Hey guys I have a few questions about komatsu D39PX dozers. I would like to hear the pros and cons of the machine and your personal experience with the machine and it's performance overall. I'm a CAT guy so I haven't ran one of these machines. I have experience with a D5G/D4G and 650 deere. I see that komatsu are noticeably cheaper in price with usually better hrs and U/C. Service is always a factor with people's opinion also. how it stacks up against the Cat and deere.
I have a 39EX-21A , so far I like it well. It has decent power and steering is precise. The blade is tight with 3400hrs to date. I bought it for the same reason , a comparable Cat was 20 grand higher with more hours. I looked at all three , Cat , deere and Komatsu , even a Case 850. One advantage I have , my local Komatsu PSR lives 200 yards from me , actually puts a garden on my lot. I think they are all good machines brand wise , I do know I was advised to stay away from the earlier models. Look for Komstat II.
Dickjr thanks for the good information. I don't have any dealers located close to my area so that doesn't have any affect on my personal ratings on brand machines. Most of the guys around me are running all deere machines and a few case. I have caterpillar equipment. I can see the resell value may not be as good with komatsu compared to the other brand but your still saving money on the purchase and they all brands make you money and have the same concept. Push/move/load and hall dirt.
Post some pics if you buy it , or post them anyway.
Dickjr I have a few that I am looking into at the moment. I'm going to take the time time to run the D5G/ Deere 650H and the katamatsu D39PX. Possibly a D5N or D5M which are more than I'm looking to spend but I have found a few D5M around my price range. Full cabs and ROPS.
1. Caterpillar D5G XL OR LGP - 35'000 to 50'000 2. komatsu D39PX- 35'000 to 45'000 3. Caterpillar D5M - 35'000 to 40'000 4. John Deere 550G OR 650H 28'000 I am aware that these machines will have some hrs on them for this price but I have been finding them with good U/C and one owners. I've got it narrow down to these main 4. I did look at a very nice 1998 deere 550G LGP with low hrs at a local used dealer by me a few months ago. What's your buy if you have to pick out of these dozers. Trying to stay in the 35'000 to 40'000 range. I will be selling my current machine caterpillar D3 for a 100 HP machine for my daily use. Thanks
Solely based on looks alone , I like the D5G first followed by the Komatsu. The Deere looks nice but no cab. The 5M has been for sale a long time on ebay .If Your ground in rocky and rough and your gonna grub some the 5G will be better than the 39. The 39 has the wider blade and can be harder to get it into a cut. What hours are on the 5g and 39? On another note , the 5M is heavier , more power and a little more simple to work on. I've seen 5M sell for around 30 ish in that condition. The others may be higher , theres a little more demand for that size do to the fact that it's easier to move.
Dickjr the 2004 caterpillar D5G is sold already for 50k with around 3'000 hrs on it. The 2007 D39PX is $42'000 with 6'000 hrs and I'm just think that maybe to many Hrs on the machine. Both have 80% u/c. In my area there's not a lot of rock so I should be able to get away with a 100 HP machine for mostly all of my jobs as I do with my D3 for the time being. So that's why I'm leaning towards the D5G XL or LGP and D39PX or D39EX. Yes the deere is a nice machine but I'm not sure I could go within having a cab. I wonder how the komatsu runs compared to the D5G and comparison in the price of parts and working on. Cat will definitely have a better resale value in the long run but I will be keeping this next dozer for awhile. Reliably and repairs come into play aslo.
The D5G would have been a decent buy with 3000 hrs , the 39, 6000 hrs at 42000 is a little steep, maybe around 28 or so. Biggest thing is don't get in a hurry. I have been told that these hydrostat machines rarely have pump or drive motor problems it s in the electronics usually. I know of several 953s that are similar that have 15 to 18k hours . That's what was told to me by a mechanic for Komatsu. Really I can't vouch for it , I have seen several 39s with up to 10k hours for sale. As for parts , they're all expensive , some higher than others , some cheaper. Seems like lgp machines sale cheaper for some reason , I know why that is here , its hard to get the blade in the ground , and the pads will bend bouncing around on rock. I know some operators , ones that aren't biased really like the controls on the Komatsu compared to the Cat. Its a natural setting position. But maybe I'm biased saying such.
Dickjr. I will have to check out the machines and see which machines runs and operates better for me. I'm going to Novi mi this weekend and will be able to test a couple machines out there and see what I like. So your saying if the machine has been maintained by the previous owners with a little hire hrs on the machine it still should have good life in it for a while. My current dozer has just over 6'000 and runs strong without any issues. I just wasn't sure about buying a newer machine and starting out around the 5'000 to 6'000 hr range with 80% U/C and still get some reliable life out of the machine. The controls do look more fitting in the komatsu and a better layout. How does you machine stay planted when stripping dirt and clay.
I'm pretty satisfied with the way my machine pushes , in topsoil you can roll sod like a larger machine. In clay , and here our clay compares to concrete you can cut 6" of a 12" deep cut and roll on with getting sucked into the cut. I had a D6H and mind you its not the same , it does what I need done giving you stay at the task at hand. My reason for going to a smaller machine , I could not make a living with anything any larger. And the economy tanked. Rarely do I get jobs that have just dirt , most have rock about 4 to 6" thick as big as a truck hood. I just root them out and push them to the pile. That PX will be different than my EX. The blade is 1' 6" wider and that changes a lot especially on a machine that size.
I am in the same position for the size of machine that I could use without being to big or to small. I am glad that I don't have rock like you are dealing with! We have mostly soft materials so the LGP or PX would work just fine. I will still considered the XL or EX because we have nice high and dry land aslo. I could see going some land clearing and some smaller jobs where the XL and EX may work better. I do 99% of residential work. Seems like you could always use more power haha. I feel that the machines will work great for my jobs.
I am in the same position for the size of machine that I could use without being to big or to small. I am glad that I don't have rock like you are dealing with! We have mostly soft materials so the LGP or PX would work just fine. I will still considered the XL or EX because we have nice high and dry land aslo. I could see going some land clearing and some smaller jobs where the XL and EX may work better. I do 99% of residential work. Seems like you could always use more power haha. I feel that the machines will work great for my jobs.