Rockcity's small dozer shenanigans

@jeepinmatt hit the nail on the head.

Is what I seek the perfect piece? Certainly not. But it should do 75% of what I need/want at a price that I can be happy with. If it was a perfect world, I’d have an excavator, skid steer, dozer, and a decent loader and dump truck.

I just need something to help me from time to time.


This came into play last week. My gutter French drain clogged up. I originally dug and installed it by hand quite a few years ago. It was very labor intensive and time consuming (a full weekend). Now that I have this 2501 with a backhoe, I had the entire drain dug up, cleaned out, fixed, and backfilled in less than 2 hours, barely breaking a sweat and drinking a beer. Made life much easier and enjoyable.

Is the 2501 the perfect machine? Absolutely not. But it worked perfect for that project and most others I have. That’s the expectation for the small dozer.

And, I do have my eye on an International 500e loader with 4n1. That would do what I needed mostly and they even have dozer blades around that I can put on there instead of the loader. So should have some options with that machine. It’s not overly huge and can reasonably be transported with a moderate trailer.
 
jeepinmatt said:
This. So much so! I've been through quite a bit of equipment in my life. Some people such as @braxton357 have been through a lot more, but most people have been through a lot less. When you get a piece of equipment that does what you need it to do, and it's reliable, and you like using it, it makes the work more enjoyable. My Komatsu D21 was like that. And my Morbark Eager Beever 290 chipper was like that (which ironically I sold to Braxton, and replaced it with a bigger one that I highly disliked, and I've tried to buy that 290 back from him a dozen times :D). Sometimes you don't need the biggest and best, just something that beats the hell out of a shovel or a mule is enough to make a man happy. I envy @ghost with his joyful glee about his 8N Ford project.
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I can attest to somethign being better than nothing. Before the 8n it was the Jeep, winch and chainsaw. I love the old Ford but I need to figure out the brakes. While a Ferguson rear will bolt to a Ford the brake actuator systems were completely different. Best thing I've done to the old Ford is ditch the points.
 
rockcity said:
And, I do have my eye on an International 500e loader with 4n1. That would do what I needed mostly and they even have dozer blades around that I can put on there instead of the loader. So should have some options with that machine. It’s not overly huge and can reasonably be transported with a moderate trailer.
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An important thing to note: A dozer is not a loader, and a loader is not a dozer. Swapping blades will just lead to disappointment. Dozer arms mount down low, typically around the centerline of the tracks so all the force is basically straight in line with the drive force. Loader arms typically mount and pivot 4-5ft off the ground. Because of the higher mounting point, loaders can reach up and dump into the back of a truck, BUT when you try to push with them, the force is upwards and causes the front to lighten up. I have a 9000lb skidsteer with a 1800lb 6way dozer blade, and that 80hp, 11k pound combo is a shit dozer compared to the 40hp, 8k pound D21 I used to have. But the skidsteer is supposed to be a compromise tractor that is good at a lot of stuff but not perfect at any of it, and a 6 way blade beats the heck out of a fixed bucket in certain scenarios.
 
Since this whole thread is a roundabout size comparison…We have a Hyundai H70 dozer with a 6 way blade. It moves dirt alright but will mcfuckup anything when I put the root rake on. It’s no tree pusher overer but gets the job done fine. It runs out of traction before it runs out of power with the 4bt Cummins in it.
 
ghost said:
I can attest to somethign being better than nothing. Before the 8n it was the Jeep, winch and chainsaw. I love the old Ford but I need to figure out the brakes. While a Ferguson rear will bolt to a Ford the brake actuator systems were completely different. Best thing I've done to the old Ford is ditch the points.
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I’m going to have to pick your brain on the Ford some. The one I picked up seems to take a perfect combination of throttle and choke to run. I’m wondering if it’s a couple different things making it run like that. Hopefully something simple. I’m sure it is since there were pretty simple machines.
 
jeepinmatt said:
An important thing to note: A dozer is not a loader, and a loader is not a dozer. Swapping blades will just lead to disappointment. Dozer arms mount down low, typically around the centerline of the tracks so all the force is basically straight in line with the drive force. Loader arms typically mount and pivot 4-5ft off the ground. Because of the higher mounting point, loaders can reach up and dump into the back of a truck, BUT when you try to push with them, the force is upwards and causes the front to lighten up. I have a 9000lb skidsteer with a 1800lb 6way dozer blade, and that 80hp, 11k pound combo is a shit dozer compared to the 40hp, 8k pound D21 I used to have. But the skidsteer is supposed to be a compromise tractor that is good at a lot of stuff but not perfect at any of it, and a 6 way blade beats the heck out of a fixed bucket in certain scenarios.
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Right. I guess what I meant to say was the International 500e crawler was primarily a dozer but could be ordered as a loader. So it’s possible the dozer arms and blade could be had if the loader won’t achieve what I need without purchasing a completely different machine.
 
rockcity said:
I’m going to have to pick your brain on the Ford some. The one I picked up seems to take a perfect combination of throttle and choke to run. I’m wondering if it’s a couple different things making it run like that. Hopefully something simple. I’m sure it is since there were pretty simple machines.
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Mine did that. The intake manifold was rusted and was leaking air after the carb where it mounts to the head. So choking it made it run but no choke and it got too much air. I confirmed it with starter fluid sprayed at each intake runner. Find me this weekend and ask away. I'm no expert but I have learned a lot.
 
rockcity said:
I’m going to have to pick your brain on the Ford some. The one I picked up seems to take a perfect combination of throttle and choke to run. I’m wondering if it’s a couple different things making it run like that. Hopefully something simple. I’m sure it is since there were pretty simple machines.
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Smells of something in the fuel path... easily proven by disconnecting the fuel line and timing the amount that flows out in a minute (IIRC, like 1 pint/minute?)
Could be the screen (above) and/or the sediment bowl clogged, the carb needing a good soaking/rebuild, or carb simply needs to be adjusted.

I'll say this... stay the fawk away from TSC when buying parts! I grabbed a new sediment bowl/shut off back in the summer to finish bushhogging the field... fawker is ALREADY leaking and needs swapped again. Will grab from one of the trusted vendors (Dennis Carpenter, Just 8Ns, Yesterdays Tractors, etc.) before I waste money on the Chiwanesse stuff TSC peddles...
 
Personally I think a loader would better suit you, especially with a 4 in 1 bucket. Check out these old Komatsu D31's, Priced right and not too far away but you would have to have one hauled from the seller. Great little machines.

Also, I told my brother who sells construction equipment to let me know if he knows of anything like you're looking for.
 
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I think I’m good. :D
 
jeepinmatt said:
I'm pretty impressed that that trailer has brakes on all 3 axles! Hopefully you are able to limp it back to Jankyville.
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Lol. Brakes? What’s that? :lol:


Actually, there are brakes on 2 axles but the wiring is nonexistent. It’s not bad with the f350 if I can keep tires from blowing out. It did have 6 brand new tires. It now has 4… 🙄
 
Go to any place that sell mobile homes they will sale you a tires for about 50.00 for tire and rim. I just bought 12 a few weeks ago for 50.00 a tire.
 
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