Buy a dozer?

Taylortractornut · Jun 2, 2004

I ll tell you my opinion on one machine for clearing if you can only get one is a track/crawler loader. They can dig stumps a bit more messy than an excavator, load trucks do long Load haul dump excavations like a small pond or basement. A haigh reach for pushing trees. The toothed edges are great for raking and you can even get a staking/grubbing rake at that. And you can do some pretty good grading with one to. I have used dozers wheel loaders, track loaders, modified skidders, excavators and backhoes all clearing and if I had to buy just one it would have to be a loader. I just helped a friend of mine remove25 bog oak trees with his 550 JD track loader. His has a 4in1 for loading trash and improved grading.
A track loader isnt the perfect machine for all the jobs but it does alot of jobs well. Ive used a D66E Komatsu rear engine loader of 2.75 yard capacity with a regular bucket for clearing 125 acres of trees and stupms and under brush and it made the job easier. I built a rake to go on the loader to help rake the smaller brush and under brush areas, I also dug 2 1/4 acre lakes several jeep sized boulders,2 70by70 by45 foot deep excavations for under ground tanks by loading into haul trucks.
We also used them in the past for building pads rough them in with the loader then compact them and fine grade with a motor grader or a big tractor and blade. Like I said earlier they dont do every thing as well as a purpose built machine but its a good machine to do a mix of work with.

neilly2 · Jun 2, 2004

Tractornut,

You n I are gonna bang heads. You sound like a buddy o mine that I argue non stop with about track loaders. He swears they're the perfect machine. I say they do a little bit of everything and a lot of nothin. Of course I ate a little crow when I had to borrow his to get me out of a pinch.

Now did you clear that 120 acres with just you and loader? We don't want to be handing out false hope.

Hap · Jun 3, 2004

I grew up in the grading business and sold Caterpillar equipment here in the south and I know that you can do the clearing yourself. You do not need an army of laborers and other equipment. Buy yourself a good used Cat D6 or get a used Cat 953 or 963 loader and get it done. Do not use an excavator. Why? Because you can't level the ground up after pulling stumps. All the contractors I know who specialze in land clearing use dozers with a root rake or a stinger blade.
As for repairs and maintenance, I would rather work on a dozer than a car any day. Buy a good machine that still has over 50% undercarriage that's been checked out by a heavy equipment mechanic. Call the service mgr @ Thompson Greene about getting a mechanic to look it over. Also talk to them about buying a machine. What you need is a D6B,D6C, or D6D. You could go as far back as a D6-9U but that is probably too old.
You could also get a front end loader. The easiest loaders to learn to operate would be a Cat 953 or 963. They have excellent visibility of the bucket and would would be easier to learn than a dozer.
Pricing: I think you could find a solid D6 for $25000. Look in Equipment Trader and Rock & Dirt, published in Crossville, Tn.
I've been around this stuff for over 40 years and I have no doubt you can learn to do it. Just go slow and be careful.

Buzz_Sawyer · Jun 3, 2004

Taylor and hap
You both have been to the same school I have, "If it can be done , then I can do it"
I believe my ancestors cleared and virgin plowed, and farmed over 100 acres of virgin old growth hardwood timber....now that was with mules (if you were rich) and stump pulling rigs that pulled up with tri-pod and a ox , otherwise using shovels and picks and whatever means....many people cleared and pioneered much more land with only thier family and neighbors...from the beginig of recorded history!!!!
This is no fable or unbelievaable story it is the fact how this nation developed as a n agrarian society up to 50-60 years ago...
I cleared my place off with a d-6 as you mentioned hap, and if you float carefully you can clear brush too and leave most of the soil....
Taylor I know you could do it , if someone were to tell ya you couldnt....but you would probably break the mules neck!

coopers · Jun 3, 2004

What's wrong with him buying a dozer with a brush rake and using it, then we he needs to dig the stumps out and stuff, rent a trackhoe? I think that everyone's ideas were all good and they all work either way. Just depends on the person's opinion, experience and how they prefer to get things done. Some are faster with trackhoes than with dozers, some visa-versa or some are just good with any machine. In the end, it's your decision, you're money. My parents had land cleared with a track/loader and a 490E trackhoe and a guy chain sawing. I'd think that having a trackhoe, and a dozer with a brush rake and if possible, someone chain sawing would be the quickest way. But that's just a thought. I worked for someone for 3 yrs. who was stubborn as hell and only used one stupid machine for EVERY type of job. A case extendahoe backhoe with a thumb. Good machine, good for certain things, but not everything. So I have this thing were I try to suggest using as many machines possible (keeping in mind money etc) so that the job can be done neatly and quickly. Oh well, let us know what u do.

Blake
WA

Taylortractornut · Jun 3, 2004

Your right on the little of every thing whole lot of nothing part for doing all the work. It took 6 months the 120 acres by myself. There wasnt alot of big hard woods, mostly 30 inch pine which we sold to the local loggers. THe rake sped things up a bit plus the terrain was pretty flat and we were allowed to burn out brush. I did have a hand on a D4 C poking the fires for me so I could clear. Before the rake I could may be clear 2 to 4 acres a day depending on rocks and the weather. The price i had to pay was an undercarriage because of the faster speeds and the narrow swath,Also i did break the original bucket once digging on a big stump and lost a few teeth in the rocks. One big helper to me was the fact we dealt with whole trees to adding leverage. Now when im in big stumps and not alot of under brush Ill take a 300 Komatsu if I have a haul truck or a dozer to move my stump piles. If theres alot of stumps and under brush Ill take a D9G and a stinger blader with a Rome disc like Weyerhauser uses on their plots. I dont mean to but heads but it depends on the type of use of the machine and the job.

MF1455v · Jun 7, 2004

Do you have any winerys close by. If so you might check with them before pushing down the locusts trees.

Years ago I had some property leased for free. The owner just wanted me to clean it up. There was a large number of locust trees. Had 4 small winerys in town, first one I called payed me to come and cut down the trees for vinyard posts.
They were putting in a new vinyard and used the posts for the rows. Locust posts green can be worked with and have wire attached to it, then the post will out last the life of the grapes.

snowman · Jun 8, 2004

What does it mean when they talk about what is left of the undercarriage? What exactly is it that is wearing? It's not the same as the tracks, right?

I ask because I'm interested in getting one of those little excavators; have no experience and was just wondering what it is that wears and what causes the wear (scrapping on the ground?)

Thanks

Buzz_Sawyer · Jun 8, 2004

There are hundreds of wear parts in the undercarriage...pins in the tracks , rollers idlers....they all wear as the beast grinds along its way...do to abrasion and the weight of the tractor....once they are more than 50-60% worn out the tracks slip off and they deteriorat faster do to sloppy fits /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

SPIKER · Jun 9, 2004

Lots of good advice here:

DOUGWATTS:

which is better all depends I'm sure. One thing I would do is check and see if there is any paper companies nearby, you can sell pretty much everythign left to them as pupl wood. also lots of people love locust as fench posts as mentioned above. check with "International Paper: (and the likes I'll put on a few links too) http://www.internationalpaper.com/

http://www.selectforestryservices.com/

http://www.fs.fed.us/spf/coop/

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/forestry/Industries/Forestindustries.htm

http://www.forestryforum.com/cgi-bin/board/YaBB.pl

there is also http://www.meadwestvaco.com they are paper company too..

ANYHOW:

you say you SOLD the lumber? Not sure what way you sold it, but it can take them up to two years to remove the lumber under most contracts. don't think they will be there right then... (though most of the time I'm told they are.) anyhow what method of selling did you employ? Selling on the SHARES? select cut or did you just call one company and say take it all? reason I'm asking is I get a magazine which had a very good artical this month about HOW the timber companies have been putting it to the small guy and getting lumber at a way undervalue cost and making huge profits off people who do not know any better... it was in the mag I get by being on a stuardship/ grant program from meadwestvaco. and ohioDNR called "Ohio Woodland Journal" (Excelent book/mag quartly I bleive.) it can be bought for a small fee through http://www.ohiotreefarm.org (or send 15.00 to

"Ohio Forestry Association Inc.
4080 S. High St.
Columbus, Oh. 43207"

anyhow that artical was orriginally printed in a Missouri by a forsetry consultant. "R. Scott Brundage" you might be able to find a copy someplace on their state DNR site? or contact him dirrectly...

anyhow hope this helps some. ya I know not much about dozers or track hoes but those things i don't have much info on... I do knwo you can RENT them locally but not sure what TN has available.

I'm sure they probably have lots of INFO on TN web site too>? none of my fav links are for that state...

ANYHOW not sure how much that helped but every bit can...

Mark M /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif