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Shopping for a farm use Dozer

ERguy44

Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2015
Messages
8
Location
West Virginia
Hello.... First time poster, long time lurker...... I am posting a question that has mostly likely been asked a 100 times before, but I am looking to purchase a dozer for use around my 80 or so acres. Basically I would be using it clear thick brush, build a few roads and general shenanigans around my place. I am looking at a few JD 450 and 550 models. I was wondering what a "good" price would be for these certain models. I realize there are many different variables in play to determine cost. The one is a 450C with approx 4600 hours and 300 hrs on new undercarriage. Also has a winch and recently rebuilt C-frame. Owner is asking 16K. I have driven it. Seems very tight. Well greased and proper documentation of scheduled fluid changes. The next is a 1980 550 with what the owner described to me via phone call as approx 75% undercarriage and winch. Owner wants 24K. Dozer looks very clean in pics.

Thanks again for any help and guidance. I know these questions are extremely broad. I also realize renting may make more sense financially, but I have all kinds of toys I dont really need and I have always wanted a dozer. :)
 

stumpjumper83

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2007
Messages
1,974
Location
Port Allegany, pa
Occupation
Movin dirt
bare back, nice shape 450 & 550G's are 20k tops, a buy is 15k. A really nice 450c to 550E bare back, wouldn't want more than 12.5, add a winch and a forestry package or a set of rippers, maybe 16, but it better be cherry. Personally I'd rather have the ih / dresser dozer
 

ERguy44

Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2015
Messages
8
Location
West Virginia
Thanks for the reply...... I have heard something similar before but what I am finding online tends to be a good bit higher!!!
 

denver m farms

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2012
Messages
226
Location
Ava missouri
Occupation
Farmer/cattle buyer/ construction/excavating
Yes, those are high. If I were you I would look for a 550 or 650g Deere, should find a nice one for close to 20k.
 

repowerguy

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2015
Messages
810
Location
United States southern Ohio
Occupation
mixer truck mechanic
TD's were ok machines and I have knocked around on a few and liked some aspects of them. Lately though parts are a problem to find as Komatsu has abandoned the line. On 7's, 8's and 9's the aftermarket probably has parts covered ,but on bigger machines I would be wary. At a previous job, a year ago we had to park a TD15E because it needed clutches in the two-speed steering and trans also and none could be found. On the other hand the owner bought a twin to it at auction that ran well for $7500, so you can often buy TD's for a good price.
 

ERguy44

Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2015
Messages
8
Location
West Virginia
Thanks for the replies everyone... my issue is that through my searches via the various sites, machinerytrader, equipmenttrader, and even ebay, the prices seems a good bit higher!!! If anyone has any leads on good dozers for sale in the WV area let me know....
 

RonG

Charter Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2003
Messages
1,833
Location
Meriden ct
Occupation
heavy equipment operator
bare back, nice shape 450 & 550G's are 20k tops, a buy is 15k. A really nice 450c to 550E bare back, wouldn't want more than 12.5, add a winch and a forestry package or a set of rippers, maybe 16, but it better be cherry. Personally I'd rather have the ih / dresser dozer
You are kidding,right?
Ron G
 

stumpjumper83

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2007
Messages
1,974
Location
Port Allegany, pa
Occupation
Movin dirt
I've owned both the 450c and the 550g. I have a td15c, and I've ran the td9h, 8e, 7c, etc. The deere's are hard nosed. Meaning the track frames have no osciliation, run a 650g all day building trail then go to a td15c and see which you come back to...

Blades... the Ih blades that I have ran tend to cut better and carry more than a deeres. 80% or more of the small deeres are going to be direct drive machines, maybe easier on fuel than a torque converted machine but definatly not as friendly when working stumps and other hard objects.

As for the parts being an issue... well your dealing with a machine that is 25 years old minimum to 40 on the long end... what do you expect a manufacturer to do? Fortunately a lot of the parts on these units are common to ih's ag offerings, some of the parts are not, but there is a decent aftermarket following.
 

RonG

Charter Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2003
Messages
1,833
Location
Meriden ct
Occupation
heavy equipment operator
I have many hours on a TD15C and it is one of the nicer machines I have run in my 40+ years in the trade.The John Deere 450-650 dozers do not have a live undercarriage and cannot be compared to the TD15 by weight or otherwise.I have run many flavors of the smaller TD* dozers and fairly new ones too and I can tell you they cannot compare to the John Deere offerings in any way,sorry,they are both yellow.I did not mean to sound like a wise guy but could not take your comment without a reaction on my end.
Ron G
 

ERguy44

Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2015
Messages
8
Location
West Virginia
I appreciate the comments, good stuff.... so what is the consensus on what is deemed a good price for something as stated above with given parameters.
 

moriboy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2015
Messages
88
Location
Oregon
Occupation
Machine shop owner
I was in the same boat as you ERguy44. I have 85 acres of nothing but timber and brush. I looked at every option as far as dozers go. I decidied on a late model 650G. Sure weren't many of them around my neck of the woods. I ended up finding one about 175 miles away. It's nice machine, only thing I have done (other than complete fluid and filter change) is replace every pin and bushing on all cylinders. They were really sloppy. I also added rear and side screens since this picture was taken. It is a great machine for farm use in my opinion. Easy to work on and parts are still readily available. It won't push out big oak stumps with ease but with a little work there hasn't been anything I couldn't move.

IMG_0461.jpg
 

ERguy44

Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2015
Messages
8
Location
West Virginia
I was in the same boat as you ERguy44. I have 85 acres of nothing but timber and brush. I looked at every option as far as dozers go. I decidied on a late model 650G. Sure weren't many of them around my neck of the woods. I ended up finding one about 175 miles away. It's nice machine, only thing I have done (other than complete fluid and filter change) is replace every pin and bushing on all cylinders. They were really sloppy. I also added rear and side screens since this picture was taken. It is a great machine for farm use in my opinion. Easy to work on and parts are still readily available. It won't push out big oak stumps with ease but with a little work there hasn't been anything I couldn't move.

View attachment 140486


That looks like exactly something I could use!!!! Awesome find!!!
 

old-iron-habit

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
4,233
Location
Moose Lake, MN
Occupation
Retired Cons't. Supt./Hospitals
My newest machine is a 1978 931 Cat with a loader with 4 in 1 bucket and a backhoe on it. While not the fastest production machine in the world it takes care of all the tasks the property needs very well. For all around work it beats a dozer by far in my humble opinion. By opening the bucket and setting the loader down on to the stops it is rock solid for dozing. You tilt the bucket a bit forward or back to adjust your cut depth. You can still find decent ones in the $12,000.00 range. You can push over a pretty big tree with the loader up to get a little leverage and can dig out any stump that stumps you. The 4 in 1 bucket is handy for grabbing trees and pile them where ever you want them.
 

ERguy44

Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2015
Messages
8
Location
West Virginia
I have considered something such as this as well. I have a good sized tractor with loader on the front and have considered adding the backhoe attachment, so I am not sure if I would benefit as much with a crawler loader....... Though I am considering it.....
 

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
The high prices you are seeing are asking prices. They are only there to start the negotiations with and generate interest. If you want to figure some real world figures you should check selling prices at auctions which is easy enough in MachineryTrader.com. Keep in mind that auction selling prices are gavel figures which don't reflect any preparation, transportation, commissions and other costs associated with an auction sale. Use those figures as a base line. Retail asking prices includes acquisition costs, preparations, marketing commissions and profit as well. Once you have the base line it is arithmetic to figure out where the value range of any subject machine should be. The final consideration and the most important one is condition. The gamble on older machines is can you purchase it, do what you need to do and get rid of it before a major expense pops up.

Average auction on Machinery trader on Deere 450C for sales within the last year is $6,858. Average asking price is $12,978. That ad seems a bit fishy to me.

Good Luck!
 

jd550g

Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2014
Messages
8
Location
michigan
Hello.... First time poster, long time lurker...... I am posting a question that has mostly likely been asked a 100 times before, but I am looking to purchase a dozer for use around my 80 or so acres. Basically I would be using it clear thick brush, build a few roads and general shenanigans around my place. I am looking at a few JD 450 and 550 models. I was wondering what a "good" price would be for these certain models. I realize there are many different variables in play to determine cost. The one is a 450C with approx 4600 hours and 300 hrs on new undercarriage. Also has a winch and recently rebuilt C-frame. Owner is asking 16K. I have driven it. Seems very tight. Well greased and proper documentation of scheduled fluid changes. The next is a 1980 550 with what the owner described to me via phone call as approx 75% undercarriage and winch. Owner wants 24K. Dozer looks very clean in pics.

Thanks again for any help and guidance. I know these questions are extremely broad. I also realize renting may make more sense financially, but I have all kinds of toys I dont really need and I have always wanted a dozer. :)

ER I just wanted to add try to stay away from the early Deere 550s before the G series came out these dozers had a torque converter driven powershift and parts for them were getting scarce and very expensive 20 years ago. I owned one and it was a great dozer I just got a little scared that it very quickly could have become a money pit. I now have a 550G that I have owned for about 15 years and it has been great
Thanks
 

moriboy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2015
Messages
88
Location
Oregon
Occupation
Machine shop owner
Yes, this is good advice. I almost bought a 550A last year and after doing research found that essentially if the tranny breaks you might as well scrap the machine.

ER I just wanted to add try to stay away from the early Deere 550s before the G series came out these dozers had a torque converter driven powershift and parts for them were getting scarce and very expensive 20 years ago. I owned one and it was a great dozer I just got a little scared that it very quickly could have become a money pit. I now have a 550G that I have owned for about 15 years and it has been great
Thanks
 

td25c

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2009
Messages
5,250
Location
indiana
Farm Dozer

Yeah ERguy44 ,

Do you have any equipment now like farm tractor & loader with some implements ?

Reason I ask is they work great for mowing ,grading ,& everyday tasks .

When I think of " Farm Dozing " it's removing old fence rows ,cleaning up fields and building roads , ponds and so on .

My theory is go with a larger dozer for the rough stuff & dirt moving projects and use the farm tractor for the lighter work .

Spotted a Cat D7F on machinery trader . Rails & sprockets look decent . Full rock guards with winch & angle blade .

http://www.machinerytrader.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=11010423
 

ERguy44

Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2015
Messages
8
Location
West Virginia
Yeah ERguy44 ,

Do you have any equipment now like farm tractor & loader with some implements ?

Reason I ask is they work great for mowing ,grading ,& everyday tasks .

When I think of " Farm Dozing " it's removing old fence rows ,cleaning up fields and building roads , ponds and so on .

My theory is go with a larger dozer for the rough stuff & dirt moving projects and use the farm tractor for the lighter work .

Spotted a Cat D7F on machinery trader . Rails & sprockets look decent . Full rock guards with winch & angle blade .

http://www.machinerytrader.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=11010423

Lots of great replies. I really appreciate the advice from everyone. I had just purchased a 2015 Kubota L47 tractor with loader and finishing mower this past spring. I also have a 6ft hog I run on it as well. It's a great tractor. 4 wheel drive with hydrostatic trans. A good deal of the wooded portion I own is somewhat hilly and littered with brush. Figured a dozer would be somewhat safer as well. But yes what you listed above is what I plan on using it for. Thanks for the heads up on the older 550 models. I was looking at a 550C but had heard something similar in terms of issues.
 
Last edited:

oldirt

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2009
Messages
504
Location
iowa
most likely there is a really good independent operator who would love to come and do your work for you. pros.. 1 he knows how to do your work right. 2 it is his machinery and when it has a failure you don't have to fix it. 3 100% of his bill is tax deductable. 4 you don't have a money pit time bomb which will go off as soon as you start to use it. cons.. you have to be willing to wait for him to come. (most will bend over backwards to get your work).

the contractor could turn out to be your best friend.
 
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