Nortrac Dozer

[mitchash]

Anyone have any experience (good or bad) with the Nortrac, Overland, small dozers? Thanks

 

[George2615]

I've been curious too. I have seen the one in the Northern Tool catalog and was wondering if anyone has one. It's small at 6600# but it does have a 30HP diesel, 6 way blade, and a PTO for the backhoe as well. I think it would be the perfect size for small jobs.

 

[Highbeam]

On small dozers in general, the uses for them are not too many. They are well suited for fine grading and minor grading of trails and such. I owned a 45hp 10,000 lb dozer and even that was too small for pushing trees over or for just setting the blade low and ramming into the brush.

I wouldn't buy a smaller dozer than 10,000 lbs and I surely wouldn't buy one with rubber tracks.

 

[EddieWalker]

I agree with Highbeam,

A dozer that small isn't gonna acomplish much of anything. It's too light to dig dirt, to small to move anything and is just about useless for clearing brush. Trees are out of the question.

Before you even think about buying a dozer, be sure you know exactly what you are buying it for. There is a reason for the various sizes. Each has their advantages.

Never buy one because you think it's affordable and will be fun. A day on that littel toy and you'll be wondering how in the world will you find somebody to take it off your hands without loosing everything you spent on it.

Eddie

 

[BarryinMN]

I looked at them 3-4 years ago. There is a market for them on the West Coast by landscapers. Northern had a few returns (and new) in their Corp HQ here in the Twin Cities. The tractor assembly & repair area looked to be about the size of a large JD 5 star operation. Parts warehouse also seemed to contain everything.

I did drive them - foot steer & stick steer - around and read the owners manual. Main impressions is a small operators station especially foot steer petals. I recall they were 6-7K lbs so fairly transportable. Clutches burning up due to mis-adjustment is a maintenance point although new units had a hydraulic reverser option.

Biggest drawback was the tracks made from soft steel chronically stretched. Manual said to remove a link when the track stretched beyond adjustment.

I looked at the total cost of ownership and bought a '68 JD350 with a QT backhoe for $10K. Figured I'd have 10 buyers lined up to buy it if I ever want to sell it. So far it's been handy as a shirt pocket and far more stable pulling or pushing on sidehills than a tractor.

Couple of weeks ago I went down a new trail I made over the winter. 1st ride with the gator this year & promptly got mired in mud. Considered my options - no shovel, no winch, or boots on for that matter. Climbed off the front of the machine went up & got boots on then to the barn got the crawler went down to the gator & chained it to the front blade & lifted it up out of the mud & backed up the trail to open ground. Didn't break a sweat /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

My trails are dozer width and twisty to keep kids speed down.

 

[John White]

A few years back I looked at them very serously. The type of work I was doing, I needed a very small dozer (one I could load on my skid steer trailer) . (Every one has a big dozer and I wanted to get into a line of work that it was not feezable for larger dozeers or jobs that were too small for them to fool with. The Nortrac (also sold under a dozen different other names) seemed practical. It was around $12,000. and it would be new with a warranty and I really liked the 3 point hitch. And I felt I wouldnt be getting someones else old worn out dozer. Education does not come cheap and I learned almost the hard way. I was really hot on this dozer idea. I found a dealer that had 4 of them sittilng on his back lot and he made me a price I almost couldnt refuse. When I really got him pinned down about the reliabilty and who would do the warranty work and thats when things fell apart. He said he was being suied for every one he sold and they had alot of trouble. I still wasnt satisfied. I found and talked to three or four different people who owned one. They had alot of track problems, they had problems with the blades brakeing, they had problems with the transmission. Finally I saw the writing on the wall. So my next choice in the same price range, and smallest was a JD 350 a Case 350 which are no longer made. The used Mits. and Komatsu were just appearing at that time and they were getting top dollar. I have had three small dozers in the past ten years. The first thing I learned was if it is painted yellow, you had better have a pocket full of the green when you needed parts or repairs. My first dozer was a Massey Furgerson 200D with a perkins diesel and a little ripper on the rear. I had to do quite a bit of work to it to get it in tip top shape. They no longer make it and parts were very hard to come by. I used it for a few years and someone came along and offered me a hansome profit on what I paid for it and what I had in it. I though a little Case 350 would do what I wanted to do, so I found one with very low hours. Parts were available for it and I had it for a few years. I didnt like the steering system in it. It just has a brake band which locks up one track when you want to turn and not a true clutch disengagement. I sold it and made a little money. I then ran across a 1965 (old enough to vote) Allis chalmers HD4. A church had owned it for many years and it was kept inside and was in very good shape. I feel that Allis chalmers was way ahead in compareing it with the other dozers. Yes I know they have not made them for years. But I have been able to find any part Ive needed so far. I love the leg room compared to other dozers. You have the radiator that sits right under the dash, and the fan can be reversed in winter and warm air wil blow on you. They are very easy to work on compared to the other dozers. It is small enough I can haul it on my skid steer trailer. I use it quite alot. All of these dozers will beat you to death if you are on them all day and your arms will feel like they are about to fall off. So at my age I might start looking around for one of the new small Komatsu or the Mitbushi. One of thease dozers might be your best bet if you want something that small. But I would stay away from the Chinese dozer, (thats where the Nortrac is made) also sold under the name of Rino and a few other names.

 

[flyons78]

I love the concept of the Nortrac 35xtd. It's the perfect size for my property and also love that it has a 3pt hitch and PTO. The only thing that scares me is the brand and where it's made. I fear that one day I may never find parts or people to service it in the event of a breakdown. Can anyone recommend a similar dozer with a better name that has the same features as the 35xtd (CatI hitch, PTO, 6way blade, etc)?

 

[fried1765]

I agree with Highbeam,

A dozer that small isn't gonna acomplish much of anything. It's too light to dig dirt, to small to move anything and is just about useless for clearing brush. Trees are out of the question.

Before you even think about buying a dozer, be sure you know exactly what you are buying it for. There is a reason for the various sizes. Each has their advantages.

Never buy one because you think it's affordable and will be fun. A day on that littel toy and you'll be wondering how in the world will you find somebody to take it off your hands without loosing everything you spent on it.

Eddie

Truer words were never spoken !!!!

 

[BrokenTrack]

I love the concept of the Nortrac 35xtd. It's the perfect size for my property and also love that it has a 3pt hitch and PTO. The only thing that scares me is the brand and where it's made. I fear that one day I may never find parts or people to service it in the event of a breakdown. Can anyone recommend a similar dozer with a better name that has the same features as the 35xtd (CatI hitch, PTO, 6way blade, etc)?

The John Deere 350 has a PTO and had 3 point hitches, but the latter can be difficult to find. I ended up making my own, and it was a handy tractor, but even at being the newest made (1988 John Deere 350D) it was just too old and seemed to always need a lot of work. To get the pto, a person just needs to get the winch drive shaft, a splined collar, the back plate with bearing and they are all set. Mine cost me $250 used. The spline is 21, but an adapter for $16 will get it down to 540 if you need too.

They say with bulldozers, your best day ever is the day you buy one, and the day you sell it; truer words have never been spoken. I was not upset to see that one go down the road on someone else's lowbed!