Looking to buy a medium sized dozer for mostly forestry work and some grading of existing roads. Not much stump removal, mostly clearing skid roads, skidding logs, grading gravel roads after the heavy equipment chews them up. Was pretty far down the road on a D6C or D (or maybe an H) - my loader is a Cat 966C so I have at least some experience with Cat stuff. But - I need a winch. And good machines with a winch are hard to find on the west coast (I am in N California). A Deere 750C II just came on the market nearby, and although I know nothing about them, it looks similar in size, weight and HP to the D6's that I am looking at, and the price is competitive (which may mean the machine is in lousy condition, need to find that out). Any thoughts on the pluses and minuses of the Deere 750C vs. the 70's or early 80's Cat D6's?
I dont know much about the 750, but I would imagine the 750 might be a touch more ergonomic because it would have a couple more years ahead in design. The 750 has a hydrostatic transmission, so I would pay close attention to that as you look it over, especially since you are already suspicious about the price. I would think the D6's would be overall a bit tired given how old they are now. At that point its condition will depend on if the wear was caused by a lot of use or neglect. The D6C and D are basically the same machine, but the biggest difference with the D6D is the redesigned operator station. For a Bush cat, they are good machines. We have a D6D as our farm cat, and it has been invaluable.