Page 387 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

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QUAD D9S RESURRECTING A PETERSON LEGACY
In 2016, Peterson celebrated its 80th anniversary with the help of two very special guests—a Quad D9 and a Twin D8. The two hybrid giants made a huge impression on the crowds during their debut tour, which ended at the Best of the West Antique Equipment Show in Santa Margarita, California in May
2017. The machines were the culmination of a several-year search for Buster Peterson originals. Duane Doyle Sr. and his sister began looking in 2008, hoping something would still be out there. Shortly thereafter, Duane Jr. joined the hunt. After several dead ends, the only wisp of hope for an original was Fat Albert, the much more recent (1971–73) extra-wide D9 built for subsoil ripping in California’s Central Valley. Sometime in the early 2000s, that too ended up on the scrap pile of its final owner, Schnitzer Steel of Oakland. Any hope of ex- isting originals was gone—hardly surprising after fifty and sixty years. The quest then turned to retro-rebuilds using old components and frames from the same vintage serial numbers.
Then in 2012, Granite Construction contacted Peterson about some old iron they had up in their yard in Palmer, Alaska. The beat-up pair of Cat D9Gs was just sitting there rusting. Tim Clements, Granite’s North- west equipment manager, knew they had some historic significance. “The reality show Gold Rush: Alaska want- ed to buy them, and I really didn’t want to see them end up trashed that way,” says Clements, a Peterson field tech (1989–99). “Instead, I called Peterson. I knew they had built some Quad D9s in the past and thought they might want it.” Turns out, Duane Sr. was interested. And the timing was perfect. In April 2012, Duane Sr. bought the pair and brought them home to San Leandro. And once again, they sat waiting.
“I was out in the backyard one day getting a machine ready when I saw these two old D9s and realized what they were,” says Ron Spencer, San Leandro main shop foreman, a 30-year Peterson veteran (1986-2016), now retired. “They were in pretty bad shape. The seats were completely trashed. One had a piece of plywood for a seat. They needed batteries and electrical work, a starting system, major brake repairs, and just a lot of work
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