Grading Tractor and HD Box Blade vs. a small Dozer?

[jdtractor]

Have to agree with sd455dan.. I've been around dozers all my life .. owned several big and small. They cost money to run steel on steel but the work produced is what u bought it for . You have to keep ur head out of ur butt and no what to look for and what to do when needed..a dozer is like having a pocket on ur shirt ... handy when it's there. I would stay away from skid steers ... they r overrated for heavy work and u will I say will and can ruin or break rubber tracks . I've seen it happen more then once.. plus rubber is no good in muddy hillside work. If ur on fairly level ground ok but again u got to pay attention. I'm not trying to start trouble but I've got more hrs operating iron then I care to admit.. from pipeline to road work plus farming. A small dozer is nice if you can afford it .. I like mine and wouldn't be with out 1 for my farm. Just my .02cts

 

[pmsmechanic]

Have to agree with sd455dan.. I've been around dozers all my life .. owned several big and small. They cost money to run steel on steel but the work produced is what u bought it for . You have to keep ur head out of ur butt and no what to look for and what to do when needed..a dozer is like having a pocket on ur shirt ... handy when it's there. I would stay away from skid steers ... they r overrated for heavy work and u will I say will and can ruin or break rubber tracks . I've seen it happen more then once.. plus rubber is no good in muddy hillside work. If ur on fairly level ground ok but again u got to pay attention. I'm not trying to start trouble but I've got more hrs operating iron then I care to admit.. from pipeline to road work plus farming. A small dozer is nice if you can afford it .. I like mine and wouldn't be with out 1 for my farm. Just my .02cts

I'm kind of with you on this. That's why I said I had mixed feelings.

I agree that a dozer can do more but if you look at what the op wants to do then I think a dozer is over kill. My reason for suggesting a bobcat is that at least when your done with it you can use it for other things. A dozer would probably end up sitting in the bushes again. I also believe that a bobcat is an easier sell once the job is done.

As you and others have mentioned, you need to know what to look for so that you don't end up with expensive repairs.

My 0.02 cts. Have a great day all

 

[Piston]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I need to apologize in advance for responding individually, as I'm on my phone so it's the only way I know how.
I have a 14 hour flight so what better to do than catch up on TBN

I should clarify that I'm not actually on the hunt for a dozer. I wasn't dozer shopping and looking for a D3 specifically, but I was enjoying a bit of bourbon and wine with this fellow in his barn, and we were chatting about equipment. I told him how I have a strange attraction to heavy equipment and love playing in the dirt. He brought me
out back to show me this dozer he is going to sell. I didn't ask too many questions as I wasn't prepared to look at it and didn't know what to ask.

So rather than finding this specific D3 while I was shopping around, it sort of fell into my lap, and really got me thinking.

I'm glad to hear that there would be a considerable difference between this and my tractor and box blade setup.

I'll try to answer a few of your questions and give a little more info if I can.

 

[Piston]

Dozer, hands down!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Day and night comparison. If the D3 is sound with good undercarriage, reasonable price "to you" which is all that matters, go for it. Won't take you an hour to learn the controls, longer to learn all that you can do with it.

So now that I understand that even a small dozer would be considerably more effective than a box blade, I need to come up with an answer to the statement you made regarding a "reasonable price".

I've read plenty of threads on here and enough to know that none of you can give me a solid estimate of the real value of this thing based on the limited info I can provide.
However, is there a general "range" that you could guesstimate regarding what would be considered "too much" as well as a "good deal"?
If I could purchase this for cheap enough I will do it. And, I would consider "cheap enough" to be a price I could pay, and be reasonably confident that I could sell it for the same price I paid years down the road. (I don't think I'd actually sell it, but just as a frame of reference)

So any wild guesses on what this could be worth?

 

[moriboy]

I'm in the camp that says if you want a dozer, get one! Yes they can be a maintenance headache but if you are like me you won't mind. Out of all my equipment, the dozer is my favorite to operate. Go for it.

 

[Piston]

At almost 9000 hours of use, I would expect that the undercarriage should have been rebuilt once or twice and maybe even the tracks replaced. The tracks look good as do the drive wheel cogs. I would look closely at the idlers and carriers to see if any are frozen up from setting so long as it appears to have been setting for a while.
Check out the engine, I am sure it will use a bit of oil and likely smoke a little with blue smoke with that many hours unless it has had a really gently life. A little oil consumption wouldn't stop me from buying as long as the undercarriage, clutches and brakes were good.

As far as which will be best, a dozer with 6 way blade is about as good as it gets and D3 is about the smallest dozer made for commercial use I think, but still a very capable machine. I used a D6 to level some spoil banks from a drainage ditch that was dug with a drag line back when I was about 18 and I still remember the thrill of operating that machine and the dirt that it would move.

Thanks Gary,
Your post brings up some more questions for me to ask, and some more things to look for. I was glad to see that it did have the 6 way blade, it seems like it would be a lot more handy to use than a 4 way. Too bad it doesn't have a winch on it though.
I'll find out more about the undercarriage, and what was replaced and when.

 

[Piston]

From the pics, the undercarriage looks to have lots of life remaining.
Sprockets and tracks good.
Generally hydraulics are maintainable at modest costs in that seals hose consist of mostly your expense., that is if the pump is in decent shape but that is relatively easy to verify.
One very costly area to venture in is transmission and final drives so you want to verify that closely.
I always suggest having a qualified heavy equipment mechanic with you for a more qualified opinion.
His 1-2 hr fee will be your best investment.

I'm showing my ignorance here, but when you say the hydraulic pump is relatively easy to verify, how do you check that it's in good/bad shape?
Sort of along those lines, does Anyone know what the flow and pressure of this pump should be?

 

[Piston]

Rent. Use your box blade to clean up the mess the Dozer makes. You will insulate yourself from risk.

Although I'm not "against" renting, I don't think I would, only because I do have enough equipment to do what I need to at this point, so it's not really a case of needing this, it's more a case of will I just use what I have, or pick this hunk of junk up for cheap money and take my chances.

I've also never been one of those people who avoid risk at all costs. I understand that some people do, I'm just not one of them. I don't mind taking chances like these.

 

[moriboy]

Regarding the hydraulic pump, unless you notice weird noise, leaks, or slow performance, the pump is probably fine. The current owner should be able to give you the good and bad about the D3.

 

[DieselBound]

Regarding the hydraulic pump, unless you notice weird noise, leaks, or slow performance, the pump is probably fine. The current owner should be able to give you the good and bad about the D3.

And if you can lift the front of the dozer using the blade. I believe that, just like a tractor, the blade is usually capable of going below grade, which means on-grade you should be able to have it pushdown and lift the front of the dozer- if it can do "pushups" then it's fit