Dozer advice

hunterdan

hunterdan

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2009
Location
Morganton,NC
In the past I got some good info. here when looking to buy a backhoe. Thanks again for that.
Now I'm looking for a dozer and am hoping to hear opinions on preferred models and why?
Budget is 20k or less
Looking for a smaller dozer like a JD 450. Also want the 6 way blade feature. Might consider the manual tilt style.
Anyway, I plan to use dozer to grade a homesite. It's a 15-20 degree slope and whatever I get needs to be able to break undisturbed ground and remove about 3-4' on the high side of the homesite.
After the pad is done I plan to use it for regrading some old logging rds and maybe cutting in a few new ones.
Although I like the size and features of JD 450C I don't care for the transmission. I have read that they are more costly than others at 9-10k in a shop.
I've been told other models are expensive to repair also but usually half the cost of the JD 450 .

I'm not asking for opinions as to whether I need one just sorting out which model to pursue.
Thanks

Below are two that I've been looking at.
First is a nice little Case 350 that would be great making logging trails but I don't know about cutting 3-4' of grade.
Second is a JD 450 but still the double than others trans cost spooks me.
Any opinions appreciated
 

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I'd take the Case over the Deere because it still has original paint instead of a sprayover.

My Komatsu D21 was probably the best piece of equipment I ever owned. 9k pounds and will do anything you are asking with a decent operator. Small enough to easily pull behind a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. If you don't plan to move it, step up to something like a D31. Another to consider would be a Cat D3. I've seen a lot of D3Cs in your price range when I was considering another about a year ago, and they are a solid, well proven machine also.

And no matter what, get a 6 way blade. Manual adjust is useless. But the vast majority of small dozers in your price range should have a hydraulic 6 way.
 
jeepinmatt said:
I'd take the Case over the Deere because it still has original paint instead of a sprayover.

My Komatsu D21 was probably the best piece of equipment I ever owned. 9k pounds and will do anything you are asking with a decent operator. Small enough to easily pull behind a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. If you don't plan to move it, step up to something like a D31. Another to consider would be a Cat D3. I've seen a lot of D3Cs in your price range when I was considering another about a year ago, and they are a solid, well proven machine also.

And no matter what, get a 6 way blade. Manual adjust is useless. But the vast majority of small dozers in your price range should have a hydraulic 6 way.
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Thanks...great info.
I have been looking at some Cat D3B's and C's but most with good undercarriage and overall condition seem to be in the 25k range. Everything is higher since the election.
Some have told me if I'm not going to be using it for side jobs which requires hauling then I should go heavier.
The thought is I could pick up a track loader 20klbs +/- for same money and easily break ground compared to a 350/450 dozer.
Basically, some say go as big as you can afford.
I just worry that a loader doesn't tilt...
Thing to consider is I have a cat 416 4wd backhoe that could assist whatever I get.
Here's a cat I've been looking into along with a loader that might work.
Both are 20k
 

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Honestly with used equipment prices the way they are, I'd just do it with the backhoe you already have. No way I'd consider a loader with the backhoe already in the picture. But a mini ex and a tracked skidsteer would do everything you ever need, and a backhoe is kinda the compromise Swiss army knife to replace everything with one.
 
jeepinmatt said:
Honestly with used equipment prices the way they are, I'd just do it with the backhoe you already have. No way I'd consider a loader with the backhoe already in the picture. But a mini ex and a tracked skidsteer would do everything you ever need, and a backhoe is kinda the compromise Swiss army knife to replace everything with one.
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Yeah the backhoe is great and gets used every week on something.
The pad I need is just a bit much for the backhoe. Maybe a rental would be best if affordable.
 
My neighbor has a case about the size of a D3 and the other neighbor has a Case excavator. Both run and do anything asked of them.

Good to have neighbors with nice stuff.

Neither can run a box blade on all the gravel up here to save their life so that’s my contribution LOL
 
I have a 1977 john deere 550 plain with a winch for 8 years now and the only thing i have had trouble with is one injector had blown the brass washer it is seated on twice and the winch control cable and replaced several hydraulic lines while working it. When i bought it it had a bad steer clutch band. When i tore it down to replace it i went through both sides and replaced the bearings and seals in both final drives just because i hate oil leaks. If you get a jd use jd hyguard fluid for the trans not the cheap stuff from trctor supply it cost more but the jd old tech told me the cheap stuff does not work well in jd, I think i have added about 5 gallons of fluid in my trans in the last 8 years so the cost of the jd fluid is not bad. It gets used around 150 hour a year. The bigger the dozer you get the price will get cheaper just harder to move.
 
Ok, I have a related question. Needing to clear fence line from 20 plus years of neglect. So I have every variety of tree known it seems. But the biggest are 30 to 36 inch pines and many narly eastern cedars.

I don't want to saw them and worry about stump holes for my four legged investments.

What size machine is Minimum to do this?.....not like slick operator and all sorts of finesse but I'm Dedinately on a budget and don't plan on going into the business.

Being able to clear paths and property boundary roads is a bonus. The other major concern is the lower 60 is very sandy and floods some, the upper is buck tallow and clay.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
Ok, I have a related question. Needing to clear fence line from 20 plus years of neglect. So I have every variety of tree known it seems. But the biggest are 30 to 36 inch pines and many narly eastern cedars.

I don't want to saw them and worry about stump holes for my four legged investments.

What size machine is Minimum to do this?.....not like slick operator and all sorts of finesse but I'm Dedinately on a budget and don't plan on going into the business.

Being able to clear paths and property boundary roads is a bonus. The other major concern is the lower 60 is very sandy and floods some, the upper is buck tallow and clay.
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The easiest way to do that is to get an excavator and push the trees down with it. Use the weight of the tree to uproot it. I cleared about 2 acres for an old neighbor once, you will spend hours digging a stump you could do a little digging and push over with a ~25-35k lb excavator. Pines are all different, knocked quite a few tall pines down for him, mostly 10-20", some would fall with a push from the skid steer, some required the excavator (Hitachi 110)
 
Tacoma747 said:
The easiest way to do that is to get an excavator and push the trees down with it. Use the weight of the tree to uproot it. I cleared about 2 acres for an old neighbor once, you will spend hours digging a stump you could do a little digging and push over with a ~25-35k lb excavator. Pines are all different, knocked quite a few tall pines down for him, mostly 10-20", some would fall with a push from the skid steer, some required the excavator (Hitachi 110)
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The grader moved a handful with a large tracked loader with a bucket that would also clamp. The Damn stumps with most of the dirt gone was all I could push/drag move with a 40 horse industrial loader tractor. The same tractor doesn't do crap on the 3 inch growth without nearly tearing it up. Frustrating.

Is it feasible to rent such a piece of equipment? I certainly don't own anything to haul something like that. Weekend rental for that size doesn't seem like an option. I literally want to clear, clean process the wood, fence and move forward in that order. If I don't I'll have a huge mess.

Paying the man sounds great, but I want to use it over several project areas as I expand.

Edit: In my head 25-35lb machine sounds huge and expensive. Can larger be bought cheaper because it doesn't fit the can be moved/towed used for everything mentality?
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
The grader moved a handful with a large tracked loader with a bucket that would also clamp. The Damn stumps with most of the dirt gone was all I could push/drag move with a 40 horse industrial loader tractor. The same tractor doesn't do crap on the 3 inch growth without nearly tearing it up. Frustrating.

Is it feasible to rent such a piece of equipment? I certainly don't own anything to haul something like that. Weekend rental for that size doesn't seem like an option. I literally want to clear, clean process the wood, fence and move forward in that order. If I don't I'll have a huge mess.

Paying the man sounds great, but I want to use it over several project areas as I expand.

Edit: In my head 25-35lb machine sounds huge and expensive. Can larger be bought cheaper because it doesn't fit the can be moved/towed used for everything mentality?
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If you can’t pull it with a ton truck they get cheaper and if it requires anything bigger than a dump truck they will just about give it away.
A buddy got this after stopping and talking to the guy. It wasn’t for sale and guy couldn’t use it because he couldn’t move it
 

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Loganwayne said:
If you can’t pull it with a ton truck they get cheaper and if it requires anything bigger than a dump truck they will just about give it away.
A buddy got this after stopping and talking to the guy. It wasn’t for sale and guy couldn’t use it because he couldn’t move it
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Since I am heavy equipment illiterate or at least they all look fun, what size is it?
 
We have a Hyundai H70. 80hp. 6 way blade. Root rake attachment. Its good for grading, cutting ditches and pushing stuff around. Solid all around machine. It can break ground well enough to make a mess quickly.
 
I'm no expert, but have & do run about anything. A rental company had a Case 650 [I think] & a former company had a Case 450. I liked both. I've been on Larger equipment. My current company bought a used Cat 953 loader & a JD 750[?] excavator. Excavators are great at clearing trees & such, but can't do much grading with them. Hydraulic thumb is the Bomb! The Loader give you options over the Dozer, other that tilt blade. What I've always heard, Case was the least expensive equipment, & not quite in the same class as Cat or others. But, your not looking to make a living with it!
 
I have a case 1150e (military of course) dozer. It has a Cummins 5.9 in it which is nice. It's a great machine but I need to put an injection pump on it as I think it is leaking fuel into the oil. It's about a 26k lb machine, it doesn't push near what you would think, but when you compare what it will push to a 11k lb skid steer it's no comparison. If and when I get the injection pump on and get the grading done I may sell it. Has about 900 hours on it.

My excavator is about the largest you can find that still has a backfill blade on it which is awesome, but it definitely won't push much. I mainly use it to level the machine out when working in steep grades. The excavator has definitely got a bunch of hours on it, but it does the job.

I agree with what was said above, the larger the machine, the harder they are to sell. Which often those big machines have 10k hours on them too.
 
I recently soldmy international 250c track loader…weighed 48k plus the 4-n-1 bucket so probably 55 total. that’s a $12-15k…because it costs ~1k and an overweight permit to move it.
But it served me well when I wasn’t scared to move it.
 
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