tips for Running small dozers?

So I've been trying to cut out a crawlspace for a new house. I cant really seem to get the hang of this thing. Everything I do comes out looking like a washboard. Machine is a case 350B with nearly 6000 hours so the blade is sloppy. Any tips, or live and learn. only thing that seem to help was standing up and looking down on the blade to see what was cutting.

Two more questions

1. The diff oil level after sitting says full, but while running doesnt show up on the stick. Should I add more or is that normal?

2. The tractor after a hour of work on a hard push would actually stop pushing in forward totally, but when put in reverse would move just fine. I noticed my trans pressure gauge was almost in the red of the low side. Most likely would that be a charge pump going bad?

Thanks for your time

angle the blade all the way to 1 side or the other it will cut a flat, i do it on may cat d5h xl and it works good

caterpillar13 said:

angle the blade all the way to 1 side or the other it will cut a flat, i do it on may cat d5h xl and it works good

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A full blade is easier to handle than an empty one, it won't dig in as much, and angling it will help a bit but it comes back to good hand/eye coordination and the seat of the pants feel that comes with practice. Once u get the washboard effect going it takes a bit to get on top of it. Some of the older machines with slow hydraulics and short track frames were hard to blade with even with lots of practice.

Yeah, I'm no dozer hand, but did play one from time to time, usually on a Deere 450C... the small short machines, you put some downforce on the blade to start it cutting, the cutting edge bites in, pulls the blade down until the slack is gone and then pulls the nose of the machine down a bit, at about which time if you haven't made lots of small upward corrections to the blade, the front of the machine falls down into the cut you made causing and even bigger divot.... takes lots of practice and I never did get good at it, of course I didn't want to get good at it as I much preferred my wrenches and my nice shop, lol. Have fun.

Change machine direction when the washboarding is established. Take a 1/2 blade width over the previous pass you just made. Don't ever stand up on a dozer when it is in motion unless you have a staffed ambulance sitting close by.

Keep the leading tip just barely cutting or just riding on top and like said above crisscross and make half cuts. The leading tip will want to grab but the back edge wants to ride if that makes any sense.

Tinkerer said:

Don't ever stand up on a dozer when it is in motion unless you have a staffed ambulance sitting close by.

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Or a hearse.

Try this on your cut passes. See if you can get a nice smooth cut at least one blade width across your entire cut. Then come back and load the blade 1/4 - 1/2 width wise of the blade and the depth that the tractor will handle, a couple of inches depending on the length of cut.

Let 1/2 the blade float and the other cut, then move slowly through your cut. Let the dozer push and don't move the blade up and down.

Hope you have some nice sandy dirt to learn in.

Cutting edge

Spend a little cash and install new edge & end bits .

Grading with an old worn out cutting edge is like working wood with a dull knife , it either dives in or skips over the top .

You should feel the washboard before you see it! As soon as you feel your grade going up or down, adjust and keep going. Don't wait till your going up and down like a roller coaster( if you need to pull some material back and start over). If you can find a smooth area, work off of that. If you have a heavy cut, get most of it close, then fine grade it.