School me on small bulldozers

I have this friend who has some land (~85 acres) where we have been going camping and hunting for the last 40+ years. It was logged 10-15 years ago, and the loggers put trails in where the owners requested to drag out the logs. We use those trails to ride the 4 wheelers, access the hunting stands and just wander around. He recently acquired another 30 or so acres which is adjacent. this area was not logged, and as a result there are no trails through it. Also, the existing trails need some care from being rutted, washed out, overgrown, etc.

I've always been fascinated by tracked vehicles (I even tried to build my own tank years ago), and after discussing renting a 'dozer, I decided I'd like to try to buy one. The problem is, I know next to nothing about them. So, some basic questions come to mind.

1. I have no good way to haul the thing, other than renting some sort of trailer. Since I am limited in towing capacity, I've been looking at smaller machines. Is the adage to "go big or go home" applicable here?
2. Other than youtube vids, I don't really know how to judge a machine's condition. I've seen fairly new machines with 10k+ hours on them, and old (1950's and even earlier) machines that look shot with only 2500 hours.
3. How important/useful is it to have a 6 point blade vs. fixed? The plan is just to scrape out a 6 ft. wide path through the undergrowth, not push down old growth trees.
4. Anyone have something for sale?

 

Logic says get you a tracked skidsteer. They are more maneuverable and can be used for so many more task that you will find a use for once you have one.

 

I say go little.


I also say that if it isnt your land you shouldnt buy the tractor, but what do I know. I have a neighbor that keeps a forklift in his suburban driveway to hang his plants from.

 

Rent something and return it. Rental company will trailer it over, drop it off, pick it up and you can get whatever size you want to play with. Or try different stuff out if you're just having fun.

 

The only problem with rental is that I could spend $4 grand and have nothing to show for it (except some new trails), but I can buy one for $10 grand and sell it for almost that much when I finish playing.

 

Barring nothing happens to it. They are expensive to fix should something go wrong. That's why many people don't have them as toys, most people use them on paying jobs to keep them up....just food for thought

 

THat's what my dad does, also deducts taxes on them for agriculture use. Same for trucks, trailers, four wheelers, side by sides, pretty much everything he can, he actually makes money on most of them.

 

True, but for $4k you don't have to deal with a truck and trailer purchase, you don't have any maintenance or storage concerns, and you can actually get a machine sizeable enough to cut a trail. Quick search in my area shows two old 70s Cats, a D6 and a D7, for 20-30k, then a 99 Komatsu for 50 before it jumps up to the 100s. Each of these has at least a 10' blade and the Cats are both set up for forestry use.

I have a feeling if you buy something for 10k it'll either cost more in supporting parts and equipment or it won't clear the trails like you need it to. I'm picturing pushing stumps and root balls and rocks, maybe I'm on a larger scale than you need.

 

Like others sad, you’re better off renting a skid steer, it’s also safer because it has a full roll cage. Every small bulldozer I’ve seen you’re pretty much dead if the thing rolls on you.

 

In my work life I work for a company that rebuild hydraulic cylinders, mostly for large stuff like heavy construction equipment. Just from my end of things I can tell you the upkeep and repairs just on the hydraulic cylinders, pumps, and hoses you'd better be prepared. Our current cost on hydraulic oil is $13.05/gallon with another increase coming in August. Hoses start at around $100 for a short length, say 3 foot, of small diameter ID like 1" with fittings and they don't last forever when the unit is stored outside and under constant exposure to the elements. A cylinder rebuild on any of the lager lift cylinders, say 3" piston with a 2 or 2-1/2" rod can reach $1500 depending upon how much wear is found when we tear it apart. Unless you see yourself truly needing that equipment and have a way for it to make you some money to offset the ownership costs I would rent it.

 

Spend $4k on a tractor old with a 3pt hitch and bucket, get implements as needed.

 

Okay, some clarification. This is not so much about doing the work on the land as it is a means to justify to the wife why I want/need one. I've always been fascinated by tracked vehicles. I tried buying an RC tank many years ago, hoping that would scratch that itch. Didn't help. I then tried building a large-scale model (40% scale Tiger), which never got completed. Now, pushing retirement age, I still want a big toy to play with. It MUST be tracked; no wheels.

I have looked at a bunch of machines, and while I realize the older stuff is probably a money pit, I don't want to get in over my head and buy something I can't use. I figure stuff like hoses is going to need to be replaced, but I can't afford to completely rebuild/replace tracks, drive wheels and such. I plan on hiring someone to pick up and deliver anything I buy, and it will most likely sit on my friends property until I tire of it and sell.

I know a little about hydraulic systems, and am both a mechanical engineer and long time gearhead, so I understand wrenching on stuff. It's the specifics of a tracked dozer that I need advice on.

 

Build your own! https://struckcorp.com/the-magnatrac-rs196k-your-diy-mini-dozer/

This should scratch many itches...



I just built one out for a mini I would do as a hobby build for a shade under $7K shipped to my door.

 

That is kinda cool. Although the RS196 is a bit on the small side, and the RS1000 is too expensive.

If they had the RS1000 as a kit, and more in the $6-7k range I'd be all over it.

 

Now we're talking. I vote build your own Magnatrac, or try to find an old International T-6 or TD-6 that needs some help.

 

Get a little trackhoe that has a blade on it. Can do a bunch of stuff on that. I run the machines for our plumbing company, and a little trackhoe can dig, grade, tear down limbs and build canals.

 

I did a bunch of research on the Magnatracks. The small ones are too light to be very useful except for pushing around loose materials. Not very good at digging. I also watched a lot of videos on guys building small lawn tractors into dozers, and it's mostly the same thing. To be any good at clearing a trail, it has to be fairly heavy. Not to mention that by the time you get into the RS1000, you're talking real money (10k+), and for that I could get a "real" dozer, albeit an older one.

So, as to the first question in my original post, yes size matters. Small dozers need to be heavy enough to grip the ground to push any real loads.
I also don't have a good sense of what excessive wear on tracks or sprockets really is, or if it's still good enough for my purposes.
Still not convinced a 6-way blade is all that important for me. As a toy, not at all; as to grooming trails, no idea.

 

What you want is a Sweco 480.

https://www.swecoproducts.com/equipments/480-trail-dozer/

What you can afford is probably a JD 350/450. Though at that price and age, be nothing but problems.

https://www.machinerytrader.com/listings/for-sale/deere/350/dozers/1025

Definitely want an adjustable blade, fixed blades are a pain in the ass for pushing dirt off the trail.

Decent video of guy showing how to cut trail in and how useful an adjustable blade is.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWVKeQ7xhRU

 

Still looking ?
I just started to look into this myself looking at case JD bucket loaders in the 350-450 range / lots of stones that’s why I’m looking more into a dozer with a bucket then just a blade.
Bobcats would work for me but would take way more time to do the job and cost more then dozers I’m looking at