cable dozer for clearing?

[AUSSIE small farmer]

Hi all, im just looking at purchasing a D6 8U cable dozer for some clearing on our steep property in the sunshine coast hinterlands in Queensland Aus, just after any advice on them and how difficult they are to drive (im not an operator just yet ;-)
and advice would be great
cheers

 

[fried1765]

Hi all, im just looking at purchasing a D6 8U cable dozer for some clearing on our steep property in the sunshine coast hinterlands in Queensland Aus, just after any advice on them and how difficult they are to drive (im not an operator just yet ;-)
and advice would be great
cheers

Can you get parts (pins, bushings,sprockets,tracks) for that old machine at fair prices?

 

[4570Man]

I’ve heard nothing but bad things about cable dozers. I think you’ll be spending more time putting the cable back on then dozing.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I owned and ran a cable dozer for many years, learn how to operate it properly, and you can get a LOT done with one!

SR

 

[oosik]

When there was still homesteading in Alaska - all you ever saw, most of the time, were cable dozers. I think 1/4 of the 360 acre homestead had to be cleared and planted to some "acceptable" crop. Great huge cleared rows and gigantic slash piles delineating, forming each row. Most just left the slash piles there to rot down. Some burned. Some of those old cable dozers were only one step up from coal/wood burning.

The homesteads are way out in the real wilderness. The cleared land - EXCELLENT for moose hunting. The cleared rows always ended up growing back as willow - one of the favorite foods for moose. You talk about your food plots. WaHoo - these were all ACES.

 

[Ortimber]

I owned and ran a cable dozer for many years, learn how to operate it properly, and you can get a LOT done with one!

SR

Same here. My neighbor has our old cable D6 and he still uses it today. OP asked if they are hard to run. Well......both feet and arms will get a workout! But not hard to run.

 

[PILOON]

LOL, not a 'cable dozer' but I ran a Chalmers HD6 clutched machine for 4 years and learned to drive it when I unloaded it from the flatbed.
On the way to my cabin (about one mile) I became a 'dozer operator'.
My arms and legs were sure in great shape in those days!
Levers, brake pedals, steering clutches all being used at the same time + hydraulics.
I would drop trees, push them over to depressions and bury them move boulders and back grade for a driveable road bed finish.
Grading a road bed that 10 dump trucks constantly unloaded made for great sport but we 'got her done'.

But then I also was a pilot so co-ordinating hand foot movements was a natural for me.
Today most Nintendo or 'internet gamers' would probably be equally successful.

LOL, if a total klutz maybe look to hire a driver otherwise, Go for it' great fun.

 

[Jim Nelson]

Many years ago I started my career as a heavy equipment operator on a cable D-9 Cat and ran most of the smaller ones also.The most important thing I remember is that you have to be very careful not to ride the control lever or you will burn up the control unit. They made both wet and dry units with the wet being more forgiving as it was oil filled.Both have a clutch in them that, similar to a truck ,will burn up.
You also have to be pretty alert and not let slack in the cable or it will bind up and it is real tough to re wind it after this happens. If you just go ahead and run it you will eventually get into a situation where the cable will unwind from the rat's nest quickly and break the cable. Some of the old timers I worked with were real good a braiding a splice in cables, all I ever did was tear up my hands on the loose ends.