Any Homemade Mini Dozers?

[Iplayfarmer]

Iplayfarmer,

Why not make your own tracks. Looks pretty straight forward. Build them using dimension of half air in tires. When built, slide them on and inflate tires to tighten up tracks. You would have to lock your steering if putting on a garden tractor. I have a set for my skidsteer, but have not put them on yet. You can order a complete rubber or steel set of tracks for different skidsteers.

Any skidsteer tracks I've found are $1000 per pair used. That's out of the price range. The tires idea is my first choice. My plan is for an 8 foot long vehicle. The track would have to be over 18 feet long. That's a tire with a 6 foot diameter. Any tires I've found that big are so wide that they would overwhelm the rest of the plan. I may need to use a few tires per side and connect them with piano hinges or something. I'd still like to have something with a more positive engagement than rubber on rubber, though.

Here's a link to another ZTR pump from Surplus Center. It's the one I was originally thinking of, but I couldn't find it the other day. It's a lot cheaper.

 

[chickenman]

have you though about a halftrack?

lot of the advantages, with much simpler gear train and stearing.

 

[J_J]

Any skidsteer tracks I've found are $1000 per pair used. That's out of the price range. The tires idea is my first choice. My plan is for an 8 foot long vehicle. The track would have to be over 18 feet long. That's a tire with a 6 foot diameter. Any tires I've found that big are so wide that they would overwhelm the rest of the plan. I may need to use a few tires per side and connect them with piano hinges or something. I'd still like to have something with a more positive engagement than rubber on rubber, though.

Here's a link to another ZTR pump from Surplus Center. It's the one I was originally thinking of, but I couldn't find it the other day. It's a lot cheaper.

You could have a wide long track with 4 or 6 wheels, with one wheel as the drive wheel.

That pump above is not very powerful, it will only develop 98 in lbs of torque. that is using .43 cu in, and 1425 psi, and it will take about 6 HP to drive it. However, you could have a pump and motor for each wheel, but they would have to be synchronized somehow.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

That pump above is not very powerful, it will only develop 98 in lbs of torque. that is using .43 cu in, and 1425 psi, and it will take about 6 HP to drive it. However, you could have a pump and motor for each wheel, but they would have to be synchronized somehow.

I should have known there was a reason it was so cheap.

 

[whitworthsocket]

Any skidsteer tracks I've found are $1000 per pair used. That's out of the price range. The tires idea is my first choice. My plan is for an 8 foot long vehicle. The track would have to be over 18 feet long. That's a tire with a 6 foot diameter. Any tires I've found that big are so wide that they would overwhelm the rest of the plan. I may need to use a few tires per side and connect them with piano hinges or something. I'd still like to have something with a more positive engagement than rubber on rubber, though.

WIth all due respect an 8 foot long vehicle is not really a Mini Dozer!
these links may be helpful

snowmobile tracks on jeep - Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board

If you buy these plans can I have a look ?
Keep It Simple Off Road Tracked Vehicle

This is what I would call a small Dozer
Crawler Project

And here is a Mini Dozer
Machine Builders Network

Regards Whitworthsocket

 

[Spudland_Dave]

IMO, it might be cheapest to go out and find a donor vehicle of some sort which has a majority of the expensive components in working order...
Example..I've seen some Mini-Excavators with a boom bent like a Pretzel sell at auction for 1,500-3,000 bucks....Right there would get you the Motor, Drives, Tracks, etc...Decide exactly what you want to build...or at least a rough idea, and then you'll have a better idea of what kind of donor vehicle to look for.... Not too long ago I saw a CAT Tracked Skid Steer which was pretty much totalled from the tracks up as if it were dropped on its roof or something fell on it, sell for cheap as well....

 

[Iplayfarmer]

...WIth all due respect an 8 foot long vehicle is not really a Mini Dozer!...

Regards Whitworthsocket

Absolutely correct. I've mentioned it on another post somewhere, but what I'm planning is just a toy. It's a tank. My kids are 2, 5, and 7; and I've told the two oldest that when they are old enough to help me, we'll all build a 2/5 scale military tank. My 7-year-old daughter comes out with me to practice her welding skills whenever she can. She's surprisingly good with the old beater AC stick welder that I have. I'll have her weld whenever I'm doing something that's not structurally important.

I only mentioned it here because most of my design inspiration has come from mini dozer projects like those you linked to.

 

[shvl73]

Have you looked at 6 wheel atv's, like a Max? They take a rubber track, like a snow machine track, have a real durable transmission.

 

[RobJ]

I think the big question is how mini is mini. To mini and it won't be worth it. Just use a FEL or a BB. I know, something sweet about a crawler. But I think it would be easier and better to start with something close, but that needs a lot of work and can be had cheap.

I saw a Komatsu D20a in the back of a 16' tandom trailer. I don't think the tracks were 4.5-5' wide. Small enough to easily move around, heavy enough to do some real work.

Or something like this Davis to get you started. Simple belts, gas motor, some hydraulics.

 

[2manyrocks]

Did you notice in the Mini Dozer link that several guys asked for details on how to build one like it? I didn't see an answer.

Years ago, it seemed to me that Struck had a simple belt drive dozer, and then they switched to a larger, more complex, and more expensive machine.