Another Mini-Dozer

[buggyman1]

Man, she really looks good (daughter aint bad either). This is one best builds i've seen here, or anywhere else. Great job!!! Count me in for the drill press also.

 

[rawinok2]

It looks like the control levers might be a little on the short side, you might be hunched over while operating. Have you tested it for comfort?

No, I need to finish up a few more things, like for example, the wiring, before I test run it. My daughter said that the somewhat sharp corners on the top might be a problem for my legs (they are ultra sensitive because of the skin graft harvesting they did there when I was burned). I am thinking of making some foot rests that would raise my feet up about 6", thus making some clearance between the machine and my thighs.

If you can not see the thingie circled in red below... I'll writeup some directions to change your browser so you can see it.

Thanks for the advice, but I must confess, I goofed. I have a habit of reading the replies before I log on. As I'm sure you know, when one is not logged on, the quote thingies can't be seen....duh. Sorry for your trouble

I thought it looked good before! Have you thought about a belt guard on that primary belt?

Yes, I was thinking of maybe making something out of slotted sheet metal to cover both sides of the engine compartment.That might also help keep any rodents from getting in there and gnawing through the wiring (I've had it happen before on my lawn tractor !).

My Dozer mechanic said keep the track tight enough to stay on... any tighter increases undercarriage wear.
I had my D3 tracks too tight the first time I did it...
You will probably have to make several small adjustments as everything wears in...
As too belts... some are much better than others.
I used to have lots of belt problems back in the 1980's... then I switched to Dayco gator-back premium belts and have not had to change one since...
Some of the industrial belts are quite good.
Great project by the way and outstanding craftsmanship!

Thanks for both the advice and the information. It's great to have "the experts" on board !

]Rawinok, When you get some down time away from your excellent fabrication, will you post some more details of how you slowed down your drill press. Ever since I saw that, it's been eating at me to do the same thing to mine.

I'm adding my"aye" to that proposal!:thumbsup:

It's funny where ones mind goes at times when you let it. When I posted that info earlier and did not get much feedback, I assumed that I had posted some worthless information... something that was already common knowlegde to everyone. Sure, I'll do what I can to make it clearer.

Wow, I must say the dozer just became the second most interesting thing in the thread. Your daughter sir, is beautiful!

After witnessing what her father has accomplished I'd wager she is brilliant and talented as well!:thumbsup:

Thanks, she'll be tickled to read these comments ! Yes, although they might question it at times, my two daughters are truly my first pride and joy. Not my toys !

Wow that dozer looks great! I love the controls and gauges. Nicely done. :thumbsup:How are the tracks working out? Did you let your daughter take it for a test run?!

Many thanks to you and everyone for your great comments ! As stated earlier, "test run day" is rapidly approaching. If all is well, then someday soon, you'll probably see one daughter digging with my back hoe while the other backfills with the dozer on U-tube (just need that camera advice.... do I need to pay $50 or $500 to get a decent quality moving picture ? I'm somewhat behind the times on such matters!). :anyone:

In the words of Red Green,"If they dont find you handsome then they should find you handy" By seeing the dozer your daughter must of gotten her looks from her Mother. LOL:laughing::laughing: Chris

Chris: Thanks for what my mother(G.r.h.s.) would call "a back-handed compliment".

..So that wasnt the photoshoot for the commercial sales brochure...

Ya know, I wouldn't mind giving Struck some competition ! Only if I hadn't already used so many of their ideas! :mur:

Seems very well proportioned (speaking of the dozer, of course).

I think she'll appreciate the compliment....her boyfriend....not so much!

I sort of hated to bring it up, since you've got so much work in it already, but felt the need to point out that there might be issues here. Some quotes I've seen on this:"[At least changing the belts on my tractor] wasn't as bad as a Struck mini-dozer...I know those all too well." "[they are an awesome] little machine when they work right lol the belts are a pain in the @$$." "The belts, unless you have real thin arms, are a pain to change.""I took a gear box from a small roller to eliminate some belts."

I've installed and removed them several times now and all I can say is, they are a pain to change out but not, for example, as difficult as changing out the spark plugs on my daughters old Pontiac Grand Prix ! Hopefully, by spending a little more for premium belts, making sure the pulleys are aligned and perhaps using that belt dressing they sell, I can keep the belt changing to a minimum! Hey, I really appreciate your input !

 

[JoelD]

First, beautiful family! As the dad of an 8 year old mini-boss myself, I always get a kick out of father daughter stuff. I've got a picture out there somewhere of the mini-boss running the backhoe, fun stuff.

Camera, if you are looking to post vids on youtube and the like and are not looking for production quality, no need for 90% of us to be honest, then just about any digital camera will work. I highly recommend the Nikon coolpix s8100, wife has one and sister in law has one and they are excellent. Shop around and you can find for less than $250.

They take excellent still photos and you could probably shoot a TV commercial with the video. Super easy to use and very high quality. They get excellent reviews.

Amazon.com: nikon - coolpix s8100

Can't wait to see the machine in action!!!! Seriously, can't wait.

Great post and amazing build.

The one thing I don't like about such posts is it reminds the majority of us how little talent we have.

Agreed on tracks comment, don't want to promote wear. Most dozers have springs along rails to permit stuff to run between chain and drive gear or idler. I'm late in the game and I'd expect that point to be irrelevant for you if not already considered.

Amazing project, almost afraid to ask what other stuff you've made from scratch? I'm guessing the car you drive along with your refrigerator, washing machine and small jet airplane?

Sincerely,
Joel (wish I could weld like rawinok2) D.

 

[chad22]

Nice looking Dozer there. :thumbsup: Wanna Start a mini Dozer factory? Your daughter could be in the ads.

I know I'd hire her to star in the commercials and print catalogs.

Chad

 

[ericher69]

Just a few days away from taking it out for a spin ! I plan on putting it up on blocks and running it so that I can observe all the moving parts. Maybe I can catch a small problem before it becomes a big one. Does anyone have any experience with track tension ? Advice would be appreciated ! I don't have a video camera but hope to get one for my birthday on November the 8th ! Any advice on what inexpensive camera I can buy so that a video can be posted on "You Tube", would also be appreciated !
Also, I need more tutoring on listing multiple quotes. I don't see the check mark on the lower right hand corner that can be toggled on and off ! I guess it's just some of my Polish heritage shining thru . I had a comment for the fellow who implied that the multiple belt driven units were problematic and became obsolete when the transaxle units were introduced. I did some research and found that when the hydraulic driven units came out in the 1990's, the transaxle units became obsolete. Struck re-introduced the belt driven design in 2002 to sell as their least expensive machine and today markets the all-belt "RS1000" along with their hydraulic driven units.
One of my daughters stopped by for a visit yesterday afternoon and I asked her if she would like to pose for a photo shoot on my latest project. The results are below...

Camera opinion;

If u don't already own one...

Smart phone such as iPhone 4 or 4s

Purchased one just after my son was born and it was the best purchase ever! It allows me to not only have a phone on my hip but also a 5 megapixel camera with flash and an HD video camera that can also post directly to YouTube if needed!

If you want a straight video camera look at the Sony hard drive cams or memory stick cams start around $200 for non HD

http://store.sony.ca/webapp/wcs/sto...ryId=1000079&N=4294960141#/handycamCamcorders

Not trying to push any products; only products I've had good experiences with

 

[teg]

Thanks for the advice, but I must confess, I goofed. I have a habit of reading the replies before I log on. As I'm sure you know, when one is not logged on, the quote thingies can't be seen....duh. Sorry for your trouble...

I see from your last post, you have multi-quote down pat and it was no trouble at all, it might help someone else. I'll put in my "attaboy, Great build" comment, too. :thumbsup:

 

[Short Game]

I am thinking of making some foot rests that would raise my feet up about 6", thus making some clearance between the machine and my thighs.

Freeway pegs! Extend those levers to make some ape hangers. Let's get in the wind. :thumbsup:

 

[Renze]

Freeway pegs! Extend those levers to make some ape hangers. Let's get in the wind. :thumbsup:

Seems a bit uncomfortable, given his shoulder condition... :-\

 

[brokenot]

I've been using a $60 Kodak Zi6 for YouTube stuff for years. It was discontinued and replaced by the Zi8, which was subsequently replaced by something else...

Anyhoo, my cheapo Zi6 will record in 720p HD, but for YouTube clips that isn't necessary. No, the $50 range offerings won't produce "studio-quality" results, but you don't need "studio quality" for YouTube.

Here are a couple of my clips, watch them full-screen and switch back and forth among the video quality selections from the drop-down menu. 480P and 720P can be selected.:

CO-OP on the hook... - YouTube

up close and personal with the De Le Vergne - YouTube

I bought this Kodak Zi6 before smart phones were all the rage, and I couldn't be happier with it. While I was video camera shopping, I watched several side-by-side comparisons on YouTube. The Kodak was under consideration, as well as one of the Flip Video models, and also one of the Vado models from Creative Labs. The most informative comparison I saw, was one in which the user mounted the cameras side-by-side on a hat or helmet and just walked around with them recording. Then he put the videos up split-screen, so you could compare how they performed under the exact same lighting, noise, etc. conditions. The videos played split-screen, and you could toggle back and forth between them to hear the sound they captured and reproduced.

While the video quality was very similar among them, the Flip and Vado sounded tinny and cheap.

(I watch machinery videos on our desktop mainly. While my laptop and iPad have good video displays, our office desktop pc has a good sound card and set of Altec Lansing speakers with a powered subwoofer. I like to hear what's on the clips as realistically as possible, and tiny laptop or tablet speakers just aren't up to the task. It's like watching a movie while listening to it on a transistor radio...)

 

[beppington]

I've been using a $60 Kodak Zi6 for YouTube stuff for years. It was discontinued and replaced by the Zi8, which was subsequently replaced by something else...

Wow, those are good quality videos! :thumbsup: Better than most on youtube that I've seen.