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Help me stay alive building road with TD-18

chevy43

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Dec 22, 2012
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95
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Cent. Cal
Another technique I'm using: when I get against something hard that stops the tractor I hold both brakes on with full pressure against to object, shift into neutral so I can raise the blade without spinning the tracks, then lift or loosen the object by lifting the blade.
 

chevy43

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Dec 22, 2012
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95
Location
Cent. Cal
There is the 5.9 in the Scout. It was prettier 14 years ago when I did it... It has a Ford Power Stroke intercooler and a 3.5 inch straight pipe under the right rocker panel with a turnout in front of the right wheel which turns black with soot after a while. It runs an elcetric fan, stock radiator and firewall is not moved.

Gear boxes are: Ranger Torque Splitter, SM420, Dana300, axles have 2.72 gears giving 60 MPH at 1,300 RPM. High 20's for MPG. Driver has to be carefull with the power because the 5.9 can break stuff.....
 

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old-iron-habit

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Moose Lake, MN
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No seat belt and no ROP's - this a 1955 TD-18 and that is just a sun and limb canopy. I hope I can jump to the high side if I feel it coming!

I actually gained confidence yesterday by cutting deeper and pushing the fill over and out of the way faster so I could cut better.

I use little hook cuts and angle cuts. To control tilt I use every available opportunity. Sometimes I'm tilted into the hill too much so I'll let the track climb the bank a bit while backing to level the next cut.

I make sure I have the clutch in my hand and not the steering lever as I approach the edge!

Since the cutch has to be engaged to operate the blade I have to hold the right steering clutch with my right leg ( so the left leg can be on the steering brake ),right hand on the blade lever and left hand on the clutch when back away from the edge. This is when I have gone near the edge and I don't want to lift the blade until I back away and I need to steer back towards safety all at the same time. Often at the end of the cut the tractor slews towards the hill so I have to correct immediately as I back up since I'm on the edge.

I see what you mean thats its not a ROPS. A pair of diagonal braces front and back would do wonders for strength though. Good luck jumping to the high side. The last and only time I ever did that I was lucky to get out and still broke my neck. Good luck and stay safe.
 

Scrub Puller

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Yair . . .

chevy43. You are doing well mate, interesting job . . . have you tried pulling both steering clutches together to make your blade go "live"?

On some machines a bit of oxy and bending was needed to get the levers closer together so you can get your left arm around them.

Cheers.
 

dozerman400

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Right on Scrub puller, chevy if you have to work on the fill cut it so your leaning into the bank and track roll the fill.
 

chevy43

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Dec 22, 2012
Messages
95
Location
Cent. Cal
Yair . . .

chevy43. You are doing well mate, interesting job . . . have you tried pulling both steering clutches together to make your blade go "live"?

On some machines a bit of oxy and bending was needed to get the levers closer together so you can get your left arm around them.

Cheers.

No, but great idea! So I hit obsticle and dozer boggs down, hit both steering brakes and pull both clutches back with left hand to keep blade up against rock or obsticle , then lift blade to see if it breaks loose - no shifting to neutral needed - that sound about right?
 
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lantraxco

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No, but great idea! So I hit obsticle and dozer boggs down, hit both steering brakes and pull both clutches back with left hand to keep blade up against rock or obsticle , then lift blade to see if it breaks loose - no shifting to neutral needed - that sound about right?

Old school cat skinning :)
 

Scrub Puller

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Yair . . .

chevy43.

hit both steering brakes and pull both clutches back with left hand to keep blade up against rock or obsticle , then lift blade to see if it breaks loose

Sort of . . . it's been so long mate, I'm doing a bit of a rehearsal here in the office chair.

When tractor bogs down, pull both steering clutches in one movement which takes drive from tracks and allows full power to be applied to hydraulics or winch . . . you may or may not need to hold tractor against obstacle with brakes.

If not already done I always modified brake pedals so I could apply both with one foot leaving the other foot free for decelerator (which not all tractors have).

If you are jammed up and can't shift obstacle or blade has slipped you then have your hydraulic or winch (right)hand free to hold steering clutches back and then disengage mater clutch as normal with left hand . . . reengage steering clutches shift into reverse and have another go.

Steering clutches should either be completely disengaged or engaged in one smooth action . . . nothing in between.

Not telling you how to suck eggs but I have seen folks try to slip them.

One thing you should be aware of on side cutting work is "sling shotting" which can occur when you pull one clutch and the other track spins and the tractor loses forward motion . . . if this happens it is always best to decelerate or preferably throw the master before allowing the steering clutch to reengage.

Cheers.
 

chevy43

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Dec 22, 2012
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95
Location
Cent. Cal
Yesterday's work:

There was some hard rock to deal with and I wasn't getting anywhere trying to cut it with just the blade so I mounted my small Rodgers tooth.

I wish I could point that tooth at an angle from the blade corner...

I've been wanting to bolt teeth on the side of the blade too, but haven't gotten to it yet.

New cutting edges would be nice too. How much of a difference does that make?
 

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chevy43

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Cent. Cal
The grey looking rock is hard.

Seems like I had a hard time getting the side cast to go over the side and I would get these ramps that would build at the end of the cut. Is that normal?
 

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chevy43

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Dec 22, 2012
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Cent. Cal
It was very steep so I cut a lot so I'd be safe. It was tough going for such an old dozer and it was 100 Deg F. I took quite a few breaks for the dozer to cool and for me to get water.

I really needed more of a downward grade but that hard rock screwed me up and I just couldn't cut it deeper. So I guess my estimate of where to start cutting the wall was too high.
 

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chevy43

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Getting there!

I had a flag hung in a tree I was aiming for.
 

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chevy43

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The end of most cuts was kind of scary. Most times I just wanted to back up right away so I didn't take a picture. But I did on this one near the end.
 

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chevy43

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Cent. Cal
Well I made it most of the way! I stopped here last night because I realized I had been thinking so much about staying alive that I hadn't really planned well for what happens when I get to the creek bottom. I didn't want to push all that side cast into the creek. I'm thinking about culvert pipe now.

That las part is going to be a steeper grade than I had wanted due to the hard cutting above and my grade being flatter up there.

I'm alive and the TD-18 still runs -

Thanks for all the advice so far!

Now I need to go up the other side but it isn't as far... Not sure how cutting uphill is going to work out...
 

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fast_st

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I'd imagine uphill is more of the same but a lot slower!! A couple culverts might win you some friends, More is sometimes better, guess the max flow of the creek and go from there.
 

lantraxco

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Around here you would be looking at some serious fines and possibly jail time for getting anywhere near even a dry creekbed with a dozer, let alone putting culverts in without a dozen permits and an engineered environmental impact statement... I can't believe you can do that in California without approval from the governor.
 

chevy43

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Around here you would be looking at some serious fines and possibly jail time for getting anywhere near even a dry creekbed with a dozer, let alone putting culverts in without a dozen permits and an engineered environmental impact statement... I can't believe you can do that in California without approval from the governor.

It's just a fire break access road...... Get some boulders and skip the culvert?
 
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chevy43

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Finish the road at the bottom with a mini - ex so there is no modification to the creek? I don't mind fording the creek. There is another spot on the property that fords a bigger creek and it works fine.
 

chevy43

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I really had no idea that I would be breaking any law just putting a farm access road down to a lower part of the property.

I wouldn't have cut so much but I was just trying to keep the dozer stable.
 
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