Komatsu D31p-17 68hp

[piglet80]

Hey fellas,
New to this forum. I've had a small case 350 dozer for years for working around the farm, my experience is limited to this little dozer. Hydraulic pump went out and needed a dozer so I rented a brand new John Deere 450J 70 H.P for a week, put 56hrs on it and fell in love, but not affordable for the farm. I am looking to buy a bigger dozer now for the farm for underbrush, pond maintenance, etc. I am on a 25K budget and was looking at a 80's model Komatsu D31P-17. Does anyone have an opinon on or experience with this dozer? Thanks.

[CascadeScaper]

Hello and welcome to the site! I have a bit of an idea for an option for your farm operation, if you will. If you have $25,000, it might be possible to find a used Cat MTL (multi terrain loader) and put a 6 way blade on it. The larger models of these machines have 70 HP and with a 6 way blade will compete with a dozer. The only thing that a MTL will not do as well as a dozer is raw pushing power, a dozer with it's weight and torque rise just can't be beat, but if you're not pushing thousands of yards a day, you can get a much newer, easier to operate machine that would probably suit your needs if not exceed them compared to a an older dozer. I'm partial to Cat but there are many other brands out there with MTL/CTL (compact track loader) so you won't be limited to just one brand. http://www.cat.com/cda/layout?m=37840&x=7 There's a Cat 277B just to give you an idea of what these machines look like if you're not already familiar. 78 HP and turbocharged, it would give a similiarly powered dozer a run for it's money, especially in ground speed. Also, Cat's MTL's have a torsion suspension system in the undercarriage so it's alot smoother riding than a dozer.

Your original question was about a Komatus dozer. Although I don't have personal experience with one, I have talked to folks that have run older 80's Komatsus and had good luck with them. It pretty much comes down to parts availability anymore, if you need a part sometimes it can be difficult to find what you're looking for. But for your operation where you're just servicing yourself, if you found a dozer for the right price I'd say jump on it. Older 80's Mitsubishi dozers might be something to look at as well, I come across them all the time up here in the PNW for around $15,000 with around 3,000 hours. Anyway, there's my .02, something to look at.

[piglet80]

Thanks for the reply cascadescraper,
Looked at the CAT machine you mentioned, pretty sharp. I have access to a bobcat skidsteer which looks comparable. When it comes down to it, it would probablly be adequate for my farm task. I guess I want a bigger dozer as a toy to fiddle around with. Got the replacement pump on my Case 350 and working with it will never be the same. I should have never rented that JD 450J. Going to Sequin tommorow to look at D31P-17 seller wants 18K, its worth a look.