Dozer vs Tractor w/ dozer blade

[bcp]

An old John Deere A with one of this style 8 ft. scraper moved lots of dirt faster than a dozer blade could have.

Double D Series Box Blades and drag scrapers



Bruce

 

[Gale Hawkins]

If you are going to do it over time your current set up should do the job. The FEL is good to get it where you can drive over it and the box blade can level/move a lot of dirt.

Buying an old dozer may be the most expensive option of all.

Is the dirt going to be moved over days or over weeks? Is the fill going to be level when finished or on a steep angle like a pond/road bank?

 

[TractorBob1529]

I'll be moving the dirt over time, all summer when I have some free time. In the end I want a relatively level area, but I will have slope where it is pushed over the bank. I know I will need a dozer then to grade, well pack it down really. I will borrow one then. I don't get in a hurry when moving the dirt, it's all loose stuff. Just wanted an easier way to spread and level the dirt piles and I think the 4-way blad would do nice.

 

[ultrarunner]

I was faced with the same dilemma and bought a good used D3... really enjoyed owning it and spent about $300 a year on maintence parts... fluids, one set of brakes and misc hoses.

Even though it was old... my CAT dealer had everything I needed in stock.

I ended up selling it to a rancher with a summer project... his plan is to use it this year and probably sell it when done...

Both of us bought because we needed to be able to do the work on our time schedules...

Selling it was no problem too...

 

[scoutcub]

I understand you're on a budget, and sounds like you're leaning towards the blade. My experience with blades on CUTs moving dirt.....is you cannot take a full blade and push/level/angle grade. Meaning, when you take too much of a bite, you will start spinning wheels...then you will have to raise the blade to get a smaller bite...then you will run over the remainder of your pile, and pack it down....then have to re-blade it, or level with the box blade....not impossible, but will take a long time to move a lot of dirt, and would probably be frustrating as well. Not trying to sway you in any direction, I have a front angle blade for my SCUT, and tried it in the dirt.....now I only use it on the snow. It's a nice implement to own, but in my mind not the best to move lots of dirt around.

 

[crashz]

I think all of your equipment is currently sized equally, so buying a dozer may be a waste of money. Your tractor will take a bit longer with the box blade and loader, but I think the slowest part will be excavating and loading. I personally would not spend a dime on any new equipment. Just diesel and a few cold brews for after work!

 

[Kyle241]

If I was moving a lot of dirt and it was over a period of time, I would buy a decent dozer. I looked at this a while back and renting is an option if you have a short timeframe but over weeks/months, buying a good used dozer is the way to go. They are always re-sellable and if you keep it in good shape, you won't lose much on it other than diesel, grease and perhaps a few minor repairs. Up my way, a decent used dozer is $15k+. I would not consider anything cheaper as I don't want a maintenance nightmare on my hands.

 

[BeeferMan]

The dozer is likely to be more expensive, but how valuable is your time? And if you're trying to do any amount of real grading, using a wheel machine is a nightmare compared to a track machine...

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I would just use your loader to push the dirt. You said your doing this on your own time so you can be digging with the excavator and just dump multiple loads where you want them spread. the next day you can use the loader and push the piles around. Your tractor and loader are already there and will easily do the job. Why buy more equipment if you don't need to.

 

[compact]

I had a similar project digging out of a bank and evening out a hill for parking. Hired a contractor, 2 man crew, one on a cat 318 and one in a tandem dump. Filled the dump, moved it back 200 feet, unload, repeat. I spread the dirt from the dump with my loader tractor. I think we moved about 600CY in one day, about $1500 if memory serves. No way would my tractor hold up to doing all of that and I'd be an old man before I finished.