There's a D6B (44A prefix) for sale locally for $6500. I have not looked at dozer yet, but they say the track tensioners are both broken. Before I waste my time (and theirs), I'm wondering how these machines were and if it's worth my time to bother with it. I don't mind fixing up an old piece of iron if it'll be worth it down the road. I do have a lot of work available for a medium sized dozer, fence line, stumps , reshaping a hill, stone piles, etc.
Probably be ok for your intended purposes. A lot of parts are the same as the 8U/9U models except for the engine. There was a lot of evolution going on with that D333A engine, not one of Cat's finer versions in my opinion. Cracked heads and spun bearings were part of the demise. If everything checks out, engine is not completely tuckered out I'm sure it will do your job. Price seems about right.
Hard to find ANY decent dozer for under $10k currently, put a little money in the tensioners and recoil assemblies that old machine may outlast you. If buy I would seriously check the yards for the missing shields as they do wonders for longevity of the exposed components.
Undercarriage and not just the pads would be my biggest concern as that's what costs $ and usually lots of bull work. FWD
That one must be direct electric start..... I owned one back in the day. Was a nice little tractor. Had a bark to it tho!
Looks like you'd need quite a few parts on the undercarriage... and I have that same silly angle blade on my D4... I could lift the blade a foot then by hand move the corners up and down a foot plus!!!... lots of pins and bores on that thing and it don't take much slop to make it useless for any kind of grading work.
Direct drive machine with a master clutch. Looks like the clutch handle is in the released position. Usually those will freeze up over time. Moisture gets to the clutch plates as well and they might start falling apart once you get it running again. You might ask if it has a wet or dry master clutch.
D6B's 37A (narrow gauge) and 44A (wide gauge) are all oil clutch.