New dozer and land clearing

[Nat]

I'll second what Eddie said about being careful when pushing over one that had a bigger root ball. I was pushing some out with an old JD 350 dozer that I had and was pushing a Beech Tree. I had dug all around it about 6 ft out and maybe 3 ft deep. I figured it would go if I could get as high as possible so I pushed some dirt back on one side to make a ramp of sorts and got on the ramp an pushed as highj as the blade would go. It was a hard push and when it started I kept pushing to make sure it was going. It went, and the rootball caught under the blade and picked the front of the dozer 4 ft off the ground. It took me an hour of twisting, turning, cussing and nearly messing my pants a couple of times before I got it off. The whole point of this story is backoff, if it doesn't go do something different, it'll probably save some time in the long run.
Another thing I've done is pull up close to the burn pile and raise the blade as high as it will go and kick it in neutral, and rev it up to let the fan blow on the fire to get it good and hot to stay burning. That rad. fan will put out a lot of air, but it gets warm and smokey on the operater. Later, Nat

 

[Highbeam]

So you're going along destroying brush with a dozer fan that pushes air through the radiator. Over time lot's of leaves and junk get blown into the radiator which acts as a filter. So now those leaves get hot and dry since they are against the radiator and maybe sprayed with oil since they are getting engine air.

Then you pull up to your fire and push the coals together making lots of smoke and big flames. It only takes one little spark to set on that bed of dried leaves to start it on fire. The fan blows on the little ember to get it good and hot. The first thing you notice is a little smoke whisping out of the grille. You think "Oh poo" shut down the tractor and then the smoke stops but then it starts again and you're smart enough to know what happened. You start thinking about how to put the fire out that is in front of the fan, but behind the fan shroud.

You've got three choices 1) just start dousing everything with your fire extinguisher but you're too cheap and the fire is just a smolder right now buried in the cooler, hard to get at with a spray, better save that FE for if you need it. 2) Spit beer on the fire from the front of the grille, this usually works but what if you've drunk your last beer? 3) Time to pee through the grille and enjoy the aroma of smoldering leaves and urine.

I've been there before. Add to that that the tractor and you are covered in black ash that the fan kicked up. Keep a clean radiator, after the smolder incident I removed the radiator to clean it which added a ton more airflow.

 

[Louisiana_John]

Eddie I too always have an extinguisher on board. The d6c I had a few years back had no engine enclosures. I cleared allot of land with it. When punching up piles the fan would pull small coals in the engine compartment. Those little leaves would catch sometimes. A little dirt and it was out.
Whenever I buy a dozer I pull the pans to get all of the oil-covered dirt and stuff out. I also check for dirt build up on the engine anywhere. That will show where there is a fuel or oil leak.
It sure is fun running a dozer though.
John

 

[meadowlarkponds]

This is just a great post. I'm in the process of clearing 70 acres of 5 year old clear-cut East Texas thickets with a Case 450C dozer. Reading the experiences here really makes me feel better about what I'm doing...and also the need for adding a fire extinguisher. Thanks.

 

[TxTom]

Thanks for all the comments. So far, this has been the biggest rootball to come up. I've known about the possibility of getting caught so I back up once I see it start moving good. Also, with my sandy soil, most everything I push out doesn't bring up much.

Since this machine had a new engine when we got it the pans had been off and cleaned. I do check it periodically but I still have to get a toolbox to mount behind the seat to carry things.

We are getting a second fire extinguisher especially after my neighbors 850 unexplainably caught fire at the engine. So far the claim is nearing $10,000.

Thomas

This is a pic of my neighbor showing the ultimate in getting a pile to burn.

 

[RobJ]

A fire extinguisher is great but sometimes hang around a bit longer if you are working around burn piles or have some leaks. A friend of mine has this Cat 928 (or 924 or something). Tires are about 6' tall. He was working it, left it and about 2 hours later returned to see a fire going. The fire hadn't been going for that long but it was to big for a fire extinguisher. He figured it started less than 30 miutes before he came back, so 90 minutes before it started. This thing is great for clearing before or after the loggers came in. You can see the teeth on the bottom of the blade. 3-4 passes and it would cut a 30" red oak stump flush with the ground. He also has a straight blade for it. But not anymore...next post.

 

[RobJ]

Less than a month later from the previous picture this is what he's left with. I think he said the tires are 6k a piece. Being a former mechanic the damage didn't look "to" severe but cat wanted something like 50k to repair it. Damage mostly to the drivers compartment and engine mid area. Lower hydraulics are still clean. Sad. He replaced it with a D6. Nice thing about the rubber tires it could run 20-25mph down the county road.

 

[RobJ]

last one..

 

[Louisiana_John]

That blade looks like the Rome KG blade I have that I used on my D6C.
John

 

[TxTom]

Thanks for those. It's always good to be reminded of what could happen.

The last picture I posted was definitely not what I meant to attach. Here's the correct one.

Thomas