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- Location
- Appomattox, VA
The "Rome Plow" was made famous during land clearing operations in the Vietnam conflict, where specially equipped bulldozers were needed to level huge swaths of jungle and scrub to deny the enemy cover and concealment. Land clearing units were present in Vietnam from May 1967 until 1971. The area would first be pounded with air-to-ground munitions or artillery fire, then the landclearing units would come in with the Rome Plows.
The "Rome Plows" were actually Caterpillar bulldozers, mostly the D7E 20-ton tractor, equipped with a special land-clearing blade, that was equipped with a spike-spreader (sometimes called a "stinger") on one end of the blade that was used to pierce larger trees and split them in the center, making it easier for the dozer to fell the tree from its path. The term "Rome Plow" comes from the maker of the blade, Rome Plow company in Rome GA (since relocated elsewhere in GA). The model of the blade itself was the KG7ED. This model plow is still made by Rome Plow to this day.
The dozers themselves were modified with an extensive ROPS cage that also protected the operator from falling trees and brush, a rear winch, and exposed machinery components like intake/exhaust, engine covers, the hydraulic cylinders, and the grille were armored against small arms fire. The operator's position was still vulnerable to small arms fire as it was open, but it needed to be due to the hot weather, and to allow the operator better vision of the work he was doing.
Few of these still exist, at least original ones. The D7E dozers came back from Vietnam and got surplussed out and some still do work in the civilian sector today, but most have been replaced by newer units.
Here are a few pics I saved of the Rome Plows at work, and some restored ones on military bases.
The "Rome Plows" were actually Caterpillar bulldozers, mostly the D7E 20-ton tractor, equipped with a special land-clearing blade, that was equipped with a spike-spreader (sometimes called a "stinger") on one end of the blade that was used to pierce larger trees and split them in the center, making it easier for the dozer to fell the tree from its path. The term "Rome Plow" comes from the maker of the blade, Rome Plow company in Rome GA (since relocated elsewhere in GA). The model of the blade itself was the KG7ED. This model plow is still made by Rome Plow to this day.
The dozers themselves were modified with an extensive ROPS cage that also protected the operator from falling trees and brush, a rear winch, and exposed machinery components like intake/exhaust, engine covers, the hydraulic cylinders, and the grille were armored against small arms fire. The operator's position was still vulnerable to small arms fire as it was open, but it needed to be due to the hot weather, and to allow the operator better vision of the work he was doing.
Few of these still exist, at least original ones. The D7E dozers came back from Vietnam and got surplussed out and some still do work in the civilian sector today, but most have been replaced by newer units.
Here are a few pics I saved of the Rome Plows at work, and some restored ones on military bases.
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