Anyone here have bulldozer experience?

[edgarrian]

your right hand running the blade most be moving at all times. Watch a youtube video of guy operating a dozer and you will see his hand always moving making minor corrections. The most important corrections will be height of the blade. Forward makes the blade go down and backwards it comes up. As soon as you you make contact with the ground you need to start going back and fourth on that handle. Quickly. Its not hard to catch on. As was already mentioned you may want find a guy to do it for you. IF you cant there is no reason you cant try. As was noted don't be afraid to take a break for 5 minutes if you get frustrated.

I should also note that track speed for a beginner should be slow. have the RPMS on machine all the way up. Put the machine in forward motion, put the blade slightly on the ground then this will be when you work that lever. Basically as soon as you feel the lever catch hydraulic pressure you just go in the opposite direction. Forwards and backwards quickly. You can worry about angle once you get this covered.

 

[ovrszd]

I cannot operate a dozer in that manner. What I create is ripples. Slight and calculated blade movement creates smooth for me.

 

[EddieWalker]

I agree. Every time you move the blade, you change your grade, and that means there will be a dip or a hump.

 

[kevin37b]

Yep , set the blade down and drive like it was stolen . No brainer . Kevin .

 

[ultrarunner]

When you hit that sweet spot you will know and more often than not optimal moisture is a factor when blazing in trails... too wet and it is a pig sty and too dry there is no compaction...

 

[edgarrian]

how do you operate a dozer??? I don't know anyone that doesn't operate in the fashion i described unless your a noob and have never ran one before. What im suggesting makes the ripples. Which makes for ease of tracking through your bladed trail.

I cannot operate a dozer in that manner. What I create is ripples. Slight and calculated blade movement creates smooth for me.

 

[edgarrian]

Yep , set the blade down and drive like it was stolen . No brainer . Kevin .

Do not do this. Probably the worst advice you can give a noob. If he was seasoned then sure.

 

[ovrszd]

how do you operate a dozer??? I don't know anyone that doesn't operate in the fashion i described unless your a noob and have never ran one before. What im suggesting makes the ripples. Which makes for ease of tracking through your bladed trail.

So the first thing you do is create an uneven field for the tracks to run thru which creates "ease of tracking"?

I don't know anyone that operates in that fashion?

Start in the high area. Load the blade with material from that high area as smoothly as you can with minimal blade vertical movement. Push toward the low area. As you progress slightly raise the blade over a long run distance dribbling loose material into the low area spread over a long run. Repeat.

 

[crashz]

Sorry, but the smoothest contours that you make will be done by not manipulating the blade. The the rapid use of the blade controls by an operator is the result of the operator feeling a grade change and compensating, not just blindly jerking them up and down.

Slow speed is excellent advice. Even if you have to throttle down a bit just to learn how to adjust the blade to maintain a flat surface.

This may be intuitive or may not be. Before getting on the machine, have a plan of where you want to harvest the soil and where to deposit it, how you want to transition that to existing surfaces and how you want the new surfaces to look.

 

[LouNY]

Anyone that runs any equipment I have owned or been in charge of would only run "like he stole it" one time,
he would be off it and walking.
If it's your own equipment and not on my property hopefully your own go for it, tear it up all you want.