The finger tip controls (FTC) allowed the D11R to be steered with small fingertip clutches on the left hand side.

The Carrydozer version has a special blade with a curvature that allowed 57 cy ( 43.6 m³) to be pushed.

Komatsu developed a lengthened Superdozer undercarriage with two additional rollers per side to reduce wear, a step that Caterpillar avoided for their Carrydozer machines.

The Carrydozer had the structure strengthened considerably for the extra weight and the much bigger blade that it carried up front, also, the ripper was fitted with an additional counterweight block.

Some are shipped in the United States by railroad flatcars with the blade, push arms and ripper frame removed.

[4] The dozer blade on front of the tractor usually comes in three varieties: There is also a special "Coal U-Blade", capable of carrying 74.9 cubic metres (98.0 cu yd).

D11s are primarily used for moving large quantities of material (dirt, rock, aggregate, soil etc.)

D11s can be adapted for agricultural and rock ripping by fitting a ripper, a long claw-like device on the back of the tractor.

Hard earth can also be ripped and decompacted to allow the planting of orchards which otherwise could not grow on the land.

The updated version of the Komatsu, the D575A, is the world's largest production bulldozer at 168 short tons (152 t) and 1,150 hp (860 kW).

[5] A bigger machine, the Acco super bulldozer, was built by Italian firm ACCO, with twin Caterpillar diesel engines giving a combined power of 1,300 hp (970 kW), and weighing 183 short tons (166 t), in the 1980s, but this was a custom built model.