Need help on dozer pick.

bdog · Jul 30, 2005

( Fuel and oil for 5,000 hours would run you at the most $10,000 )

The D6R we are using right now is buring 110 gallons of fuel in a ten hour day. At $2.00/gal for red diesel that is $220/10hrs or $110,000 for fuel for 5000 hours.

bdog · Jul 30, 2005

As to maintence being cheap our operator broke a hydraulic cylinder on the tilt yesterday. It cost him $2600 just for parts. The operator told me they put in a new transmission in their D7 and it cost 40k.
Don't get me wrong - dozers are awesome, but they are big $$$.

Egon · Jul 30, 2005

Me thinks if one needs help in choosing a dozer one should forget the idea. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Egon

sparkkky · Jul 30, 2005

( Me thinks if one needs help in choosing a dozer one should forget the idea. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Egon )

Why?

sparkkky · Jul 30, 2005

Just wanted a little feed back, Mr Smarty!

Egon · Jul 31, 2005

Not trying to be Mr. Smarty. Just some advice! I have worked around them for a few years many a day ago.

Dozers are a high maintenance item. Used ones can be exspecially so. Most parts are very expensive. When looking at the dozer one has to know what all the little sounds indicate and if everything is responding as it should.

Most of this knowledge is only gained by operating and working on them.

Check out what a service call from the local dealer would cost or even the the cost of the little items like filters or a new cutting edge.

Egon

BarryinMN · Jul 31, 2005

My JD350 dozer oil filter costs $3.11 same one as my ag tractor. Crankcase takes 2 gals + 1 Qt of 15W40. Fuel filters are $3.49 ea. takes 2.

My only major maintenance expense over 3 years was rebuilding the injector pump for $500.

Something major may break but then again it may not /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

A dozer is still the best machine to build a trail

40Kchicks · Jul 31, 2005

My experience was that I bought an old Oliver OC4 to take care of some dirt piles. I owned that thing for over two years and never got any work out of it. I did however put lots of work into it. What a disaster! My wife said never again but I guess I’m a slow learner because I bought a 70’s D4 from a friend who was getting divorced and needed to unload it. I got it cheap. The hydraulics was to slow to do any real work and I soon found that it wasn’t the right tool for the big project I bought it for. My wife gave me a hard time about it since the day I bought it. I soon parked it for fear that something would break. Soon I had a buyer who drove 70 miles with trailer to get it and it stopped running during while they checked it out. They left without the D4. Luckily the fuel line was just plugged with junk. I got it fixed the next week and the guy came back and bought it. I made $700 on it and had it about a month but the wife and I agreed that it wasn’t worth the stress.

I would rent one first. For road building I prefer the big excavators better.

Eric

Highbeam · Aug 1, 2005

"As to maintence being cheap our operator broke a hydraulic cylinder on the tilt yesterday. It cost him $2600 just for parts. The operator told me they put in a new transmission in their D7 and it cost 40k."

If you have time to be creative there is no reason a tiny little tilt cylinder on a small dozer should cost a tenth of 2600$, then on a 200,000$ tractor a major component like a tranny will likely cost 40k$ but on a 10,000$ tractor it won't. That operator sounded like a commercial operator where time is money and the quickest way to get it running was the msot expensive.

A big trackhoe is a fantastic tool but for pioneering a cat road/trail/property line a dozer is so dang convenient.

penokee · Aug 1, 2005

Spark - I've got a 1962 AC H-3 crawler with dozer blade and winch and it has been a fun working machine. I never looked at it from a cost/benefit ratio, as I just plain wanted a smaller crawler. Have built several woods roads, driveways and a small dam. Use the winch for skidding tree length out of wet areas and on steep slopes. Had to put in new steering clutches, starter, fuel pump, etc., but assumed up front that repairs would be required. Mine runs around 9.000 # and had a trailer made, with surge brakes. Pull it with my 2500HD PU (slow and cautious). Get the owner operating book and repair manuals and have fun. The older crawlers are fully depreciated. As mentioned several times, they can be high maintenance, but that just goes with the territory. Go for it.
penokee /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Ps: Only pic I have is with a black tarp on it - can see size relative to kubota L3130 under green tarp. Putting in a culvert in a few weeks, so will take a few pics at that time