I have found three local dozers that I think will fit what I am looking to do. 1987 Cat D4H LGP, unknown hours, ok shape (looks like a lot of 5-7K hour machines I have looked at), good UC, runs and drive with no issues, asking $24K, seemed interested in offers but in conversation mentioned anything below a $20k offer would not work, will have to find someone to transport. 1994 Cat D3C LGP, motor rebuild (no hours), repainted, ok UC (needs new pads and bolts), missing belly pans, runs and drive with no issues, asking $24k delivered, not interested in offers. 1978 Dresser TD-7E, almost a LGP (not LGP but had LGP pads cut on inside to fit), unknown hours, good shape (barn kept), new UC, runs and drives no issues, asking $19k delivered, seemed interested in offers. I am cleaning up property and repairing/cleaning out my pond, then finish grading around my property. So, any of these worth trying to buy at the price they are asking?
My thought is to go with a D4 size machine or bigger. Small machines are great for grading but are really slow clearing and moving brush.
I'd eliminate the D3C from that group of choices, the asking is too high even if it didn't need putting together and in my opinion the C series small CAT dozers were nothing but trouble. My point of reference is that I sold parts at a CAT dealer in the late 90's and they made us and CAT a LOT of money for replacement parts. YMMV It comes down to the choice of a small lightweight finish dozer versus a bit of a moose by comparison. If you want some real snoose the D4H is a fine machine and in terms of repairs will go longer between times but cost more when you do? If that makes sense. The little TD7E is a sweet small dozer (they often had offset track shoes when wider than standard, they were built narrow so they didn't leave much clearance on the inside) it will sip fuel and as a rule they're fairly inexpensive to keep running. If you have the room and the coin, I second moriboy's vote, if you want to get in a bit cheaper, make a lowball offer on the TD7, you may end up five grand lower than buying the CAT plus delivery. I think you'll like either of those two machines. By the way, they both got winches for unsticking yourself yeah?
I offered $17K for the 1988 D4H. The owner called me back, said he would take $19.5k, is that a decent price? Pic attached.
Sounds good, if the machine is in good shape, thats not bad
What's the serial number on the 4h?
9db01218
Guess my biggest question is you have a highlift and an excavator, do you really need a dozer? Seen a lot of landed graded with those two machines. Granted a dozer be easier and faster but you already have a highlift. Just throwing that out here
My wife must have got to you...:laugh:laugh:laugh She said exactly the same thing . Your right, to date, I have worked the ground with the excavator, then 933 to get it to a rough level but needed to use my box blade to finish it out, as a one man crew, I am just trying to cut two of those steps out. The pond banks have been my Achilles heel, the 933 is a narrow track and just does not like working sideways or up and down steep inclines, I am thinking a LGP dozer would be better at that and making a few roads around the property. Anyway, learned in kindergarten, to play in the sandbox with the cool kids, you have to have toys...
Isn't that the low H.P. Series 1? If so, they had the reputation of being a slug.
In Cat sells literature, it is rated at 99hp gross, 90 hp net, I have no dozer experience to know if that is good or bad. It is around a 25K pound machine, does 90 hp and that weight make it a slug?
Hate spell check sometimes, that is cat "sales" literature vice sells...
I think the narrow track series 1's come from the factory with 80HP and was underpowered. LGP's IDK. If it is at 90HP it's the same as a series 2. The D4H is a dozer that got better every series. I've owned a Series 2 9DB and a series 3 9GJ. They were a really good tractor that was easy to make money with as I didn't have a lot of repairs.
So, how do you know what series it is? The serial number plate does not have any thing other than D4H and the serial number.
A 9DB over 4000 will be a series two and a 9 GJ will be a series three in the LGP dozers. Ritchie specs will list the upgrades I think.
Ahh, found on richiewiki, the D4H has 90 FWHP and the series II had 95 FWHP. The D4G had 80 FWHP.
Well, I pulled the trigger and bought the D4H, they lowered the price to split the transport cost. Will do a complete fluid/filter change out before putting her to work. Cat TDTO is sure pricey. Any typical maintenance issues to be aware of?
You don't necessarily need to buy Cat oil. Any major-branded (Shell, Exxon, Conoco, whatever) oil meeting Cat TO-4 spec will do the trick at probably half the price.
Correct. 9DB01218 is a Series I machine. Another thing. Unless you are going to be working in a swamp IMO you need to get those wide track shoes off ASAP and replace them with something more "standard" or they'll take the whole undercarriage system out.
Used to know some contractors would keep two sets of track assemblies on hand, with the alligator master links it was a short job swapping from LGP to Standard shoes and back again. Lay the tracks out on the ground, line the machine up, bust the tracks apart, push or pull the machine like it was on rails (thus the term"rails" in common usage) onto the new set, pull the end of the track over the top and couple back up. Two men with an excavator or stout service crane could usually bang it out in a couple hours.
Cat tech visited today, overall between 10-60% life on track components. Thought I would get 500 hours of use before seeing some failures, which will be more than needed for my use. He recommended not going back wide tracks also, I guess great minds think alike. Interesting idea to have two sets of tracks. It will spend most it's life with me in my pond digging out silt and smoothing out the area around it. My standard tracked loader has been rescued twice from the hard looking pond bottom that turns out to not be hard after a year of drying. I have not pushed anything in the pond with it but I have driven across the pond a couple of times to see what happened. No rescues yet. Btw, I have one bent pad he recommended replacing, I said I would just straighten but stated that was not recommended. Will I be doing something bad if I put it in a 30 ton press and flatten it out?
If you leave the "bog shoes" on just be really careful if you are ever on hard ground.
Bent track pads with likely break if you even have enough press to bend them. Unless the bent pad interferes with something else on the machine as it goes around it is likely best to just run it.