![]() ![]() However, its size and cost also make it a specialized tool that may not be suitable for every job. Its massive size and powerful capabilities make it a formidable machine capable of tackling even the toughest earthmoving tasks. Overall, the Caterpillar D575A-3 Super Dozer is a true engineering marvel and a testament to the capabilities of modern technology. Additionally, its fuel consumption is significant, which can be a concern for cost-conscious operators. ![]() Its size and weight make it difficult to transport and can limit its mobility on certain job sites. Additionally, the operator's cab is designed with ergonomics in mind and features air conditioning, heating and sound insulation to ensure maximum comfort during long work shifts.ĭespite its impressive capabilities, the D575A-3 is not without its drawbacks. It has a computer-controlled power train that optimizes the use of power and torque, and a global positioning system (GPS) that helps operators navigate and maintain a precise work plan. All of the controls are hydraulic.The D575A-3 is also equipped with advanced technology to increase efficiency and safety. A series of levers are positioned to the left of the seat. The “HD” was dropped from the model name, and it became the Fiat-Allis 41-B, with iterations produced until the 1980s.īy the mid- to late-1970s, it was no longer the largest dozer on the market, having been surpassed by Komatsu’s D455A and Caterpillar’s D10.īig Roy at home Equipment World "Fires right up"įrank climbs up the tracks, which come up to his shoulders, to reach the operator’s station. In 1974, Allis-Chalmers entered a joint venture with Fiat for its construction division and became Fiat-Allis. The Allis-Chalmers branded HD-41 model wasn’t in production long, from around 1970 to 1973. After a short drive over the grounds, he stops and gets out.įrank notes that he added the “Big Roy” decals on both of its sides in honor of his friend and the HD-41’s former owner, Roy Ashley.Īccording to some online reports, the HD-41 was first unveiled as a prototype in the 1960s, but production had to wait until an engine could be built that was powerful enough to run it. ![]() Big RoyĪfter a drive down State Road 174 past live oaks draped with Spanish moss, Frank pulls his SUV into the Lowcountry Antique Tractor and Engine Association’s property. Hauling Big Roy to its home at the Lowcountry Antique Tractor and Engine Association in Adams Run, South Carolina. The tractor-trailer setup consisted of 13 axles and 52 wheels. So it had to be hauled in the opposite direction in a roundabout way over two interstates that eventually brought the dozer to its new home. Department of Transportation was concerned about its weight and wouldn’t let it go over a bridge on the shortest route. Getting it to the showgrounds, however, was another challenge. The club leases old farmland in a small rural community called Adams Run about 30 miles west of Charleston where it holds antique tractor pulls and shows each April and October. He is a member of the Lowcountry Antique Tractor and Engine Association and decided the best thing would be to donate it to them. Equipment WorldThe next challenge was finding a permanent home for it.įrank manages timberland in Walterboro, but the dozer would have gotten stuck in its gumbo soil. That led to a subsidiary company and the likely purchase of the HD-41 for strip mining.įrank Burke, left, and Ron Barton with Big Roy and its 11.5-foot push blade for strip mining. He learned that during an interstate construction project the company was working on, it struck a vein of coal. He called the heavy highway company in Ohio to find out more about the dozer. He had it hauled to a construction yard in Walterboro, where he spent two years off and on overhauling it – changing all the fluids and filters, freeing up the clutches, getting it able to turn.įrank also found a Miller Brothers Construction decal that had been painted over. It needed some work, but Frank knew the repairs would be minor. It could move forward and in reverse, but it couldn’t turn. “I knew that machine was going to be vulnerable, and I also knew that it wasn't moving,” Frank recalls. Roy passed away in 2015, and the HD-41 was among his antique equipment collection that went up for sale in the estate auction. “I’m 5’ 9” and the height of the tracks hits me at my shoulders,” Frank says.įrank Burke beside Big Roy Equipment World Saved again The grading blade for the HD-41 was 22 feet wide. The dozer is over 20 feet long, 11 feet wide and 13 feet tall. ![]()
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