Share your thoughts.

Deas Plant · Aug 30, 2007

Hi, Folks.
I guess you could call this a 'Favourites' question but I'll put it another way.

Is there a make/model of dozer that is no longer in production that you wish was still being produced?

Pushblock · Aug 30, 2007

D8 2Us forever!

I wish they were still producing the D8 2U. There is nothing quite like the thrill of sitting in the seat and feeling that 13000 pulsing and throbbing and knowing that all it takes is the moving of a couple levers to put all that grunt to work. :notworthy

hardtail · Aug 30, 2007

Well being a corn fan

TD 15, 20 and 25 all C models

Cat D8 46A and D9E

AC HD15 and 20

Construct'O · Aug 30, 2007

High horse D7E with electric start:usa !!!!!!! For me.

hardtail · Aug 30, 2007

I'll even post some pics

Squizzy246B · Aug 30, 2007

Deas Plant said:
Hi, Folks.
I guess you could call this a 'Favourites' question but I'll put it another way.

Is there a make/model of dozer that is no longer in production that you wish was still being produced?

G,day Deas, I aint no operator of Dozers but they still all look a little funny to me without a tree pusher. Do any of the factories still make them with a tree pusher?

Deas Plant · Aug 30, 2007

Tree pushers???????????????????????????????

Hi, Squizzy.
To the best of my knowledge, no manufacturer of crawler tractors ever did make a tree pusher as standard equipment for any of their models. (I do stand to be corrected on this if anybody can prove different.) ALL the tree pushers I ever saw were after-market attachments. There was a quite wide range of qualities of tree pushers made by almost literally squillions of different attachment manufacturers and many home-made efforts as well.

If I had my own computer, (it's in for an upgrade, from an 80 Gb hard drive to an 800 Gb hard drive - all those photos that I collect) I could post some photos for you, but what the hell, you know what a tree pusher looks like.

Squizzy246B · Aug 30, 2007

Deas Plant said:
Hi, Squizzy.
To the best of my knowledge, no manufacturer of crawler tractors ever did make a tree pusher as standard equipment for any of their models. (I do stand to be corrected on this if anybody can prove different.) ALL the tree pushers I ever saw were after-market attachments. There was a quite wide range of qualities of tree pushers made by almost literally squillions of different attachment manufacturers and many home-made efforts as well.

If I had my own computer, (it's in for an upgrade, from an 80 Gb hard drive to an 800 Gb hard drive - all those photos that I collect) I could post some photos for you, but what the hell, you know what a tree pusher looks like.

Thanks Deas, I expect the dealers had them knocked up. I remember coming to the big smoke and seeing all those D8's lined up at Wigmores (now Westrac) with there pushers up in the air showing off their Teeth. Now that I come to think of it, our local operator...a guy by the name of Eric Stretfield....had an 8 with a very roughly fashioned pusher......then again, must things about Eric where pretty rough....right down to his barb wire boot laces and a piece of 6" bore casing masquerading as a muffler on his old Commer Low Loader.

Apologies for slight de-railment...carry on!

iceberg210 · Aug 30, 2007

I wish that TD-6's were still in production. We've got a TD-6 4in1 loader that is just an amazing machine. It'll do anything go anywhere and for most people's uses it's plenty of machine.

Also the TD-7 unless the new Dressta's are actually decent I haven't had a chance to take a look at them or hear whether they are worth anything. The old International TD-7's were great they had plenty of power, were great grading dozers and best of all light enough to tow behind a one ton.

LowBoy · Aug 30, 2007

Pushblock said:
I wish they were still producing the D8 2U. There is nothing quite like the thrill of sitting in the seat and feeling that 13000 pulsing and throbbing and knowing that all it takes is the moving of a couple levers to put all that grunt to work. :notworthy

I agree. I'm a D8 2U fan as well. The ones I ran were cable jobs, and I think it made an operator out of a man back then, when you could fine grade with those old beasts. Makes these dozers of today like sitting in your chair playing X Box.
I also miss the AC HD 21. What a beast. Terex with the naturally asperated 8V71 Detroit sounded good. You could hear it from a good, long way away. Saw one working (playing,) at Sharon Springs, NY tractor pulls one Sunday in July.Was pushing some rusty old pan just for show...and a 60's vintage Euclid was right there with them.

j.d.m.grading · Aug 30, 2007

Id have to say an allis chalmers HD 21 A with a screamin detroit, even though they slobber worse than a bulldog i think them motors are pretty neat

Wolf · Aug 30, 2007

977l

I know it's not a dozer, but CAT 977L just rocks. Total powerhouse machine. Great pusher.

Great for doing demo in the city, the old fashioned way. Crashing and crunching.

surfer-joe · Aug 30, 2007

Most of the machines listed here were pretty good in their day, but now, well, I'll take a modern Cat D8 or D9 any day. I really appreciate the creature comforts they have.

I learned on the RD8's and 2U's and TD14 and 18's. That part of the reason I'm in the sad shape I'm in today.

LowBoy · Aug 30, 2007

I learned on the RD8's and 2U's and TD14 and 18's. That part of the reason I'm in the sad shape I'm in today.

[/QUOTE]

What's the matter surfer-joe...didn't the a/c and the airride seat work in the D8 2U you used to run? The one I ran did. The a/c came from the west prevailing wind, and the airride seat worked once you landed back in it.

I moved a brandy new D-8T the other day, and man I gotta tell you, they certainly came a LOOOONG way. From a (seriously,) genuine air ride seat to the a/c to the tiller steering, it's become a pleasure rather than a job nowadays.

Pushblock · Aug 30, 2007

I'd go for an HD 21 too.

Hey Lowboy, looks like we have similar taste in vintage dozers. The first tractor I ever ran was an HD 21 P. When I had the opportunity to operate
a D82U I remember thinking that running a 2U saw very much like hard work, still, the sound of that 13000 thumping away is music to my ears!

surfer-joe · Aug 30, 2007

Geeez Low Boy, I'm still recovering from a pair of flights to Michigan from Phoenix last weekend. Gad, either I'm a lot bigger, or those damn seats are a lot smaller. My legs seem to be a lot longer too, couldn't find a comfortable place to put them.

One positive memory from the bad old days is that the seats on the 2U & the TD24's were a lot wider, providing a nice soft place to take a nap at lunch time. This was even better if one had the advantage of the wooden Cat sun shade. A kitten draped over a couch didn't have a thing on me.

tylermckee · Aug 30, 2007

Im not much of a dozer operator ive spent most of my dozer time on d3's but i got to run a d8k for a while and it was a blast. It was big, loud, old, and had an open cab but i had more fun on that dozer than i do in the air conditiond cab on the excavator. My opinion might change if i had to run it every day all day though.

Steve Frazier · Aug 30, 2007

What a great thread!! Thanks Deas!!

I've got a career total of about 4 hours on dozers, small ones at that, so I'll just spectate. I will add however that I was always awed in watching a TD25 at work, they were so massive and blowing soot with the turbo screaming, it was bone chilling to see such power at work.

580bruce · Aug 30, 2007

I love to run a Pc-150-5. Just an all around great machine!

RollOver Pete · Aug 30, 2007

The Cat D9H was one of the finest large dozers ever built.
Even though you couldn't see in front of you or behind of you, with a good ear and that "bubble" that you sit on, I found it easy and "fun" to punch pads with this machine.
I doubt todays newer machines will last as long as the older real machines did.
:cool2

Share your thoughts.

Senior Member

Member

Well-Known Member

Senior Member

Well-Known Member

Attachments

Administrator

Senior Member

Administrator

Well-Known Member

Senior Member

Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Founder

Well-Known Member

Senior Member

Attachments