Size of Dozer?

[1sttractor2018]

SW Virginia Blue Ridge

What size dozer to clear logging roads and small 1/2 acre or so home sites. Have 180 acres to maintain...majority of property is steep mountain sides. Property was logged 20 years ago so I know it can be done.

I have a good deal of experience on flat ground running mini ex, tractors, and skidsteer. No experience with dozers but I am very mechanically inclined and cash strapped, so an old machine is likely in my future. I知 thinking my best option will be to consult/pay a professional when purchasing a vintage machine. After researching I知 kinda leaning towards a Komatsu. I知 hoping the wealth of knowledge can be of some assistance in helping size the equipment I need and maybe some particular models/years to stay away from.

 

[fried1765]

SW Virginia Blue Ridge

What size dozer to clear logging roads and small 1/2 acre or so home sites. Have 180 acres to maintain...majority of property is steep mountain sides. Property was logged 20 years ago so I know it can be done.

I have a good deal of experience on flat ground running mini ex, tractors, and skidsteer. No experience with dozers but I am very mechanically inclined and cash strapped, so an old machine is likely in my future. I知 thinking my best option will be to consult/pay a professional when purchasing a vintage machine. After researching I知 kinda leaning towards a Komatsu. I知 hoping the wealth of knowledge can be of some assistance in helping size the equipment I need and maybe some particular models/years to stay away from.

"Cash strapped"....and old dozer!
The very worst of equipment scenarios.
DON'T DO IT !!!!

 

[spruce Deere]

Running dozers is how I made part of my living for a quarter century. I would stay with a current major brand case, cat, komatsu, deere for parts availability. Look for an undercarriage 60% or better, minimal fluid leaks on the ground. A 6-way bade would be nice but a guy can do what he needs with a straight blade that tilts complete with a good heavy brush blade/root rake. The minimal size i would pick would be twenty thousand pound class and higher. That would put you in the cat d-5, deere 650-ish size...The bigger the dozer, the more work you can do efficiently.
My own dozer is an early 1150b case. It does anything I have asked of it be it clear off old tree farm fields, moving/leveling dirt, brush piling to just plowing snow. Not 'big work, but years of running dozers thats as small of dozer I believe a guy should have. You can crawl anywhere a dozer should go, and do what a dozer is expected to do.

 

[1sttractor2018]

Running dozers is how I made part of my living for a quarter century. I would stay with a current major brand case, cat, komatsu, deere for parts availability. Look for an undercarriage 60% or better, minimal fluid leaks on the ground. A 6-way bade would be nice but a guy can do what he needs with a straight blade that tilts complete with a good heavy brush blade/root rake. The minimal size i would pick would be twenty thousand pound class and higher. That would put you in the cat d-5, deere 650-ish size...The bigger the dozer, the more work you can do efficiently.
My own dozer is an early 1150b case. It does anything I have asked of it be it clear off old tree farm fields, moving/leveling dirt, brush piling to just plowing snow. Not 'big work, but years of running dozers thats as small of dozer I believe a guy should have. You can crawl anywhere a dozer should go, and do what a dozer is expected to do.

Thanks for the advice. Like I mentioned I知 very mechanically inclined just don稚 have any experience wrenching on heavy equipment. I致e had time lately to watch lots of videos and fixing leaking hydraulics or cylinders seems easy enough. I deal with low voltage wiring at work all the time. I figured on hiring a professional to help asses the major components like engine, drive clutches , transmission etc. if the purchase is expensive enough would oil analysis make sense? From what I致e seen locally I知 hoping 15-20k would get me a decent older machine, I知 pretty well expecting blood, sweat and tears in addition to the purchase price and replacement parts which I see aren稚 cheep.

Question when everyone talks about undercarriage % you are basically referring to the sprockets, rollers and track conditions?

 

[MossRoad]

How to measure dozer undercarriage wear

Dozer undercarriage wear and how to look for it

 

[1sttractor2018]

"Cash strapped"....and old dozer!
The very worst of equipment scenarios.
DON'T DO IT !!!!

Maybe cash strapped was an exaggeration, I’m looking at 15-20K purchase price and could easily swing a few 2-5k parts bills in addition to regular maintenance. Not going to be using it to earn a living just playing clearing logging trails, building roads and clearing a few small homesites after working my day job.

I guess when I see newer equipment for 65k I immediately think I’m poor and can’t afford it.

 

[fried1765]

Maybe cash strapped was an exaggeration, I’m looking at 15-20K purchase price and could easily swing a few 2-5k parts bills in addition to regular maintenance. Not going to be using it to earn a living just playing clearing logging trails, building roads and clearing a few small homesites after working my day job.

I guess when I see newer equipment for 65k I immediately think I’m poor and can’t afford it.

That is sounding a bit better to me.
Having owned a crawler (loader), my advice would be to be willing to spend more than you really want to, for a GOOD used piece of equipment.
Even GOOD, will not eliminate the potential for an ugly surprise.
The danger, is that after using it for just a few hours, it might need costly repair,
Perhaps you can do SOME work, but track machine parts are VERY HEAVY !!!!

 

[1sttractor2018]

That is sounding a bit better to me.
Having owned a crawler (loader), my advice would be to be willing to spend more than you really want to, for a GOOD used piece of equipment.
Even GOOD, will not eliminate the potential for an ugly surprise.
The danger, is that after using it for just a few hours, it might need costly repair,
Perhaps you can do SOME work, but track machine parts are VERY HEAVY !!!!

Agreed the parts and some of the procedures to get to them do not appear easy to handle. I am a commercial HVACR tech so I知 somewhat proficient in rigging and dealing with 10lbs....in a 5lb bag. Slinging Rooftop units and blower wheels taller than, me have become all to common.

I have not really looked closely into crawler loaders, what are the advantages/disadvantages between just a crawler and crawler loader?

 

[spruce Deere]

10 to 20k should get you a decent shape dozer. If you have doubts, have a heavy equipment mechanic look one over that you find. You may find you might need a 3/4 inch ratchet/socket to make working on one easier.

 

[lilranch2001]

I am curious, are these mountains somewhere close to Anderson???

Never mind, I missed the first line

 

[Ortimber]

I’m not sure how much heavy land clearing you will be doing, but if it’s a substantial amount, I’d by an excavator first, and then come in with a dozer to finish up. A 20,000lb dozer is the smallest I would go with, but heavier is going to allow you to get more done per hour. My dad and I have cleared many acres of land over the years, and find that a 20 ton excavator along with a 20k lb dozer makes for a great combination.

 

[Paystar]

These older small Case 450 and the John Deere equivalent were very popular and are excellent landscaping dozers. You can usually find them reasonably cheap.

They are just the perfect size and weight for finish landscaping.

 

[fried1765]

10 to 20k should get you a decent shape dozer. If you have doubts, have a heavy equipment mechanic look one over that you find. You may find you might need a 3/4 inch ratchet/socket to make working on one easier.

The OP will DEFINITELY need a 3/4 socket set, and a 3/4 impact wrench!

 

[fried1765]

How to measure dozer undercarriage wear

Dozer undercarriage wear and how to look for it

GOOD INFO !!!!

 

[Citydude]

Personally, I wouldn’t buy a dozer without a rear ripper if reshaping virgin landscapes. Scraping material vs dozing material is not very efficient.

 

[1sttractor2018]

The OP will DEFINITELY need a 3/4 socket set, and a 3/4 impact wrench!

I love a good excuse to buy more tools!

 

[spruce Deere]

More tools and heavy equipment go hand in hand. I feel you would be well served with a 20,000lb and up dozer equipped as I stated earlier. Someone mentioned a ripper, that's a real good idea too if you plan on clearing/leveling small lots.

 

[1sttractor2018]

Not really much land clearing, wanting to clear 20 year old logging trails for dirt bikes/four wheelers and a few 1/2 acre homesites. I知 thinking a winch on the back of the dozer would be good to pull trees for firewood/lumber would be a good idea

 

[Citydude]

Not really much land clearing, wanting to clear 20 year old logging trails for dirt bikes/four wheelers and a few 1/2 acre homesites. I知 thinking a winch on the back of the dozer would be good to pull trees for firewood/lumber would be a good idea

If your just wanting to reshape an existing road base, then yes, you could get by without a ripper.

 

[radios1]

there is a bunch of big Dozers abandoned on the Northwest passage, they didn't want to spend the money bringing them back!.. also, in Alaska, there are many Dozers abandoned because they got stuck, and the owners just gave up on them!..