Okay - go ahead and laugh, but please help Here's the controls on my D39: Two joysticks - left is steering, gear shift, F-N-R, right is blade. Two brake pedals, right pedal is engine deceleration and primary machine braking, Left pedal "activates a spring-applied secondary brake without deceleration engine speed." There is an engine speed lever to the left and aft of the steering joystick. I don't want to look like a complete idiot when the machine is delivered and the driver expects me to drive it off the trailer So help me run through an operational scenario.. - steering joystick in neutral position - be sure right brake (primary machine brake) is locked - start engine (are there glow plugs? glow plug indicator like a wait light?) - throttle up (how much to throttle up?) - foot on brake - lift blade - move steering joystick to "R" - foot off brake (do you normally rest your foot on a brake pedal?) - pray the dozer moves in the right direction - ?? Apparently you change gears (1,2,3) by twisting the steering joystick. What is the best way to change gears - throttle down? tap the right brake to decelerate the engine? do both? With my tractor I can start off in 1,2,3,4th gear - can I move the dozer from a stop in any gear? What do I do with the decelerate brake pedal? Thanks guys! John
If you don't have much experience running dozers, unloading one off a trailer, especially a rear unload is not a good place to start. Things can go bad in a hurry, and you can slide off the trailer, flip the dozer and other not so nice things... Best off finding a friend that has done it before and watching them, or let the driver unload. It sounds like your getting a hydrostatic machine. Here is how I start a d5g. With the thorottle at the lowest setting, engage the park lock, might be a switch, double check that machine is in neutral, turn the key to the one notch right and wait about 5 seconds or so for everything to sync up, then turn the key right some more and it should start. Let it warm up for 5 minutes or so, then increase the thorottle to about 3/4, but keep your right foot pressing on the decelerator. Put the transmission in first gear and the apropriate direction, and as you lift off the decelerator it will start to move. The left joystick steers, and it probably will counter rotate the tracks if pushed too far left or right. I only use my brake when the grade so steep that it overcomes the decelerator. With cat's I change gears at will without decelerating, and I don't use third gear hardly at all, always decel for foreward reverse changes. That being said, I down know what komatsu sugests.
John, I can't be anything but moral support. I know how you feel. Bought a D4G via Iron Planet. Having never operated one before, figured I'd piddle around with it on the ground before I loaded it on my trailer for the first time. But where do I finally find I go to pick it up- Carolina Cat. Parked right outside the back of the shop on the concrete apron where everyone was loading & unloading equipment, repair traffic, etc. All the pros- and 1 big rookie. ointhead So like you my very first experiment was "for the money". Good luck, and that pray step- keep on it. It'll work out! At least you've thought to find out what & where the operating controls are before it gets there. By the way- your driver may be more help than you think. Once the guys there figured out a rookie was in the area, I got a lot of good advice on the best way to chain, etc. Once again- probably should have figured that out ahead of time too, but hadn't found HEF at that time in my life. :salute
Think! Pensar! Hello. There are 2 stickers on one of my hardhats. The first says "Pensar!", =Think. The second says "GOAL", =Get Out And Look. On my clipboard for the load charts and machine report sheets it says "Ask all the stupid questions you want now, or give stupid answers later, your choice". Finally, the best and most complete accident report by far, is the one you never have to fill out. Yes, ask all the questions you want, but if you are not sure, get someone you can trust to help you. I have learned over the years that most superintendents will try and help anyone willing to try, no matter who they work for.
John, Let the driver unload the dozer for you. Unloading or loading is no place for a rookie. Can be very dangerous and things happen to quick for a rookie to correct. Be honest with the driver , he will unload it for you and maybe even give you a quick lesson on how the controls work. The day you get a new toy is not a good day to die my friend. Besides the driver more than likely loaded it .:usa Semper Fi
John, I think you mentioned that you hired a roll off truck to bring it. If that is correct, I would bet that the driver will have no problem unloading your machine. If thats not correct and the driver doesn't have the knowledge to unload it, I would call someone who can unload it for you. I have unloaded and loaded hundreds of machines and I still don't like it. Good luck
Great Site G,Day all, new to this site and i must say its great to see so many people ready to give advice and offer help a beginner
Hey guys - thanks for the advice! You have scared me into caution - don't think it is a prudent thing for me to unload it myself. I have a friend with a Deere 550 that I might have on stand-by assuming the driver can't/won't drive it off. I told the brokerage company we needed a roll-on/roll-off trailer - that might remove some of the drama, but I'll let somebody do it. Hi to the down-under guy G'Day to you!
they are NOT easy first time out but get the lowloader driver take it off for you and then to teach yourself push a heap up and climb it but be careful it's feels odd at first but you CAN do it push a heap and level the top that should give you a little confidence but keep it level and very wide and be safe.......good luck....if you get a problem give me a call and i will do it for ya.
Good advice!!!!
I talked to the freight brokerage house I'm using a while ago and asked him if most of the drivers can operate the equipment, and he said they can. Told him I need to know upfront if the driver can unload, if not, I'll have my friend here. Things are going really well so far with the purchase.
John, it sounds like you know where all the controls are, and what they do. So what are you worried about? As long as you're aware of what you're doing, and go slow you'll be fine. First of all, try to unload on the most level spot you can find. Then make sure the parking brake is on, and the machine is in neutral. It may not start otherwise. Start the machine, pull back on the throttle only about 1/4 that's all you'll need to unload. Then pick up your blade only about 6-8 inches, so, in the unlikely event something happens, you can put your blade down quickly to stabilize yourself (you will have to adjust the blade as you go to maintain that height). Now some dozers will move when in gear even with decelerator fully depressed. So do a test by pressing down fully on your decelerator, which should bring the engine to an idle. Then release the parking brake, and put it in forward. If the dozer moves, then put it back in neutral, press down on the brake (at that point you will be using both of your feet at the same time, one on the brake and the other still pressing down on the decelerator), and push the throttle lever back down to idle position. Now with the throttle in idle position let your foot off the decelerator put it in forward or reverse (whichever way you need to go to get off the trailer), and idle off the trailer using the brake to control your speed as needed. Back to the test, if the dozer didn't move when you put it in forward ( which is the more likely scenario), then engage the dozer in what ever direction you need to go to get off the trailer, and use the decelerator to control speed and stopping. Be careful, but be confident, and don't forget to put on your seatbelt. Good luck.
Ah - somebody has confidence in me Thanks digger! The right pedal is engine deceleration and primary brake and the left pedal is the "secondary" brake with no deceleration. When would I use the left pedal and when the right pedal? If I'm going to change gears, I assume I would press the right pedal to idle the engine? I think I'm really, really glad I bought a dozer with a joystick - an old Case 450 I looked a year ago was totally perplexing as to what did what. Even the salesman wasn't sure what did what but at least he could make it move.
For the most part I never use the brake pedal on a dozer. If your machine engages the brake when the decelerator is fully depressed, then you probably won't use the actual brake pedal (on the left) much either. You can change gears at full throttle, but I usually decelerate down about 1/2 to take the edge off. Does your machine have gears, or does it go up in increments by pressing a button?
You twist the joystick to change gears - three forward, three reverse.
I'm pretty new to running a dozer so anytime I do anything that makes me the least bit nervous I use the seat belt. Might be a good idea getting started, especially when loading/unloading.
John, when your shipper said a "roll-on/roll-off" that means the shipment, which is your dozer, is able to roll-on/off the trailer not necessarily that the truck or truck and trailer is a roll-off type bed. You may want to check on what type of trailer they are using.
I think the seat belt is inop on the dozer I do use the seat belt on my Kubota tractor once in a while - not often, but I do use it sometimes. Roll-on, roll-off is my term for the type of trailer I wanted, I have no idea what the correct terminology is in the trucking world. I told the freight broker there was no loading dock available at either end and the dozer would need to crawl on and off the trailer from the ground. In the marine world, they call that a ro-ro - roll on, roll off.
You should twist the joystick to turn. There should be two buttons on the joystick for the gears. I would unload it myself. You got to learn sometime. The worst thing that could happen is flipping it off the trailer. Just shut the key off when it starts going over. The biggest thing that makes people look like a fool on a Komatsu is they have a lockout lever for the Hyd also. Make sure and flip it up so your blade will work.
If its got 3fwd 3rev it wont be hydrostatic drive, sounds more like 3 speed powershift. Komatsu had in the D31, D37 ,D 41 what they called a Hydroshift transmission which was a powershift transmission but without the torque converter, direct drive powershift in other words. I think you might find that the left pedal will work the same as a foot clutch in that it disengages power and then applies brakes, Komatsu called it an inching pedal, I have operated D31 D41 and they all have it. In the D37 they put the steering on a joy stick but stll used clutch and brake steering just moving the lever left or right in stead of in a console in front of the operator. I would think the D 39 would be similar given that its a D 39-1. Hope this is of some help.
You'd be surprised at how easily you could get ejected from the operator's seat (if you don't have your seatbelt on) And you'd be surprised how hard you're gonna hit when that track slips off that trailer. You can get seriously hurt. Don't dare do that w/o experience. That D39 is a very spunky dozer, could dance right off that trailer, and hurt you. Have the driver or some experienced guy unload it, then take it into an uncongested field, put your seatbelt on, be familiar where the kill switches are, and have fun.
The specs for power train and control are : Brake, secondary left location Mono-lever steering, left hand location Transmission, F3-R3, full power shift Torque converter, single stage, 2.0:1 stall ratio The right pedal is the primary brake and deceleration. A question for you guys - do you throttle up the engine (a lever to the left of the operator) and leave it at whatever RPM you need and then use the right brake/deceleration pedal to slow down or speed up? If you come to a complete stop, then you pull back the throttle? I do like to wear the seatbelt on my Kubota tractor when appropriate and I will get the seatbelt fixed on the dozer. Thanks to the comments in my thread, I am very leery of driving it for the very first time off the trailer. I appreciate the help very much. :notworthy
Enjoy your new machine John! They are a nice little dozer. You have things pretty much figured out, like they said, get someone else to unload it. There is a lever on the front side of the steering/shifter control stand that needs to be flipped up to unlock the shifter. Also be gentle after turning with the stick, the steering clutches grab quite suddenly unless you recenter the stick slowly to go straight after a turn. Otherwise there is a lot of shock in the steering clutches and final drives when the steering clutch starts to drive again. Only thing I don't like about these units.
John From what you have said you have no experience driving, until you get a bit of seat time where the controls are second nature get your mate to unload. Good luck with your new purchase! Neil
cant help on unloading but please use that belt. this old man almost learned the hard way. went over a 12 in log the wrong way. tossed me up on the hood with several good size bruises. inches away from burns from the muffler.
Been there and done that, fell into a pit that had a tin roof and covered in dirt on an a TD 9 back in the days before seatbelts, 14 stitches across the forehead from hitting the canopy and 3rd degree burns on the inside of my legs from cuddling the muffler on the way down the bonnet, ended up on the blade then 5 days in hospital and it all happend in the blink of an eye. Seat belts are good value. Cheers RDG
Thanks guys! Since that original post, I have maybe 8-10 hours of seat time and I'm totally comfortable running the machine and I think I'm even starting to get a feel for the blade. It is pretty simple to make it go but a learning curve for the blade. I've noticed my D39 won't make a gradual turn (tracks moving at a different rate) unless the engine RPMs are up a bit - one track will stop and the other track is turning at lower RPMs. I suppose it is operating normally :beatsme . At maybe 1/2 - 2/3rds throttle she'll make any kind of turn. The dozer has been a bunch of fun and I am getting all kinds of work accomplished with it in a fairly short period of time. I do wear the seat belt - one of the first jobs was to get it working.
dozer unloading Brings back old memories. I had two job sites going on (about 15 years ago) and my brother was the dozer operator and I mostly drove the trucks. My brother loaded the dozer for the lowboy guy and when it got to the new site, the low boy guy didnt know how to operate and equipment. We were in the road, so we had to do something, I figured it cant be that hard, so I took the binders off and started the D5, opened the throttle about 3/4 and put in gear. That was the mistake (3/4 throttle) before I figured out what the pedals and levers were for, I almost ran it off the side of the lowboy, boy was I scared, almost messed the underwear up. Word to the wise, if you dont know what you are doing, get someone to unload it, you can learn how to operate it on the ground. Things happen mighty quick on a lowboy. When you get good, you can turn it around on the lowboy. Good Luck
Here's the video of Danny the truck driver unloading it. Danny was slow and careful as you can see. I don't think I'm quite ready to turn it around on a lowboy or step-deck, but I am feeling quite competent and I can back her right up to a fence or whatever and do what I need to do. Once I discovered the decelerator pedal, life got significantly easier :falldownlaugh YouTube - It's a boy! 19,000 pounds and 14' 6" long! Danny delivers our 1999 Komatsu D39P-1 track dozer
dozer Nice dozer I think that cheating a bit, I was thinking it would be on a detach lowboy, or a low boy with ramps. The ramp ones are really fun, even for a experienced operator. The flat bed was just like driving down the road, almost LOL He did a great job, have fun with the dozer, I like this model
I too am in the same boat but I'm getting the hang of it. I currently have problems tho.
that is a D39p-1...made in poland..it actually is a TD9 with komatsu's new paint scheme...good dozer and should last forever.......S/N should begin with a PO....
Yup - begins with a PO. I realized it was basically a TD-9, did not realize it was made in Poland. Our Komatsu dealer said it was a good machine - easy to work on.
This video I made may be of some use. The controls on the D10R aren't exactly the same (your steering isn't on the two toggles it's a push to turn left pull to turn right with a twist knob on the end to shift) but all dozers are the same principle. As far as your throttle, pull it all the way back (wide open) and use the decelerator to control your RPM. The only time you should be adjusting the hand throttle is if you're getting off and wanna idle down. YouTube - Cat D10R Startup and Controls I'll see what else I have stashed... Edit: that's all I have that has a good explaination of the controls, if you're interested in dozers I also have some good action videos here (just scroll down through the videos on the right, there are 10+ D6/D7/D10/D11 videos): http://www.youtube.com/user/vantagetes I'll have a couple D8R videos (building a pad with rock trucks and an explanation on how to slot doze) soon. I don't have a Komatsu but if you have any questions on operating don't hesitate to drop me a line, I can probably even make a video answering your question(s).
Very cool video! Running something in the 100,000+ pound class would be really amazing. I'm doing pretty good on my D39 - still trying to get the "bubble in my butt" to work reliably so I can control the blade. I'm doing better, but I'm still too slow with the blade joystick. I worked the D39 in my borrow pit this afternoon and it was a completely satisfying experience
Are you blading in 1st gear? Second gear is more a Jedi trick, you have to use the force to know where all the little bumps are because your reaction time won't be fast enough by the time you feel it. Another good trick is when you're trying to clean up go in first gear and half throttle (use your decelerator). As I back up you can feel the machine find all the bumps (even a little tiny bump will feel huge as the tracks go over). Keep backing up until you feel the machine smooth out and become level. Then set your blade, switch to first gear fwd and use just a little (1/4 throttle) to slowly go forward. As you trim off the bumps and start picking up dirt on the blade start adding throttle so the machine has the power to push. Basically when you're trying to smooth things off just keep it low RPM until you're pushing a bunch of dirt. If you come to a spot where the machine is going to change angle on you (coming off the flat onto a slope etc) you can hold the brake with your left foot and use the blade to change the angle of the machine. For example as you come over the edge the blade holds the front up, so you hold the brake so you don't cut anymore, and then lift up (which lowers the nose and brings the tracks into contact with the ground again). Once the machine is "tipped over" you slowly let off the brake and then get back onto the power (decelerator out). Another thing is if you feel the bump in your butt, you've already missed it with the blade, back up and try again. Remember the easiest way is to back up until you feel the machine level off, that way you have a starting point where your blade doesnt need adjustment. Starting on an angle/hill/dip takes a while to do well and a very good feel for your machine and where level is. Let me get my camera and see if I can find a video from today that shows what I mean.
Yeah - 1st gear and I'm on the decelerator pedal while trying to get an idea of the grade and what position the blade needs to be. When the going is reasonably smooth, I'm okay on the blade - not great but okay/fair. When it is not well graded out, it is more of a problem. My crutch is backblading - I know that isn't great for the long-term life of the blade, but I like the results. This reminds me of learning to fly RC airplanes - you have to do it for many hours before you acquire 'muscle memory' - the hand reacts instinctively without much thinking.
Just keep practising then, sounds like you have a good handle on it =) With a little time you'll get just as good results going forwards as you can backblading. If you haven't already watched, this video is good to hear the throttle control. You'll notice I only hit full throttle when spreading at the very end, and backing up. YouTube - D10N Side View
Mud What's that mud you're pushing into, looks like it's straight out of a reserve pit from a drilling rig?
Digging a pond, hit a layer of grey sandstone that when ripped, dug or pushed turns into small chunkies with alot of powder. The water came from a puddle we had sitting at the toe of the slope for the longest time (rain water) so I just pushed it out and mixed it with some dry material so the scrapers could grab it.
Here's a couple of videos of me working in the tank (tank-to-be) yesterday. YouTube - Video 1 of 5 - Working in my 'borrow' pit or tank as we say in Texas. And another. YouTube - Video 2 of 5 - Working in my 'borrow' pit or tank as we say in Texas.
Wow looking awesome John! With a little more seat time you'll make an excellent operator. About the only thing I picked up on in the video was you're getting a little greedy with the blade, but that's fine for bulking. Just whack it through and then when you're getting close to wanting to flatten out just grab corners. A big mistake people make is trying to get a full blade right away, it's better to take just a little bit for a long push and get the full blade just before you get to where you're pushing. If you try to fill up right away thats when you get that first hump, and then you go over it and make ANOTHER bump which just repeats the whole way and is a pain to try to fix. The only other thing is watch your track slippage. If you fill your blade and can't cut more you sit spinning the tracks. As soon as the track first slips push your decelerator in and correct the blade before reapplying power. For only being on a dozer a short time you're doing great!
Your remarks are very kind and much appreciated :notworthy . Almost as soon as I was watching the video, I was critiquing myself and I saw those same things. Don't yet have a good feel for how much material I can push, but it's getting there. I'm still a little slow with the right hand but that will get better over time I'm sure. Tried to keep a close eye on the tracks to be sure I wasn't spinning them and as soon as I noticed that, I backed off the blade. Again, a little slow with the right hand. On the third video (being uploaded now) I was trying to break through a crusty layer of maybe hardpan and got the tracks off the ground a bit. I attacked the area from a different angle and it was a sweet feeling being able to push it away. For a while I was sorry I didn't have rippers but now I think I'm still in good shape without them on my place. If I was in a production situation (taking money), I think I would be way too slow - I probably should have been in second gear when I was backing up to make another pass. I wasn't in a big hurry and was completely enjoying my dozer time :thumbsup
:yup
John....looks like you're getting the hang of it......that machine looks in good shape...what is the s/n of that unit i probally pre-delivered it when it was new......lol....take care...
Ed - it has been repainted but as far as I can tell, the 1,246 hours on the meter are the real deal. I think I did really well with my first dozer purchase. Serial number is PO96127. I think bought new by a construction outfit in Hickory, NC.
another tip when playing with hardpan. Tilt your blade all the way and just stick a corner down and scratch it up with that. After you get it all scratched, flatten the blade out and move it.
Yeah - I thought about tilting the blade, but then I was worried about stressing the blade too much :beatsme
Just use common sense when doing it, you'll have a good idea on when its getting too hard on the machine.
Hi John, i live 20 mins from hickory... have fun with the dozer!!
Nice part of the world! We have some good friends in Oriental. Headed there in a few weeks. I have been totally blown away with how much fun running the dozer is - I think I need to build another tank on the property :naughty
There is something really satisfying to moving soil with a bulldozer. Though it can get tiresome when doing it for more than 8hrs a day, 5 days a week. Still I have alway enjoyed operating equipment and looking at dirty pictures (pics of equipment).