Any Homemade Mini Dozers?

db6261 · Mar 9, 2009

I would like to build a homemade mini dozer, crawler, oneday and would like to see if anyone else has pics of their projects they want to share.

David Devuono · Mar 9, 2009

I too want to build a tracked vehicle bigger then the wheel barrow sized unit I made. The easiest build would be with hydralic motors but thats also the most expensive. I saw a neat video of a Mini Sherman tank build with a super simple steering mechanism but not sure if it could hold up for other then parade duty. I need a bush machine. Some use open diff axles with left and right brakes, but that doubles the speed of the unbraked track which makes it a bit touchy in anything but a real low gear.

J_J · Mar 9, 2009

These are not home made, but started off as a kit from Struck corp.

I have a model in between these two. M1800 They are geared so low, that in low gear, you can get off ,eat lunch and and come back and they only went about 20 yards.

Mine is gas and transmission, the newer ones are hydraulic, and they cost as much as some tractors.

I want to sell mine.

http://www.magnatrac.com/models.html

http://www.struckcorp.com/download/RS1000Flash/RS1000.html

simplicityguy92 · Mar 9, 2009

ive got the plans for just about all struck mini dozers. just need to find a counter rotateing pulley so i can start

Iplayfarmer · Mar 9, 2009

db6261 said:
I would like to build a homemade mini dozer, crawler, oneday and would like to see if anyone else has pics of their projects they want to share.

I too am planning a tracked vehicle sometime in the distant future. There are a bunch of ways to accomplish the mechanism of steering. I already have the golf course fairway mower as a donor for the hydraulic pump and wheel motors. You might also consider a zero turn radius mower as a donor for some of the drive train. It will all depend on how tough you want the machine to be. The ZTR trannys are not as suitable for heavy work, but the control you'd have a lot of control over each individual track. I also noticed the other day that Surplus Center has this... ZTR LEFT/RIGHT TRANSAXLE ASSEMBLY

My challenge has been finding an economical option for tracks. Of course my project may require longer tracks than what you're looking at (I'm planning 8' of track to the ground). I think the most economical option is to find a set of used R4 tires in the size you'd need and cut most of the sidewall out, then run them around some pneumatic tires. You wouldn't have a good positive engagement drive on them, but you'd still get a lot of torque to the ground. You'd see the biggest disadvantage to this mechanism in muddy or wet conditions.

There's also this guy... YouTube - John Deere Custom Built Track Vehicle I'd love to have a step by step account of how he built his machine.

Keep us updated on what you figure out. I'm sure there are a lot of us that would benefit from following your thought process.

Ductape · Mar 9, 2009

Not long ago there was one on Ebay based on an older John Deere garden tractor. It used modern snowmobile tracksand drive sprockets. I assume it had an open diff with individual brakes to steer. It looked really nicely done. Unfortunately I didn't save a picture of it.

Erik_in_Hoyt · Mar 9, 2009

J_J said:
These are not home made, but started off as a kit from Struck corp.

I have a model in between these two. M1800 They are geared so low, that in low gear, you can get off ,eat lunch and and come back and they only went about 20 yards.

Mine is gas and transmission, the newer ones are hydraulic, and they cost as much as some tractors.

I want to sell mine.

Magnatrac Tractor and Dozer Line-Up for 2008

StruckCorp

having priced the new struck crawlers, would be curious to know what you would want out of yours - and what features/options yours has.

whitworthsocket · Mar 10, 2009

Iplay
Take a look at
http://www.joesgarage.us/Muskeg_j5-3.jpg
Simple tech. I love it
Regards Whitworthsocket

Iplayfarmer said:
My challenge has been finding an economical option for tracks. Of course my project may require longer tracks than what you're looking at (I'm planning 8' of track to the ground). I think the most economical option is to find a set of used R4 tires in the size you'd need and cut most of the sidewall out, then run them around some pneumatic tires. You wouldn't have a good positive engagement drive on them, but you'd still get a lot of torque to the ground. You'd see the biggest disadvantage to this mechanism in muddy or wet conditions.

Iplayfarmer · Mar 10, 2009

whitworthsocket said:
Iplay
Take a look at
http://www.joesgarage.us/Muskeg_j5-3.jpg
Simple tech. I love it
Regards Whitworthsocket

That's an idea. Those metal cleats would be mighty hard on a driveway, but I like the inside tracking mechanism that he has going on.

J_J · Mar 10, 2009

Iplayfarmer,

Why not make your own tracks. Looks pretty straight forward. Build them using dimension of half air in tires. When built, slide them on and inflate tires to tighten up tracks. You would have to lock your steering if putting on a garden tractor. I have a set for my skidsteer, but have not put them on yet. You can order a complete rubber or steel set of tracks for different skidsteers.

Iplayfarmer · Mar 10, 2009

J_J said:
Iplayfarmer,

Why not make your own tracks. Looks pretty straight forward. Build them using dimension of half air in tires. When built, slide them on and inflate tires to tighten up tracks. You would have to lock your steering if putting on a garden tractor. I have a set for my skidsteer, but have not put them on yet. You can order a complete rubber or steel set of tracks for different skidsteers.

Any skidsteer tracks I've found are $1000 per pair used. That's out of the price range. The tires idea is my first choice. My plan is for an 8 foot long vehicle. The track would have to be over 18 feet long. That's a tire with a 6 foot diameter. Any tires I've found that big are so wide that they would overwhelm the rest of the plan. I may need to use a few tires per side and connect them with piano hinges or something. I'd still like to have something with a more positive engagement than rubber on rubber, though.

Here's a link to another ZTR pump from Surplus Center. It's the one I was originally thinking of, but I couldn't find it the other day. It's a lot cheaper.

chickenman · Mar 10, 2009

have you though about a halftrack?

lot of the advantages, with much simpler gear train and stearing.

J_J · Mar 10, 2009

Iplayfarmer said:
Any skidsteer tracks I've found are $1000 per pair used. That's out of the price range. The tires idea is my first choice. My plan is for an 8 foot long vehicle. The track would have to be over 18 feet long. That's a tire with a 6 foot diameter. Any tires I've found that big are so wide that they would overwhelm the rest of the plan. I may need to use a few tires per side and connect them with piano hinges or something. I'd still like to have something with a more positive engagement than rubber on rubber, though.

Here's a link to another ZTR pump from Surplus Center. It's the one I was originally thinking of, but I couldn't find it the other day. It's a lot cheaper.

You could have a wide long track with 4 or 6 wheels, with one wheel as the drive wheel.

That pump above is not very powerful, it will only develop 98 in lbs of torque. that is using .43 cu in, and 1425 psi, and it will take about 6 HP to drive it. However, you could have a pump and motor for each wheel, but they would have to be synchronized somehow.

Iplayfarmer · Mar 10, 2009

J_J said:
That pump above is not very powerful, it will only develop 98 in lbs of torque. that is using .43 cu in, and 1425 psi, and it will take about 6 HP to drive it. However, you could have a pump and motor for each wheel, but they would have to be synchronized somehow.

I should have known there was a reason it was so cheap.

whitworthsocket · Mar 11, 2009

Iplayfarmer said:
Any skidsteer tracks I've found are $1000 per pair used. That's out of the price range. The tires idea is my first choice. My plan is for an 8 foot long vehicle. The track would have to be over 18 feet long. That's a tire with a 6 foot diameter. Any tires I've found that big are so wide that they would overwhelm the rest of the plan. I may need to use a few tires per side and connect them with piano hinges or something. I'd still like to have something with a more positive engagement than rubber on rubber, though.

WIth all due respect an 8 foot long vehicle is not really a Mini Dozer!
these links may be helpful

snowmobile tracks on jeep - Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board

If you buy these plans can I have a look ?
Keep It Simple Off Road Tracked Vehicle

This is what I would call a small Dozer
Crawler Project

And here is a Mini Dozer
Machine Builders Network

Regards Whitworthsocket

Spudland_Dave · Mar 11, 2009

IMO, it might be cheapest to go out and find a donor vehicle of some sort which has a majority of the expensive components in working order...
Example..I've seen some Mini-Excavators with a boom bent like a Pretzel sell at auction for 1,500-3,000 bucks....Right there would get you the Motor, Drives, Tracks, etc...Decide exactly what you want to build...or at least a rough idea, and then you'll have a better idea of what kind of donor vehicle to look for.... Not too long ago I saw a CAT Tracked Skid Steer which was pretty much totalled from the tracks up as if it were dropped on its roof or something fell on it, sell for cheap as well....

Iplayfarmer · Mar 11, 2009

whitworthsocket said:
...WIth all due respect an 8 foot long vehicle is not really a Mini Dozer!...

Regards Whitworthsocket

Absolutely correct. I've mentioned it on another post somewhere, but what I'm planning is just a toy. It's a tank. My kids are 2, 5, and 7; and I've told the two oldest that when they are old enough to help me, we'll all build a 2/5 scale military tank. My 7-year-old daughter comes out with me to practice her welding skills whenever she can. She's surprisingly good with the old beater AC stick welder that I have. I'll have her weld whenever I'm doing something that's not structurally important.

I only mentioned it here because most of my design inspiration has come from mini dozer projects like those you linked to.

shvl73 · Mar 11, 2009

Have you looked at 6 wheel atv's, like a Max? They take a rubber track, like a snow machine track, have a real durable transmission.

RobJ · Mar 11, 2009

I think the big question is how mini is mini. To mini and it won't be worth it. Just use a FEL or a BB. I know, something sweet about a crawler. But I think it would be easier and better to start with something close, but that needs a lot of work and can be had cheap.

I saw a Komatsu D20a in the back of a 16' tandom trailer. I don't think the tracks were 4.5-5' wide. Small enough to easily move around, heavy enough to do some real work.

Or something like this Davis to get you started. Simple belts, gas motor, some hydraulics.

2manyrocks · Mar 11, 2009

Did you notice in the Mini Dozer link that several guys asked for details on how to build one like it? I didn't see an answer.

Years ago, it seemed to me that Struck had a simple belt drive dozer, and then they switched to a larger, more complex, and more expensive machine.