I separated of the treads from the rest of tyre only in order to keep as much control as possible over the manipulation of the tread shape without touching the tyre’s main body. Of course, this doesn’t reflect the reality of a real live tyre which is produced directly as one piece. As soon as I’m satisfied with the tread’s shape. I can join it with the rest of the tyre.
For the tyre version: Maybe the official brochures can give a hint which brands are used for newly produced Caterpillars. Maybe they differ from region to region?
For the part naming: I’m sure at the end of the project we’re backhoe experts and open our own factory 😉 . But seriously: It makes fun to find out how thinks work which then helps to create a convincing model that looks like a fully functional backhoe.