D8l

CatSkinner77V · Feb 25, 2009

Northart said:
My experience with the "N" series, geez I don't prefer not to talk about, just gutless wonders ! Same with that Cat D5 ?? all series, wonder why they even made it ? Just never fit in the scheme of construction.
Maybe for the little guy ,???

Couldn't agree with you more, our D8N is complete piece of junk, I wouldn't be scared to say that our D7G widepad could out push it in the right conditions. I have done alot of different things with that D8N and I just can't seem to get the power out of it that it feels like it should have without severly over-fueling. Not to mention the torque converter is hardly half the size of a D8K torque! Cheap junk. The only reason it sticks around is because it has a cab A/C and a CD player haha, gotta do what you gotta do to keep good (but whiny and wussy) operators around I guess. I'd sit on a open cab K all tarped in and the fan turned around on any given winter day aside from that useless 8N, I prefer production and cost effectiveness over comfort. And don't anybody tell me about fuel economy!! We don't run 70,000 pound dozers around for good fuel economy.... beside thats why we still farm too, so we burn up that 60 cent per liter purple farm diesel on jobsites haha.

Oh and D5's particulary the D5H LGP with the little 3304 in it, gutless wonder! well thats an understatement. How can you expect the same motor that a 928G loader has in it to preform in a 20 ton dozer? Hardly spin the tracks in first gear without any up pressure on the blade! I know its an LGP and thats alot of pad on the ground to turn, but just the same, it should still push something!

surfer-joe · Feb 25, 2009

Gee, I rather liked the D8N's, but then, I never really liked the D8K models, preferring the H series instead. That may be because I had to repair far more K series than the H, and the N was easier to work on than the K. I rather enjoy a good D8R, think they are as good as the T so far as operator items are concerned.

I've been around some D8L's that were real dogs, especially a couple that came as used gray market machines from Saudi Arabia back in 1986. The shifting sands had really done a number on these two and we spent more time fixing them than they did pushing dirt. But a couple of other's we got that were sourced from Iowa, they were stout and in top form, a pleasure to operate.

My biggest problem with the early D8N's, was that they would not run a full eight hour shift on a full tank of fuel. Cat consistently denied this fact, but late models and all others since then have had larger tanks. I took the early ones off and had them enlarged at company expense. When made larger, they would comfortably operate ten hours in hard pushing and ripping applications.

The tanks Cat installs on current 8’s now look very much like the ones I had modified. The reason for that is maybe because I sent pictures and specs of what I had done, plus performance figures to friends at the factory in 1990. Also provided the local dealer with copies of the same information.

Construct'O · Feb 25, 2009

surfer-joe said:
Gee, I rather liked the D8N's, but then, I never really liked the D8K models, preferring the H series instead. That may be because I had to repair far more K series than the H, and the N was easier to work on than the K. I rather enjoy a good D8R, think they are as good as the T so far as operator items are concerned.

I've been around some D8L's that were real dogs, especially a couple that came as used gray market machines from Saudi Arabia back in 1986. The shifting sands had really done a number on these two and we spent more time fixing them than they did pushing dirt. But a couple of other's we got that were sourced from Iowa, they were stout and in top form, a pleasure to operate.

My biggest problem with the early D8N's, was that they would not run a full eight hour shift on a full tank of fuel. Cat consistently denied this fact, but late models and all others since then have had larger tanks. I took the early ones off and had them enlarged at company expense. When made larger, they would comfortably operate ten hours in hard pushing and ripping applications.

The tanks Cat installs on current 8’s now look very much like the ones I had modified. The reason for that is maybe because I sent pictures and specs of what I had done, plus performance figures to friends at the factory in 1990. Also provided the local dealer with copies of the same information.

Isn't it funny how you try to tell an engineer they messed up.To talk to them they are never wrong!!!!! Just like it works on paper so what is the problem?

I think they all should have to do time as a mechanic and operator before they can get a diploma.:usa

CAT955L · Feb 26, 2009

liberty excavating

JimBruce42 said:
Here's my contribution to D8L's....

View attachment 35176

This one is [was] owned by Liberty Excavating out of Camp Hill, PA. It was pushin 627's when they were doing the bulk work on Silver Springs Shopping Center in Mechanicsburg, PA a few years ago

Liberty has a lot of Iron.

Hemp Brothers has a D8L over at the camp hill quarry next to the state pin.

I still love the Old School G and H models.

I love to see the older cat's from the 60's & 70's brings me back to whenI was a kid. Anyone want to share those pic's.

counter · Feb 26, 2009

my dad ran dozers for years, from the 50s till the 90s, he left me with some huge 4X8X 1/2 '" thick blk.n/white posters of equipment ! i think the operators union gave them to him.pics of the euclid dumps, and early shovels. they date back to the early 50s. cool pics. tell me if you know of these.

DonZX14 · Mar 24, 2009

The 8L never was a big hit up here in the oilpatch...there was a few of them around but i heard they were too heavy and awkward..The 8K was a very popular cat tho , spent many hours on that seat , ususally pinned onto a cable scraper . Absolutley hated the 8N gutless wonder!

Diagonal Brace · Mar 24, 2009

Gutless wonder

CatSkinner77V said:
Couldn't agree with you more, our D8N is complete piece of junk, I wouldn't be scared to say that our D7G widepad could out push it in the right conditions. I have done alot of different things with that D8N and I just can't seem to get the power out of it that it feels like it should have without severly over-fueling. Not to mention the torque converter is hardly half the size of a D8K torque! Cheap junk. The only reason it sticks around is because it has a cab A/C and a CD player haha, gotta do what you gotta do to keep good (but whiny and wussy) operators around I guess. I'd sit on a open cab K all tarped in and the fan turned around on any given winter day aside from that useless 8N, I prefer production and cost effectiveness over comfort. And don't anybody tell me about fuel economy!! We don't run 70,000 pound dozers around for good fuel economy.... beside thats why we still farm too, so we burn up that 60 cent per liter purple farm diesel on jobsites haha.

Oh and D5's particulary the D5H LGP with the little 3304 in it, gutless wonder! well thats an understatement. How can you expect the same motor that a 928G loader has in it to preform in a 20 ton dozer? Hardly spin the tracks in first gear without any up pressure on the blade! I know its an LGP and thats alot of pad on the ground to turn, but just the same, it should still push something!

I thought the 928G had a six cylinder engine. 3304 in a 950B or E had plenty of grunt. Maybe yours is not performing as it should.

stretch · Aug 12, 2010

Here's my contribution to the thread! This D8L is owned by the Saglio Construction Company and is being used to strip topsoil for the second phase of our subdivision. The only complaint the owner/operator had was the lack of A/C, but he said that the machine stays rather cool for whatever reason. More pics of the job to follow.

Panhandler Bob · Aug 14, 2010

Never been on a 8L, plenty of time on 8K's&8N's. Ran an 9L for a 2-3 weeks whatta freakin animal. power,power,& more power:drinkup Bob aka ZZ

surfer-joe · Aug 14, 2010

The L series were fine for power. Trouble was, they were to powerful and too heavy for the entire machine to work well for very long. In other words, they, along with the 76 and 84W D10's, were tough on mechanics. I never fully understood why Cat discontinued them. They had most of the bugs worked out when they introduced the N series, who were poor cousins.

I liked operating both machines myself. Preferred the D8L as it was quicker. I spent a lot of time twisting wrenches on all three models in the 80's and 90's.

Ole man Freesen hated the high sprocket U/C concept. But he eventually bought some for a coal stripping operation in Oklahoma around 1981. Bought some brand new 651B's too for the same operation.

D&GExcavating · Oct 5, 2010

Just contributing to the D8L pictures

Gavin84w · Oct 6, 2010

Any machines from that era look terrible with the later style decals, nothing worse than trying to make it look later model than it is.

D&GExcavating · Oct 6, 2010

Well thats how we bought it. It had good paint on it so there was no need to dump money into a new paint job. It had a brand new 3408 in it and the trans, and finals had less than 500 hours on a Cat rebuild so we bought it. Plus it had air conditioning:drinkup
It was one of the tightest D8Ls that I have ever operated and our other operators said the same exact thing.

tctractors · Oct 6, 2010

In the U.K. we are just about parking up the D8 2U's with the hope of getting a 14a for the big jobs

I still do a stack of work on the older D8H/K 9G/H, and I still rate them as a good money earning item, the high drive tractors seem to always need fettling, the E Bar is a costly and regular let down on all the High drive tractors.

tctractors

renaud · Feb 14, 2013

Gavin84w said:
Any machines from that era look terrible with the later style decals, nothing worse than trying to make it look later model than it is.

I could'nt agree more with you, my friend.....!!
It looks like for some peoples, to own an older machine is some kind of embarassement.......
I wonder what is the most embarassing between having an older machine that work just fine and that is been entirely paid for and a newer machine that is full of electronics and always give its owner all kind of bugs and when it break down, it takes for ever to fix it.....
That is one thing, another thing is peoples who own older machines and label them as something else newer, like i saw quite a few Michigan loaders labeled that way, such a early '70s 175B with 175C stickers!!!!!
Max.

renaud · Feb 14, 2013

gd10r said:
YESSSS that is a Rouse brochure, the company is cherokee from CA, probally long gone now. I have that on the bb in front of my work table (toys). G

You guys would'nt happen to have some of those old auction brochures left, by any chance??
I collect auction brochures from every era; any auctioneer but they are extremly difficule to come by.....
Thanks.
Max.

D8l

CatSkinner77V

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surfer-joe

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Construct'O

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CAT955L

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counter

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DonZX14

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Diagonal Brace

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stretch

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Panhandler Bob

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surfer-joe

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D&GExcavating

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Gavin84w

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D&GExcavating

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tctractors

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renaud

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renaud

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