounted cylinders, lever controls, and open clutch. It was to rival the Holt 10 Ton model.

Initially, the Sixty was used to pull farm equipment and road scrapers. Later, cable lift blades were rigged up, so that the crawlers could be used as a bulldozer.

Specifications

The Caterpillar Sixty was powered by a four-cylinder, overhead valve gasoline engine that produced 60 horsepower (45 kW) at the belt and 35 horsepower (26 kW) at the drawbar.[2] The Sixty was a 72-inch (1.8 m) gauge machine and weighed 20,500 pounds (9,300 kg).

Numbers produced
A new Caterpillar Sixty being used for road work in the Cibola National Forest, New Mexico, United States in 1931

Caterpillar produced model Sixty tractors in San Leandro, California through 1930 and in Peoria, Illinois through 1931. In total, 18,948 C. L. Best 60 Tracklayer/Caterpillar Sixty tractors were manufactured during twelve years of production.[1]

See also

Notes
  1. Orlemann 2000, p. 25.
  2. Haddock 2007, p. 19.

References
  • Haddock, Keith (June 2007) [2002]. Glaser, Amy (ed.). The Earthmover Encyclopedia: The Complete Guide to Heavy Equipment of the World (Paperback, 1st ed.). St. Paul, Minnesota, United States: MBI Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-7603-2964-1. Undoubtedly the most successful tractor in the Best Company's history was the C. L. Best 60 Tracklayer, launched in 1919.
  • Orlemann, Eric C. (June 2000). Johnson, Paul (ed.). Caterpillar Chronicle: The History of the World's Greatest Earthmovers (hardcover ed.). St. Paul, Minnesota, United States: MBI Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-7603-0667-3. The largest tractor in the Caterpillar line was the Sixty, the former Best 60.
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