Page 407 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

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THE RETRO TWIN D8 RECREATING BUSTER’S TWINS
The second hybrid at Peterson’s 80th celebration, the Cat Twin D8, was built from the carcasses of five D8s of the same vintage serial number. Today, it is the only existing machine built from Buster Peterson’s original drawings. The Twin D8 was a big win in the eyes of an industry hungry for more power than a single tractor could deliver. However, by the time Buster’s patent came through in 1954, Cater- pillar had introduced its higher horsepower D9, making the Twins obsolete. That’s why Buster only produced three original Twins. Or so it had been widely believed, until recently.
Duane Sr.’s intent behind the retro Twin was to honor the men who built it—Buster Peterson, who conceived and designed it; Howard Peterson, who backed it financially; and the SEQ team, who built the originals. The retro-build was also a nod to the reputation of innovation ignited for Peterson within the Caterpillar dealer- ship network. “Our goal was to re-create something that was unique to Peterson. And our 80th anniversary was the catalyst for that. There was certainly no financial justification for these machines,” admits Duane Sr., “but they’re a link to our past. And something we are very proud of.”
It’s hard to nail down exactly when the idea for the current Twin D8 hatched. But the man behind the idea was Ed Akin, a retired United Airlines pilot from Placerville, California. “I was intrigued when the Twin D8s were first built,” says Akin. “I didn’t see them, but I read about them. I was in high school at the time and I was tractor-crazy, having grown up on a ranch in Placerville. Then about ten, fifteen years ago, I came down to Peterson and started bugging them about getting the plans.”
In the late 1990s, Akin joined the Antique Caterpillar Machine Owners Club (ACMOC) and served as di- rector for six years. By then he had accrued an impressive collection of antique tractors from his side job haul- ing heavy equipment for contractors. One day he got a call from Glen Ghilotti, a fellow ACMOC member,
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