Hi All We have been looking at picking up a used 700K or possibly a D51E. It will be used for maintaining some logging roads, removing stumps and clearing some landings etc. I really like the site lines of the Komatsu, but was hoping to get some feedback on the long term durability of the D51E. The Deere seems to be the normal go to machine around here. My big question is the way the final drives are mounted on the two machines. The 700K has the final drive mounted to the main frame of the dozer, and then the oscillating undercarriage is separate from the track drive. Seems like a more traditional method and plenty strong. However the Komatsu we looked at has the entire final drive and drive motor mounted into the track frame. Meaning all the loads from the tracks propelling the machine forward have to go through the undercarriage pivot pin. Has anyone found this to be a weak point? Or am I overthinking this too much and both designs are equal? Let me know your thoughts. Obviously digging stumps isn't the easiest on the machine, so I want to make sure I am not looking at the wrong machine. Thanks Jason
If you look at a pic of a 51ex there's a round plate on the track frame in front of the final drive that should be the pivot shaft for the track frame.
Yes, I understand that. Compared to a Deere the pivot shaft is in pretty much the same spot. The difference is that on a Deere the final drive is rigidly mounted to the frame of the dozer. So some of the forces from the tracks are transferred through the final drive directly to the frame. Where as on the Komatsu, the final drive is completely separate from the machine, and mounted internal to the track frame. Therefore all of the forces from the tracks needs to be transferred through that pivot pin. I'm just curious if the Komatsu arrangement seems to hold up, or if people ever have issues. I could go with the machine I know works (Deere), but the visibility on the Komatsu is pretty darn good.
I had a 700k for and J before that. Ran Deere for years , but recently have had terrible luck on reliability. Complete top end on motor, many sensors, and overall "tightness" just to name a few. IMO you might consider trying Cat D6N Visibility, tightness, DEPENDABILIY, and power far exceeded my expectations! And now with coal dwindling down it seems Cat is much more affordable than recent years At least in this area. Anyway good luck