Grading a pad with my D4H XL

[BradyHill1]

this was a very cost effective way to get a laser on a dozer blade, we built the mount system ourself and bought the reciever for around 200 bucks, it's magnetic so you have to go kinda slow but can stick it on the stick of an excavator and works to grade with that too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzjayssh1ac

 

[BradyHill1]

i know it's kinda rigged up but it works great

 

[ttazzman]

looks like a good cheap way to do the job.......i would want to rig up something to keep the blade level from left to right also..........i have a D4H XL3 been looking for a cheap answer if you dont mind would be nice to know what sort of equipment(laser) reciver you were using

 

[BradyHill1]

it's a sokkia lp3a laser, the reciever is a knock off of name brand, magnetic mount, I have 2 of them and will be adding mounts to my lgp tractor so i can run 1 in the center or 1 on each corner of the blade. I have graded 500' long pads before for chicken houses with this exact dozer and setup and the building contractor told me that it was the best he had ever had done.

 

[Greg]

I don't call that cheap. In my book that is inexpensive and cost effective.

I have done the same thing with the target for my Spectraphysics laser also. It works great. Only problem you have to be working on someting flat and can't work in slopes this way. But once again, inexpensive and cost effective.

 

[BradyHill1]

I don't call that cheap. In my book that is inexpensive and cost effective.

I have done the same thing with the target for my Spectraphysics laser also. It works great. Only problem you have to be working on someting flat and can't work in slopes this way. But once again, inexpensive and cost effective.

I really need to work on the mount that the reciever mounts to, it's a little light duty and shakes some if you go too fast, other than that, no complaints out of me, I'm one of the few in my area that has a laser mounted on the blade

 

[watglen]

Brady, what happens when you blade forward with that setup? As opposed to back dragging i mean...

 

[CM1995]

I don't call that cheap. In my book that is inexpensive and cost effective.

That's what I was thinking.

 

[grunk36]

this was a very cost effective way to get a laser on a dozer blade, we built the mount system ourself and bought the reciever for around 200 bucks, it's magnetic so you have to go kinda slow but can stick it on the stick of an excavator and works to grade with that too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzjayssh1ac

come on you cant be serious that you are grading with a dozer in reverse???? must be a f.... joke !!!!!!!!!
go forward and show you are made off when backdragging you are wearing out the machine..you can buy a pro single laser setup from trimble that has auto grading for 10-13000 and then you can do this twice the speed and forward like you should be
backdragging is only for pulling back windrows from edges towards walls or steep slopes not for grading

 

[RonG]

There are many instances where backdragging is called for.I don't know what I am made of but have used it many times over the years.Cleaning up and shaping a wet area before a freeze or to keep it from holding water is one instance.Ron G

 

[BradyHill1]

I didn't really want to cover my track marks up with a rake so i did it with the blade, here is the video of where I actually graded this pad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8afwxx2rJw

 

[BradyHill1]

come on you cant be serious that you are grading with a dozer in reverse???? must be a f.... joke !!!!!!!!!
go forward and show you are made off when backdragging you are wearing out the machine..you can buy a pro single laser setup from trimble that has auto grading for 10-13000 and then you can do this twice the speed and forward like you should be
backdragging is only for pulling back windrows from edges towards walls or steep slopes not for grading

I'm sure you've never backdrug anything.......

 

[BradyHill1]

come on you cant be serious that you are grading with a dozer in reverse???? must be a f.... joke !!!!!!!!!
go forward and show you are made off when backdragging you are wearing out the machine..you can buy a pro single laser setup from trimble that has auto grading for 10-13000 and then you can do this twice the speed and forward like you should be
backdragging is only for pulling back windrows from edges towards walls or steep slopes not for grading

I can grade forward, just fine with this setup, I graded the pad forward, just was covering up my track marks, why would I go and buy 10k in equipment to grade twice this fast when I can cut the camera off and go 3x as fast, I don't like for my videos to be shaky so I went slow so my video would be smooth.

 

[Blacksmoke07]

come on you cant be serious that you are grading with a dozer in reverse???? must be a f.... joke !!!!!!!!!
go forward and show you are made off when backdragging you are wearing out the machine..you can buy a pro single laser setup from trimble that has auto grading for 10-13000 and then you can do this twice the speed and forward like you should be
backdragging is only for pulling back windrows from edges towards walls or steep slopes not for grading

Take it easy there dozer king. Whats he supposed to leave gouser and pad marks throughout the entire pad? Back dragging makes it look better, and how does it wear out the machine? Oh, and most of us cant just go out and get a auto grade system that cost 13000, but then again when ur as good as u are why would you even need a laser, or auto grade!?!

 

[jrtraderny]

I think it's just fine, same receiver I have. Don't believe they make them anymore.
jr

 

[BradyHill1]

I know it's not perfect but I have seen a lot worse

 

[Temu]

Heck, for me, that's high-tech! When I string out a level, I follow the level with a straight pipe mounted square and level to my blade and hang chain on the ends! I creep along slow and grade the middle nice and level and work out from that!

Yeah, I know...about as cheap as a feller could go...but it works fine!

 

[grunk36]

Take it easy there dozer king. Whats he supposed to leave gouser and pad marks throughout the entire pad? Back dragging makes it look better, and how does it wear out the machine? Oh, and most of us cant just go out and get a auto grade system that cost 13000, but then again when ur as good as u are why would you even need a laser, or auto grade!?!

if you grade something properly you can just roll it over with a roller then the trackmarks will be gone
allright i might have been a little to hard on my comment before sorry about that but grading backwards and backdragging is just as bad for the machine as runnning it in 3rd gear all the time
but if thats what works for you fine with me

 

[golfy]

I have been running dozers for a while now, and yeah, backblading is not on. About the only time I would do it is if I had to put an emergency vehicle access in somewhere. It wears out the bolts on the cutting edges and makes it a mightmare to undo the bolts etc. I think I would get more satisfaction knowing i had done the job without backblading than having no track marks on the pad. I am sure after you have trimmed it a few times the soil will be compacted enough that hardly any track marks could be seen anyway!!

 

[BradyHill1]

I have been running dozers for a while now, and yeah, backblading is not on. About the only time I would do it is if I had to put an emergency vehicle access in somewhere. It wears out the bolts on the cutting edges and makes it a mightmare to undo the bolts etc. I think I would get more satisfaction knowing i had done the job without backblading than having no track marks on the pad. I am sure after you have trimmed it a few times the soil will be compacted enough that hardly any track marks could be seen anyway!!

I always end up cutting the bolts on almost everything when I change edges because i run them down until their used completely up, See we are opposite, on a building pad, I would rather leave no track marks but clearing land, i don't worry about them as much...the compaction/track marks ratio....when you have a dozer the size of this one on very narrow pads, you will leave marks anywhere you go.....when they dig the footings around the edge and throw forms down and pour concrete, that gives me satisfaction