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

[TSO]

Yeah my truck itself weighs about 9300, so I have to keep the trailer under 16,700. So, loading up on a 14k is going to be my only option if I want to stay under 26001.

 

[DavesTractor]

Yeah my truck itself weighs about 9300, so I have to keep the trailer under 16,700. So, loading up on a 14k is going to be my only option if I want to stay under 26001.

I do not think this is correct. Your GVWR on your truck is probably 16,000, but you would have to check your tag. If you get a trailer rated 14k, your are in the CDL range as your GCWR would be 30k. From the helpful post quoting Michigan law on this, it appears you really can't haul much with your truck without getting into the CDL range.

States differ, but many of them have a caveat when it comes to hauling over 10k on a trailer that makes it real easy to get into the CDL area.

 

[jim goulet]

I just sold a CASE 310 dozer with winch, it weighed approximately 7,300 lbs and had a 188" diesel engine. The reason for selling was that the tracks tore the ground up badly, and I found myself
constantly back dragging over my tracks. If you have to have a small dozed, these are sweet to own.

 

[GManBart]

I agree, but it isn't that big of a deal to get a Class A CDL. If you have an F450 and a lot of equipment, it's nice to legally be able to haul heavier loads. I can put my Takeuchi TL130 track loader and my TL125 mini-excavator, both at the same time, on my tandem dually gooseneck behind my Dodge 3500 dually and haul them to a job legally. If I tried to stay under 10k on trailer weight, I'd probably not even be able to haul just the TL130 legally as it weighs a little over 8k as equipped and a light duty 10k trailer would probably weigh over 2000 lbs. A small trailer is just very limiting.

I certainly understand the concept of wanting to stay under the CDL threshold, stay out of the scales, avoid the medical certificate, etc. It is a hassle no doubt.

I think the bigger issue might be that plate fees and insurance go up significantly once you're dealing with a CDL truck and trailer. I know a 12 month commercial plate for my F800 at 36K is almost $700, and insurance would be about the same. If I went up so that I could add a trailer, it would get more expensive, and the insurance would jump quite a bit as well. For someone doing it every day it makes sense, but for once or twice a month it would be harder to justify.

 

[GManBart]

I do not think this is correct. Your GVWR on your truck is probably 16,000, but you would have to check your tag. If you get a trailer rated 14k, your are in the CDL range as your GCWR would be 30k. From the helpful post quoting Michigan law on this, it appears you really can't haul much with your truck without getting into the CDL range.

States differ, but many of them have a caveat when it comes to hauling over 10k on a trailer that makes it real easy to get into the CDL area.

Yep....it's the GVWR, rather than curb weight, which drives CDL requirements.

 

[jenkinsph]

I do not think this is correct. Your GVWR on your truck is probably 16,000, but you would have to check your tag. If you get a trailer rated 14k, your are in the CDL range as your GCWR would be 30k. From the helpful post quoting Michigan law on this, it appears you really can't haul much with your truck without getting into the CDL range.

States differ, but many of them have a caveat when it comes to hauling over 10k on a trailer that makes it real easy to get into the CDL area.

I agree with the above, it isn't the actual weight of truck and trailer (which I thought made more sense) but is the rated capacities. I bought an F550 which has a gvwr of 19,000 lbs and a dump trailer with 14,000 lb rating which brought me up to 33,000 lbs gcwr. That put me well into the cdl territory but my actual weight empty is close to 14,000 lbs. While I never was stopped it still bothered me enough that I got the cdl and stopped worrying about it.

 

[DavesTractor]

I think the bigger issue might be that plate fees and insurance go up significantly once you're dealing with a CDL truck and trailer. I know a 12 month commercial plate for my F800 at 36K is almost $700, and insurance would be about the same. If I went up so that I could add a trailer, it would get more expensive, and the insurance would jump quite a bit as well. For someone doing it every day it makes sense, but for once or twice a month it would be harder to justify.

So true. I think it is about $1000/year to pay for 40k tags on our 1 ton in California. But we haul daily, so it might add just a few dollars per delivery. If I hauled once a month, that would be substantial. On insurance, if a guy is doing work for hire and owns his own business, he ought to have fairly high limits anyway.

 

[TSO]

You guys are right ... I remember I went with a 10k trailer (actually it's 9999lbs rated) to stay below GVW requirements (my truck is 16000, so in theory that keeps me at 25,999). I don't deal with CMV regs often enough to remember (embarrassed)

Hmm... So I'm gonna be over 26k regardless if I get a 14k trailer...

 

[moriboy]

I have a Komatsu D21, mid 1990's vintage. My dad has a late 70/s JD 350C and I like the Komatsu better. Parts are easy to get, it sips fuel, and the blade controls are very quick and precise.

 

[TSO]

I have a Komatsu D21, mid 1990's vintage. My dad has a late 70/s JD 350C and I like the Komatsu better. Parts are easy to get, it sips fuel, and the blade controls are very quick and precise.

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/files/buying-pricing-comparisons/438729-small-dozer-under-10-000-a-img_0345-jpg"/>

I like the looks of that... Can you tell me about what it does well, and what it doesn't?