Cat M105 DEUCE a combat dozer that moves 6x as fast as a D5

Updated Oct 27, 2017

Caterpillar M105 Deuce Dozer

What do you get when you throw some armor on a D5 and make it capable of speeds up to 30 miles per hour? You get a DEUCE.

The M105 Deployable Universal Combat Earthmover (DEUCE) was first produced by Caterpillar in 1999 under contract with the U.S. Army, according to a page at Military-Today.com. A total of 227 DEUCEs were made and the high-speed combat dozer was a purpose-built machine created to replace the use of Cat’s D5 in military service.

Cat powered the DEUCE with a 7.2-liter Cat 3126 engine delivering 185 horsepower in earthmover mode and 265 hp in traveling mode. The machine can be airlifted by the C-130 Hercules and upon being airdropped can be re-assembled for work in less than 30 minutes.

Here are the type of situations Military-Today says the dozer is used for:

The M105 DEUCE performs excavation in support of mobility, counter-mobility and survivability missions. Typical missions of this high speed dozer are digging of pits and positions for armored vehicles, troops or artillery systems, preparing airstrips. It also performs other typical engineering tasks.

There are three videos below. The first shows the DEUCE in action. The second gives an up close look at a DEUCE repurposed for forestry work, and the third shows Cat dealer Yancey Bros. restoring and rebuilding one.