I will need a new dozer soon and want a 70-80 hp dozer. I want a tough good pusher. I have a td7h dresser that I will have to send down the road. How do the Komatsu d31's hold up. I also might go with cat's d3. How hard is it to get parts? Tell me what you think.
I have a 1996 D3C series 2 LGP machine, with a little over 4800 hrs on it. Never once has it gave me an issue. I'll I've done so far is changes the fluids, lube it up, and keep the filters clean. I guess I have replace a couple rollers, and a oil pressure sensor, but those are small little things that I wouldn't even count. Its been a great little machine. With that said, I'll probably be due for an undercarriage pretty soon. Don't know if at that point I should sell it, and step upto a D5. Have you thought about a D5? Its only a couple thousand pounds heavier, and more hp.
I can't speak to the newer '03-'10 Komatsu D31s but I have a 1995 model that has been excellent. Keep oil & filters clean and no problems. Turns over less than a round before it fires right up. If the new ones are as good as my older one, they should be good.
Whats wrong with the td7h ? Not that old of a machine.
The TD7H is a 93 and has about 6000 hr on it and the trany is weak the blade jumps from the slop in the pins the hydrolics all leak the seat is wore out the bottom is all wore out, pads rollers. The cat won't spin the tracks when pushing or pulling. We just need something newer. This dozer has been good to us and we don't want to put money in it at this point.
I have a d31 of all the different equipment I own and use....it is pretty much bullet proof. It's the only one I can go to and know it's going to start right up and not wonder to myself, "I wonder what's going to break or screw up today" I have had it probably 12 yrs and it was already well used before I bought it...."a gray market machine", Pretty much the only thing I have done major is rebuild the under carriage.
Monkey, I think,from memory,that you have a 16 or 17 series machine...is that correct? I have heard that the 16s were well liked in their day ,& looking at my own machine,they certainly are made of good steel. Jim