who makes the BEST dozer

[CM1995]

But there is some truth to what you say also. The dealership/support can play a heavy hand in any equipment purchase decision....but it doesn't have anything to do with the QUALITY/PERFORMANCE of the machine itself.

I have to agree and disagree. Fundamentally a dealer - "doesn't have anything to do with the QUALITY/PERFORMANCE of the machine itself" and this is true - in a perfect world. Every thing that is mechanical WILL break - regardless of who makes it. Now the dealer side of the equation becomes a big factor of your purchase. The machine you bought may be the best darn thingamajiga in the world but if you have to wait on parts and service for days to get it back going, that is where the product/service support of your dealer plays a major role on your bottom line - period.

Contractors are in business to make money - not for our health. The dealer plays just as important role as the brand of machine, because you are not buying the machine from a manufacturer - you are buying from a dealer.

 

[North Texan]

Do the larger JD's still have the split coolers?

That's one thing that has driven me crazy on that 750B we have. It will push dirt all day without problems. Start pushing a few trees and doing a little ag work, and it seems like it wants to run hot all the time.

 

[LDK]

I have to agree and disagree. Fundamentally a dealer - "doesn't have anything to do with the QUALITY/PERFORMANCE of the machine itself" and this is true - in a perfect world. Every thing that is mechanical WILL break - regardless of who makes it. Now the dealer side of the equation becomes a big factor of your purchase. The machine you bought may be the best darn thingamajiga in the world but if you have to wait on parts and service for days to get it back going, that is where the product/service support of your dealer plays a major role on your bottom line - period.

Contractors are in business to make money - not for our health. The dealer plays just as important role as the brand of machine, because you are not buying the machine from a manufacturer - you are buying from a dealer.

But, it would not matter how good the dealer was you would still not buy a "copy cat" dozer or one of those Russian T170's, even if they came with a truck load of spares, right?

 

[HAWKVOL]

Again...

I have to agree and disagree. Fundamentally a dealer - "doesn't have anything to do with the QUALITY/PERFORMANCE of the machine itself" and this is true - in a perfect world. Every thing that is mechanical WILL break - regardless of who makes it. Now the dealer side of the equation becomes a big factor of your purchase. The machine you bought may be the best darn thingamajiga in the world but if you have to wait on parts and service for days to get it back going, that is where the product/service support of your dealer plays a major role on your bottom line - period.

Contractors are in business to make money - not for our health. The dealer plays just as important role as the brand of machine, because you are not buying the machine from a manufacturer - you are buying from a dealer.

the Dealer has Nothing to do with the Quality/Performance of the Product. It does have to do with your overall experience of ownership....But That's not what the question is. Is the Cat D8T any less of a machine in a market with a Poor Cat Dealer?

 

[MUDSLINGERS]

ALL IT COMES DOWN TO IS: what kind of operator and his choice!! I love komatsu, but I also like JD and Cat, I have also enjoyed some case dozers, but depending on what you like to see out in front of you and even more what is behind you, that is your choice!! DEPENDS ON THE OPERATOR AND HOW HE WANTS THE JOB TO LOOK!!

 

[petersfamilytru]

This is hilarious... There are some pretty passionate opinions about what's the best. I suspect, because we've all spent so much money buying our equipment, we want to believe what we bought is the best. Otherwise, we might not be the smartest! Can't have that, now can we?

 

[papodiesel]

Which want is the best

I am an owner operator, my 450H John Deere runs 9 or 10 hours daily 3 or 4 days a week in rough terrain as we have in Puerto Rico. In terms of maintenance, durability, power and economy maybe another 450H.:usa

 

[stretch]

Welcome to the forums papodiesel!

(Hahaha beat CB over here! He'll be along later...)

Never operated one but always like to hear opinions...lot of the smaller contractors around here like Deeres, all sizes. Cat's in a close second with most of the medium/large contractors buying them, and after that it's a free-for-all between Case/NH, IH/Dresser/Dressta, Fiat-Allis, and the other major builders.

 

[Countryboy]

Welcome to Heavy Equipment Forums papodiesel! :drinkup

(Hahaha beat CB over here! He'll be along later...)

We all need a day off every once in a while.

 

[ProudMarineDad]

Looking forward to picking the pros minds on this website. I am new to heavy equipment and i'm learning all i can about dozers. Because my dear wife told me she thinks we need to go ahead and get one to clear some brush and fire breaks. Yaaaahhoooo. thanks in advance.

 

[td8]

It doesn't matter what brand a dozer is they all got their good and bad points.A good operator can do as much work with any brand.Sure some say this brand holds up better and another person says a differant brands better.But the truth about it is a bad operator can destroy any machine.

 

[WV Logger]

which manufacture makes the best dozer small to large???

Small dozers 70-90 horse power would be John Deere in my opinion.
Owned 450C, 450G, 550G, 550H, 650H.

Smaller dozer than 70 horse would be like a small older case 450. Comparing it to a 350 JD or even the 400 JD I thought it ran a little better against a load.

 

[LDK]

No salt thank you!

I don`t know what to say, I`m nervous that if I don`t agree with what has been said I won`t be worthy.

I think any operator worth his salt will tell you that a Cat dozer is a superior machine to anything Komatsu offers - dozer wise. Now when it comes to hoes komatsu is a tight runner. But put a D65 against a D6R and there really is no comparison. I know of a few coal mines around here that went with Komatsu and changed to cat after 3k hours because the Komatsu's were "just falling apart".

Take for instance how you access the transmission. The Cat slides out the rear end of the tractor without much effort for maintenance. The Komatsu's cab has to be taken off the machine.

We currently have a D65 on rent working next to a D6R. Both machines have about 300 hours on them. The Komatsu has a hydraulic leak and the blade pins and bushings are already sloppy. The Cat runs like it should - a brand new tractor.:thumbsup

My Komatsu salesman will not even try to sell me a Komatsu dozer. His quote "Komatsu has made great strides in their dozers but Cat still has them beat". (Everybody take that as you will - that is what he told me.)

Komatsu Hoes are good machines. We demo'ed a PC300 and a Cat 325D and I know that these machines are slightly different in class size, the cat being smaller but I was impressed with the 300. It was just a little to big and more $$$ than the Cat so we went with the Cat. I definetly see a Komatsu hoe in our future but life is to short to own the current model of Komatsu dozers or anything made by Terex.

 

[euclid]

It doesn't matter what brand a dozer is they all got their good and bad points.A good operator can do as much work with any brand.Sure some say this brand holds up better and another person says a differant brands better.But the truth about it is a bad operator can destroy any machine.

It has been a long time since I've been cat skinning, but what I do know the operator can make any machine do it's thing. Other than h/p and size might be the overall set backs if you are using the corect machine to do the job.

 

[Deas Plant]

The Operator?????????????

Hi, Euclid.
You make a valid point but I don't really think that that is what the main subject of this thread is all about. If I have grasped it correctly, the main question here is about reliability, performance, longevity, ergonomics and a whole lot of other things all being taken into consideration when evaluating the merits of one machine over another.

Although I have little experience of them, in the smaller sizes up to about Cat D6 equivalent, I would be looking hard at John Deere, as well as Cat. I don't know what JD's service and parts back-up is like locally so that would also be a consideration.

I have enjoyed operating several 'Kummagutsa' dozers from D41A through D65A LGP, D85A and several D155A's to a D355A-1, BUT I have also seen all of them wearing faster than the equivalent Cats in similar work. Coupled with less than enthusiastic service, this makes me wary of this brand.

I also have little experience of Case dozers and none with their hydrostatic models. However, I don't see a whole lot of them around either, which tends to make me suspicious.

Over D6 size, it's gotta be 'Moggy-pillar'.

LDK, you are right to be nervous if you are not 120% DEDICATED Cat yellow. LOL.

 

[euclid]

Yeah having the right unit will make all the difference, are you in the bush? Never made it over to Queensland but been in NSW and WA, rough country out west. And I spent 3 years in Darwin and I loved it very much. I have had a very enjoyable time chatting and reading post about equipment and whatnot. I wanted to be a road train driver for a bit but found it hard to get on a job so I stayed with the US Government up at the RAAF base. The biggest dozer I ever operated was a D-7 and I was taking a hill down and it took several weeks with the dozer, loader and two dumps and the uke. A lot of rock then it turned to sand. I would have thought being down unde that Japanese parts would be more available than cat parts?

 

[Northart]

Who ?

The answer to WHO makes the Best dozer , is Caterpillar.

Your asking about a manufacturer, not a particular machine.

A testimonial would be the rebuild factor. The population of old Cats rebuilt over and over, still going strong, far out numbers any other brand.

 

[CM1995]

I don`t know what to say, I`m nervous that if I don`t agree with what has been said I won`t be worthy.

Well LDK - opinions are like .................... everyone has one. I myself, know that I am opinionated and have been called the other, LOL.

Anyway, that is my opinion after demo'ing both machines, side by side and making my decision to purchase upon what I experienced. What I stated was my opinion, you don't have to agree ( and don't expect anyone else too) but if you are offended by my opinion, then that is your issue.

 

[Deas Plant]

Whereabouts???????????

Hi, Euclid.
I'm a W.A. native, worked agricultural contracting, dam sinking, blade clearing, chaining, raking, etc., worked on 3 iron ore rail projects, worked at Mount Goldsworthy - briefly - and Tom Price - even more briefly - and a season on Mitchel Plateau in the Kimberley on bauxite exploration. Worked on numerous road and sub-division jobs and one moderate-sized earth wall dam South of Perth before transferring to Sydney with Leighton Contractors in mid 1972. Worked in various places up and down the coast of N.S.W. over the next 20-odd years and moved to Queensland in 1993. I've been here ever since and I'm comfortable.

Other people have their own experiences with spares and service on Japanese machines. Once upon a time, Kato excavators were KING down here but they seem to have all but vanished from the scene, I believe due to pricing. Now Hitachi and Komatsu seem to have a large slice of the market between them and Cat has a good slice too. I don't know how good Komatsu's service is for its excavators.

How-wevver, The people I know who have Komatsu dozers and loaders seem to like the machine to operate but are less than favourably impressed with the service life and service back-up. Just my observation and feedback I have received.

 

[td8]

I don't know which brand is the best i guess it is what u perfer.But i do know from experience that the older dozers are much easier to work on.I've ran cat and deere and dresser dozers they all did the job.I don't know much about komatsu dozers but i've bought alot of komatsu parts for my old td8. Our local komatsu dealer has been great about getting parts.