Long time lurker of these forums and first time poster. I've been wanting to purchase a dozer for the last 3 years but the timing was never quite right with the finances. I own a motocross track and own all my own water trucks, tractors, etc. but never owned a dozer. I've been very fortunate with sponsors from local rental companies bringing me nice new hydrostat machines for nothing but when I need a dozer I REALLY need one and it seems like availability is always an issue when I need one. I recently purchased this 1986 D3B lgp with 4500 hours for 9k. I've ran a dozer quite a bit cleaning up and building tracks. In my spare time I help a buddy out with an excavation business. He has a New Holland DC180 and a Dressta TD7 that I've logged quite a few hours on. I consider myself pretty good at "grunt work" in a dozer. For example if we need to knock down 5 acres of trees and pile them up, no problem. If he tells me start pushing dirt this way to build a pond no problem. I would like to slowly start putting this machine and others I want to acquire to work for myself. His business is pulling in more work than he could handle and he wants to start sending me work that is more local to me. I will freely admit up front that I known pretty much nothing as far as the "Engineering" side of it. If someone called me and wanted me to clear a fence line, we're in business. However if someone wanted me to design their pond all I know is that water runs down hill. I wasn't raised up a "farm boy" so to speak and had never ran a piece of equipment until about 3 years ago at 30 years old. I do however enjoy it and want to learn more, where does a guy start?
Welcome, as far a having only 3 years experience, practice makes perfect but some just have talent and everybody had to start sometime. I only have my equipment for my use and fun, but plenty on the forum do it for a living and can speak to the business side, but I will tell being good and fast is important for repeat business according to the operators I have asked about getting in the business. I am mostly either or kind of operator and perform neither well.
That D3 is in very good shape, JThomas. The previous owners did a good job of maintaining that compact dozer, and you will definitely enjoy polishing your skills digging ponds and grading smooth surfaces that are free from those tell-tale washboard bumps that new dozer drivers tend to leave, before they get the hang of the "less is more" philosophy needed for blade control when flat and level finishes are needed.
I was pretty lucky on this find. The previous owner owned it for over 10 years and got it with about 2000 hours on it. He logged everything he did to it and at how many hours it was done. It's been repainted and looks perfect from 25 feet away : ) . Lucky for me he was a motorcycle enthusiast and really liked the idea that it was going to a public motocross track.
The one thing I'm going to have to work on is the front end. It literally has slop at about every pin. Most places it has just plane worn the hole out where the pin slides in. Going to have some custom home made pins in the future I guess.