New Komatsu dozer,the D51ex

[pushkid84]

im sorry to say but i just dont like the kamotsu dozer at all or the new jd or case anything especially dozers! cat has the corner on the market:usa

 

[MUDSLINGERS]

My company just bought me one and it is an awsome finish dozer radiator and oil cooler systems are in back so you can see more out the front! No blind spots even the exhaust pipe is hidden behind the door frame so it's not a blind spot.

 

[farm_boy]

im sorry to say but i just dont like the kamotsu dozer at all or the new jd or case anything especially dozers! cat has the corner on the market:usa

Funny quote given your avatar!!:cool2 Isn't that a Deere dozer there??

 

[Deereman]

I've seen the D51 and the 700j side by side and the D51 did nothing along the lines of burring the 700!! For it to have 15 more horsepower it still could barely push as much. We had a customer have both machines on demo and all had good things to say about the D51 and liked it but Deere had been making hydrostatics a whole lot longer;just as much power, resale and undercarriage. Deere pretty much set the standard high and everybody else is just now getting in the game. Komatsu makes a good hoe but care nothing for there dozers.

 

[ZX850]

D51 vs 700 vs D6K

I have to say that I have run all three of these machines performing in a relatively compact area cutting a drainage ditch at the bottom of a hill and moving the material up the hill between fence posts spaced at 8'. By far....the best machine across the board for this project was the 700J. Across the board refers to balance maneuverability hyd blade speed and transmission controllability. The Komatsu, while great visibility to the blade, I would wager that there is better visibility out of the back of a D11 than there is out of the back of the 51. I can confirm that I had no better than a 7' blind spot behind the machine...without a ripper! Also the blade was SLOW SLOW SLOW.....to compare to Deere you couldn't run the machine above the Deere 1.6 setting and have the blade keep up. Blade speed was critical to what I was doing since I was cutting and carrying the material in an S patter from downhill to uphill around the fence posts that were in place. Also there was not smooth shifting from high to low range, even though I really couldn't do it and grade, very jerky and abrupt...worse than forcing a direct drive between gears. Cab was quiet and comfortable...but I wouldn't trade that for the low productivity of the machine. Some things I noticed....not really well balanced even though the cab was moved forward on the unit....cast c-frame NOT GOOD if you are planning on doing any clearing or side loading the blade.....smaller than Deere or Cat pins in the c-frame and blade...typical for Komatsu to keep things price competitive. The machine that I ran had about 350 hours on it and already there were dry pins on the undercarriage too...don't know if the machine had a bad chain or what. As far as the Cat, it was better balanced than a D5N and more controllable but stalled in a turn and was sluggish compared to both the Deere and the Komatsu. The electric over hydraulic blade control on the Cat was near impossible to meter and control....making the S pattern I was trying to carry difficult. The Cat did ok in a push but the Komatsu out pushed everyone in straight line....fell on its face in a turn (not sure why?). Overall the Deere had the best performance with little complaint....fastest machine I could grade with (in 2.5+) and have smooth control of the blade Cat came in 2nd on this but blade was jerky......Komatsu came in 4th...yep 4th and I only ran 3 . Overall while I have ran several finish dozers and build several parking lots and building pads with them I have to say that I would stick with a 700 for balance power speed and response.

Just my thoughts

 

[MUDSLINGERS]

Yes the cooling system is in the back and it is the best finish dozer I have found!! YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING!!! Don't knock it till you try it for yourself!! You can see alot and it is very well balanced, believe it or not!!

 

[Geno795]

Ask guys who install GPS/Laser (such as Leica, TopCon, etc) systems on dozers and they will always tell you the Deere machines have the best hydraulics and Komatsu the most sluggish. With a Deere 700J there is a contractor in central IL who grades wide open full throttle on the finish pass and the hydraulics keep up with his Leica automatic grade control system. He has a Komatsu also. Komatsu hyds to slow. He has tried a Cat D5N and it jerks too much shifting from 1st to 3rd and back down at end of pass. This is what he feels make the hydrostatic machines better for finish grading, no matter what brand. Geno

 

[counter]

great pics country boy!i really think this is a great looking dozer!add to that the cab forward visibility,cooling to the rear. i hope this design really takes off for komatsu.likely it will have some design flaws just like any other new concept. and that will give the komatsu bashers something to write about,haha. it will be quite interesting to watch it un-viel!

 

[counter]

great to hear mud, lucky you to have been able to try one out!!!!!!!

 

[counter]

cat has the corner? many of the respondents here say deere, komatsu, and mitsu. do a very good job in producing a very good smaller dozer!

 

[counter]

in regards to steering

Hi, Folks.
Some thoughts on the debate to date. One poster here - no names, no pack drill - has raised the point that this little jigger is not suited to clearing due to having the cab too far forward. How perceptive of this gentleman to notice that. Did he also notice that it has a 6-way blade on it? And does he realise that this blade system is not quite the thing you would want to take into a heavy clearing operation, say in a redwood forest? It occurs to me that this machine has been specifically designed with finish dozing in mind, an application that seems to be gaining increasing popularity in the earth-moving industry.

There has also been some adverse comment about the machine being hydrostatic drive. Now everybody is entitled to their own opinion about the different drive systems but I've come to like the Cat and JD hydrostatic drives and I've taken them pretty much anywhere I'd take a powershift transmission. AND, the steering is MORE positive than clutch-and-brake steering, especially when travelling up or downhill under load.

Quote from the Number One Knocker:
"The old lever steering in a 46A is quicker than the hystat or diff steer." Unquote.

Here too I beg to differ. Yes, the 46A steering IS quicker than the diff steering but it AIN'T quicker than the hydrostatic system. I have found the hydrostatic machines that I have operated, both Cat and JD, to be VERY responsive in that department.

Quote from the Number One Knocker:
"If the design department goofs up a good looking machine, I'll talk bad about it." Unquote.

Good looking machine? I vaguely remember one or two good looking machines in the past that didn't perform worth a d**n. Also, I don't care what anybody else thought of them, the Euclid dozers both could and did work. O.K., so they didn't look like 'everybody's' idea of what a dozer ought to look like but they did work and they did last. I too suspect that the 'Driptroit' Diesels were one of the reasons for their demise. In case you don't remember, Allis Chalmers also used them in their early days but got out of them and started using Buda engines, which made a better dozer out of them.

Good looking machine? Well, I don't have much of a sense of style when it comes to machine or vehicle design but I quite like the look of that little jigger. And, if you really want to talk about looks, I'd like to see that cab with a forward-sloping windscreen and forward-outward-sloping doors to reduce reflections, all-same most graders these days.

I'd like to suggest that any adverse comments about the designers 'goofing up' be held in abeyance until the end users/consumers have had their say. I won't be terribly surprised if this jigger turns out to be a winner. Just like the M series Cat graders, I'd like to get my ample butt in one for a couple of hours, doing a bit of bulk pushing and a bit of finish work.

Just my 0.02.

i keep seeing coments in regards to steering.from an outsider lookin in, the concept of each track bein seperately controlled like the big terex ,or the little" struck" dozer make sense to me! spin on a dime seems right, or maybe that kind of accesss trashes the undercarriage. that too would make sense! would appriciate a reply from anyone on this!

 

[bigbob]

Translated:


On questions regarding D51EX will stand personnel must be set up by Komatsu, one has Dozer with the new design but entrenched ways to leave. We will appear with the new cooler arrangement a step in the right direction to have been.



Striking at the D51EX/PX-22 is an innovative design with an extremely flattened hood. This is according to the manufacturer's specifications for the first bulldozer around the world, the cabin in full view of the entire width of the plate on the top and back of the cutting edges offers. This design allows the driver a good view of the work area, located in the immediate vicinity of the shield is located, allowing a faster and more secure work in many areas in which good vision is essential. In addition, there are cooler and the cooler fan in the rear of the machine, so that in front of the machine no dust can be raised, which could impair vision.





The ROPS-FOPS cabin is further forward than in the appropriate models and is thus closer to the machine axis, where the machine movements are lowest. It also protects the storage cabin subdued the driver from vibration and thus provides greater operator comfort and interior noise level of 76 dB.

The ECOT3 low-emission engine with common rail direct injection, the hydrostatic drive and the electronically controlled CLSS hydraulic system D51EX/PX-22 according to the manufacturer's specifications for the fuel-efficient and powerful machine in its class. The machine is optional from the factory with Topcon machine control system available. Komtrax the Komatsu Tracking System, is pleased to standard equipment.

The machine can bauma (outdoor F5/F6) can be viewed.

Motorleistung @ 2200 rpm 97 kW / 132 PS
Betriebsgewicht 12.500 - 13.100 kg
Schildkapazität 2.65 - 2.9 m³


(Photos: Komatsu)

The article was edited by Bauforum24 am 19.02.07 - 16:01 clock.

 

[Galute]

I have almost 800 hours on a new D51 doing everything from heavy pushing to fine grading and tight spots. Here are my opinions of it for those that wonder.

The visability is great however I would trade it for some weight on the front in a heartbeat. The blade for the machine size is dinky and light weight. My machine does not have any rear attatchments on it and I can only imagine if it did you wouldn't be able to keep the front of the tracks on the ground while pushing. To me it is off balance and heavy to the rear. Not good for a machine that does all its work on the front. The visability is useless. I dont need to see that blade that much to know where it is.

It is comfortable with plenty of room in the cab. The AC will freeze you to death but needs more control. It's either freeze or fry. I constantly have to turn the temp control up or down, there is no just right setting. The sterio is marginal at best.

The hydrostat steer works good and it is very manuverable. However that is just a catch up with JD and Cat. Nothing groundbreaking there. The hydraulics work good but with only 800 hours on it they are starting to show signs of gettin sloppy and jerky. It needs a system to allow more input and adjustments from the operator like the JD total control system.

For it's size it is too short coupled. Very rough riding. Will beat you to death in rocky terrain. It's climbing ability is amazing tho. I think it would climb until the thing just rolled over backwards. Spooky at times but it does great on side hills. It feels rock solid and has yet to make me feel like I was pushing my luck with it even while pushing across a slope steep enough for the back end to be sliding down hill some.

All in all I think it's a great little finish machine and that is what it does best. But for an all around do it all dozer.... it's just like I tell my boss everytime he ask... give me my 750J back!

 

[DoosanFan]

Cat didn't want to bring the D6K with hydrostatic drives into S.A because they didn't think they'd last, being in Africa and all (apparently if it doesn't last in Africa, it won't last anywhere...), even the M series was two or so years behind, yet Komatsu launched the D51 here early last year, and they have proven to be very popular machines, especially on Highway upgrading projects, where I'd say they are at home pushing fill material and doing finish work. The operators like them too. And my 0.02 cents, I think that they are really cute lil things.

 

[stock]

And my 0.02 cents, I think that they are really cute lil things.

Interesting observation!

 

[DoosanFan]

Interesting observation!

Why?

 

[CM1995]

Cat didn't want to bring the D6K with hydrostatic drives into S.A because they didn't think they'd last, being in Africa and all (apparently if it doesn't last in Africa, it won't last anywhere...)

And you know this how? Do you work for Cat?

 

[DoosanFan]

And you know this how? Do you work for Cat?

Okay, well thats maybe a blind statement, but I have an article on it somewhere. I don't know if you know about this, but Cat has re-innitiated the D6G, with a tier 2 or 3 engine, oval track version, nothing fancy at all, really going back to basics, for the lesser developed countries of the world, uses clutch and break steering if I'm not mistaken, and they have launched that machine in favour of the D6K, here, in South Africa. India too I think.

 

[CM1995]

The D6K is listed on Cats Middle East/ Africa website? Regional markets may be different.

Cat has been building D6G's and D7G's for the third world markets for a while, I don't think they ever stopped producing them. I think it has more to do with a cheaper machine for developing markets than anything else.

 

[farm_boy]

Okay, well thats maybe a blind statement, but I have an article on it somewhere. I don't know if you know about this, but Cat has re-innitiated the D6G, with a tier 2 or 3 engine, oval track version, nothing fancy at all, really going back to basics, for the lesser developed countries of the world, uses clutch and break steering if I'm not mistaken, and they have launched that machine in favour of the D6K, here, in South Africa. India too I think.

They did a good job of updating the looks of this tractor. I bet if this machine was offered in the US there would be a ton of people taking a look at it as a price point tractor. The here is the spec sheet.