Nige
Senior Member
As CM1995 pointed out, a budget of somewhere around $45k would get you something decent.
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Always wanted a dozer!
- Thread starter Joe Nowak
- Start date
DMiller
Senior Member
Excavator
Man, you guys sure know how to throw a wet blanket! Lol. Yeah, I'm gunna think on this long and hard and I see what you guys are saying. My budget for this is about 10K. I know that doesn't buy me much and repairs are costly. Thanks for giving me some straight up honest advice. I gunna keep lookin', but with a little different viewpoint! Thanks again.
FWD
Senior Member
Where are you at in Wisconsin? I do that kind of work with a TD9-H Dresser dozer. Have many hours of experience and am in NW Wisconsin. If not me, maybe you can find some one else to work for you and not break the bank.
FWD
FWD
Willie B
Senior Member
I don't know. I'm an electrician and more mechanic than some who make their living. I bought a 3500 hour TD7G, spent some time fixing what was wrong. Some frustration, but more satisfaction. I've likely got $16000 + Labor in it now. I love my crawler.
If it all comes down to dollars, you might opt for hiring someone. I find it very pleasurable to own.
If it all comes down to dollars, you might opt for hiring someone. I find it very pleasurable to own.
PEVO
Well-Known Member
I hear ya. Been there, doing that now. I always wanted a full-size Tonka toy to play in the growed up with trees/brush sandbox. Bought a dozer that was 3/4 wore out. Been wrenching on it since. I could had farmed out the clearing work and come out cheaper. I'm no mechanic but if i keep this dozer long enuff i will be. But whats the fun in just paying to have dozer work done?
Mines a early model CAT D4H. if i did it again...id consider a D5H at least.(more balls but still mid sized) High track H models are powershift or direct clutch with no fancy electronics, and either straight blade or 6-way. If your so inclined you can work on it yourself...and you dont need a CAT tech to plug into the computer and figure it out. Since its a "farm dozer" now i just dont push it as hard...knowing its frail. Its not a 10 hour a day money maker.
Your going to be hard pressed to find a decent dozer with enuff balls to do any serious pasture cleaning for $10-15k. Hell if someone gave you a D4-5 with a wore out UC, you will spend $10-15k just for a new under carriage.
not saying its impossible. A estate sale with a good old D6D thats been hidden away for 20 years can pop up, But those are few a far between.
There's a demand for these older more simple dozers for the reasons i stated above.
Good luck.
Mines a early model CAT D4H. if i did it again...id consider a D5H at least.(more balls but still mid sized) High track H models are powershift or direct clutch with no fancy electronics, and either straight blade or 6-way. If your so inclined you can work on it yourself...and you dont need a CAT tech to plug into the computer and figure it out. Since its a "farm dozer" now i just dont push it as hard...knowing its frail. Its not a 10 hour a day money maker.
Your going to be hard pressed to find a decent dozer with enuff balls to do any serious pasture cleaning for $10-15k. Hell if someone gave you a D4-5 with a wore out UC, you will spend $10-15k just for a new under carriage.
not saying its impossible. A estate sale with a good old D6D thats been hidden away for 20 years can pop up, But those are few a far between.
There's a demand for these older more simple dozers for the reasons i stated above.
Good luck.
I agree. There is a convenience to having your own. You can poke at projects on your own term. Yes, there is upkeep. But he's not going to run it 12 hrs a day. And old machines are much more simple. I have a Cat D7E for sale that runs great and has a really nice undercarriage. Semi U blade with tilt. Yes,it does need the left final repaired. A good size job. But then it'll give years of good performance. Guaranteed? No. But very likely. And worth the gamble for only $9000. ****, the tracks are worth that. They are really nice. Just my opinion though of course.
hosspuller
Senior Member
Aye ...There's the rub... With the price of the machine, Hauling will eat up the rest of OP's budget. So then he'll have a machine that needs repairs "on the left final". He has spent his budget and has a broken machine. The parts are heavy and expensive. Tooling to break the track and lift the parts back into place still to be sourced. Some dreams are not to be ...for $ 10,000
Now, the education acquired doing the repairs himself (if no bodily injuries) ... will be priceless.
To each their own. Sounds like he wants to own one. He is not far from me, in northern WI for trucking. Thill track and tractor in Eau Claire, WI has all the used Cat parts ready to go for it. Dead shaft is tight. Only got a few pieces of a tooth out the plug. I have the Cat puller and press tooling he can use for free. Jack it up higher than the track frame and a small tractor or cherry picker can handle the sprocket etc. I realize it's a big job, but let's not make it sound impossible. For 15k including purchase, it'll be pushing. Doing the work himself of course.
I've decided to thin out. Too many machines.
I've decided to thin out. Too many machines.
Nige
Senior Member
I still think the OP's $10k budget is way too low to buy something anywhere near reliable, especially in view of his admitted lack of operating and maintenance experience.
Willie B
Senior Member
Shhhhhh! That is just what he told his wife!
Willie B
Senior Member
A boat is a hole in water into which you pour money. A crawler is a _____ in _____ into which you pour money. But, it is a fun place to pour money!
In my case I fixed on a tilt, angle blade to plow snow now & again. It'll last longer than me & both sons were firm, if it can't plow snow, it isn't as useful.
In my case I fixed on a tilt, angle blade to plow snow now & again. It'll last longer than me & both sons were firm, if it can't plow snow, it isn't as useful.
Hey guys, thanks again for the input. I haven't given up, just waiting for the right dozer to come along. I know it will be tough but I've never shied away from big projects; building a house, building a log cabin from scratch, building , cutting, grinding, welding on many, many projects through the years. But I will be cautious. So if you guys have any ideas about the original question; what size do I need, I'd love to hear it. Also, some I'm looking at are a long way from home. Do you guys know, can I hire a local dozer mechanic over the phone to check over a dozer and report back? Are those services offered? And about how much? Not giving up the dream, but not going to dive in without checking the depth but not diving in at all get's you nothing. Thanks again guys.
skyking1
Senior Member
That is John C's profession. Maybe he'll stop in and check the thread again.
Willie B that's funny, but also a lot of truth!
Welder Dave
Senior Member
Price out how much to have someone come in and do it. Could save you thousands in the long run.
Nige
Senior Member
Maybe it might pay Joe to get hold of a copy of John's first book..? $30 in paperback or $20 for Kindle.
https://www.amazon.com/Appraisal-Heavy-Equipment-John-Craughan-ebook/dp/B073ZXGQNJ
hosspuller
Senior Member
Yup ... ignorance either costs or hurts. $20 IS CHEAP to avoid ignorance when purchasing something that involves thousand$ of $ in acquisition, repairs & maintenance costs. Avoiding injury is priceless. (as they say)
Willie B
Senior Member
No correct answer to the size question.
How will you haul it?
Do you need to haul it?
Is it a one time thing to clear, & build road?
In the 1970s Green Mountain National Forest wrote timber harvesting contracts with very exact specifications as to dozer size. A local logger running several Chevy Suburban sized crews used only John Deere 350 sized crawlers. At one time he bought 10 new ones at once. The advantage of little crawlers (13,000 LB) is they are narrow, fit through tight gaps between trees. The disadvantage, is they are little, take forever to do the job a bigger one does quickly.
Mine is Dresser TD7G. Sometimes I'd like a bigger one, but look at my avatar. I carry it on a medium duty truck. Mine weighs about 14,400 LBS. It's similar in size to John Deere 450, Case 450.