I have some ideas what this is but I am not sure. (tow cable protector, tree/truck pusher, equipment mount). AFAIK I am the third owner of this dozer, the guy I bought it from didn't know. It is not in the way of anything and it is very well welded in place. I intend to leave it there just curiosity makes me wonder if anyone has seen this before.
Well it had horns at one time but someone got hurt and they figured it be better to cut them off :tong :laugh
Id say its for attaching something like a land rake or something!
Some times its nice to have something smooth on the top sticking just slightly over the front of the blade in land clearing applications to keep the timber rolling forward rather than having one come back over and fall between your radiator and blade. it wont affect the efficency of the dirt rolling but sure helps keep the timber infront of the blade
Only thing I come up with is maybe those welded on end caps weren't always there and a round bar was installed inside that tube for lifting purposes.
Is the pointy part on the back normal for that blade, or is that also part of the mystery?
I believe the tilt cylinder is mounted to the pointy part you are talking about.
The pointy part is a mount as mentioned and is also a shield for the cylinder.
That's what the grizzly bears use to rub against when they itch
No grizzly bears around here but the black bears have come to the back door. The "pointy thing" is standard on old JD six way blades. The photo (from the internet) shows it on a 450c as well. (Mine is a 450d) It serves as both a guard and the pin boss for the rod end of the tilt cylinder below it. I appreciate all the thought that has gone into the replies so far. I was sort of hesitant to post this thread in the first place. I thought I probably overlooked some obvious function that the first reply would identify. Amazed to see no one is doing any better than I am (guessing) :beatsme I am just curious about the pipe with end caps mounted at the top center of my blade. Anyone?
I am just guessing like the rest of you- But if was foe a cable i would think after going to the work of putting on pipe they would have added a attachment point. Yellow has a good suggestion but I would think it would be mounted further ahead. I would think more likely it was built to come up underneath and lift something .John deere has traditionally had a lot of lift on their blades to stack logs. Could this have been used to raise beams under buildings being moved, or come up under trailer goosencks to move trailiers ?
It protects the Tilt cylinder. My guess would be to move Semi Trailers around?? Measure the width of it and see if anything around the farm or shop to see if anything matches up. i would guess it was for picking something up like a semi-trailer and pushing on the kingpin or attachment of a slip on brush rake or something.....I may change my mind later but for right now that's what I'm going with lol EDIT: Looks like I should have read a little,.... I guess I agree with Welder and CPS and just reposted thier post in my own words lol EDIT #2:.....After looking at it again.....How about maybe to Carry ToolCarrier (or other loader) attachments around the yard with?? or maybe one time they needed to use a set of wheel loader forks on it for a wet muddy job or something?? the "end caps" would assist in not letting the attachment slide off the side Pj
Lol you guys have never done much land clearing with a small dozer I assume. Go take it out and start pushing a brush pile and you should figure out what it does in about 15 minutes.
I agree on pushing brush but also had one on a TD9 on a company dozer that was used for laying cable. THe cable reel mount had a u mount like a quick tach on a tool carrier. THe bottom of the reel carier fit on the cutting edge. It worked good for feeding cable to the train also on the scarifier had a boot on one of the shanks to feed cable into shallow aplications.
This probably not the answer but something for you to think about. When I was a little tacker (a fair few years ago) my father had either a D5 or D6 and wanted a tree pusher attachment. Living in the bush, about 400km from the nearest town, he built his own which mounted (removable) to the track frame in a "Y" shape that came to a single shaft in front of the grill and then "slid" on top of the blade using a slide much like what is on top of your dozer blade. SORRY - before you ask there are NO PHOTOS as this was 30+ years ago.
I just dont know but it does make for an interesting thread!! So far I have to agree with YELLOW as I've pushed timber with small dozers (PAT blades) and it sucks. The blades are so short the trees constantly try to take you on when you're rolling them and yes I've fixed broken hose fittings because of it. I know I know a good operator shouldnt let that happen right??:beatsme
man to me it seems we should label it "the multi use tube"
Only thing that i can think of is something for a set of forks to hang off of for moving palets or maybe a spool carrier mount.
I cant believe you guys dont know what that was for, the second I saw it I recognized it. We all have used them many times before and the answer is so blatantly simple.
and the punch-line is???????????
I too am curious epically since we have all used them several times......
a seat, to keep your ass from getting sore from the sharp edge of the blade :drinkup pj
Ok guys, I held you all in suspence long enough, please dont hate me for this answer but............ I have no idea, just breaking chops guys! but the q/c forks was a great idea,
OK I've changed my mind, I love it!!! "the multi use tube"
Glad I'm not the only one who's clueless on this. As they say someone must have had a need and put it to use, maybe ask who you bought the dozer from what he used it for and let us know.
As I said previously the guy I bought it from didn't know either. He said it was owned by one previous owner before his dad bought it. Presumably the original owner probably had this welded on. It is just a heavy wall pipe, capped at both ends. I am amazed nobody else seems to know for sure what it was meant for, thought I was the only one who didn't recognize what it's purpose was. I'll leave the pipe on there, at least until I re-skin the blade, it does no harm. Speaking of re-skinning the blade, I had to patch the blade already. There was a 3" strip of mud above the cutting edge that never got scraped off or washed off. When I washed the dozer with a pressure washer I found out why. There was no metal here above the cutting edge from one side to the other and the inside of the blade was full of hard clay. I pressure washed some of it out and got covered in mud, but most of it I had to chip it out with an air chisel. Welded in a patch from one side of the blade to the other. Turned the cutting edge over at the same time, what a fun job burning off the worn down cutting edge bolts with an O/A torch, you get better at it after the first couple of bolts. At least the bolts and nuts were fairly cheap at JD. Now all I need to do is weld on new grouser bars for the pads, fabricate some brush sweeps for the canopy, replace pins and bushings on the 6 way blade and paint it all. Thankfully the U/C, motor and trans is in good shape.
Well I have say I thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread. Rolling on the floor laughing and knee slapping too. I too am amazed that a clear function for this attachment has not been clearly cited.(now thats purdy good for an ole country boy)This is the Leatherman for dozer blades.(multitool)I am guessing like the rest, but can see many different functions at a glance. Hang a set of custom forks, the caps keep them from sliding off the edge and that could be key to several functions. As stated in prior posts a guide for a tight cable, steel beams, angle iron, anything really, laid on top and be able to control side to side motion thats too heavy to control by hand or alone with no one else around. Also looks like you could use a large chain hook to pull with, like logging etc.
gawd, i can't believe this thread is still going......... the best answers were a fork attatchment and moving semi trailers.............. it's probably a micro niplett for a hyperbolic parabloid.
Hmm idk what that is.. But i needed this 3rd post lol
Well that didnt work.. Im having excavator problems and it wont let me start a thread
After reading all the forestry threads I can see the possibility that if this dozer were used as a deadman like the forestry guys use them for the attachment on top of the blade would keep the cable from chafing.I know it is a small dozer but there are applications I imagine that a dozer that size could handle.I cannot think of anything else that it would logically be used for.What about using it to winch from to hold a machine on the side of a hill for instance?Ron G
You hit it on the head. I have a round bar weld on the top of one of the D6's like that that I use as a dead man. Keeps the cable from getting cut or fraying when you run the cable over the top of the blade. Running the cable over the top of the blade puts down pressure on the blade.
Forgive me for not knowing, but what's a dead man and how is it used? A picture is worth a 1000 words here.
A dead man refers to rigging in logging. Either a burried log or a heavy piece of equipment; normally a dozer. HeavyEquipmentForums
It is nothing more than another term for an anchor.The post above gives good references.Ron G
Years ago I had a 750 deere dozer with a piece of 3" round bar welded to the top of the blade in the same position. This was used with a clamp-on stump splitter wedge. The splitter had a couple of ears on the bottom that engaged the cutting edge, and was secured at the top by a sliding clamp (operated by a large piece of all-thread and nut) that engaged the round bar on the top of the blade. It fit tight against the blade, so the clamp merely kept it from falling off. Alright, a 350 isn't much of a splitter cat (the 750 wasn't big enough), but I could see this same setup being used to mount a hitch to move a mobile home or something else around.