Mini Dozer Build

[mitchash]

Anyone ever build a mini dozer from the ubuildit plans? You use a garden tractor and build the dozer under carriage for the tractor. There website is down now. They had plans for backhoes and go karts. I have a old Sears garden tractor that would be perfect for this build.

 

[GLyford]

Didn't know he was still around, since the website has been dead for a while, but then I see he's still on eBay.

I haven't heard any feedback on the dozer plans, but I know that several people on here have built his backhoe and been happy.

 

[mitchash]

I will have to check eBay. I have an old Sears Roper garden tractor that would be perfect for this build.

 

[airbiscuit]

This guy did a sweet build. He has lots of vids on youtube, and a full thread of the build on TBN

 

[BrokenTrack]

If you can get a copy of the Tractor Show: Garden Tractor Builds, you will see a ton of people who have made small bulldozers in a variety of ways.

I know people who have had StructKit Bulldozers and while they worked, they are limited. They just were not heavy enough to get their track grousers to get enough grip upon the ground to do anything meaningful.

 

[Rustyiron]

I know people who have had StructKit Bulldozers and while they worked, they are limited. They just were not heavy enough to get their track grousers to get enough grip upon the ground to do anything meaningful.

^^^ this.
Even with 8000+# of machine weight, the pushing force of a CTL with a dozer blade is well short of productive. For comparison, I would bet that a 4 wheeler (ATV) would push more than a converted lawn tractor, tracks or not. Now if just pushing around some dry (dumped) topsoil is all your looking to do, it would be a fun & rewarding project.:thumbsup:

 

[4570Man]

^^^ this.
Even with 8000+# of machine weight, the pushing force of a CTL with a dozer blade is well short of productive. For comparison, I would bet that a 4 wheeler (ATV) would push more than a converted lawn tractor, tracks or not. Now if just pushing around some dry (dumped) topsoil is all your looking to do, it would be a fun & rewarding project.:thumbsup:

My B7200 is pretty much useless for any dirt work besides moving a little loose dirt. It probably pushes twice as hard as a lawn mower dozer

 

[EddieWalker]

Anyone ever build a mini dozer from the ubuildit plans? You use a garden tractor and build the dozer under carriage for the tractor. There website is down now. They had plans for backhoes and go karts. I have a old Sears garden tractor that would be perfect for this build.

I've seen a few home made dozers on here that looked like fun projects, but none of them where capable of doing anything other then playing around in the yard. If all you want is something to do, and you want to kill a lot of time, then go for it. If you want to move dirt, don't waste your time. Smallest dozer that I ever ran was a Deere 450G and all it was good for was spreading dirt around that was already loose. Worthless at digging and land clearing. It's small size made it easy to transport, and easy to get unstuck. But it was a finish dozer, and they are called finish dozers for a reason. Mid size dozers will be about twice as heave and more in the 150hp range on up. My Case 1550 is 170 hp and it's OK at most things. I wouldn't want anything a lot smaller.

 

[4570Man]

I’ve ran a D-3 dozer. It’s better than a tractor and a box blade but don’t expect to go pushing up big piles of dirt from hard pack in one pass. The D-3 is WAY more dozer than a lawn mower conversion build. I can’t imagine a dozer of this size being anything more than a toy.

 

[mitchash]

I had a Struck dozer MD1216 and a Magnatrac MT1800 with loader and backhoe. I also had a John Deere crawler tractor model 40 and a John Deere 450G with forestry package and winch. I have also had several Bobcat skidsteers. They each had jobs they were good at and limitations. Just thought a mini dozer built from a garden tractor was a good project when I retire (someday). I think it would be good for clearing brush and ATV trails where you need something compact.

 

[airbiscuit]

I always wanted to take a lawn or garden tractor and do a 3" lift to it for rough cut mowing and trail maintenance. I had a 14.5 ho MTD and it was amazing how much brush you could cut with it if you just plunged ahead. It just needed more clearance and a higher cutting depth.

 

[4570Man]

If I was trying to make a rough cut mower from a lawn mower the first thing I’d do is modify the front of the deck with a torch.

 

[bcp]

If I was trying to make a rough cut mower from a lawn mower the first thing I壇 do is modify the front of the deck with a torch.

Long ago mowers often had a slotted front guard that was great for cutting tall weeds. The blade could cut the stem before the deck pushed the stem flat, like mowers now do.

Here's a photo I found. The one I used had slots that came up closer to the top, so would work even better than this one.



Bruce

 

[Groo]

If I was trying to make a rough cut mower from a lawn mower the first thing I’d do is modify the front of the deck with a torch.

I wouldn't recommend it.
I did that to help tackle a yard that hadn't seen care in years. The tip of the blade broke fairly quickly, so I zipped the other tip off to re-balance, and it broke again almost immediately after I hit some more weeds. I think something else happened with the second break, but I can't recall what.
They just aren't intended to be loaded that way would be my guess as to the root of the problem.

I think pushing the stems flat before the cutters engage long stuff helps spread out the "engagement area" of the cutting blades would be my guess.

 

[Groo]

Back to the dozer thing;
an 8 ton dozer like the previously mention Deere 450g has about an 8' blade. That is about 1 ton of machine weight/pushing force (generally about the same in my experience) per foot of blade width. To get comparable dirt worker performance, I'd think you'd want about the same weight per width; or about a 3" blade on a 1/4 ton machine? so basically I am saying a 3' blade on a 500lbs dozer would probably be about 1/12th as effective at working dirt as would be about the minimum professionally built and designed machine.
I am not sure if that is exactly how it works, but I suspect it is close. The 1.5 ton CUT with a FEL and 5' bucket I grew up with can't push dirt to save its life. It gets the bucket under the dirt and then has to lift it out.

Basically, what it boils down to; If you want a crawler from a lawn tractor, don't put a blade on it. Put a bucket on it if you want any hope of making a useful dirt moving implement.

 

[mitchash]

Back to the dozer thing; an 8 ton dozer like the previously mention Deere 450g has about an 8' blade. That is about 1 ton of machine weight/pushing force (generally about the same in my experience) per foot of blade width. To get comparable dirt worker performance, I'd think you'd want about the same weight per width; or about a 3" blade on a 1/4 ton machine? so basically I am saying a 3' blade on a 500lbs dozer would probably be about 1/12th as effective at working dirt as would be about the minimum professionally built and designed machine. I am not sure if that is exactly how it works, but I suspect it is close. The 1.5 ton CUT with a FEL and 5' bucket I grew up with can't push dirt to save its life. It gets the bucket under the dirt and then has to lift it out. Basically, what it boils down to; If you want a crawler from a lawn tractor, don't put a blade on it. Put a bucket on it if you want any hope of making a useful dirt moving implement.

Good point! I have a compact tractor with a loader and it works pretty good. The advantage of a mini dozer is the thorns don't bother it any, we have a lot of thorn trees in parts of our property. My Struck Magnatrac MT1800 had a loader with teeth on it, it worked good in tight areas.

 

[BrokenTrack]

I clear a lot of land and cut a lot of wood and agree with everything that has been said.

Anything less than a John Deere 850 is not going to clear land; I know, I tried a John Deere 700 and it was pitiful. I also had a John Deere 350 and a John Deere 450. Of the latter two, the 450 could out push the 350 when it came to dirt work, but logging...they were pretty much the same as far as pulling wood.

I once heard a guy say that his 350 John Deere was good up to a 2 foot stump, but I just shook my head. I hated to push 6 inch stumps with mine and felt I was beating on it doing so.

 

[bcp]

If you really need a little dozer, look at the various trail dozers.

Here's one;

48 trail dozer – SWECO PRODUCTS, INC.

They are quite a bit more than a tracked riding mower. (4ft wide, about 5 tons weight)

Bruce

 

[BrokenTrack]

If you really need a little dozer, look at the various trail dozers.

Here's one;

48 trail dozer – SWECO PRODUCTS, INC.

They are quite a bit more than a tracked riding mower. (4ft wide, about 5 tons weight)

Bruce

Hey thanks...that would be perfect in combination with my log loader trailer.

 

[PILOON]

I once owned an Oliver OC3 which was about a CUT size with a 4 ft blade.

Later owned a Allis Chalmers HD6 with about 7 ft blade.

Day and night difference, Allis could bull piles of dirt, take down trees and move yard sized boulders and excavate road beds and do an awesome job of spreading crushed stone on a roadbed.

The Oliver could push sand, and spread topsoil and de track every hour, LOL.
My 20 HP CUT with FEL and back blade can outperform the old Oliver hands down,

About the only thing tracked Oliver could do better than my CUT was drive in marshy muddy situations.

Those old Olivers generally were at their best snow plowing sidewalks and that was about all.
Bombardier put an end to that.

OK if U are looking for a welding project and have lots of time and the $$'s to go with it but suggest you'll later regret it.
I'd suggest you'd be better to re purpose it as a general purpose people transporter with perhaps a cart of sorts to haul tools and supplies around your place.