I know the title might sound confusing, but I hope it's not! I'm back in the market for a small finish dozer, and when I've read comparisons of various models people sometimes comment along the lines of "those two machines were built for different types of work" and is confuses me somewhat. How different is finish work really going to be? The machines I'm finding within a reasonable distance and price are mostly Deere 450s (C-G models), Dresser TD7s and TD8s (mostly G and H models), and Cat D3/D3C/D3C. Other than direct drive versus torque converter machines, and pedal steer versus lever steer, I'm not seeing a huge difference in the machines. Anybody have any thoughts on if any of these machines would be intended for slightly different work, or am I overcomplicating it?
Of the three brands I would consider the John Deere the most capable and operator friendly,the Cat would be next and the Dresser last.They are all robust machines in generally the same order.I am not a big fan of pedal steer but mostly because I have run the older style so much and I am used to it.Those Cat pedal steers were clumsy in my opinion and their shifters were a pain to use.I also am not a big fan of hydrostatic steering,I was impressed with the M-48 tank but anything since just made a big mess wherever it was used to say nothing of the mess it made of the undercarriage that often had to be cleaned by hand at the end of the day.I would also consider dealership support in my purchase.Ron G
I think you are overcomplicating it. You can make the machine do whatever you want it to do. Now if you are trying to finish grade small areas with a D-9, or trying to bulk push rock with a D-3, then you can say the machine was not made for it.
Yair . . . I believe most of the later smaller machines have ridged non oscillating track frames . . . when grading, what is the perceived difference between them and a proper tractor? Cheers.
If I'm not mistaken the Dresser TD7G uses a walking undercarriage. There isn't much articulation possible, maybe two inches at the front of the track. The older Deeres I've seen did not. I'm too much a novice to know how important that is. People I talk to feel a six roller tractor is better than a five for finish work. I'm a big fan of torque converters. In backhoe loaders I've had with and without torque converters. No way I would have one without. Power reversers are a necessity unless you are dealing with twenty acres at a time. Aside from that the dealer is important. Where I live John Deere has two dealers in the state. They haven't been very helpful with parts or challenging problems. Here we have an excellent Case dealer, and the former Dresser dealer is still in business, and has been incredible with parts, and very generous with know how to keep it functioning. Caterpillar; I have no personal experience with, but friends swear by them. If your machine is more than ten years old, you need good parts, and service. I'd do Case, and Dresser again, Deere I'd shy away from.
Fair enough, I've just seen people make the comment that two machines of similar size were "intended for different tasks" and I wasn't sure why that might be. I'm not worried about it, just thought it was interesting enough to ask
Well, maybe refering to something like a wide track working hard ground or rocks, or a standard track machine working, or trying to, in mud. Also, like using a 6 way blade for heavy work, when you should have an "S" dozer for the strength of the outside push arms
That's a good question Scrub . My take on it is whatever the operator is used to & familiar with . We never did have a small "finish dozer " . That work was done with a farm tractor with front loader & box blade for the most part . Later got a tracked skid loader and that filled the void of a finish dozer . I still favor the tractor & box blade when finishing up .
Yair . . . td25c As I am always saying it is fascinating how the same job is done with different machinery in different places. I have long noted how the" box blade" as you folks call it is widely used with Ag tractors and what you call "skip loaders" which appear to be an Industrial tractor without a PTO. In my part of the world I don't believe I have ever seen one . . . they are certainly not common up here in Queensland. What I do find handy is a small linkage grader blade equipped with support wheels. . . castered of course to allow the blade to be angled left or right In operation you just adjust the top link so the blade is just cutting with the wheels taking all the weight. This of course takes off all the high spots in the fashion of a land plane. I have made/modified several of these over the years and it allows the owners of small acreage properties to maintain their driveways with very little skill. It can take a lot of passes but folks seem to enjoy it and don't mind the time on their little JD or Kubota. Gone off topic big time apologies to the O/P Cheers.
I have one Scrub, I was initially looking for a little loader I could carry in the back of a tipping dog trailer and found a Case 570LXT that had been imported from the states. Didn't really care for the box blade at first but left it on to provide some counterweight. I quickly discovered what a versatile implement they are.
Yair . . . Queenslander Well there you go then . . . I'm talking bull-dust again. (big grin) Cheers.
Dreaded double post
I started running G and H series Dressers in the 90s and liked them fine, I thought they were the best grading small dozer on the market with the exception of the Td 7g. That was a challenge but once I figured it out I liked it. I didn't care for G series John Deeres and C series Cats. Then John Deere introduced the H series and I loved those. Ran one for over a year and thought it was close to perfect. Then Cat introduced the G series and everything else was instantly obsolete in my opinion. The K series now is great but I am still not sure if it is better or worse then the G. But in the end they all did the same job and I could produce the same results with any of them. I just enjoyed the day more on some then others. I don't run small dozer much anymore but still love to finish grade when I get the chance.
Thanks....very interesting feedback. The problem is, this is the kind of stuff that makes my head hurt. I see one person say they were a huge fan of a particular machine (like the Dresser G and H you mention) and then someone else says the exact opposite thing! I'm just a weekend warrior, and I doubt the exact machine will make much difference in the end, but I can't help researching and looking for opinions.