Small Dozer under 10,000 lbs ... do they exist?

[4570Man]

can't spell it but a good operator on a 150 tak skid can do as much as one on D3 dozer

That is not going to happen. A d3 weighs close to double what that skid steer weighs. Doing any serious earth moving a d3 will eat that skid steers lunch.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

That is not going to happen. A d3 weighs close to double what that skid steer weighs. Doing any serious earth moving a d3 will eat that skid steers lunch.

Yup, the guy on the D-3 would have to be sound asleep! lol

I have a Case 450,

I haul it on my trailer rated for 12K...and no the trailer is not maxed out!

SR

 

[jenkinsph]

Here is the laser to get.

Spectra Precision Laser LL500 Exterior Self-Leveling Laser Level With HL700 Receiver - Rotary Lasers - Amazon.com

A slope laser is what is needed unless everything you do is level and flat.

 

[jenkinsph]

Can anyone point out a few machines that I could look at? I am considering picking up a small dozer as my business expands. But I would like something that I could trailer around easily. I am rated to pull around 18,000 pounds but would like to keep the machine under 10K on a 14K trailer (trailer would weigh around 3K).

Or... Would a tracked skid steer with a dozer blade be okay for site grading? I'm worried that the skid steer would be prone to the same issues that a tractor has: due to where the loader connects, when the blade would start digging it would cause the machine to dip and dig in ... Whereas the dozers short arms would keep the machine level and be more efficient.

Thoughts and/or recommendations?

A much cheaper alternative would be a to use your box blade and add a mast, laser receiver indicate system and a good slope laser. There are some pretty good receivers with a remote for the cab so you don't have to turn around to see what is happening. For small sites a $2000 laser and a $1000 receiver with remote display would help a lot with grading.

I grade some larger fields and use a Topcon RL200 2/s laser with a range of 1800' radius and use the Topcon LSB110 receivers which work with automatic machine control. This stuff is costly but it does help with grading accuracy and can be used on larger tractors if you upgrade later.

Working in town on lots that need finish grading primarily your existing box blade should work very well. You just need to add a pipe mast and 30 lbs of electronics.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

The kind that Steve linked tie into the hydraulics and level the cutting edge on the fly.

Notice that it is using a Spectra laser and the HL700 receiver.

For machine control you want the spectra CR600 receiver.

Anyway, this is the set-up I want to buy for my rear box blade.

 

[TSO]

A much cheaper alternative would be a to use your box blade and add a mast, laser receiver indicate system and a good slope laser. There are some pretty good receivers with a remote for the cab so you don't have to turn around to see what is happening. For small sites a $2000 laser and a $1000 receiver with remote display would help a lot with grading.

I grade some larger fields and use a Topcon RL200 2/s laser with a range of 1800' radius and use the Topcon LSB110 receivers which work with automatic machine control. This stuff is costly but it does help with grading accuracy and can be used on larger tractors if you upgrade later.

Working in town on lots that need finish grading primarily your existing box blade should work very well. You just need to add a pipe mast and 30 lbs of electronics.

I do lots of grading with the boxblade, and it does work well for the price. But it's not always the right tool, especially when adjusting side slopes. I'd try a 4-in-1 blade on my tractor, but I just don't think I could get enough traction with a CUT like mine.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I do lots of grading with the boxblade, and it does work well for the price. But it's not always the right tool, especially when adjusting side slopes. I'd try a 4-in-1 blade on my tractor, but I just don't think I could get enough traction with a CUT like mine.

The Spectra GL522 and HL750 radio receiver does side slopes.

Trimble - Heavy Civil Construction - Construction Machine Control - Spectra Precision Laser GL512 and GL522

 

[TSO]

The Spectra GL522 and HL750 radio receiver does side slopes.

Trimble - Heavy Civil Construction - Construction Machine Control - Spectra Precision Laser GL512 and GL522

Looks cool ... That would be fine on a front blade (not on a tractor tho...) But not on a boxblade.

Especially without down pressure

 

[Dozernut]

The Komatsu dozers, specifically the D20, 21 series weigh in under 10,000 lbs. These are good little dozers that will really put out the work. Do a search on the D20p6 or D21-A for a sampling, parts are readily available and they are fairly easy to work on.

 

[jenkinsph]

I do lots of grading with the boxblade, and it does work well for the price. But it's not always the right tool, especially when adjusting side slopes. I'd try a 4-in-1 blade on my tractor, but I just don't think I could get enough traction with a CUT like mine.

If you have enough work on side slopes a small dozer would be a good choice. I had a Deere 450 years ago and pulled it with a dump truck. One thing I learned about this business is you can only drive one piece at a time, the more you have the more is sitting. You can hire employees if you can find ones that are worth it. Good luck with the decisions.