i am thinking about getting a D6K as the size of the machine is great for finish work and the blade is still not more than 1o cm wider than a D5G but has a bigger capacity now to my question ....do any of you guys no what to expect of a D6K of fuel consumption??? do any of you have firsthand experience ???
Kinda depends on what your doing. 10 hour day almost non stop pushing your gonna burn through the whole tank. 10 hour day just finishing and rubbing down slopesbetween 45-55 gallons.
thanks Kman that was kinda what i thought it would be
Depends on what you are doing in a 10 hour day i will do a tank full but thats pushing clay from adt's
. One of my bosses told me years ago that fuel tanks on most equipment is made big enough to run a piece of equipment 11 - 12 hours without stopping to refueling. Even if they are running full throttle and doing the hardest work the equipment was designed to perform the whole shift. That way if they run two shifts they only stop to refuel between shift change. If the tank holds a 100 gallon then it should burn around 85-90 gallons in a 12 hour shift and no run out. So I was told. .
I have just put 500 hours on a new 6K LGP doing trim and heavy dozing, it has never even come close to using a full tank according to the gauge. I suppose the gauge could be faulty? I can't tell you how many liters it is using because the tank it is filled from has no gauge. As a side note, I am not impressed with the tractor, I have never been on a dozer that has shook and bounced so much, it is especially bad when the front idlers start to climb the toe of a slope. A 700 J John Deere will run rings around it in, except when it comes to fuel economy.
It kinda really depends on what you are doing. 740 haul trucks on a long haul usually had to be refueled before the end of a 12 hour shift or they would run out. We also have some 963 that have trouble making a 12 hour shift but they have also been turned up. a D8 in a hard push all day will not last 10 hours much less 12. Like you said though "most" equipment will without a problem.
i have actually heard the same of the 6k from a dealer he would advise me to get a D6N instead and then maybe rent a D5K for the smaller finish work by the way i am making golf courses as a shaper
Can't say much about the K series,just the R series,but if i was working golf course and finishing i would be using a D5N.:usa
Now knowing that you are shaping, I would say really think twice about getting a D6K. I am in the same line of work and if you really want to buy a CAT, then like ConstructO said a 5N could be the way to go. I know that I would be more productive with a 5N than a 6K, hopefully CAT will get around to curing the problems that the later has. I swear that the blade lever is so light that when the dozer starts that shaking and bouncing, it feels like the blade is moving its self. I have not used one yet but I have had good reports about the 51 Komatsu. Good luck
the D5N is not an aoption for me because 1.its out off the line of new dozers 2. i hate the fingertip controls :beatsme but it would probably end up with either a D6N or a, god forbid it, 51 komatsu. ive heard from dealer that cat had some issues with the 6k with the balance but never with the blade ?? isnt it only a matter of calibration ? that solved some problems on my 6t several times
I forgot the 5 was just fingertip.I agree with not wanting the fingertip steer,diffsteer here all the way. You see a lot of low houred K series on machinerytrader for no longer then they have been out,so must be something going on??????? I have run the 51Kom and really liked it,had lots of adjustment to travel speed and very smooth, it was an LGP machine. You could set travelspeed too faster reverse compared to forward.Something like 21 different speed to creep.Then also set it like a three speed powershift in Cat's,with a variable setting for reverse and forward. I actually liked it set in the three speed mod,for pushing dirt.The short speed pattern was okay for tight areas.Too close togather for general dozing conditions. Might give it a demo,if you have good dealer suppport,i think you will like it.Picture of it in this link
i like the 51 komatsu too we used one on a course i was on last year but i am thinking economy and resale value thats why i am so much into cat but who nows maybe it will be better just renting one
The d6k is great on fuel. However, it is the worst dozer I have ever run. It is the roughest riding dozer I have ever been on. Power is lacking. The interior is almost impossible to clean. The back idler/sprocket is bigger than the front so the chain passing through translates all over. I been running one for 9 months with a robotic system and I cannot wait till this job is over to get out of it!
If you try to push up a pile it starts to bounce. If you go over 1.0 on speed on flat ground pushing...it starts this harmonic bouncing. When you try to grade with no more than .03 difference within 50 ft it gets really frustrating.
I havent been on a newer dozer yet that will run a full 10hrs in a hard push on 1 tank of fuel, and im currently a new D7E. If i was you id go with the 6N
Very interesting topic, i was thinking bout buying a new d6k too but second guessing now after reading this
I've been running a new d6k for a couple months. My lower back is killing me because the machine beats me to death. The blade is much to big and heavy for this machine. The pins for the blade are sloppy as hell after just 1300 hours. The front idlers are notched combine that with a heavy blade and you get ridiculous amounts of hopping. Right now my machine is in the shop because of a faulty blade controlling valve.. 1500 hours in. In my opinion these d6k dozers are the worst dozers I've ever run. I'm hopping to be able to join a class action suit for the damage this machine is doing to my body. Komatsu d51 are a far superior dozer they are more money up front but you will make it back in production and reliability.