I am about to purchase a 30K lbs. size dozer and am looking at a D6K or D5N. Roughly the same size but any opinions on the benefits/differences of the high drive of the 5N vs. the conventional track of the 6K? Also, the Komatsu D51-EX is in the running. Anyone have a fair amount of seat time in the two (or thee). Any opinions would be much appreciated.
We have a D6K and it works great....I would stay away from the D5N due to undercarriage replacement cost. I have never operated the D51-EX.
The Komatsu D51EX has higher HP better balance and tractive effort. Visibilty much better. I would give the D51 a look mtpar
I would look at a Deere 700k as well. Chris
I currently have a D5G, have owned a D6N and have ran a D5N. Haven't had the opportunity to run D6K yet. With that being said I didn't see the justification to spend the extra money on a D5N, comparing it to the D5G and D6N - which are different tractors entirely. The D5N seemed to be a b*****d sized tractor for what I do. If you are fine grading and light dozing, the more expensive purchase and operating cost of the D5N didn't make sense, a D5G handles those tasks efficiently. If one needed more HP, weight and dozing capacity yet still needed to perform fine grading, the D6N fit the bill. Personally I wouldn't look at any dozer other than Cat but that's just my opinion. I would take a serious look at the D6K over the D5N for a couple of reasons - one being what Trashman said about undercarriage costs (it has more chain and pads to wear out) and the D6K is a hystat which will make it a better finish tractor IMO. Personally I don't care for finger tip control which is what most D5N's were equipped with, I prefer a hystat or differential steer. A D6K would fit nicely in my fleet at the moment but for now my D5G is still a producer and it's paid for.
Hey CM, I am with you to a point. The G series dozers were great. I thought they were the best on the market until we traded our 3G for a 5K. It might just be me but I am not at all happy with the K. Really seems to be lacking the power of a 5G and I really don't like the cab or the EH controls. I would get on our 450J before I got on the 5K. It is so much more responsive and comfortable(might just be my style of operating). Chris
Don't know if I can be any help here but I'll give my two cents anyway. I have a D5m xl and have put some hours on a JD 650H. When it comes to fine grading I perfered the 650 but any work that required any amout of pushing and I went for the D5. For me I would rather have to struggle a little around a few opsticals and still have that heavy blade and higher hp to get the job done.
The D5G has been a great machine. I bought it new in '04 and it has 4200 hrs on it. The weight to power ratio makes it an all around performer. Good on fuel too. Like I said I haven't ran a K series so I can't compare it to anything. I have sat in a few K's and I do like the cab although there is nothing wrong with the G's either. I'll probably keep my 5G forever and eventually let it retire to the future farm, where I'll turn down all offers to buy her.:tong
Are you aware that you can change the speed/ response of the the blade and steering on the K ? Two buttons on the dash can change the settings. Personally, I prefer my 5k over the G. I would still own a G , no problem. I just don't want to run it all day. I understand the feel and hearing of the controls of the G , but once I got used to th EH controls, I hopefully won't look back. Course I haven't had to work on them yet either . Just my opinion. To each their own. :my2c
Ordered a JD 700K . Just Returned From Gold Key Factory Tour at Dubuque works Iowa . If you saw how this dozers are built in the USA you may want to give them a hard look . my dozer was first 700k with factory installed integrated grade control ( Topcon ).
Dirt monkey, Yes I know about changing the settings. I guess I am just set in my ways. I just can't get to a point where I like running the K series machines. The computer went out on ours after about 80 hours and it was obviously covered by warranty but they could not say what happened. I don't think the regular owner operator could do much more than change the fluids and filters on any of the new machines. Chris
I hear ya :drinkup. I do miss the flat sides around the seat and windows in the G. You could set stuff there and work. My dog liked to lay there as well. Every thing is sloped in the Ks. It all ends up in the floor.:cussing
I would go with a d6k or a 700 deere.
I have a lot of seat time on all 3. If I were buying one of them I would go with........the Jap dozer. I really like the D51-EX. Cheap and reliable. Of course, if you decide to get into 3D grading and want a factory setup for a Topcon MC2, you could look into a Deere. Problem I have with Deere is they are proud of their parts like Cat and they aren't a Cat. So it's funny I would choose the Komatsu huh?
i would go with a deere 450/550/650h or j, or find a cat d5hxl series 2 or 3. skip all the computer stuff and refurbish an older dozer that will last you a long time.