Komatsu D45A ?

[jdkid]

Hi guys
well we have moved into our new farm and found the tracks needed a heap of work and very slipery (heaps of clay and steep hills) also heaps of scrub i was looking at a mulcher but most is too steep for wheel tractor even with duels .now i'm looking for a dozer i did see a CAT D4E for sale but the track gear was shot to bit but i know where a Komatsu D45A is for sale has any one seen one or know of someone who has one it's a 1982 mod just before the D41's come out even drop me a line off line if ya can help
thanks
JD Kid

 

[Bird]

JD, I don't know a thing about the equipment you're asking about, but I sure notice that name "Komatsu" on a lot of big track hoes on job sites around here. I don't even know what they make other than the track hoes, but apparently they're pretty popular with bigger construction companies.

Bird

 

[Woodbeef]

Hey JD Kid,

I'll ask around,plenty of K-mutts around here. Someone told me that they make the smaller Cats too,that are used up here. Might want to post at @g-online and the crawler&dozer board at www.ytmag.com Where the heck is pudding when we need him,eh? Just when he probably has the answers we need he's off on a field trip!!

 

[Hillbilly]

They make a darn good bulldozer too.

 

[Hillbilly]

For starters go to :
www.rockanddirt.com

All the connections you would ever need. I ordered the print issue for $16.00 a year one issue a month, tons and tons of heavy equipment to look at.

 

[pudding]

lol.....bit more rubbish on the new farm than ya thought!!

think JAPANESE IMPORT DIGGER!

a bulldozer is harder on tracks than a digger......cause they always movin......tracks = $....BIG $

dad brought a 7.4t IHI jap import digger for $13k .....it was rough.....but mechanically very sound

tracks were above average......only major problem was it needed a radiator

if ya want a digger buy one bigger than ya need,.......i will guarantee what ever digger ya buy you will grow out of it

the ole D4D and D4E have been favourites for years eh?!......great machine.......some have done real big hours

one of the local contractors at home once had a D65A?.....me thinks it ended up and porter hire in hamilton........could always ring them for general questions........they import all brands

laters.....just my 2 cents.....

probably haven't even answered ya questions.......

pudding

OI you! Get back to work

 

[pudding]

i thought small cats were mitsubishi?

there diggers are

later

pudding

OI you! Get back to work

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I have a D21P6 Komatsu which I have used for 3 years. I have rebuilt the the undercarriage, main clutch,steering clutches and put new bearings and seals in the final drives. Lot of work and a little expensive but I now have a like new dozer. I don't know about the D45A but on the D20 the sprockets are press fit on the splined-tapered final drive shaft. To remove them Komatsu says you need a special puller but you can use a high capacity bottle jack with the head against the shaft and a log chain wrapped around the base and sprocket. Stand aside, not directly in front of the sprocket when you pump the jack, the sprocket is heavy and will fly off with force and could break your leg. Good dozer ,but with any older dozer you need some mechanical skills. Hope this helps.

 

[Tags]

I don't know much about the Komatsu's except that I don't see many of their dozers around here (CT,NY,MASS)that doesn't mean they are not good.I would personally stick w/a Deere(450D or 550B)or a Cat(D3 or D4) these machines are just about bullet proof and you can get new and used parts just about anywhere,also the re-sale value will be better if you ever wanted to get rid of it.Like someone else mentionedyou may want to look into a used excavator possibly w/a blade,in the long run a much more usefull machine,also the older smaller Cats are Mitsubishi's.

 

[tgello]

jd kid, all good machines. alot of my customers run komatsus. the ones that own them swear by them. older ones used to be cat copies. a couple of the mechanics that work for the companys say that they are never down. it's all in what you want and price.

 

[jdkid]

Hi ya's
well update to story i did buy a d45a and it goes ok ..i have had a bit of a prob with the stearing but got all the spec's and found the linkages were out of whack neat toy tho ..as others have said a digger would be the go and in some ways it may have been only time will tell could sell it and buy a digger later tho
catch ya
JD Kid

 

[Dozernut]

Glad to hear you got your linkage lined out. Sometimes they require a little fine tuning. Not familiar with D45A but have a lot of experience with a D20P. Do you have the gear tranny or hydro. Mine has the gears with a wet clutch and I had a problem with the oil overheating in the main clutch housing. The cure was long and many little pieces of a puzzle. First I had the oil cooler boiled out at a radiator shop. I pulled the transmission (it needed a new main clutch, it was slipping) and checked all the oil passages. When reassembled I still had a heat problem. Komatsu only calls for a 10w oil in the main clutch housing, so I substituted a good quality 10w30 synthetic oil, problem solved. The 10w oil would break down with the dozer usage but now the synthetic, which has a much higher temp. range, handles it in stride. Just make sure your seals are good or the synthetics will find your leak points. Sorry to ramble and I know you did'nt ask, but maybe I will save you some time and aggravation.

 

[Jag]

Dozernut, how do you like the little D20. I looked at several of thoses when I was looking for a dozer. I was concerned that it would be a little small for all I wanted to do.. Ended up buying a JD450C, and have been very happy with what it will do. How many hours does yours have and what do you use it for...

Welcome to TBN board, glad to have you aboard.

 

[Dozernut]

Its a good little dozer. It shows 1400 hours on the meter but I can't verify that. It was a pit dozer used at a generating plant pushing cinders. As you can imagine the acid from the cinders done a number on the under carriage. It ran strong and had new paint so I bought it. That was three years ago and since then I have pretty much rebuilt the whole dozer except for the motor which is in good shape. It really is a tad small for what I am doing with it, building a four acre lake. Kind of like digging a well with a spoon. I am in no hurry and love pushing dirt. I am building the lake in two sections and the main part is done and roughly 3/4 full of water. Soon as weather permits we will start on the second section. You might wonder how you build a lake in sections, Snorkels! Seriously we left a high point and will start a second dam. Once the second dam is finished we will break the seal with the hoe allowing the water to drain into the new section. Then we can work on the high point of the old seal. Clear as mud, right. We will have roughly 4 surface acres when done with two large islands. Its been a good relief valve for me and allowed me some quality time with my 16 year old son. He would be on the Kubota ripping while I pushed. I will truly be sorry when the project is done but we will find something to do. Big project, small equipment, three years in our spare time, but would do it again in a heart beat. This dozer is actually our second. We had a Dresser T500C, but it was too worn out and old. We had a little trouble getting parts due to the age. I suppose stubborness had something to do with using the small dozer, people telling me it would not do the job. I knew it would but just take longer, been messing around with equipment a long time, just never owned them (dozers). The Kubota 4610 is no slouch in moving dirt and has been invaluble in the project along with other chores. Sorry, I have rambled on too much. What kind of project are you working on with your D45A. That is a nice sized dozer, should be no problem getting parts as long as your wallet holds up, They can get expensive. My only advice is to service the machine regularly and keep on top of the filters. Blow out your pre-filter and radiator quite often. Hope to hear back, keep pushing dirt, it keeps you young.

 

[Dozernut]

See what age does to you, in my senile state I replied to the wrong person. Sorry, no slight intended. Would like to hear about the JD 450, good machine. Keep pushing dirt.

 

[Jag]

DN, Thank you for sitting corrected. """"Its been a good relief valve for me and allowed me some quality time with my 16 year old son.""""" Yes pushing dirt can be very therapeutic for the soul and mind. (If you don't have to do it for a living). I really believe in PM and filters and cleaning are done regularly..

 

[Dozernut]

Jag, I am still waiting to hear about your JD450C. Is it still running strong and what projects are you working on? We have only been able to work one day, it has been too wet. I wonder if I should start on an Ark. If it stops raining and I can figure out how to do it, I will post some pictures of our "project". Hope I did not offend you earlier by replying to the wrong person. But looking at your bio, is it because you "like jumping off cliffs"/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif. What is that about /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif? Thats the same as jumping out of a perfectly good airplane /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif! I hope your still able to jump off cliffs, keep pushing dirt.