Recommended dozer size for farm cleanup

[jkschneider]

My wife and I are going to be closing on a 114 acre farm adjacent to our existing property soon that will continue to be cash rented for 3-5 years before we expand our vineyard and orcharding operation.

In the meantime, the renter has asked that we reclaim some of the land that used to be farmed from the 10-15 foot tall cedar trees and brush that has grown up in the past 10 years or so. Additionally, there are a couple places where the terraces have broken down somewhat and water is pooling and could use a little work.

I have always worked with tractors, and don't know much about dozing, but am a huge DIYer whenever possible. I am thinking of buying an old dozer, using it for the year, and reselling it.

1. What size dozer would be sufficient to accomplish this job?
2. Any makes/models you recommend?
3. What are the keys areas to look for when shopping for a used dozer?

Clearly an experienced operator would do a great job, but everybody's got to start somewhere, right? Circled are the areas that need a bit of work.

 

[foreman Etexas]

I run a Kumatsu D-31p paid 6500 cple years ago for it.It okay for dirt work and under brushing but if you wonna take down big trees gotta do alot of digging to get it down. So if I was going to be doing alot of clearing big trees,I wont a D-6 OR something same size.

 

[sweettractors]

A Cat D3B @ $17,500 did a good job for me. I was buying farms, cleaning them up and then reselling them. Ken Sweet

 

[cat 297c]

john deere 550 or 650 main thing to check for is under carriage one of the most expensive upkeeps. Check the chain see if the pins need replacing or turned if the pins are wore to much buy a whole new chain. Front idler rollers sprockets look for leaking around the final drives. Check all the greases fittings make sure who ever ran it before didn't run them dry if all are wet good chance its been taking care of.

 

[Cat_Driver]

Comes down to price. Here are some great buys.

IronPlanet | Item Search | All Auctions

 

[edlegault]

My dad was a gyppo logger. His main iron was a John Deere 1010 with a 6-way blade (along with a Garrett articulated 4x4 "tree-farmer", a JD440 loader and the neighbor's Clysdale horses) . He both logged with it, cut roads and did a lot of land clearing and landscaping. It would be good for clearing out brush and those small trees.

But a better idea might be to hire it done by someone with big hunk of iron to go through, piling up the trees and brush, and roughing in the terraces. Then use a wheeled tractor for the finish work. Would probably get you there cheaper and quicker (and be just about as much fun).

 

[yellowdogsvc]

I had a JD 450 sized machine for 110 acres. I also used D5 size. I prefer the D5 size and weight over the 450 sized machines. If you have a lot of dirt to move, bigger is better but the D5 size is still fairly easy to service and transport.

 

[BarryinMN]

My dozer is a JD 350 with backhoe. It's a landscaping machine vs highway construction. I can tow it without a CDL, fix it without mortgaging the place, and use it for some ag operations like dragging a disc sidehill without risking a wheeled tractor rollover...

Now being 10 years smarter I'd suggest running a mulching mania skidloader to chew up that little stuff & make it look pretty fast. See clearly what ya got then move on to next steps.

 

[hank193]

I've owned several dozers/ loaders and operated for others on occasion. None of them are cheap as the undercarriage is self destructing every foot the machine moves. This will be paid for by someone eventually.Bigger machines = bigger expenses,tools,fuel, etc. Price check a steering clutch and final drive repl. on a D6 size rig and compare to a D3 size machine . [Small ones are usually easier to resell or trade in too ] Be careful ! Machines can be " dolled up" just like a used car and defects hidden under layers of paint and many additives can mask problems in engines,transmission and hydraulic systems. Pay a good mechanic to check for you.
My 2 cents worth is fiqure out just what you want done and get bids on the "big" stuff [trees and dirt work,roughing in roads ,etc. Then you'll be able to handle the smaller stuff yourself with a smaller machine.

 

[Turbys_1700]

My dad farmed all of his life and normally had a dozer and FEL on the farm at all times...
We now have a D4D Cat and 941B FEL with a 4n1 bucket...
That and a IH backhoe...
They are good old machines that still can get the job done...

 

[Todd727]

Used a Cat 931C with a MP bucket and ripper. The ability to put the bucket high up on the trees gave me quite a bit of leverage. Nice versatile machine. Always surprised that more people don't use them around the farm.

 

[DIRTROAD]

You might want to consider a track loader rather than a dozer. A track loader with a 4 in 1 bucket is a lot more versatile than just a dozer with a 6 way blade. A John Deere 655G would be an excellent machine to have. They are big enough to do a lot of work, yet not so big that they cost an arm and a leg to work on or move.

 

[sam5570]

Used a Cat 931C with a MP bucket and ripper. The ability to put the bucket high up on the trees gave me quite a bit of leverage. Nice versatile machine. Always surprised that more people don't use them around the farm.

that was the ticket for us the loader worked great pushing down trees not much for dressing up dirt but we used tractor for that we have sense sold but i think it was a jd450

 

[tlbuser]

You might want to consider a track loader rather than a dozer. A track loader with a 4 in 1 bucket is a lot more versatile than just a dozer with a 6 way blade. A John Deere 655G would be an excellent machine to have. They are big enough to do a lot of work, yet not so big that they cost an arm and a leg to work on or move.

I do like 4 way buckets. Transport and repair, not much difference so you might as well step up to Cat 953. It only weighs about 10K more and has a little bit bigger bucket.

 

[DIRTROAD]

I do like 4 way buckets. Transport and repair, not much difference so you might as well step up to Cat 953. It only weighs about 10K more and has a little bit bigger bucket.

I am a huge fan of the 953 series loaders; however, due to their hydrostatic operation and larger undercarriage, they are not as cost effective to operate as a 450-650 size deere machine. I think for farm use, the smaller deere machines would work better. In a production construction environment, the 953 would win hands down. Either way regardless a track loader would work better than a dozer on a farm, especially with a 4 in 1.