Perfect Cat dozer for land clearing jobs???

[Randy88]

First machine I take to ever clearing project is an excavator with a thumb, second is a crawler loader and I leave all the dozers at home, if your planning on burning the stuff as you go, never had much use for a dozer on a burning job myself. As for a D5, that would be a finishing dozer once the job was done if it had to be landscaped.

 

[Colorado Digger]

Well said Randy. I only read the last few post but I agree. A hoe with a thumb and a trackloader with a grapple or demo bucket. We like to use long trucks for export on the slash, as they fit trees and such much better than tandems. If you can burn, don't forget the leafblower.

Regards, CD

 

[CM1995]

I agree too. An excavator and track loader is a great clearing combo. If I had to choose only one machine, it would the track loader of course.

 

[Clint mayne]

we have a d8k forsale we upgraded to all cab tractors

 

[Vigilant]

^^^^^ Niiiiiiice.

The newest I ran was a D8L. Granted, I didn't run it long, but I didn't care for the steering controls at all. I prefer the old style, just like the one pictured. Of course, if I were in business and trying to compete, I would have no choice but to adapt to the joysticks. They are definitely faster and more nimble. Plus, in this day and gae, if a machine does not have heat, A/C and a nice stereo system, you would be hard-pressed to find an operator.

 

[Buckethead]

View attachment 123755 we have a d8k forsale we upgraded to all cab tractors

I really like the old D8Ks. Haven't run one in a while. Not that a D8N or D8R are bad machines or anything, mind you. I just think the visibility was a little better off of a K model. Maybe it's just me.

 

[Clint mayne]

I really like the old D8Ks. Haven't run one in a while. Not that a D8N or D8R are bad machines or anything, mind you. I just think the visibility was a little better off of a K model. Maybe it's just me.

I like the 8k got a lot of power but the 8r are just faster the faster u get turned around and put the cutter back on the dirt the more money you are making but I will assure I that you will not get rich cutting timber makes everything run hot and tears to much up hard on undercarriage but a hell of a lot of fun we went to cab tractors cause of the bees ground hornets and bumble bees are bad over here in east Texas

 

[Buckethead]

we went to cab tractors cause of the bees ground hornets and bumble bees are bad over here in east Texas

Yes, absolutely! No fun hitting a yellow jacket's nest. Or a skunk.

 

[pafarmer]

We clear with D8R with full sweeps and winch. The sweeps are mandatory if living through your first job is a must as is the winch. You will be getting struck on a frequent basis. Angle blade work best. The smallest machine that can do this type of job with any kind of profiency would be the D6 but if your trying to make money at land clearing speed is a critical component to being successful and the D8R will give you speed and ease. The trick to making money clearing land is to get in, get out and move to the next job as quickly as possible....Time is money...both Pro and con !

 

[Tri-Kote]

Without a doubt a crawler loader is much more efficient for clearing land. 955L with a winch would be perfect.

 

[CM1995]

Welcome to the Forums Tri-Kote!:drinkup

 

[CM1995]

We clear with D8R with full sweeps and winch. The sweeps are mandatory if living through your first job is a must as is the winch. You will be getting struck on a frequent basis. View attachment 131944

Do you have a ripper/winch combo on that dozer.

 

[Tri-Kote]

I would think a crawler loader would be better. You can stack trees, pick them up move them, etc. Maybe a 955 is a bit undersized but we use ours a lot and I would use a loader any day over a blade cat.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . Hear again it is horses for courses.

It depends on the style of clearing, that is to say can it be burnt on site or must it be trucked away or buried, what area is involved and what size are the trees.

Is it for housing/commercial subdivision or is it for pasture or row crop.

No one machine fits all situations and very seldom is a dirt blade or bucket all that effective in timber.

I have often wondered why more folks don't put decent rakes on trackloaders, it would make them more productive and protect the operator and the front of the machine.

For dozers the drive in/clip on style such as this are the go and can be dropped off or fitted in a few minutes . . . .




Cheers.

 

[amishmafia00]

I just work on them but we have a 963 with a grapple root rake and a D8N with a 16 foot root rake on it. the 8 is for popping stumps and the 963 is mostly for cleanup.

 

[elric]

How big of stumps can an 8N with a 16 foot rake handle?

 

[Old Junk Man]

Im 64 and did it back in the day. Our first dozer to use in the cutter blade was a 2U D8 we got rid of it and went to a 1962 D7E. ran it in the cutter blade from 64 until 83. never decelerated it and the trans lost abearing in the sun gear. $10,000 laer it was going again. we used 3t d7 a 17A D7 and a Td 14a to stack & burn. Cable rigs all of hwm . I still have the TD 14a. And the &7 E is still working. We did good work and worked long hours .Ran from daylight till dark 6 days a week and drank beer for lunch. We actually made money and where not in debt. the buy it new & pay others to fix it guys would go broke. Our truck was a day cab 1962 Emeryville. We had fun.

 

[td25c]

Yeah Old Junk Man , Were you using the K/G style cutter or V plow type ?

Glad you still have the TD14 & D7E dozers . Both are classic machines :thumbsup

 

[ncnswlogger]

Yair . . . Hear again it is horses for courses.

It depends on the style of clearing, that is to say can it be burnt on site or must it be trucked away or buried, what area is involved and what size are the trees.

Is it for housing/commercial subdivision or is it for pasture or row crop.

No one machine fits all situations and very seldom is a dirt blade or bucket all that effective in timber.

I have often wondered why more folks don't put decent rakes on trackloaders, it would make them more productive and protect the operator and the front of the machine.

For dozers the drive in/clip on style such as this are the go and can be dropped off or fitted in a few minutes . . . .

View attachment 132806


Cheers.

Is that rake 24 foot wide and is the tractor a D6G. If it is a D6G, how does it compare to a D6C/D6D

 

[Old Junk Man]

Yeah Old Junk Man , Were you using the K/G style cutter or V plow type ?

Glad you still have the TD14 & D7E dozers . Both are classic machines :thumbsup

I don't own the 7E any longer. However the old tractor is still going strong. I still have the TD 14 and another junk one for parts. We Hardly ever use it anymore. I simply don't believe in root wadding trees in the hills. you knock off the topsoil and leave holes and stumps. I chain saw them low to the ground in Janurary & feburary when the sign is in the feet. Then place a few shovelfuls of dirt on the stump. A year later it will be soft and a stump grinder will have a easy task grinding it. Moving dirt or building a pond for our own use is it only job now. You will go broke beating a dozer to death clearing hill ground the rocks & digging stumps will quickly wear out a new dozer. When we bulldozed for a living we only worked in the flat lands and kept the V cutter blades very sharp. We put hard surfacing on the bottom of the cutter blade. And the sand wore the top and it sharpened itself to a degree. The undercarriages lasted a long time. When the pins, bushings & sprockets became worn. We had them turned and welded on new sprockets. they got kinda snakey after turning them. They wouldn't have stayed on in the hills. However we didn't have many thrown tracks in the bottoms.