I have a D6M LGP that i bought new , I do a lot of farm fence line clearing and it works great. The problem is I am getting so many jobs the farmers have had the trees either logged off or cut for fire wood the bigger stumps are taking to long to dig out and taking a toll on the 6 way blade. I know for what I do bigger is better, I would rather have a 7 but can’t find a LGP , On the other hand I found a really nice 6H LGP to buy , would there be a big noticeable between the 6M to the 6H or should I hold out for a 7H Thanks Jeff
Bigger is not always better especially for stumps. If it were my money and I had enough I would opt to a second machine and buy a medium sized excavator for stump work then clean up wit the 6. More nimble, easier to haul and easier to keep maintained than buying a larger single machine.
What kind of blade on the 7 ? I don’t 6 way for rooting out stumps,lighter blade,all support in center none on corners
The 6H is about 7000lbs. and 25 more HP than the 6M. I agree with DMiller if you have problem stumps an excavator is the go to machine. Would also let you do a wider variety of work.
I do have a 240 lx linkbelt w/ hyd thumb that I use a lot, but most of the time I work on really steep hillsides the excavator just won’t go were a LGP cat can go . I don’t want to settle for the 6H and find out there isn’t a very big difference between the 6H & 6M . straight blade
The m’s are more of a finish grade top soil machine .H’s are more of a pushing machine IMHO.
If determined to get a push dozer go with the D7, should have 22 or 24" shoes stock, and will not matter that or D6H LGP or not is going to have to have the area you work dressed off from the cuts from the tracks. Get a side arm semi U angle blade and you will learn to appreciate it.
For what you want to do I'm not sure you'd gain anything being an LGP. I'd say a D6 or D7, standard shoes, semi-U blade with rippers (mainly for balance). There's not a HUGE different between a 6 and a 7 in the same series. 7 is a little heavier and has a little more power but not enough I'd be set on a 7 over a 6. If you were slot dozing or something production related a 7 may payoff over time. A good D6, semi-U, standard tracks will push a lot harder that your current machine in the conditions you describe. The 6 will be a tad bit more nimble I think. That's based on watching D6R's and D7R's working almost side by side in clearing and slot dozing work.
I understand what your saying about the tracks but I still need a LGP, will the 6H be a Noticeable difference over 6M pushing dirt.
I think you'll see a difference yes. The H is a little heavier and has a bit more HP over the M (going from memory). Biggest difference will be the blade. A 6 way is great for finish work. For hogging, slot work and grubbing stumps it's less than desirable. Sooner or later something is gonna break. A good example is stump work, I like to tilt to whatever side I can get the most angle then cut three of the four sides around a stump. Then push using the fourth kind of like a hinge. A straight blade will take the load on one side much better, as it's supported by the pusharm and the panhard bar from side to side, so you'll power into it harder than you would feeling the 6 way start to give a little. Also, the mounting location of the pusharms on a straight blade machine help with traction when you're really pushing hard. At least it seems like that to me. A ripper truly helps balance and helps with traction as well. I never really noticed it until I ran some bareback machines. If you found a deal on a D6R that would get you a bit more HP over the H even. Stay early in the series to avoid electronic crap. It's up to you budget wise as to what you can afford as far as ability vs cost. Do you need the 6 way blade or can you sell/trade it for a straight blade machine? The last machine that size I spent much time around was a D7R series II and it was a stout machine for its size. I could spend a day slot dozing and move quite a few yards. It was also fairly nimble pushing trees as well. Many I didn't even need to make cuts, I could hit the tree up off the ground a bit and pop it loose root ball and all. If that didn't work I'd go back to the big ones with the D11 and idle them right over! Haha
I own a d7r and where I work has a d6h. The 7r is more nimble and easier to run then the 6h.