Dozer Opinions

[rutwad]

Not sure how much would be involved in maintaining a MX track, but I feel certain a JD 450, Cat D3 or similar sized others would suffice.

 

[Todd727]

I have a 1.25 mile track on our place. I used a Cat 931C (~D4 with a 4-way bucket) to build a lot of it and gather dirt for jumps, push large trees and bury debris. That being said, once it's built, I found that surface maintenance is easier handled with the tractor pulling a disk and then a do-all for finishing.

Rebuilding jumps, berms, etc can be handled with a large CTL. The advantage is I can use the correct attachment for what I need to accomplish. The bucket for moving dirt, a 6-way blade for shaping, I built a limb saw for cutting overhangs through the woods and the grapple is perfect for picking up downed trees and limbs. My next project will be using a dirt pan to get some more dirt moved and help with drainage in a couple of sections.

If you need a dozer, rent one. No denying they are fun to run, but unless you have a lot of other uses, they end up sitting once you are done.

 

[ultrarunner]

Once I put in all the fire trails and fire breaks the annual maintenance took for 6 hours...

The nice thing having the D3 was I could do the job on my schedule and just when the soil conditions were optimal.

Also kind of expensive to rent a dozer for a day with transportation both ways... at least here in the city limits.

Kept it for 17 years... sad to see it go and sold it almost for what I paid.

Two years later my brother buys a ranch and needs a dozer... so I found him a nice JD 350C and he doesn't use it a lot but it has a nice barn to keep it out of the elements...

Sure like the work my D3 did... just the right size for me.

The JD350 is much more stable sitting down between the tracks compared to high above... and the 350 can by moved with the equipment we have.

 

[lucky llama]

I have a JD450. The reason I went for this size is that its is the biggest I can tow with the trucks and trailers I have. There is a lot to be said for DYI mobility.

 

[todd92]

Thanks for all the comments. I'm shopped for dozers and they are just too much money to get anything in decent shape. I'm now looking very seriously at CTL's. For my needs, which size class would be best, for lack of a better term they come in 3 sizes, I'm leaning towards the large size.

 

[Birdhunter1]

I was just getting ready to mention a tracked skidsteer would probably be a handier tool than a dozer. I'm more familiar with Bobcat's than other brands and while I'm not an MX racer or know anything about it I haven't seen any tracks that couldn't be maintained by a ctl. Minimum I'd go for a T-180/T-190 as it could be pulled by a half ton truck on a good trailer, and it puts power to the ground very well. Most everything I've done in the dirt I could have done with a T-180. A T-250 or T300 are also very powerful machines, bigger than a T 180/190 and you will definitely need a 3/4 ton or larger truck, they are wider than the 180/190 but for the work you will be doing you won't have a problem maneuvering the machine around and while they are heavier I don't think turf damage is a factor for you. The 180 and 250 are both radial lift machines meaning when the bucket is raised it raises in an arc, the 190 and 300 machines are vertical lift meaning the bucket goes straight up. Vertical lift has a higher lift rating but I haven't seen anything a 300 will lift that a 250 won't, it comes in handier loading trucks as there is a further reach when the bucket is up and dumping.
The 180/190 will be easier on fuel, I prefer a wider track than a narrower track on a machine but that alone wouldn't be a deal breaker buying one.

 

[Todd727]

Thanks for all the comments. I'm shopped for dozers and they are just too much money to get anything in decent shape. I'm now looking very seriously at CTL's. For my needs, which size class would be best, for lack of a better term they come in 3 sizes, I'm leaning towards the large size.

Biggest one you can afford. I run the New Holland C238, which is their largest, but I also run a forestry mulcher and a high flow brush mower.

 

[mikester]

You don't really say what you want to use the machine for. Unless you are trim grading tight spaces in a subdivision bigger is better.

Consider renting a machine by the week or month. You get a maintained newer machine and the headaches are somebody else's problems.