I like ripping and bulking dirt, clearing very steep slopes, cuts and fills to finish grade. The thing I dislike the most is working around an obsticle course like horribly placed grade stakes, and semi finished roads with utilities installed, manhole covers and the like. And clearing in swamps. How about the rest of you guys?
for me running rootrake & winching loggs & feeding burning pit (small & medium dozers)On landclearing jobs & finish grading around houses & buildings w/ a small dozer no bigger than a D4 OR D5 . later yall Bulldog
RUNNING OVER STUFF AND CRUSHING IT!!!!!!!!!!!:thumbsup Other wise pushing a big pile, listening to the engine grunt while it blowed dark black smoke.
Demo with a Loader or Dozer What kinda stuff do you get to crush, its gotta be? I love doing demo, especially with a loader, but also fun to push over an old house with a dozer too, LOL. Crunch it up is a blast.
1st place:I would have to say stripping topsoil with a D9G/H or a 8K on oil lease sites. I love doin that. Money is no object to the oil boys. 2ND Place: I also enjoy pushing bush, a thick stand of canadian maples are very fun to work in, large trees with weak roots fall over very easily. 3rd Place: Pushing Pans in a large well managed dirt moving project, 30 631's and 6 D9H's, That was alot of fun too, just watching the dirt fly.
We only own smaller dozers, so everything I do is fine grading. I have used friends larger dozers and doing bulk push is awesome.
striping topsoil and backfilling foundation fine grading topsoil for landscaping
Pioneering is probably my favorite, stripping for coal or oil locations and pipelines too. Most any dirt job is cool unless the dozer is way too small for the job. Pushing lots of snow is way cool. Forestry work I generally like, though not in mucky underfoot or underwater conditions. Hate pulling those tow cables by hand thorough the muck. Not crazy about pushing in rock anymore, dislike ripping really hard rock. Punching scrapers is good, but don't like the fast-paced big production spreads anymore. One pushcat and three to six pans is alright. A big spread with 30 651's, 12 641's, 25 631's, 6 D9 pushcats and a host of support iron is fun to watch, not so fun to be part of. Really dislike reclamation work pushing dirt up long steep slopes, then having to track it in. Boring! Cat and pan work is neat in good dirt, don't see much of that anymore. Not crazy about fine grade work with small dozers either. Backfilling around basements or foundations for example. Grade stakes are just targets of opportunity. Punching fires is about the worst besides cleaning up spills in a steel mill. Ya feel like a smoked cigar all day and smell worse. In the mill, there's a better than even chance you will become the fire. Did I mention working in a landfill? About a tie there for being at the bottom of the list. Fact is, if it's not 400 horsepower or above with a nice air-conditioned cab, I really don't want to fool with it anymore. Getting too old I guess.
I have about 8 hours on a Deere 450G that I really didn't enjoy. I was busting the knob off a slope and moving it into the low spot of a 1/2 acre lot, a job a little too large for our skid steer at the time. Anyway, the 450 had the stupid dual lever steering which didn't work out for me, I could never keep one hand on the blade control. I think I'd probably be fine with a newer dozer that has a single joystick control or at least a machine I can steer with my feet, but I felt like I was struggling just to do 2 things at once. Anyone else ever had that issue? If I had to guess what I'd enjoy with a dozer it would probably be out in the woods cutting road or something along those lines, maybe finish grade work. I'm a deadeye with a skid steer doing finish work, maybe one day I'll get there with a dozer.
Definately lot clearing and demo. Running down weed trees and pushing over flimsy buldings. On land to be cleared there are usually junk cars, dumped furniture and appliances to crunch up. Too bad it's been such a long time!
Anything rough, I am not much good at fine work with a dozer. I have only run JD lever steers. I did run a D5 once that was all glassed in with more modern controls, that was much more fun than the old 450. I like dozers, just need to work em to get good on em.
subject I really enjoy staying the hell away from them unless I have to haul it to another job site.
You know what they say about equipment operators, they all need a strong right leg........ for giving the lowbed driver a swift kick in the rear end!
i like muddy soil,site clearing and fine grading.well, i like all thing to do with a dozer because we can see the power of the dozer in different soil/type of work.
Placing fill or in a mud hole with a swamp cat, I like doing intricate things too.
Trees Taking down a really big tree that is too big for the little 4 but doing it anyway and pushing it to the burn pile like it was nothing to it. Hate the most finish grading and hitting a stump that did not get grubbed that was just barely covered and coming to a sudden stop. then have to root it out, now have this hole to fill which is sure to end up a low and soft spot. Next in hate is 2 to 3 inch pines that just lay over.........
My 450D originally had pedal steer until I changed it to hand levers---I love my Deere and can make it dance--nothing better.
So now there's a dozer with a single joystick control? No more levers and pedals...LOL! I guess they are all hydrostatic now!
D6RXW hoggin' dirt on a short push. A D6NXL finishing slopes and cleaning up. The best 2 parts of any job is unloading the first tractor and cutting in and loading the last tractor on the lowboy after the job is done.
I like grubbing, re spreading topsoil or making a deep cut with a u blade. There's nothing like being on a big machine and watching earth roll over and pile up in front of the blade
Soft and pink and downhill.
My favorite thing to do with a dozer is to park it and go home at the end of the day. Brian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUI34zJAYRc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBo1tgaPeDE In a perfect world they would have invited me to participate in the fun..LOL!
Yeah expecially if it belongs to someone else.
subject Catskinner,I am hurt. Us lowboy drivers keep you dirt movers moving.If it wasnt for us doing our job,you couldnt do yours.:drinkup :drinkup
Haha, ya Rich I know, i just like poking fun at the truckers, they are just as professional as anybodyelse, Especially when they forget to tuck the boom on a 450 JD hoe, get on the highway, wind'er right up to about 70 and smoke the first overpass they try to go under, and end up costing our company about $350,000, real professionalism haha.
Ripping with a D9L and a single shank. I think they make a better Rip Cat than a 10R or N. With a shorter u/c, they exert more ground pressure. It only takes a few seconds to spot someone who doesn't know how to run a Rip Cat. Spinning a track or trying to steer is a dead give away. Most just haven't figured it out yet. You gotta be smarter than the rock you're trying to rip. :cool2
Finish grading in a dozer is my favorite application. Big dozers in big cuts are fun but there are a few fundamentals to mass-pusing for peak efficiency, once you get them down there's not a whole lot of challenge. A D6 LPG on a big 3:1 slope with ADT's dumping me topsoil from the top is good times. I really like cleaning up subgrade after utilites crews as well. Chasing belly-dumps with roadbase or granular fills is also a lot of fun. My favorite work ever as a finish dozer hand was on a freeway project on I-25/I-70 in Denver. I was in a D6R LGP doing shoulder slopes while the 140H working the on-ramp was getting buried by the double-bellies. I jumped up on the road to help him get caught up and then started cutting feathers/redheads with my dozer in 2nd/3rd gear. The grader hand bought me lunch for the rest of the week for making his job so easy.
I agree, and running in any gear other than low. That must be how alot of the older cats where hurt pulling the plate at the rear and cracking the welds in the steering clutch compartments, and then leaking. Though the sliping tracks is pretty normal in loading either blade or ripper, if a big rock or hard area halts it in low gear they will slip. It all depends on the ground your on. On rock you learn real quick to keep a layer of crushed on top for traction.
I'm new on HEF, GREAT Site. I enjoy fine grading with D3's D4s
Welcome to HEF Molcott! :drinkup
my favorite thing to do with a cat is big winching jobs. when we get in to bad train wrecks we some times will use 8 or 10 cats to pull a locomotive back onto the rail.you know your pulling just the right amount when you have slid back 10-15 feet and the drum of the winch is dang near on the ground because the front of the track are about 5 feet off the ground.that is when it is fun but scary at the same time. we use mostly older cats like d8k's and d9g's and we use our side boom cats to they are 583k's.
Plowing firelines on a wildfire. Something about a wall of fire behind you that gets the heart pumping. You find out quickly how fast of an operator you are.
Welcome to HEF nffs06! :drinkup
I have to say, due to having few hours in dozers, anything on 'em is still awesome!!! Although I especially enjoyed pulling a 633 back up a batter after he'd slid off!
Cool forum! Put in a lot of time on this old cat. Yanking these old growth stumps is always fun. Royds
Welcome to HEF MarshBros :drinkup
Awesome. Great old CAT. What year is that beauty? Tell us more about the old growth stumps. Do you get to push down the trees too? When were the trees felled? How come you are taking out the old stumps? Is it for a development to go in or something?
My favorite thing is slot pushing with our new our d11r.
Welcome to Heavy Equipment Forums MarshBros! :drinkup
The Cat is D8E 14a. I think it is about 1956. Some of the stumps have suckers growing out of them so I peel those off first. Most of these trees were cut down over 100 years ago when they cut them down and burned everything before dragging the trees out, that's why the stumps are black. I take them out for building lots and fire breaks around exsiting structures. As you can see in the picture they are everywhere. This stump was in a paved circle with a power pole through the roots, that's why the we ripped a section out. Got a lot of pics of running this old stuff if anyone is interested. LeRoy Here a stump and tree that was up by the house in the back
Nice Pictures Great pictures, LeRoy. Post some more if you've got them. Are those trees redwoods? cool.
:yup :thumbsup
little Bull doze Big cuts and long runs with a big Dozer Bores me i rather be on a little dozer fine grading and finishing up a job with some topsoil
yeah please post more
nmmountainman Great pics LeRoy! I have yet to run my first dozer. Its only a matter of time.... I am looking forward to clearing acres of oak brush, and road cutting. Fred
A few more of old #1. Most of these have been posted on ACMOC over the years along with the story of recovering this old D8 and another. As I get time I'll post more pics under the "old iron" heading. LeRoy
nmmountainman Wow! LeRoy, did you say what type of trees or stumps those are? We don't have anything near that size out here in NM. Fred
Nice pics. Were those redwoods?
I forgot to mention they are redwoods... as my Dad says "cut one down and there's another right behind it". I'll be removing a couple more on Monday if it doesn't rain. I'll get some pics. LeRoy
My favourite thing: Getting the D4 to the point of getting it really stuck, then going back in just to xxxx off the boss who happens to be big brother. :beatsme
I'd say my favorite thing is to rough in a road and pushing trees down at the same time, second is to plow deep snow and third is to skid logs out, if I've got a good choker setter. If I gotta set my own chokers, skidding is at the bottom of my list! A few years ago there was a dredge tailing pile recovery project nearby. .pushing tailings and contouring 'em with a brand new D5 was a lot of fun. Only thing it needed was a good stereo to go along with the A/C
Were not asking about your personal life.....
Pushing Trees sounds like pushing trees with the dozer (and excavator) is a favorite task of this crowd.
I know one guy who likes pushing protestors off logging roads and watching them tumble down the embankments.
Looks like a 14A, I started out on 14A 7785, never had to deal with a front cable control. Can you still get parts?
What are you eight years old? I see by your signature you must have really cracked yourself up. After reading a few of your other posts I'm kinda wondering if you have a younger brother that works for the government part time?
I agree. You signature is just plain rude.
The problem with the signature has been addressed. I trust it will not become a problem again.
HA! Nope, I'm 29, and we have 1 person that works for my brother's company that has a colorful background working with every type of machine from the East coast to the West coast. But keep calling me young, I really need it as I officially turn "old" in March.
Whats this got to do with the fact that you act like a giant third grader? I'll admit I'm an idiot because I can't see a connection. However, you can join the other two people on this forum that I don't read or acknowledge their posts.:usa
If you ever got the chance to meet me in person, you'll realize why I don't take very much of the crap that life has to offer me very seriously.
Again, nothing to do with nothing. I can't see where anyone on this forum besides me has said anything to you. Your the one who came on here and started spewing crap. I have no interest to meet you in person and I stand by my statement that you act like a giant third grader. I'm done with this topic!
Let's get back on topic guys. Ron, elementary school antics are not going to be well received here.
Side by side can be fun and productive given equal operators and machines in the right circumstances , have done a little 3 wide in past years.
As always, playing on the rock pile! It amazes me how many so called "operators" run or get run off at the sight of rock? I thrive on what the others wont, cant, or are afraid to do. Hell, I'm just having fun!
Great pics! I have allot of respect for those who can take an older Cat and do the kind of work as shown in your pics. :drinkup That cable rig is what separates the men from the boys. It's been many years since I operated a 2U or a 46A. But at this point, I'd almost donate my time and labor if I could just get back in the saddle on a 2U or 46A for a day.
Hey Roll over Pete, nice pics. I agree with you. I've always said if your dozers beating you up, your beating it. How do you like that T series over the R series D9? I sat in a 9T at the Cat dealer once. I liked the remote control for the CD player so you didn't have to raise your arm all the way to the ceiling to change the songs.:cool2
Like any machine with 3300 hrs, they are still nice. Much more room in the engine compartment with the C18. No fan belts other than the one for the AC and alternator. The main cooling fan drive is hydraulic and much quieter. Similar to a 980G/H loader. Other than that, its just another dozer. All the electronic adjustments and functions can be a PITA. Too much stuff to mess/play with. ei, Blade response... fast, standard, fine. Thats all extra crap to break.... I thought that the Blade response was relative as to how I moved the blade lever? Like back in the good ol' days... I guess all these fine adjustments that todays machines have are needed to make up for a lack of talented operators. Auto stow for the rippers? Set it and forget it..... What a joke! I guess remembering to raise and tuck in the rippers can be mentally and physically draining on some operators. All BS aside, new = nice. If I had it my way, I'd still pick a D9L over any R.S or T. Simple, direct and to the point. All one needs is talent and that special little bubble.
Heres a lil' video I shot early this morning. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnyZY1iM4qU
Did you do the editing and everything? If so....NICE:notworthy Was that you operating? Looks like a lot of jacking back and forth and around in circles for not a lot of rock being moved. What were you trying to get done there?
Yes, Thanks, Yes, So, but Ya should have been there, and to your last question, I was tryin to get Dizzy :dizzy
Thanks for the reply. The readout on that machine is wild. All that stuff does a guy no good when he's a 1000 miles from his dealer and it goes down for no apparent reason.
Thanks Pete Here's a few pics from a demo job on a milking barn we did. The pic of the 235 shows the wrecking ball in mid air.
Nice photos! Curious about the wrecking ball. Did you just pick it up and drop it to break up the concrete after it was down or did you attach it with a cable or chain and swing it like you would a crane? The first piece of construction equipment I ever ran was an old D9D. I thought it was wierd the cable would only last a week or so. It took a while before I figured out it may have something to do with the operator.
favorite dozer things number one put new tracks on number two, watch wife dig out stumps with a td 7 dresser.she calls me at work an' says 'honey, bring me home some off road ok? more fun watchin than operatin, that way I can spot problems. number three; putting a new coat of paint on a dozer after cleaning, repairing leaks,motor,trans,etc. then putting new stickers on and cleaning the windows and driving it out on the lot for photos. they sure look pretty like that! Toeman
Wrecking the Barn That's awesome demo with the dozer. Doing it the old fashioned way. You can really feel the power of the machines munching, crunching and crashing. Must have been fun.
dozer Well I'v mostly been running a track hoe on pipeline for a few years now I do run dozer from time to time when they need me to! The job I just came from was in southern virginia I was able to run an angle blade d7r for a few days it was a very nice dozer. And anyone who has ever worked pipeline knows its all blow and go wfo!!! There were a few hills on the job and I was pulling mats and bridges out, I enjoyed tracking down the hill and putting the dozer in neutral with the diff steering you can still steer quite well. You should hear the tracks on a d7r tracking down the hill at around 40+ mph! I know this is very bad on the undercarriage but all they want is production and I love it!!!
I'm not going to even get started on the list of possible accidents that could arise from throwing a dozer in neutral and rolling backwards down a hill, let alone basically destroying the undercarriage and brake system.:Banghead
Not backwards that would be scarry and I never used the brakes, I watched a guy do this on a side boom a few years ago and was amazed!
:badidea :OMG Mine is to make erosion control tracks on slopes.
any differance i cant see how the undercarridge does not self destruct at those speeds
since i gave up building roads and started working in this mine my new favorite thing is slot dozing. alot of people say its too boring one spot all the time, but i like it alot. just ripping and pushing out big loads. ive been doing it for 7 months now and my days seem to go by pretty fast still,unless im hung over then the first part goes by really fast get alot done then everything slows down and i cant wait to get off it.
I guess one of my favorite things to do is to chain cedars. Two D7's and a massive anchor chain. What a way to spend the day.
jamming out to octane 20 on sirius, with the ac on
When the boss says " this is point A, that is point B, I don't care how you do it, I don't even wanna know, just get it done by quitting time." Sitting in a new 10T JAMMING the xm! Yeah baby!!!
Chaining with dozers. Hi, D6Peg. I did a bit of chaining in my younger days, using everything from D4D's to D8H's. With the D8's, we were pulling 600 feet of 2 1/4" - 2 1/2" chain and often cutting 400 feet wide - up to 1,200 acres per day. Makes a big dent in a 6,000 acre soon-to-be farm in a week. We often had to wire long poles with flags to the rear legs of the timber canopies on the dozers to be able to see them, one from the other. Sometimes, even that didn't work and you would be wandering through the bush with only the 'hang' of the chain behind the machine to give you any clue at all about where your mate might be. In those situations, you got to see each other at the end of each side of the block you were clearing, as you both broke through into the clear. If one broke through first, he had the wait for the other to show before turning the corner or backing up to dive into the bush to start the next cut. Heavy timber was interesting too. We'd drop a lot of the chain off, still leaving us enough to keep the machines clear of the falling trees. In real heavy going we would have a chaser dozer with a tree pusher bar following the chain to take care of any bigger trees that stopped the chain. Now THAT was a rough job, running that chaser dozer. Fun times, sadly now a bygone era here in DownUnder. Still, I s'pose yer gotta leave a few apartment blocks around for the birds and the possums. Have you got your ticket booked yet for Alaska? LOL.
Deas, Our chain is 350' long and the links are 6" x 13" and weigh 53 lbs each and I know what your talking about not being able to see each other. One time we had to put sucker rods from wind mill with red flags on the top to see each other before. I was helping a neighbor chain one time and I was in a our 6H and he was in a 9G and he turned and wrapped the chain around my right track, I was not happy. Depending on the thickness of the cedars we generally take a 50 to 80 foot swath and still can hang up the D7's. Here in our parts generally the thicker and bigger the trees are the better the job. We are raking now what we chained this year. It sure does take alot longer to rake than it does to chain. Aint got my ticket booked yet but sure trying to talk the wife into it. Have a good day!
Do you have any pictures of the chaining? I've never seen it before, in real life, so I have to rely on pictures. Deas has posted some before but the more pictures, the better.
Countryboy, Sorry, I have no pics but the next time we do some chaining I will try to get some. I gota get this pic posting down and put my digi to work. We will hopefully start sometime in the spring. For chaining to work really well it needs to be wet.
I would have to say: 1) Pushing 37's stripping w/the 9's 2) Doing short big yardage cuts and fills w/ the 8's & 9's 3) Banging out steep slopes on the finish side w/ the 5's & 6's Dozers are a great change of pace but give me a 30' to 40' cut for sanitary up the middle of some little town road with utilities and obstructions at every turn.Double & triple stacked boxes,can't get enough.The deeper the better.:usa IUOE Local 825 :usa
pushing out mud and water. Building a dam and moving mud and water off a site to de-water it! also digging ponds deeper and reconstructing.
Im on a job like that right now. well close- double boxes. gas, water, phone,power etc. oh yeah grd. water! IUOE 478
Welcome to Heavy Equipment Forums dieselsambo! :drinkup
Glad to hear it.The more challenging the better.Welcome to the forums.How does your local look going into the winter? What are you running on that project?
Just love Hoggin' Dirt with 10's, nothinhg like production dozing:usa
We are doing a 345kv line from norwalk to middletown ct. Were down 5' to 15' at times depending on conflicts. I'm running a new 322c with 500 hrs on it the d's are down here also nice machines. We will work thru taking time if you want it. Is that your local alongside the highway? We go to West Chester every year.
yeah me too!! ointhead
My favarite has to be finishing slopes. The steeper the better! Also supposed to be getting an oppurtunity next month to run a 9T with a 31 pan behind it. I can't wait!
Welcome to Heavy Equipment Forums dirthog27! :drinkup
What!?!?! you're more than welcome come help my little d-2 out then !!!
Like to do just about anything we can with this little dozer. Been covering (filling in) my old pond and clearing trees and brush. Makes me want a bigger dozer sometimes but not often.....all day on 5 gallons of fuel
My Favorite Thing on a Dozer My favorite thing to do on a dozer is work on it. Sometimes I'm happy all day long!!!
Chaining scrub I wonder if this TD20 Drott operator is the "Chaser" guy that DEAS mentioned. I'm guessing he's about to lift that big chain partway up the trunk of that tree. Nice to see a Drott in action in the bush.This one looks well equipped. Two things I never saw....Chaining & cable blade dozers working.
Picture Sorry,forgot the pic...
Chaser. Hi, JimInOz. With a rake like that on that machine, lifting the chain is about all he is going to be able to do. Yes, I'd say that chasing is his task in that photo but that rake looks like it would be better suited to a TD6 or, at the very most, a TD9. On that TD20, it looks almost as much use as a curry comb. No joke. There are few things with as much potential for grief and tears and lost time as an inadequate rake in heavy timber. Hmmmmmm. Lucky me, I got to do both the chaining thing and the cable blade thing, not to mention the cable drawn scraper thing AND the cable drawn ripper and cable mounted ripper things as well.