Who Backdrags?

[Bluox]

No, I've never driven a dozer in my life! I wouldn't even know what levers to pull! I spend all my spare time hanging off the Cat dealers fence, staring at the big Cats, wondering what it must be like, to be in control of all that HP and tonnes of steel!! :tong

Ozposser, this is the most honest post you have ever made.
Bob
,

 

[OzDozer]

Ahh, Bluox! Glad to see you here - so you can pick holes in everything I write, and sh*t on me constantly! You must get thoroughly bored, when I don't post!
To keep you completely happy, here's a pic of me, at a show a few years back, playing on this big ole Cat, and trying to figure out what that big lever sticking out of the floor, does!
They told me to get off, when it looked like I could hurt myself!

http://oi50.tinypic.com/x3z97m.jpg

 

[Colorado Digger]

32 posts and already causing drama? Stop it!

 

[TomA]

We have a road on our ranch that goes to cell sites. It has to be up to fire dept specs. It had not been maintained in a while so the fire dept wrote it up. The cellphone companies wanted to re engineer it. We decided to do the maintenance ourselves. We dont have a grader or a tractor with an angle blade. I have a D4 7U with an angle blade. It did a great job. It was 99% backblading. It is amazing how much control you can have in grading in variations between float and different degrees of downpressure. Finish backblading is a must with this old Cat because the grousers are really tall and leave a mess behind. By running them on the high spots they do a good job of scarifying.

 

[Kelly]

here's a pic of me, at a show a few years back, playing on this big ole Cat, and trying to figure out what that big lever sticking out of the floor, does!
They told me to get off, when it looked like I could hurt myself!

http://oi50.tinypic.com/x3z97m.jpg

ozdozer,
The picture of the old 3t and the LeT scraper, Is that the lever that broke off in your hand.
Kelly

 

[OzDozer]

Oooh, Kelly! I was hoping you'd forgotten about that incident! Don't tell Bluox I broke the gear lever off, will you! That will ensure that Bluox's opinion of me, will get get even lower! (if that's possible?)

The guy who took the video of me boiling the dirt into the Model M Carryall, took it down! But he left up the video of that amateur Bill Rudicill, loading the Carryall UPHILL! :Banghead

It must have been Bill that fractured the lever - and then left me to be the scapegoat for breaking it!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K8B6rsr_xY&list=UUmFMGxrIz8gWRxqjEgopwJw&index=27&feature=plcp

 

[Kelly]

OzDozer,
Here is old great grand pa at the woodland CA show in 2011 on old MikeMc Hi Out Put digging a hole.

Kelly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI9yQo4SPyA

 

[OzDozer]

Kelly, that's a neat video! I can see you haven't lost your touch. I'll wager that ole D8 brings back a few memories?
I didn't you backdragging in the vid? You obviously need more training to be a "proper" operator??

 

[Kelly]

OzDozer,

I didn't you backdragging in the vid? You obviously need more training to be a "proper" operator??

You mean like is, old Deas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=_AmDD4taFNI&NR=1

Kelly

 

[ronnie]

it's all according to what your doing finishing on a golf course or in a front yard track marks are highly unwanted i did those kind of jobs but now i work at a coal prep- plant and the reject coal (aka gob) is wet and nasty a doxer wont stay up on it when it a sunny day sometime when it rains or snopws on you the filter will wash out of it and its like pushing 57 stone so we dont bother with back draging that stuff so it's all in what your doing i do it but only when i need to no since in sharping the cutting edge up lol

 

[Vantage_TeS]

Cutting edges are on the front for a reason. The whole front of the blade is covered with hardened steel to protect the much softer steel on the back. You see what the dirt does to the cutting edge bolts, why would you be naive enough to think it's not also wearing down the back of the frog? Sure you probably won't notice it over a couple sets of edges but I guarantee if you make it a regular habit a welder will be coming out in that dozer's lifetime to do a whole bunch of welding on that frog to build it back up.

Some light back dragging in certain situations cannot be avoided. Working in tight corners, pulling a windrow away from utilities etc and that wear is just the cost of doing business. Like U/C sometimes certain situations pay off burning a set or two out. Trying to cap ruts so deep you're dragging your belly pan is another one I forgive on. Not much else that can be done.

We do mainly rough grading (get within 6" and get out) and everyone I hire new or train gets the same line. The cutting edge is on the front because that's which way you move dirt. When you start going the other way you can keep going all the way to your vehicle.

 

[vapor300]

^^AMEN^^ Like i said if you cant run it in forward and do a decent job, get off and let someone that can.

 

[illinoisboy]

This is one if those things "pros" say that makes them feel better about themselves. U leave your tracks after your done and it looks like poo. Finish dozers are made to finish ...... Leave smooth when done. It's also a good way to work up rough or clumpy dirt. My customers are happy. It's a tool like anything else. If your not using it to its ability... Then it is "you" that doesn't know how to run it properly. Merely my opinion.... wait for it.. Wait for it.....

 

[vapor300]

LOL so what are you finishing that you cant leave tracks??? I've finished sub divison's, highways, parking lots, and train yards and everything i have finished i left tracks in, im not going to take the extra time to backdrag the tracks out of it. The customer can hire a guy to brush the tracks out with a rake if he is that picky. IDC what it is you are finishing, but why does it matter if you leave tracks??? You wont be able to see them if they pave it, and they wont be able to see it if they build a foundation over it, and they wont be able to see them after the grass grows, so there is really no point to back drag unless you cant make it look good goin forward

 

[illinoisboy]

Ahh there it is we finish grade yards and waterways etc.. I'm
Not to lazy to take the time to back blade when I'm
Going backwards anyhow. I wouldn't want clear marks in my front yard, I might spill some beer while mowing...,

 

[vapor300]

Finish grade yards??? With what??? Most yards around here are finished with a box blade once the house is built, or a skid loader? Dont need a dozer to do that. And its hard to see dozer tracks if there underwater

 

[diggerop]

OK.... there is quiet a few mentions of a finish dozer. My question is, what is a finish dozer?. Most of the time I only have a D11 to finish my jobs, mostly working in support of a EX 3600. Sometimes I have to make a road for light vehicles so I will probably maybe backdrag. So if I only have a D11 to finish off with then for me that is a finish dozer. Can anyone enlighten me please. :beatsme

 

[illinoisboy]

Eh... U use the tools u have to get the job done. I don't care if somebody doesn't like to backdrag. But don't get cocky and assume that because I do back drag that I don't know how to operate. Everybody has their own preferences.

 

[LDK]

Eh... U use the tools u have to get the job done. I don't care if somebody doesn't like to backdrag. But don't get cocky and assume that because I do back drag that I don't know how to operate. Everybody has their own preferences.

Some of the posts have come over pretty arrogant, I would have to agree with you Illinoisboy.

 

[D&GExcavating]

We use small dozers like a D5G for finishing larger yards, otherwise we'll use a track skid loader. It just depends on what makes things go faster and the amount of dirt that has to be moved. I still don't see anything wrong with back dragging. When we have to "finish" things, it has to be within 1" typically. It all depends on the operator. Not everyone is the same. There are few guys who can honestly run forward and finish the grade within 1 inch quickly and efficiently. Back dragging helps a lot. I don't see a need to back drag if you are getting grade within 6 inches. Everyone just needs to calm down and stop being armchair operators. Not everyone is the same, and everyone has a different way of doing things faster and better. So now I'll sit back and wait for someone to tell me about how we've been doing it wrong since 1979