I am a grain farmer that is in need of having a used dozer around the farm. Old building sites, brushing poplar patches, fence lines. 200 hours a year would be an average. I am looking at spending up to $40,000. I do not have any experience on purchasing a used dozer.
I am farming as well and have had several D3, D4 and a D5g but found them too small. Now I have a D5M lgp and it's perfect for drainage, clearing and clean up. There is a D5M coming up for sale at Richie Bros in June in Edmonton.
deere 700h and the 750c should fit in that budget as well as a cat d5h, but my preference would be the deere. I have had a deere 550g and ran cat d4 &5g's and found them to be just a pinch bigger than my takeuchi tl140...
D6C or D6D tough, dependable .
D6C or D, also parts are extremely easy to come by, machine is very easy to work on. excellent long lived tractor. factory rops cab is not sound suppressed, but that thing will hang together.
Agree Construct'O & oldirt on the D6C & D . Or step up to the $50,000 dollar range and can probably find a nice D7G .
D6D is one tough standard son of a gun. The F150 of bulldozers. D6D. Tough. Big enough Parts are plentiful. All mechanics have experience. Can do large and semi small jobs. Doesnt strain. Thick strong metal. Good aftermarket parts support. Ballsy. Or D7G. Profitable. Not fancy. but profitable. They still make these new in other countries I do believe. I still use d6d. It doesnt blade as easy as new dozers with trimming blades but you will find the trick to make it look right soon enough. Make sure to get a tilt blade.
I noticed that the last time I was looking through the D7G pages on machinery trader . Found a 2009 Cat D7G http://www.marketbook.ca/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=8835415&LP=MAT Be interesting to see how these tractors are put together ? Are they just a new version of the old D7G not having modern emissions standards & electronics ? still have steering clutches ? Don't know anything about them myself .
Cat 953c should fit the bill perfect ...price and performance wise
You might consider a trac hoe with thumb nicer brush piles and i find a trac hoe more useful all around can push your post and cleanup will burning piles. I have d5h and the 6 way is so handy but us the trac hoe when it comes to what u are asking.
I like the JD450j LT model for farm use. Small machine with lots of power, great handling characteristic, sips fuel....all around nice machine for around the farm. I have had very good luck with the 450 deere machines and I'm a CAT lover...
The cat D7G series 2. Has a 3306 like the original and is 202hp. Still uses clutch steering and has the Same final drives as the D7 E,F and original G. Not sure about the transmission and not sure what else interchanges with the series 1. About the D6C/D. Dad has been around a few and owned a direct drive cat D6C "71A" with a Angle blade and a mckee winch. it was a good old machine just wore out. Keep in mind a power shift 6 will drink a bit of fuel and the bearing in the final drive hub needs to be adjusted regularly. Dad currently owns a 1988 komatsu D60E-8 "direct drive" which has been excellent. It has alot more power and is alot heavier/stronger than a D6C/D and really is no comparison. I would suggest a Komatsu D65E-8 which is the powershift model. Just a good machine and would be in the price range.
I also would suggest a 953 or 963 What do you have to haul them or will you be hiring it done
Trackloaders are a great option, especially if you can find one with a 4in1 and a ripper, my old 955L is amazingly useful/versatile on our property. Plus there relatively inexpensive...