Dozer vs. Tractor

[rtimgray]

There really is no comparison between a dozer and a tractor. I had the opportunity to get both of mine out yesterday for working in the front yard. I had to basically cut down a small mound (18") and re-level the yard so that the water drains away. I had worked the yard last year with my Kioti DK 45 and box blade and it took several hours to get the area right next to the house cut down. Of course, last fall I bought my Case 310G dozer.

I used the dozer to peel back the topsoil and put it in a pile beside the area to be cut down. Then I had to push out the clay dirt beneath and push it downhill (I didn't have too far to go - maybe 50 yards for the longest push). Anyway, this little dozer is about 30 hp and weighs about 9,000 lbs. I couldn't dig real deep, but I made some pretty good passes. I did with the dozer in 45 minutes what would have taken all day with the tractor.

I did have to use the tractor with box blade to smooth everything out when I was done - I am not anywhere close to being able to finish grade with the dozer. It just really amazes me what a little dozer can do, compared to a tractor. If you have any amount of dirt to move, stumps to dig, or trees to push, a dozer is definately the way to go (buy or rent depends on the situation).

Take care.

 

[Soundguy]

Too many people think a farm tractor with a grader blade or a box blade is a bull dozer.. then they end up abusing or breaking the farm tractor and are disattisfied with it because it isn't a bulldozer.. etc.

soundguy

 

[Brokermike]

I would love to buy a small dozer for stuff like that as well as to help with some small scale logging around the house. Do you mind if I ask what kind of shape it was in when you bought it (undercarriage etc) and rouhgly what you paid?

 

[rtimgray]

I had been looking for a grey market Komatsu or Mitsubishi when I found this one. I had been expecting to pay $10,000 to $12,000 for the grey market machine, and came across this little Case 310G for $5,300 (plus it was local - I was going to have to travel a bit to find a grey market machine). The undercarriage is about 80% or better.

The fella that I bought it from buys/sells/rents small dozers (had a fleet of 12 when I bought this one). He had gotten it from his brother that is a large used construction equipment parts dealer. It was in poor shape when Joe (who I bought it from) got it. He put on new gauges, seat, key switch, generator, air cleaner, lights and some other minor stuff. It wasn't in good enough shape to add to his rental fleet, so he decided to sell it.

If I have good batteries on it, it starts right up about to 30 degrees F. Colder than that and I have had to use starting fluid and jump start it (the old diesel takes alot of amps to crank over). It smokes just a little on start up, but clears up in a few minutes. It is a manual transmission 3-speed and reverse; I thought this might be a problem because I had only used powershifts before, but it' like second nature now.

This dozer is really the ticket that I had been looking for. I have a lot of woods that I need to clear out and several acres of brush/small tree clearing to do to reclaim some pastures. Make no mistake about it - I could definately use a bigger dozer to clear the pastures. However, I can do almost the same work as I have done with a Case 850, I just have to do it in smaller "bites".

Basically what I meant by starting this thread was that I am still amazed by the difference of tracks vs. wheels. My 30 hp dozer easily out pushes my 45 hp tractor (and probably a much bigger wheel tractor). Of course, my dozer can't run a bushhog, pull a plow or disc, run a post hole digger, etc. It's nice that I have the luxury of two machines. If I had to pick only one, it would be the tractor - put the dozer makes life a lot easier.

And at least I'll never have a flat tire on the dozer after running through the thorn thicket.

Take care.

 

[bz1]

Yes! I too have a small dozer, JD350 which is 42 hp. It has an 8 foot wide blade and will out work any sized skid steer and certainly any small tractor. I also have a reasonable sized skid steer with a 3/4 yard bucket. Whenever I have to move any un-worked dirt the dozer comes out and is used to move or at least pile it up. Then the skid steer can scoop it up and put it into the dump trailer behind the tractor. The perfect combination for a small hobby farmer with lots of landscape work to do. I wouldn't trade that dozer for any other machine as long as I have dirt projects. I won't even bother putting a loader on my 2520 tractor because that would be a toy compared to the skid steer much less the dozer. The only problem with an older dozer is that about every 3 years or so I have some major maintenance. The good think about a small dozer is that you can do all that stuff yourself.

 

[stumpfield]

.........
Basically what I meant by starting this thread was that I am still amazed by the difference of tracks vs. wheels. My 30 hp dozer easily out pushes my 45 hp tractor (and probably a much bigger wheel tractor). Of course, my dozer can't run a bushhog, pull a plow or disc, run a post hole digger, etc. It's nice that I have the luxury of two machines. If I had to pick only one, it would be the tractor - put the dozer makes life a lot easier.

I also have a little 30 hp dozer. Nortrac NB3500. This one has a 3 pt hitch and "CAN" run all those cat 1 implements...

 

[rtimgray]

How do you like the Nortrac dozer? I had not really considered that route when I was looking just because I thought that they would be too small (of course, I ended up buying a baby dozer and am very impressed with the capability, so there goes that line of thinking). Do you use the 3 point hitch much? I would think that it would be handy - just think, then I could bushhog the thorn bushes with a dozer and still not get flat tires!

I've never seen a Nortrac dozer personally, but I have seen several Chinese tractors. The ones I've seen seem a little rough around the edges, but certainly servicable, especially for the price.

 

[joe48]

"And at least I'll never have a flat tire on the dozer after running through the thorn thicket."

tHAT'S TRUE JUST DON'T THROW A TRACK OR YOU'LL WISH IT WAS A THORN IN A TIRE, BECUSE IT'LL BE A THORN IN YOUR B_TT!!! BTDT.

 

[plastikosmd]

I love little crawlers. I have had a couple of small ones that are just for really light work (struck, and the current mead that I am fixing, here mead in truck )
the little trackmaster I have is a beast, only 12.5hp wisconsin, weight is prob a bit over 2000 lbs, not sure..but it can push! (series of pics-before and after)
Crawler 1

 

[Gelu Botezan]

Hi Guys,
need some advice

I finally got out of the tractor vs dozer dilema and decided for a dozer, mini, tiny dozer! the work is on small properties like 1/2 1/4 acres, confined spaces around buildings, moving earth, planting material etc.
I found the struck corp's Magnatrac machines. Surprisingly I could not find recent threads about these tractors in order to get some user input on the matter.
Are these machines reliable for commercial use, like daily use or rental?
they would be used in Romania at the bottom of Europe.
Hope I do not disturb much.