Crawler

[tessiers]

Hopeing to fab up a cage this weekend, gonna be too cold to work outside anyway. I actually have a cage from an old forklift I saved for this project. I want to add 2 pipes down to the brush guard to deflect branches better. Tractors aren't dangerous in the woods the operators are, but I agree the crawler is more suited to it.

[Jerry/MT]

Hopeing to fab up a cage this weekend, gonna be too cold to work outside anyway. I actually have a cage from an old forklift I saved for this project. I want to add 2 pipes down to the brush guard to deflect branches better. Tractors aren't dangerous in the woods the operators are, but I agree the crawler is more suited to it.

Crawlers give you more margin for error and while I agree with your statement about operators, fatigue causes even the most safety conscious of us to take make some bad judgements. BTDT.

[tessiers]

Been there, done that. Good thing we don't have to pay for every corner we cut, but I agree sooner or later someone has to pay the fiddler. I cut off a finger with a porta band a couple years ago. My one liner now is "I done it 100 times, 99 it worked."

[arrow]

My personal opinion is that using a crawler in the woods is the safest method of doing what you intend to do. I would never want to use a rubber tired ag tractor to work in the woods. If it doesn't have a cage around the operator's station consider getting one. It helps with the widow makers!

I think you are referring to the rops and cage protection a dozer can provide and I cannot say I disagree with you in the least on this point. However there is part of your statement that I believe needs quantifying in that you think that this dozer is the "safest" method for what this individual is doing (logging). Dozers can give one a feeling of invincibility and this can lend into a false sense of security. On uneven terrain and an unexperienced operator, they can be one of the deadliest pieces of equipment in a woods setting. Dozers are not all that stable on uneven or ground obstructed land as nothing articulates on a dozer. Once a dozer obtains a certain threshold, it can go over very easily. A small dozers track is not that wide and a dozer tends to commit fully on whatever one side happens to step on so to speak as it entire track is one continuous line. If one is bringing a dozer into the woods, one has to be extremely aware of ground formation to a higher degree than bringing a tractor into the woods. Part of the reason my boss got rid of the one he had was because it got into some pretty dicey situations that if there were going to be driven by several operators, he did not care to take a chance with. Tread carefully with a dozer in the woods.

[Gale Hawkins]

Hey that is a cute machine. In its day when teams of mules were still somewhat common in some parts that was a lot of dozer. A 1600 cc engine only making 18 HP must have a lot of torque.

[Gordon Gould]

I think you are referring to the rops and cage protection a dozer can provide and I cannot say I disagree with you in the least on this point. However there is part of your statement that I believe needs quantifying in that you think that this dozer is the "safest" method for what this individual is doing (logging). Dozers can give one a feeling of invincibility and this can lend into a false sense of security. On uneven terrain and an unexperienced operator, they can be one of the deadliest pieces of equipment in a woods setting. Dozers are not all that stable on uneven or ground obstructed land as nothing articulates on a dozer. Once a dozer obtains a certain threshold, it can go over very easily. A small dozers track is not that wide and a dozer tends to commit fully on whatever one side happens to step on so to speak as it entire track is one continuous line. If one is bringing a dozer into the woods, one has to be extremely aware of ground formation to a higher degree than bringing a tractor into the woods. Part of the reason my boss got rid of the one he had was because it got into some pretty dicey situations that if there were going to be driven by several operators, he did not care to take a chance with. Tread carefully with a dozer in the woods.

And he didn't mention what happens when you get on just a little bit of ice that has the slightest slope to it unless you got caulks.

[arrow]

^ Exactly. It is astounding on what can "upset" a dozer considering its seemingly unstoppability otherwise. For a real pucker factor, high center one on a stump next to an embankment.

[Jerry/MT]

^ Exactly. It is astounding on what can "upset" a dozer considering its seemingly unstoppability otherwise. For a real pucker factor, high center one on a stump next to an embankment.

And none of these things happen with the typically higher center of gravity rubber tired ag tractor?

[tessiers]

I have run equipment all my adult life, been on most types and anything with that much weight that low to the ground is pretty stable. Every machine has its tipping point, thats where a brain comes in handy. I mow hay with an old farmall narrow front, they say they are tippy, but I never rolled that over. If they still made narrow fronts I would buy one. I did roll a 4x4 tractor hauling wood around a bend in a twitch trail, slight incline, trees fetched up and over we went fast as you can think about it. I don't believe a crawler would have rolled over in that instance. I took a ride on a crawler once down a camp road, got it turned sideways and away we went on 36 ice skates, didn't roll but I bout **** my drawers. Point is I understand the machines and work accordingly. I was more interested in the mechanics of the machine.

[Gale Hawkins]

That is a nice looking dozer that is older than me. Have you been out push snow or just playing?