All of my life I have wanted a bulldozer. I am now 64 years old and the day will finally come. Tomorrow I am going to purchase a Cat D 4 E with a wench and a PAT blade, sweeps, ROPS and screens. It has been sitting inside for 20 years. It was only ran just enough to keep it operational. It has 4500 on the hour meter. The owner and his son bought two of them, just alike, 20 years ago from Weyerhauser. The father never used his and he died just recently. His son, who owns the one just like it just had the lift cylinders rebuilt, one glow plug replaced, the injector pump rebuilt, all fluids checked, oil and filters changed, some hydraulic hoses replaced, and oil samples taken and analyzed. Thompson Machinery did the work on it. UC is 95%. It is only 25 miles from my farm so the haul bill will be minimal and the price for the machine is $15,000. I will take a trusted Cat dozer mechanic with me to operate and confirm the condition of the machine before I pay. I am in Tennessee and have 35 acres of hills and hollows. Stumps to remove, fence rows to clean out. I also have a 1acre lake to drain and clean out. The lake has about 4 feet of sediment that has accumulated over the last 30 years, below the sediment is a solid rock bottom. I know that a loader would be better for that job but it is what it is. I also have a 50 hp tractor with a loader and will consider buying an old dump truck for that job. The size of the PAT blade bothers me. It is not very tall and is much wider than the dozer. Is that a problem or am I worrying about nothing. I have never operated before and it could be that it is just a matter of what you start out on and what you get used to. I also would like to dig up some yellow rock to use in building a retaining wall. Will the PAT blade hold up to digging yellow rock? I tried to add pictures but I had no success. I think that my pictures are too large. In another post on this forum there is a picture of a d4e that is hooked to a scraper. It was recently bought at an auction. That dozer is exactly like mine. More after I get it home.
Yair . . . Good on you Nitelite . . . a bit like a mate of mine, he always wanted an airplane and he bought a Jabiru on his seventy-fifth birthday!! Enjoy your dozer. Cheers.
Welcome to the HEF. And having a mechanic check it out, is a great idea. Congradulations btw. CJ
Be sure you let the lake dry out before you put that old D4 in there otherwise it will just sink to its belly and spin the tracks for you. You are likely to find that the tractor with the loader will actually be quicker than the dozer. I have found that if its sloppy the mud just flows around the blade and you end up with nothing in front at the end of the push, any way enjoy the machine.
Welcome Nitelite! Typically PAT dozers are a touch narrower than standard angle dozers. The most common complaint is that when fully angled, the leading corner does not protrude far enough and the track on that side will run on whatever spills off the leading edge. I personally prefer them a bit narrower as there is less leverage on the corners, and I tend not to use them fully angled very much anyway. Regarding digging the rock, I am not familiar with the rock that you have there, but it should hold up ok as long as you don't get to prying too much and just ease into it. Hitting it full steam may cause some unwanted repairs. Enjoy you're new toy!
Yellow rock is soft when first uncovered and it comes up in layers of varying thickness, usually 4 inch to 8 inch layers. A backhoe can dig it easy enough. After being in the sun and drying out it becomes fairly hard. I think a ripper would do real good in yellow rock, I will be on the lookout for one. Can a ripper be mounted along with the wench that came with the standard Cat timber package? It is 3:00 AM and I will meet the owner today at 4:00PM to make the purchase. Have I covered all of the bases and is there anything that I need to check as a result of lack of use? I have a list and I just added, check for rust in the fuel tank. I hope that the Cat dealer would have caught that when they rebuilt the pump and changed the filters.
Is there a title on a bulldozer or do I just need the owner to give me a bill of sale at the time of purchase? Thanks for your replies!
paperwork on a dozier Is there a title on a bulldozer or do I just need the owner to give me a bill of sale at the time of purchase? Thanks for your replies.
There's no title. Just get a bill of sale. Good luck.
I don't believe that you could mount a ripper along with the winch, and swithcing them would not be a task that you would want to engage in very often, if you could find a ripper for it. There used to be some pull behind rippers that pulled off the drawbar and had a set of wheels and seperate frame work for the ripper. They were pretty cumbersome, but might be an option. I would try it with your dozer first and see how it goes. If the Cat dealer went through it then you should be in good shape with it. You may change belts and hoses with some frequency at first, but it should be reasonably sound by your description. Good luck with it and have fun!
I did see a pic of a larger dozer where someone had mounted a hydraulic winch on top of the ripper frame. So anything is possible! Andrew P.S. I found one!! I knew I'd seen this somewhere. This is a Komatsu D85, but gives you an idea.
Or you could go with a tow behind ripper. Here's a pic of one behind a D8. Andrew
Looks like a Fiat-Allis 16B to me.
In the end the wench will end up costing more that the tractor
I'm not up on dozer ID. All I know is that the website said D85 and it has D85 on the side of the machine. But maybe it's labeled wrong??? Here's the website: http://www.basequip.com/D85-en.htm Andrew
Not likely since it already has the winch, he just needs to find or cobble a tow behind ripper, if that.
Dictionary definition. wench |wen ch | noun archaic or humorous a girl or young woman. Don't they just always.
Always
Indeed, I stand corrected.
Well Nitelite, are you the proud owner of some yellow iron?
You're right-it is a Komatsu! My bad.
I did buy the dozer and will have it transported tomorrow morning. The mechanic said that the blade tilt cylinder needed overhauling, obviously it is leaking. Also, the three cables that go to the wench control levers are frozen. I am hoping to take one end loose and get some PB Blaster in between the cable and the housing. The mechanic could find nothing else that the machine needed. I was an auto mechanic for more than 25 years. Is re packing that cylinder a job that I should be able to do, or do I need to remove the cylinder and have it re packed? From what the mechanic says, once I remove the cylinder there is a bolt or nut that is hard to remove. Any advice is welcome. Thanks
Congatulations Nitelite! I just had a couple of rams on my lowbow re-sealed, and I ended up having to get them re-chromed as well. Cylinders can be a bugger to get apart and so forth, and if you put in new seals and have to take it back apart and get the rams re-chromed you won't have saved much. I had $1,100 into the lowboy rams (that was the total for both rams). You may wish to run it a bit and see how bad it leaks. I can't stand any oil leaks, but for occasional use, and if it is just seeping a bit, you may get by for a while. Have fun!
Thanks Oxbow. I will be able to inspect the ram better tomorrow for scratches in the chrome. I did see it drip today when it was under a load. I don't like leaks either and will fix it one way or another.
sure its not a MAPT blade ?? [Manuel Angle Power Tilt] a pic will tell for sure; PAT blades weren't a option on D4Es. Although a aftermarket one from Beales or Balderson may have been a option ??? B interested to see. 3 control cables for the winch sounds like a hyster D4F/W5F or a earlier D4E one. Must be a gear drive tractor if its got one of them on the back. Not the biggest job to swap rippers and winchs; used to do it occasionally on mine, took a full day. Then I got lazy and got 2 D4s so one had each lol Can do a lot of work with a D4. esp a E. will be interested to see your pics. Merv :drinkup
You should be able to handle the repacking, and you can leave the cylinder in place if there's room to get the rod/piston out. You just need to find around 2,000 ftlbs to break loose the piston nut. 1" socket, or 1" plate cut to form a wrench, or big pipe wrench if you have to. Pin the rod back in place and block it with wood to break the nut/bolt.
Help with a stuck d4e steering brake pedal Well I guess that there is no such thing as a perfect first dozer. In my first fifteen minutes of operating the D4e the right steering brake pedal stuck in the fully depressed position. The first two times that I noticed it I stomped on the pedal and it came back up. The third time it stuck for good. I tried to pry the pedal up with a crowbar but it won't budge. Dose that machine have a parking brake. D6 Merv and Delmer seem to know quite a bit about the D4e, do you have any suggestions as to why the pedal stuck down. When The previous owner put it on the lowboy this morning he said, " that right steering brake pedal is stiff, you might need to put some light oil on it". The fact that it came back up after I stomped on it seems to indicate a mechanical linkage problem. Could it bee that there is a brake release lever that a newbe is overlooking?
Its should be on the front of the seat base if its anything like a D5 or D6c.
Dumb mistake The parking brake was on. It locks the right track. I think that every time I pushed the right pedal it just got tighter and tighter. It has to have worn that right steering brake some. I hope it did not hurt it too bad. I worked it about thirty minutes and it steers ok. The parking brake lever is on the right of the seat. I thought that it was a seat adjustment. D6 Merv, you are right about the blade. It is a MAPT. Thanks for the tip on re packing without removing the cylinder. Using a cheater and my tractor loader I think that I can apply the 2000 ftlbs. Where would be the best place to buy the seal kit for the tilt cylinder. If there are no scratches or dings on the ram is it considered to be ok and not need re chroming?
Yep, even light scratches or pitting aren't too bad if you smooth them out a little. A hydraulic shop would probably be the cheapest place to get the seals, if you bring in the cap and piston they might have them in stock, for cheaper than ordering a kit, and you know they'll fit then. I don't know squat about D4's, sorry if I gave that impression.
Nitelite; put abit on yr other thread how to adjust brakes. Best thing to try with those winch cables is oaking them in a drum of diesel to see if they free up. Could be cables; control levers, or internal linkages in winch; or all 3 ! In your 1st post you said someone put up a pic of a D4E like yours with a scraper ??? Had a look but couldn,t find it, being the nosey soul I am, wouldn,t mind looking at it. D4 and little scoops are quite handy tools for moving dirt a distance, way better than pushing !! Put up a pic of yours too; ive shown ya mine !! :drinkup
Since folks are asking about a D4 with a scraper.... Here's the link if you want to see it bigger: http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/2985/d4no40scraperhb4.jpg Andrew
I am happy for you. One bit of advice be very careful pushing trees and brush those limbs can spring back over the top of the blade and take out your radiator or worse they get you.
My ex wifes grandfather was discing between peach trees using an old A.C. crawler, then had a good sized limb knock him over the back of the machine...and you can imagine the rest. My little brother found him a couple hours later.
My first dozer My new D4E. 4546 hours on the meter and 95-100 % uc. I have The other three screens and doors that came with the timber package. I also have the engine side covers. Now what I need is seat time, some of you guys make it look soooo easy!
Sweet. So that is what mine is supposed to look like; I thought they came from the factory reddish brown. ...
Not bad for a first bulldozer champ - too bad about the handbrake though - I drove a D6D for 70 hrs pioneering a rocky steep hillside with no real dramas (must be pretty lucky i think) and right at the end with maybe a 1/2 hour to go something happened and the machine stopped dead! wouldn't move an inch - I thought i had blown the tranny but all the temps were sweet - i checked again in the morning when cold & still dead - I had to ring the owner and was about 10 words into the description when he said "handbrake", i said "what handbrake?" - man did i feel like an idjit after 70 hrs in the hills & never once knew about let alone used the handbrake. apparently it was slightly common to bump it on with your leg when using the rhs brake - still felt like an idjit! Have fun with them trees with your timber package (if thats what you got your dozer for) but be careful - trees deserve some respect - not so much in greenie way, but they all have their quirks as anyone who cuts trees for a living knows & quite often they don't go down without a fight. I was careful & lucky, but got a few near misses that gets your adrenaline going. I saw the same machine later on get bashed up in no time with a couple of unlucky rolls of the dice (but it didn't have a nice timber package like yours on your first dozer). Not jealous much Jimbob :Cowboy P.S. Welcome
Ha ha - my first dozer was sooo much reddish brown - i didn't mistake it for paint but - i was just amazed that something that looked that bad, (that had been left in a feild for 6 months after it went to the rescue of a bigger dozer that got stuck doing a river crossing), could start & run instantly with a tow start - i sort of felt i had to look after it seeing as it seemed to have a lot of spirit left. What a sucker I was! Jimbob :Cowboy
Link for D6 Merv D6 Merv, here is the link to the D4E pulling the scraper. I have removed my seat and pressure washed the area of the inspection plates so I can see better but I have not removed the plates yet. That will be tomorrow's job. Thanks for the pointers. I did order a operator's guide and service manual off of ebay.
That`d be your d4 and cpc scoop wouldnt it Merv ?
Merv's D4E or another one that looks like Merv's? Merv posted pictures of his D4E dozer with rippers. I don't know if the link above showing the D4E pulling the scraper is Merv's machine or not. I am sure that he will chime in and set us straight.
Be mine alright ! Feel quite honoured the esteemed Mr Plant would keep a pic of this man and his noble steed; esp since im a kiwi ; and 'baiting' between us kiwis and the shackle draggers [we also have another name for them that sounds very similar :drinkup] is a much time honoured tradition between our 2 countrys ! here b another pic workin this time.
Hi Mev I have just put 2&2 together that's the D4 you brought of me.Still looks good.Hope you are having good run out of it.Shame they didn't keep that design in there new ones.I spent a couple of years on D3 & D5g's loved the drive train but the rest is a b*****d.Spent a couple years on D11's doing mine rehab work now driving a fuel truck.Ready to go back to Mike on roading in the forest.He is runing 3 8's now I'm hopless at typing but more I do the better one will get. Cheers
Hi Ron; yes has been a good tractor, few minor gremlins but nothing I couldn't fix. Poor girl hasn't done very much last 18 months, the butt dropped out of everything in NZ, except forestry roading. Been doing a lot of that this year, mainly driving a D7H for a mate of mine. Is one D8R up my way doing same, but too big and heavy for our clay plus a pita to legally move. 30 ton digger and a D7 seems a good combination for forest work. Had a good pic of it and a stump, rootball was bigger than the 7 but cant seem to post it, is too big. Look me up if you come back here, I owe you a beer :drinkup merv
First work of the year for the D4E. Well, I got the dozer out for the first time this year and put to work. I needed to build a haul road about one mile long to a stash of gravel that I own. It will require thirty to forty loads in my single axel dump truck to gravel my driveway. I am used to my 951C loader, power shift and petal steer. When I first got on the dozer, direct drive, I was backing up and it would not turn in either direction. After a few minutes of head scratching I remembered, Pull the levers before braking a track to turn dummy! I had a wonderful time on the old girl building the haul road.
good luck.Nitelite with the operating of the thing.I've read your threads on getting them fixed up and am looking forward to seeing them go to work.Enjoy them mate..
Still loving that old D4E direct drive. Getting ready to fire it up and do some road work. Build riding trails for the kids to ride their atvs' through the woods. Gives grampa a good excuse to go trail blazing on the dozier. I have some stockpiled diesel that needs burning anyway.