Page 442 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

Hazen Dennis Sr. on his RD4 in the field
WHAT’S THE R FOR?
Early on, it became apparent that Caterpillar’s nam- ing method – by horsepower (i.e. Diesel Sixty, Diesel Seventy, etc.) – was too limiting. In 1935, when they upgraded the horsepower of their diesel tractors, Cat decided to release them as the RD series: the RD6, RD7 and RD8. (The RD4 wasn’t introduced until 1936.)
But the ‘R’ remains a mystery to this day. No one knows, definitively, what it stood for but theories abound. Some argue that the ‘R’ denotes a gaso- line-powered model while the ‘D’ stands for diesel power. Some say the RD stands for Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of the diesel engine. Others say it’s for ‘Roosevelt Diesel’ in honor of the 32nd president’s New Deal and all the roadwork it spawned. However, Caterpillar’s top leadership at the time were not big supporters of Franklin Roosevelt, which undermines that premise.
Yet another theory centers around the locale where these machines were manufactured: Peoria. At the time, the State of Illinois named its growing net- work of roads simply by RD 1 for Road District 1, RD 2 for Road District 2, and so on. Some think Cat could very well have adopted a similar designation for the machines that were directly tied to the construction and on-going maintenance of those roadways. Thus, the RD4, RD6, RD8.
But today, thanks to the Dennis family, Peterson is the proud owner of the first Cat tractor Howard Peterson ever sold.
OLD CATERPILLAR ADVERTISEMENT WITH RD4
Hazen Dennis Sr. was featured in a Caterpillar ad in the July 1941 issue of The National Beet Grower magazine. Pictures from the advertisement, taken by Caterpillar in October 1939, cite the specifics. “Caterpillar Diesel D4 Tractor and Killefer beet lifter, digging sugar beets in a 20-acre patch of exceptionally fine beets, which average 14 inches in length. Yield is 20-plus tons per acre in heavy adobe soil. Work is 8–10 hours a day digging 5 acres. The D4 uses 1.3 gallons of fuel (at 53⁄4¢) per hour. Owner has 75 acres of sugar beets and tomatoes, and also does custom work.”
Hazen Dennis Sr. testimonial advertisement in The National Beet Grower in 1941
All original documents and photographs relating to the RD4 were gifted to Peterson by the Dennis family.
440 | PETERSON: 85 YEARS AND GOING STRONG