Hey everyone I have a question hopefully I can get some good ideas from you guys and thank you for that. So I'm buying a dozer and wondering g on what size to get. So I have found 3 dozers. One is a 2005 cat d5g lgp which weighs 20,100 lbs what i like about it is in can haul it myself when I'm at home, but saying that I'm not where I can haul it very much as in like 2 years. So the second is a 2010 cat d6k lgp which weighs a little over 29k no emissions. My only problem with it is it weighs about 3500 lbs less than the last one. The last one is a john deere 700k lgp it's 2013 but weighs in a 32,500. Which can push the most dirt ofcourse. I can do a delete if needed. These 3 dozers are around the same price. They are all very close in hours and within 10 k of price. So my question is which one would you want for a business. They each have their pros and cons. I know some prefer the catcher deere etc. But I'm not looking at that . Because that's like ford vs dodge etc. Im more wondering about the weight. Which size would you recommend .
What kind of work do you need it for. If your doing finish work get the small one. If you are going to go after big jobs they will all be to small. The bigger ones drink a lot more fuel.
When the county I'm in tried 3 D6N size dozers from Cat, JD and Komatsu they said the Komatsu pushed the best and the JD you couldn't do much with a full blade of dirt. I'm assuming they meant steering. I think the Cat had differential steering but it was better than the JD. Then went with Cat. Cat also had huge price reductions for municipalities. They got almost $100K off the price. That said I had a guy do some work with a larger JD850J WKT and he really liked it. 10,000lbs. difference in weight is the difference between small and medium size dozers. 3500lbs. not too big a difference. Nobody can tell you what's best for your business. Are there maintenance records for any of them and what shape is the undercarriage on them? What are the hours on them?
Georgia iron, so I will do ponds, pushing driveways, clearing land, etc. I also have a 54k lb excavator, 2 dump trucks for moving the dirt for bigger ponds etc. I need a dozer for spreading the dirt and then on smaller ponds say 1/2 acre I'll just push the pond with the dozer depending on the job. Luckily for me I have a guy that is a very experienced operator for the dozer and also has a lot of mechanical experience on them.
I think you'll want bigger than a D5K at 20,000lbs.
Welder Dave, they are all around 5200 hours and all of the undercarriage is in decent shape I know you can't really give a good percentage, but i would say all 3 are between 60 to 70 percent.the d5g is the olderlst at 2005 the d6 is 2010 and the deere is 2013. I also have noticed on a lot of road construction they have quite a few of each of them cat is the most ive seen. I'd say john deere is the second most and believe it or not on the john deere most are the 700 series ive seen. Saying that I also work construction mostly cat as well so cat definitely has a better dealer network. Even where I am from and another thing I dont like about the deere is deere is in a lawsuit right now for not letting you work on your own stuff.
5200 hours is normally where it should be on the 2nd undercarriage or if it's original likely due for replacement. A good dealer makes a huge difference. The 2005 D5G seems a little over priced all things being equal. Have you looked on Machinery Trader to see what similar machines are selling for? Could give you a better idea if the prices are inline with the machines you're looking at.
you get the big excavator hauled at 54K. I'd get the bigger dozer and have it hauled. Or throw down for a triaxle tilt, and get a 20 metric ton excavator and haul it all yourself behind the dump truck.
Welder Dave, Yeah the problem you run into sadly is people dont replace everything at once so on the d6 the sprockets are half worn while the rails are almost new. The john deere I'm going to say at least 500 hours are on the rails while the sprockets are almost new. The d5g shows the least hours our if the machines and the undercarriage is the most worn saying that it is the cheapest.
Sky king, that's the way I was feeling. My worry is less people will want to hire if they have to pay for the hauling.
You make a valid point on the JD lawsuit right to repair issue
Nicky 68a yep, but at the same time how often will I need them to do it? Because the way I understand most of it you can do by yourself? Just when you need programming done. Amin correct on that?
I don't see the right to repair issue really affecting you Cat or Deere you have the dealer out if you need to replace a module that needs programming. When you right away mention deletes good luck with dealers of any brand The d5 sounds like the ticket to me we have one been trouble free we have had JD s on rental and not real excited about them Sounds like your part time, getting started and being able to move in and take that weekend or smaller job might really help you Check out your dealers Cat has a far larger presence here JD is 7-5 mon-fri Cat is 7-midnight and Saturday mornings make a huge difference when broke down
My son-in-law just took delivery of a new Cat D3, with enclosed cab. It is advertised at about 21000#. He is using it for house pad grading, small pond building, and lots of other smaller type dirt projects. He traded in a D4 for it, and says this will do a lot of work for it's size.
You are right to a point Jonas302 on the weekend thing. I have a guy that will run it for me that has ran them for years he is really good and only wants to work when I have jobs. His wife makes good money so he semi stays home with the kids. I do have a question though you said if I delete a dealer won't touch them?
That is correct. By law they are not allowed to touch a deleted machine unless they return it back to stock first.
Thanks for the info on that
It may depend if deletes are allowed in your area and the dealer is familiar with them. That said I don't think there are many places where deletes are legal. I think they still are in Alberta but that could change at anytime. Best to get an unmolested machine though.
Thanks for the information that helps a lot. The john deere is before the def, but still has some emissions stuff on it.
I’m not qualified to answer that question
There are some repairs that might be best to let someone experienced work on. Issues with the hydrostat could be an example.
I would lean toward the D6. I have a D5C and find myself wanting more. It is occasional use for me, so I get by with it. Me personally, I would never by a deleted engine or an engine with EGR or DEF - TOO MUCH to go wrong with them and not many "qualified" folks to fix them.