I have scoured the internet trying to compare these two machines or find someone familiar with both. Is it not a fair comparison? I can't believe how much more the Deere costs and how many more of those there are available for sale assuming due to much higher manufacturing and purchasing. I am looking for a small dozer that I can haul with 1 ton truck ONLY A FEW TIMES IN MY LIFE WILL IT BE MOVED, and then, up to 20 miles on county highways. I know the deal about safety, etc. with hauling. I have 120 acres and looking for small dozer. My JD 75HP MFWD tractor does pretty good, but that aint no way to treat a tractor (in the woods) due to hoses, paint, cab, and such. There will be no major timber clearing (stumps) or I will contract a big tractor. I am not a mechanic. Is safest bet to buy newer with low hours to minimize my risk of breakdowns and depreciation? I am guessing 500 hours will do what I need done and then I can sell or keep indefinitely if comfortable. Lots of questions... little knowledge. This may be a prime example, according to some accounts, of a fool and his money being separated. Can anyone talk me out of it? Is it possible to learn without a knowledgable person to mentor? Might get expensive. :beatsme
This topic could get inflamatory very easily and I volunteer to take the first hit. The only advantage the Dresser would have is price.All else being equal,that is model year,condition of machines etc the Deere would prevail.You should still be able to get parts for either one.Since you are not looking for production work or keeping your help happy the Dresser could be a reasonable choice all things considered but the Deere will be the most productive and well behaved dozer of the two.In fact,the Deere would be my choice of any dozer in that class.Ron G
It may not be this simple, but how do these compare? Keep in mind I will be paying for maintenance (not good at major repairs). From prior posts, some people would say give it up and hire someone. COST YEAR MAKE MODEL HOURS U/C COMMENTS $25K 1998 DRESSER TD-7H 2100 85% Good paint (not painted) $26K ? DEERE 450G 4140 NEW ONE OWNER, paint worn
Why haven't you considered a Cat machine? The resale will be much better. The quality would be much better than the Dresser as well as parts availability. Just between the Deere and the Dresser go with the Deere.
Here goes nothing... I always wonder how Dodge/Chrysler stays in business... obviously somebody has to buy the stuff. I guess some people have same opinion about CAT and Deere equipment being the only brands to buy such as Ford and Chevy. I took the plunge for $21k got a very clean TD7H with what I feel sure is 2100 actual hours. Tracks are excellent condition and pins/blade never turned. It felt good during test run. I certainly wanted to stay with something I could haul with 1 ton until I cut my teeth on this finish dozer for several small projects.
I started out on a JD 450G dozer on my land. After a few days, I realized it was just too small to do very much. It wasn't able to take out very large trees, or anything over just a few inches thick. Of the ones I was able to take out, the piles had to be kept small so that it could push them. It's a finish dozer for smoothing out dirt and making the ground look pretty. It's not a forestry,land clearing dozer. If you are looking to make some trails through the woods and are willing to wonder around the bigger trees, it was fun for that. I actually really enjoyed doing that with it!!! I tried using it to dig my small pond, but it wasn't able to dig into the clay. It needed rippers for this, and it didn't have any. As for which is better, the one that you can get parts for is always the best one. If you have a source for parts for both machines and they are both the same distance, then I'd go with the cheaper machine. If you cannot get parts for a machine, and it's not real close to you, it really doesn't matter what it cost, it's not a good deal. Eddie