![]() Moving these control levers, the operater can spool or unspool the control cables on or off the cable drums, thereby operating the various working parts of the equipment being operated by the PCU. Two control levers (one for each drum) extend up behind the tractor seat and are within easy reach for the operator. Control cables (wire ropes) extend from the cable drums to the equipment that is being operated by the PCU. A take-off shaft (spline-shaft) connects the PCU with the tractor upper transmission-shaft, and by the tractor engine. LeTourneau R7 Power Control Unit: the R7 Power Control Unit (PCU) was a double-drum unit mounted on the rear of the steering-clutch case of Caterpillar D7 tractors to control a wide range of equipment like dozers, scrapers, rooters, cranes etc.LeTourneau FTD7 PCU to operate the LeTourneau WCK7 AngledozerĪnd a LeTourneau R7 PCU to operate any towed equipment. My thanks to Ampersand Publishing for providing this book for review, and my thanks to IPMS/USA for allowing me to review it.Caterpillar D7 of a Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees) with The book is highly recommended for those interested in World War II, in particular construction equipment, and is a must-have reference for those building a Caterpillar D7 kit. In summary the book is an excellent visual history of the D7 tractor with many detailed photographs and many great ideas for diorama settings. The walk-around photos show detail of many parts of the restored D7 and will be a handy reference for model builders. The last 22 pages of the book are color photographs of a fully restored caterpillar D7 heavy tractor that is equipped with a LeTourneau XD7 bulldozer blade and uses a rear mounted LeTourneau R7 power control unit. The photographs are clear and large enough to be used as detail references by modelers. The captions for the photos describe the situation and the equipment types on the tractor (particularly which dozer blades and power units are being used). ![]() Each of the photographs illustrates the many uses of the tractor, and they are a great inspiration for dioramas. In fact, the bulk of the book shows the tractor being used in various operational situations during World War II and the Korean War. The photos include the D7 tractor as it was used in all theaters of World War II and during the Korean War. The book also includes photographs of various armored cab protections for the operators. Other types of equipment such as towed road graders, scrapers, and cranes used and powered by the tractors are included in the photos. The photos start with some illustrative views of the D7 tractor at proving grounds, illustrations of the various dozer blade types, photos of the tractors being assembled or repaired, and photos of students and mechanics repairing the tractors. Most of the photos are black-and-white, with the last section of the book featuring a walk-around series of color photos. The remaining pages of the book feature photographs with captions describing the equipment, how the tractors were used, and the setting of the photo. The introduction describes the various bulldozer blades that were added to the D7 tractor including straight dozer blades, angle dozer blades, and tilt dozer blades. Development of the engines for the D7 continued through the 1980s. The tractor used a small two-cylinder gasoline engine as a starter for the diesel engine. The World War II D7 engine was a four-cylinder 80 HP diesel engine of Caterpillar design. These were designated by prefixes and serial number. The introduction includes a description of the various models of the D7 which were developed. It was only later in World War II that bulldozer blades were added to the D7 tractor. The D7 was the primary tractor used by the Army during World War II, and early in the war it was used as a prime mover for artillery and earthmoving equipment. Holt supplied tractors to the US Army during World War I using Caterpillar as its trade name. Caterpillar was formed in 1925 by the merger of the Best Gas Tractor Company and the Holt Manufacturing Company. The two-page introduction provides background on the development of the Caterpillar D7 tractor. The D7 Tractor, by renowned military author David Doyle, features two pages of introductory text, while the balance of its 120-page length is filled with photographs. Books in this series feature historical introductions followed by extensive period and walk-around photographs in black-and-white and color. ![]() The D7 Tractor: A Visual History of the D7 Tractor in US Army Service 1941– 1953 is part of Ampersand Publishing Company’s Visual History Series of single-subject reference books.
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