D-51px22 Komatsu reviews

[PineTreeAssassin]

Hey guys, looking to see what the opinions are on the D-51 Komatsu. I’ve been a John Deere man for a while in the dozers, still considering a late model 700j or a earlier 700k. I’ve seen some great life out the 700j, just curious to know how the reliability is on the d-51 stacks up against the John Deere. The cat d6k is not being considered at this time. I plan on keeping a machine until at least 6,000 hrs. The d-51 I found is a 2010 with a little over 2k hrs. Hours are legit. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[Vetech63]

If I were you I would check your dealer support first. Komatsu parts are extremely high in my experience, and JD isn't much better. Compare some parts prices, like a radiator, lighting, some things you know you may need later. One thing I just loathe about Komatsu is their ability to install a hose clamp on every hose, every 12-18 inches. Changing a hose assembly can be a major chore. Every time I get a service call on anything Komatsu I get this sick feeling in the bottom of my gut.....LOL

 

[southernman13]

Would love to have one or a D39. I’ve hear nothing but good about them. Have some friends that own a site development co. They run cats now for resale and trade more often. When running till used up was all Komatsu. They love the Komatsu

 

[mestizo]

What are you doing with it?

The 700K’s a hot rod, the newer K’s have more power but the transmission is the same.

The D51 is a good little dozer and they have great visibility out the front. They’re not service friendly from what I’ve heard. Some guys that do a lot of clearing don’t like them because the cooling package is in the rear, so you don’t have the blade stopping a branch from going through the radiator when you back up.

I’m a little biased, but I’ve ran both and they’ll both get the job done, just comes down to parts and support.

 

[PineTreeAssassin]

Thanks guys! Have pretty good dealer support on both sides. Got a good contact with Komatsu mechanic yesterday, and he told me if he was keeping one out of warranty he would go with the John Deere, simply because of their longevity of the Transmission. Says that’s komatsu’s biggest problem is with their hydro’s. Machine will be used for land clearing, pads, ponds, and roadbuilding. My biggest reason for wanting to stay with John Deere would be my familiarity with the Jd machine, and mostly because I have a friend who is a certified Jd mechanic who has all the equipment to diagnose without going to the dealer. All of the logging crews are going to Komatsu around here, but only because of their warranty program. Local dealer was running a 7yr/7,000 hr warranty. I’m sure it had more clauses in that warranty than we could count, haha!