I have done a search and found no definitive answer points to consider -parts availability -ease of working on them yourself -reliability -ease of operation -amount of work able to be done per hour/gallon need one for general farm duties; hilly,clay small dams,roads,fire breaks,small scale clearing for paddocks,shed /house pads note i also have a 6ton excavator not many komatsu/mitsi imports seem to have rops or rippers both machines available with 6 way blades jd450c only available in direct drive 4 speed,kom/mitsi available in powershift or 3 speed direct drive i believe fire away guys
I would recommend a JD 450G. Its a 3spd powershit, 6way blade, and either hand levers, or foot levers. They are very good dozers with very little problems. They can be a bit of a pain to work on, but what machine isn't. Parts are readily available. It's the machine I learned to doze on.
thanks fo the input i'd love one of those however the grey import komatsus etc are only on par with the JD450 "C" model price wise in my neck of the woods also i am tending towards a direct drive rather than powershift or hydrostatic due to simplicity and servicing elememt
Get the power shift - why deal with all that direct drive cave man technology when hydraulics are state of the art. Before you chip a tooth, the hydraulics will reach a break-out point and save the drive train. Plus if your on that machine 6-10 hours a day that clutch crap gets real old! Forget direct drive! Good Luck!
I'll second what Idle Up says. The direct drive will get old in in about 1 hour. I dont think you will ever regret getting a power shift. As far as the JD450 or Mitsubishi. I have a little Mitsubishi and love it for the type work I do. Very fuel efficent and easy to operate and tranport. I have had larger dozers but for my tyype of work it fits the bill fine. Problems: Parts a re very hard to come by. No dealerships and you better be equiped and have the time, knowledge and a place to work on it. A good JD 450 would probly be much better for the work you seem to have in hand. And wont cost much more on the long run. Beware of buying a bargin dozer to save a few dollars. These things will eat you alive when it comes to repairs. Again go with the power shift.
Z240, You have stated the model of the Deere but not the models of the Komatsu or Mitsubishi. I believe 450C has the power shift transmission but no torque converter. Komatsu and Mitsubishi have the same configuration. This type of drive is not bad to run and only takes a little while to get used to. The machines with torque converters are the Cat D3 and Dresser TD7 in the age and size group. All these machines were decent in their day and will still work for what you want. If I were buying one of these I would base my decision on the current condition they are in and the amount of repair I might have to do to get the work done. Good Luck!
Z240, I feel your pain. I have 200 acres that need some dirt work but no heavy clearing. I have been looking at machines for over 2 years. There are few choices. The Komie D21 is a neat little machine. Possibly too small. I had almost decided on a hydrostatic machine until I found out how expensive the new generation pumps and hydraulic motors are. So I think a powershift machine with a 6 way blade is the way to go. It is my understanding the Cat D3Clll is a capable, reasonable machine to maintain. A local dozerman is going to replace a complete LGP undercarriage on his D3C lllLgp at 12K. Ouch! Good luck and I am still looking for suggestions.
MitsubishiBD2H I've got a Mitsubishi BD2H with 8 way blade(PAT plus hyd side shift) and rippers. These are either Direct drive or Direct power shift. DPS doesn't have torque converter. It has a series of clutch pack that activate when you engage the gears. It works fine and I've not had any trouble with although I haven't done many hours on it. Probably 250hr only since I imported it. My unit has a set of standard chain and grousers plus has a spare set of chains with LGP plates. Spare parts are available from a dealer and importer in Qld. you won't need many as these little things rarely go wrong. I have a complete set of workshop manuals and parts books. Regards firetrack
Dozer If you are looking at the very small grey market dozers I think you will be very disappointed. Most of the small ones around here are 9000-11000lb machines. You say some of the soil is clay, I wouldn’t have anything less than a 450 class machine. The smaller dozers clearing an area or even grading an area that hasn’t been worked can be tough. At the very least try before you buy. Some GM's are easy to get parts, others almost impossible, it depend on where they were from and what motors they have. It also depends on your source, some are more willing than others to look for parts. Have you looked for a Dresser? I have run Deere’s and do love them, but I have also spent time in TD-7s and an 8 and they are a very well built machine. In the area I’m in they seem to go for less money than a Deere of similar age and shape. I know some people who would say they run rings around a Deere. I would say they definitely hold there own and are very durable. The ones I ran were powershift with a torque converter and 6-way blades. I just wish they had 1 stick like the Deere's for 6-way, and pedal steer.
Go for a Cat D3 with six way blade. Terrific machine. Have had one sine 1997 in my business. JD 450? You got to be kidding. Worst machine in the world ever put together to work on. (notice I left out the word designed) Got one here and hate the d--- thing with a passion. The D3 works rings around it.
many thanks guys a variety of opinions i missed out on the JD450C but am a firm believer in fate so the search continues i have been advised no matter which dozer i get,make sure it has rippers,it is uncommon for the komatsu D20's and Mitsubishi BD2's to come standard with rippers so this may make it a bit easier in the decision department i wonder if a stick rake/ripper attachment like this one attached would work equally as well?,if so it would be dual purpose in my application i agree with the guys saying get a more mainstream/established dozer,however in my price range (in australia) that means an older more worn out one with less features eg no powershift,manual blade,questionable operator safety and comfort anyone got any pearls of wisdom on this one? many thanks guys:thumbsup:
Parts, parts parts is what I say! I have a Allis-Chalmers M100-C grader that I am struggling to find parts for. I am getting some bushings made at a machine shop for it now. Like you Z it is for farm use only. Cat has parts availability better than anyone. For my 200 acre spread I will keep looking for a bagain D3ClllLgp powershift. The Cathouse will rob me but atleast I can get what I need. I also have problems obtaining parts for my Deere 690A and Ford F-700. Time is money even on your own place. Good luck!
Are you going to be any discing? If so I would go with a JD 450G Durashift. If no discing I would go with a powershift. Our discing tractors are all direct drive AG CATS.