Tractor vs. Bulldozer

[LouNY]

The crawler loader backhoe combination was common in the 50's and 60's.
Just don't be in a hurry with one and be prepared to pour money into it.

 

[deezler]

? OP wants to cut in some roads and flat spots in rocky, hilly Idaho. A dozer with a 6-way front blade is what you want.

That crawler loader would be garbage for cutting in a road crown, IMO. If you're going to have a flimsy looking loader like that, it might as well be on a tractor than can actually drive faster than the clanky 3mph of a crawler, and do a lot more versatile tasks afterwards.

 

[grsthegreat]

i used to have a Case 650 crawler with 6 way blade leased to me years ago. was a sweet machine and the 6 way blade was a perfect combination. i really wish i still owned that machine. was trouble free for the years i had it.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

In the same price you can get a worn out dozer you can pick up a wheeled or tracked skid steer and do more than a tractor inmost dirt moving situations.

I'd love a skid steer, but either they're way overpriced around here or I'm seeing some incredible deals on dozers. The average price I've seen around here for a skid steer is over 3X the average price for smaller dozers.

 

[ultrarunner]

Cutting in roads is why I bought my D3 with 6-Way Blade and Ripper...

It was the perfect machine for my needs...

Only shortcomings for me is it was too heavy for me to transport and a bigger machine would have done more in the same given time.

I now have a Deere 350C which is a little mountain goat but smaller size means jobs take longer...

Had no prior Dozer experience but found it very intuitive with all my work on rocky side hills.

Learned I prefer foot steering/brakes over hand levers.

 

[Egon]

The clutches and brakes are worked together.

 

[ultrarunner]

With foot pedals on my D3 my right hands was free to feather the 6-way blade and the left direction and speed.

With the Deere 350 C my hands have never moved so fast between blade and steering and reverser.

 

[grsthegreat]

All i know is with all my years running the dozer back in the 1980’s, learning to fly a plane was easy. My instructor even commented how most students could not pick up on the hand and foot coordination that fast.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I once flew a L1011 simulator and those pedals really messed me up. All over the tarmack like a drunk! Talk about over (under???) steer.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

So, I'm seriously considering this little GT30. I'd like to hear opinions... What's a fair price for a good, working Terratrac GT30 with a front loader on it?