Rethinking Tractor - Maybe a bulldzozer?

[kje383]

I have 120 acres of mountain land and bought a small dozer. I have never regretted it at all,i build shelf roads clear land build ponds and do it on my terms how i want it done.This unit a d31 kamatsu 1982 model cost 18k ihave only had to do routine maintenance so far"5 years". You can get alot of work done fast with a dozer. Around here rent for a dozer this size is about 1k for 40 hours run time.

 

[hilld]

Well, gotta say I love an hate this site. Advice is always spot on, but it sure blows my dreams. I think I am back to plan A ( the one started in mid 2006). Get the tractor, see what I can do by myself, and then hire out the rest..

This puts me back in to the what kind of tractor category. I am quite sold on a standard tractor (TYM, Deer Kubota 35hp hst), but with our hills the Powertrac lineup seems very enticing. They have no service on the west coast, and that scares the heck out of me, though...

As Timber mentioned, take a look at skid steers. Bobcat of Portland rents equipment as well as sells it. See what they have to offer and visit the other brands such as Case, Deere, Cat, etc. If you shop in Oregon, you don't have to pay the sales tax. I think that Bobcat of Portland became a Kioti dealer very recently, if that is true, you can see what each piece of equipment is capable of.

When you said, things are drying up, I am assuming that you haven't been here in a while, things won't be drying till about April, right now is muddy season and we have been getting records of wetness (liquid sunshine in Oregon) and Woodland is right around the corner and probably gettting the same stuff as we are.

Happy clearing.

Derek

 

[Glowplug]

Around here rent for a dozer this size is about 1k for 40 hours run time.

$25.00 per hour?!?! Why would you BUY a 'dozer?

 

[capt jack]

I had the same plan as you. Buy it, use it, sell it. One BIG problem, A dozer is soooo... much fun you won't want to part with it. I bought a older Cat D6 B for 12K, have used it a lot, don't have much left, but i'll just keep it.
A few words of wisdom: Take a dozer mechanic with you when you look at one (80% undercarriage is very a subjective statement), Cat brand equipment has a vast aftermarket parts network(cheaper then dealer bought) and great resale, buy one with "direct drive" not "power shift" (standard trans vs. automatic) and you won't be buying $15.000 transmissions. Stay away from pony motor start and cable type dozers. The little D3s and JD 350s are fine for grading a ditch, but are no match for trees over 10" or pond building. Get one at least 20,000 lb and 80 HP. Also that big your friends can't haul it to their place on a trailer/pick up truck to use it. Give yourself several days seat time before you try any big task. Dozers are not for everyone, but besides being a great tool, they are better then Jack Daniels at relieving non farm related stress.

 

[Doc_Bob]

$25.00 per hour?!?! Why would you BUY a 'dozer?

I second that question.


I have a guy comng over for 75 an hour on Saturday for dozer work.
Bob

 

[MtnViewRanch]

capt jack, why stay away from pony motor starts? Usually those early year tractors are reasonably priced.

One of the points that has been made many times before is that if you are not able or willing to work on a dozer yourself, you probably should not have one. That of course would not apply if you have lots of money to spend on labor.

As some others have said, you sure can get a lot done with a dozer. I guess maybe I have just been lucky with mine. I have a 1955 Case 310D dozer with 6-way blade & rippers and a 1943 Cat D6 that I use for disking my property. Both were cheep and have required some maintenance, but normal oil changes and lots & lots of grease is usually all that is required.

Good luck with your final decision.

 

[InlineDieselFan]

$25 or $75 an hour I would be all over that. For a dozer rental with the operator.

woodlandfarms, I am jsut up the road, I checked on excavators and all the bids were in the $1,000-$1,200 per acre range, I haul or burn the stumps.

the one guy even asked is time or money the concern. Time hire him. Money buy a backhoe and take my time taking a few out a day.

I had 3 or so acres cleared around the house and shop. Hopefully in the spring we will get a backhoe.

When I am done I will still have my backhoe.

At least that is our plan now.

If you have some 3-4 foot Douglas fir stumps a dozer will not get it. The excavator guy had to do a lot of digging to get a few of those out.

steve

 

[capt jack]

Brian,
Not knocking you guys with pony motor start dozers, After the diesel engine starts its the same dozer. I've just seen people spend more time keeping a 5hp gas pony motor working then the dozer itself. And it's not a big deal to convert the older ones to a starter system if you get a good deal.
Jack

 

[kje383]

$25.00 per hour?!?! Why would you BUY a 'dozer?

That price is rental of machine only. You pay for delivery and pick up if you don't have a way to move it, you also must run it your self and pay for all fuel,you have 5 days or 40 hour meter hours which ever comes first. For myself rental was not a good option i am 2 hours from the nearest rental place and live 4 hours from my property. I have also seen paid operator's not do the job like you wanted it done, for me the cost of missing work to babysit a operator would pay for the dozer pretty quick. I am not saying that buying is always the best option for every situation. But for me it was, many people buy do the work then sell the dozer when done. kje

 

[N80]

I guess it is a matter of finding the right used dozer. My B-I-L is always looking for a deal but doesn't mind doing the work to fix it up, if he can. The first dozer, the one he gave away, did have undercarriage problems (whatever that means) that even with his extensive shop, he was not able to handle. Something about big bolts that hold a large plate on the underside being sheered completely off.....not to mention a host of engine and hydraulic problems.

As for hiring the work out, I hired an experienced local guy to prepare my cabin site and re-shape the dirt driveway. He charges $600 a day and will work in half day increments and so he charges $300 just to show up. He did close to a days work for me. The cabin site was excellent but the ground was wet and he did not get the road crowned and done the way he thought it should be and ony charged me the half day, even though he struggled with the road for a while. He didn't mess it up, it just wasn't perfect. So he didn't charge. I think if you can find someone like that, its a good deal.