The ad reads: For sale in Atlanta Ga.(villa rica )..D8H (46A) tractor runs but has a knock.Hydraulic blade with tilt,shows 4300 hours..autoshift,selling to settle my dads estate.asking $8000...tractor has been on our farm my whole life I'd like to know what you guys think of this Dozer? Buy it and get busy or run like the wind?
This to me is a see in person ,see and hear it work decision. How much do you plan using it? How much time and cash do you have to put into it?
This machine is too big for me, but when I see $8K price tag I wonder what the shape of it really is. I ran a 1 ton truck for a year with a slight knock on the bottom of the engine. What if there was 500 hours left in this engine? I imagine $20K could be dropped in it pretty quick?
Or more,big machines big money
I believe that machine had the d342 engine, I’ve seen more than one with a broken crank still running and knocking, could be as simple as a fuel knock but unless you know engines or know someone who can check it out I would proceed with caution, could be an expensive project.
On Ebay there is a Reman D342 long block for $20K. So this could go deep quick.
Do you have a farm that needs that kind of work done or are you planning to move it around to jobs? Big difference in my mind. An engine knock could mean a lot of things. You could run it till it dies, and then part it out, but what happens if it dies in a bad spot? do you have the equipment to remove it? I assume that's a cable control unit, probably not much use unless you have a cable scraper to run with it.
By the looks of the bars that have been welded on the grousers it is a high hour machine. It will take some serious money to move it from Atlanta to somewhere in Alabama. It would be mandatory to see/hear it run before considering purchasing it.
To me that machine looks abused and not cared for. Too many missing and damaged parts in just 2 pictures. Given the obvious signs of poor care you would have to wonder if the oil was ever changed or just perpetually topped off? I don’t mind projects and that is how I have come to own quite a few nice things. But, when doing so you need to know you are choosing your poison, there will be issues. Are you willing to accept that and deal with them as they surface? It would be well worth the cost to pay for an inspection on this one.
if it is not to far from you give offer them scrap ( scrap price in your area )minus 20 percent for hauling and don't put money into it until you get an idea what is wrong, if to many problems part it out and scrap the rest and you break even or make some money . as it sits it is only scrap to them and if they need it gone they will talk most likely
All good thoughts guys. I'm not gonna pursue it. Too many questions and too much $ behind each one. Good question about the bad spot Delmer. No, I do not have a way to get it out of a bad spot.
Undercarrage looks wore out about 50K to replace I would leave it knock in motor could get expensive
even if you do all the repairs yourself, it could still be a money pit. good clean running ones are worth 15-25k
Shows 4300 hrs lol... Looks like a clapped out farm dozer to me. No shortage of those around.
Go for it, then start an epic repair thread here!
Lmao.....and then ignore everyones advice. Ed
I went and looked at that machine over a year ago. Said would run if you put a battery in it. It is about 70 miles North. I think it would be a parts machine for 5k but I did not make an offer because of potential transport issues if it would not load it's self . I don't know the truck that could load that one dead.
SELL TO YOUR LOCAL CATERPILLAR DEALER FOR PARTS. THEY MAY TAKE IT OFF YOUR HANDS. I KNOW HOLT CATERPILLAR BUYS PARTS MACHINES AND PARTS THEM OUT AS MOST PARTS HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED. THERE IS A GOOD SALVAGE MARKET.
I don't know any franchised dealers that want something that old. They look for things less than ten years old that they can make some money on. The reason is that most pay street price less ten percent to their service departments to tear them down. The potential fish come in and want to pay less than scrap. The poor old dogs just end up sitting and rusting away. It's better for the dealer if it happens where its at.
i dont know about other areas but holt buys them here in south texas. many of those old brush dozers still at work here.