Hi all, great site you have here. Hey, I'm 65 and all my life I've always wanted a dozer. And now I have a project so I'd like to make it happen. My project: I had 40 acres of woodland logged off and now I would like to push a few trails/roads in there. The property is in northern Wisconsin. The stumps are cut low and they are 6 to 10 inches in diameter. They are almost all black spruce and poplar. And the soil is pretty much all sand. What size dozer do you guys think I would need to push out these stumps? What type of blade would I need? Can I get by with a straight blade or do I need a 6 way hydraulic blade? I know I could hire this done, or rent a machine but I have a couple other projects in mind and besides, I want to be the only guy on my block with a dozer! Thanks so much for any thoughts you might have to help me make a decision.
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Always wanted a dozer!
- Thread starter Joe Nowak
- Start date
Dave Neubert
Senior Member
I would get a straight blade with tilt I would get a D6 a little big for what you are doing but they are pretty much bullet proof. Then get a rake to go on the front. With a tilt blade you can tilt it and use a corner of the blade to hog out stumps
Zac chandler
Member
They can be really expensive to own. I can tell you that first hand. Just today I hired two low boys and skidder to get mine out of the woods today.
After that bill many more will come To get it done. Mine wasn’t ancient and wasn’t wore out either. Just luck of the draw.
However it’s nice to own one.
I would look at d6 and or 650 deer
After that bill many more will come To get it done. Mine wasn’t ancient and wasn’t wore out either. Just luck of the draw.
However it’s nice to own one.
I would look at d6 and or 650 deer
Willie B
Senior Member
Shop around. Mine is a Dresser TD7G 1989 model. I bought in 2016. Spent a winter going through it. One too many phone calls, my son forgot to tighten a bolt connecting a negative battery cable to the frame. It used to be hard to start. Now, bolt found & tightened, it is a sweetheart!
I'd choose a bigger tractor than 14600 for stumping, but it is a perfect size for everything else. See my avatar, just right for trucking.
These blocks are between 750 & 800 LBS. The boat is about 1200LBS. At least 23700, maybe 25200
Tractor is rated 70 HP with a Cummins B4 3900 CC
This day, none of the big boys with BIG tractors showed up. Our little local event began as an antique tractor pull, but we have relaxed the rules a bit.
The awards had been passed out. 27 blocks was all the biggest wheel tractors pulled. I hooked up. I'm the only puller to pull 30 blocks this day.
My son in the plaid shirt. Other son might be in the picture, he'd be just a blur, (he moves fast)!
I'd choose a bigger tractor than 14600 for stumping, but it is a perfect size for everything else. See my avatar, just right for trucking.
These blocks are between 750 & 800 LBS. The boat is about 1200LBS. At least 23700, maybe 25200
Tractor is rated 70 HP with a Cummins B4 3900 CC
This day, none of the big boys with BIG tractors showed up. Our little local event began as an antique tractor pull, but we have relaxed the rules a bit.
The awards had been passed out. 27 blocks was all the biggest wheel tractors pulled. I hooked up. I'm the only puller to pull 30 blocks this day.
My son in the plaid shirt. Other son might be in the picture, he'd be just a blur, (he moves fast)!
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Hi, thanks for the reply. I have very little to no experience. In a part time job during college, I worked at a rental place. I drove, moved, turned, cleaned, fueled etc, a medium and small dozer. But did no actual work with it. So I'm pretty green. Any advice you have would be appreciated. Thanks you.
Bob Cowdery
Active Member
Nothing wrong with working on a bucket list. Been there "doing" that. Make sure it has some type of canopy. Working in brush can be dangerous.
It’s not what you want to hear but as a professional heavy equipment mechanic, I highly advise renting with the appropriate insurance if you want to DIY. The majority of old, “affordable” dozers aren’t and are ripe for major component failure at the worst times and in the worst places. These pages on this forum are FULL of regretful buyers who found that out the hard way. You will immediately loose your desire to own when you have to break track and pull a final or pull an engine or trans. Parts can be a real headache to get as there are a lot of orphan brands and what you could get parts for 20-30 years ago you have to crawl wrecking yards for now in the mere hopes of finding what you need.
Willie B
Senior Member
Well, there is that.
DMiller
Senior Member
I just got the crawler I had sold, was done with it as to working on it and justifying keeping it, was a old and tired machine required attention. I in the near future will rent as need and not deal with having to split track or make repairs out in the scrub.
colson04
Senior Member
lol, as much as I want my own dozer, you probably have the best response here. I've got a fair amount of dozer and clearing work on my own property to do and have conceded that I will probably rent a weekend here, a week there, as I can dedicate the time to do each task.
My grandpa has a 550G Deere for farm work with fairly low hours, but it's been a lot of wrenching on little things every dang time we need it. Hydraulic hoses, rear sprockets, muffler (my mistake...) and most recently, replaced the left hand track chain. It doesn't end. The machine doesn't get used 100 hours a year, but it seems that every time it comes out to do a project something breaks, or needs attention prior to doing the work.
Nige
Senior Member
I'll go along with JD & others. Your admitted lack of experience in operating & maintaining a piece of Yellow Iron makes any dozer purchase for you a potential minefield. What happens after that could easily become a Black Hole into which you throw money in increasingly large chunks.
Rental would be the preferred option by far, and bucket list be damned.
Rental would be the preferred option by far, and bucket list be damned.
DMiller
Senior Member
Proudest days of HE, Boat, Rolling Sh!thouse and Trucking owners is First Day with New to one's self machine, and other is day watch it leave the yard.
Hallback
Senior Member
Get the newest, lowest hour name brand machine you can afford. Look at the 25-30k pound machines and have a qualified field tech go over it before purchasing.
hosspuller
Senior Member
When pushing piles of brush or trees, watch for limbs spearing you or your machine. Even a canopy won't protect you from a spear. One hurts your body, the other hurts your wallet.
I've posted this before but it's worth a repeat for you.
I've posted this before but it's worth a repeat for you.
Nige
Senior Member
You can’t fix stupid....
skyking1
Senior Member
Any completely idiotic mistake you can walk away from huh?
Wow.
Wow.
CM1995
Administrator
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2007
- Messages
- 13,373
- Location
- Alabama
- Occupation
- Running what I brung and taking what I win
I agree. My D5G is a 2004 model (bought it new) it now has just over 5K hours and it's a dependable machine - still needs work but fairly easy to work on.
It's valued around $45K which gives the OP a baseline.
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doublewide
Senior Member
I would think a tractor loader backhoe would be a more versatile investment. Prolly better resale value too.