So I'm curious as to what the rest of you think as for who made the worst grading dozer. For the purposes of this discussion, lets limit the machine to factory 6 way blades, and to the machines performance as a grading tractor. I have my not so favorite in mind, whats yours?
Deere. Hate them. Too light.
I don't understand this , Deere makes some of the better 6 way machines built. To me , a 10 ton machine with equal hp should be up to any task any other 10 ton machine with equal hp can do. I've run all major brands and can do the job needed with any of those. If I had to pick a machine to not do finish grade with it would be something under 12000lbs.
Just my personal opinion and I know plenty of people IRL that already disagree with me - Any high track - ie CAT.
Well Q, I like deere, I've owned deere, and at some point will own deere again. There machines in my opinion were / are top of class from the release of the wet clutch machines on. That being said the black sheep of the dozers is also a deere, the 1010. I moved one today... looking at the lowboy things looked a little odd so I got out the tape measure. The length of the track on the ground is the same as the distance from the center of the front idler to the lip of the cutting edge, 5'. Now this was an inside arm 6 way machine, not the outside arm one. Wow, that's like trying to run a blade on the front of a tellehandler, boom extended.
Don't Know ? Seems like each machine is different in some way or another . It's up to the operator to learn it's weak & strong points & take advantage of them . Don't own a dozer with the 6 way blade set up . Have operated my buddy's JD 450 C with 6 way blade on a job for a few hours . Pretty nice machine with good balance . I also have had the pleasure of operating the JD 1010 .... It was the track loader version . Take your time & be patient with it . We rough everything in with a strait or semi - U blade then hop on a farm tractor with box blade for fine grading .
Worst i ran was a dresser td7. Best one cat d3
Dresser td7 / komatsu d37 or equivalent The older ones. I think our d31 with a straight blade is more forgiving.
This should be interesting opcorn
In the last 42 years I can honestly say that the worst grading dozer I have ever used is the D3K that I am currently using...... I am not a big fan of the electronic levers we are having thrust upon us, but if we are to have them could it be that difficult to give them some feel? Liebherr seem to be able to do it.
Remember when they went with the finger tip controls for a while in the small CAT dozers. Horrible. All I ever want to see in a dozer is the old school clutches/brakes or the new school joysticks.
We have all jd 650s where i work, i like the J models more so then the K.. Especially the hydraulic, not electric over hydraulic style. Worst that i have run would be a case 450? Not sure of the numbering on case because i pretty much hate anything case, but a buddy rented it to fix the motorcross track so thats what i had to use...
I agree td25c. Every dozer I've run put food on my table.
But the question wasn't can you "put food on the table" with any dozer You can get from A to B in most vehicles but surely there would be models that you would prefer, or not?:beatsme
I've ran a good lot of dozers starting with a TD14 International when I was about 12 and lately been using a D61P-12. I would have to say TD25 is on track with his statement. Most machines are capable of doing whatever is required of them provided the drive train is in good shape (hydrostat of torque/trans not all shot to hell) and pins and bushings are in reasonable condition. This all being said, I've never ran one but I would think a D41 Komatsu might be a challenge due to it not having oscillating track frames.
My family bought a 1979 Case 350B when I was a kid it is the machine I learned on. It is the hardest machine to grade with I have ever been on. Short track and not balanced very well. I still use the machine from time to time when I am in a really tight space. when I was 5 years old it felt like a D9 to me. I am going to teach my kids how to run it when they get a little bigger. I feel like if you can run a 350B good you can run anything.
LDK, Your right, I didn't answer the question. One small complaint is when John Deere came out with the transmission with all those decimal points in it. I like grading forward in 2nd gear, backing up in 3rd gear and when I want to go forward I just want to hit the trans button once back to 2nd. Not holding the button down every time going through 2.9, 2.8, 2.7 and so on. But before I complain to much I just think back to the 70's operating cable D-8's with levers coming at you from between your legs and all over. But at the time it was a blast.
While I have not operated every 6 way dozer out there,John Deere makes the best.Case builds a decent machine also.I very much dislike Cats M series.
Dozerman400, We are possibly around the same age, I was running cable blade D8's in the early 70's too...... great days.
Any dozer that you are not used to is the worst dozer you can try to carry a grade with. spend a little time on any brand and any size of dozer, brand new or old and worn out, and if you are an "operator" you can make it work.
I agree. I have owned a D31, Case 450, and currently a TD7H Dresser. The dresser is the hardest to finish grade with. Very strong machine and in good condition. I love it. But very hard to grade with. Any of the newer model machines, Cat K series or Case K series , are easier to finish grade with in my opinion.
I'm just curious because I've never ran a Dresser. What makes them difficult? Balance, hydraulics, visibility? Once again just curious so if I ever need to run one.
I always seemed to have trouble with certain dresser dozers. aggravating to work on....odd feeling in controls. Some of the older case dozers were weird. Some older john deere dozers weree too light...but ran great. Odd that someone mentioned M series Cat. I know that finger tip steering is a different feel than regular larger levers or the diff steer and hydrostat controls..but are the dozers that bad? I am not arguing,,,maybe they are? I had good luck with running a few..and the high track design was easy to work on. I have actually thought about buying a cat d5m for economy and long term maintenance ease. Also for durability. I usually keep machines for a long time. I like the hot new hystats but when they get lots of hours on them...what will the pumps cost? And they are kinda light machines...good for finish grade and loose dirt.... Please educate me on the m series flaws. Maybe I shouldnt buy one? But for the money..and reasons listed above and the prices...it seems as though the d5m would get a lot of work done over a d5g or d5k. And last longer. It just wont have smooth fine hystat controls.... Thanks
I also hated that odd clutch deal on 450b dozers. I have one actually. Tough popular dozers no doubt....but seemed to be best for logging.....not fine grading.....in my opinion
Mountainmover.This is just my opinion,but visibility is poor and the steering clutches are not smooth.
Went from a new JD750j LGP to a Cat D6k. The D6k was horrible. Uncomfortable and low power.
Stripped CAT D4G regular pad was the worst. It was light and would beat the living daylights out of an operator who didn't understand how to use the decelerator pedal. Nonetheless, it was tough as a railway spike and legendary at TL James Co. on urban jobs for the ability to grade out in tight quarters. Then for our own use, we bought a D4G regular pad equipped with a winch and 300-lb. counterweight mounted under the engine. The difference was like night and day. It was like driving a Cadillac. I never ran a dozer that smooth before. All the jumping around and bouncing was gone. Ground pressure is nearly the same as a regular pad D3. I'm calling the D4 rigged out as described above the most stable grading dozer ever made to date.
Hi Bluetop Man, How was that counter weight fitted under the engine, was it fixed to the belly plates? Russ