Hey guys I recently acquired another 42 acres here in Texas. The land is about 38 acres of mesquite trees. The trees are anywhere from 1in to 24in in diameter, I am looking for a dozer to clear most of the 1-12in trees. Locally people want anywhere from $900 to $1200 a day for dozer work plus cost of transport. I have found a few dozers in my area for $8000-12000 range which I am interested in buying to clear the land and eventually resell. The two "dozers" that have caught my eye in the price range that arent beat to **** will loose tracks and covered in rust are a John Deere 350B with a 6-way blade and the other is a Komatsu 31s (Its a track loader with a dozer blade). The Komatsu has 25hp more than the JD and weighs about 4000 pounds more. Do you think either of these would be a good choice? Once again i know running a dozer can cost some big $$$ which is why im looking to only own it for a few months.
I've been on TBN for about 18 years. The common advice from most experienced dozer owners has always been:
A - the machines you're looking at are too small for the job you are contemplating.
B - the machines you're looking at break easily when you work them too hard on a job that is too big.
C - repair parts and labor are expensive, often wiping out any savings from buying a smaller used older dozer.
D - an excavator with a thumb or grapple is superior to a dozer for tree removal.
E - a dozer makes dirty wood. If you plan on sawing it up for firewood, lumber, etc, it's loaded with sand and dirt. If you burn it, you have a dirt pile to deal with when finished, so you have to doze that again as well. With an excavator, you can dig a hole and bury stuff quickly.
F - you can dig holes with an excavator.
G - an excavator is also a crane. you can lift things.
H - you can break concrete with attachments on an excavator, tear down a barn, load trucks and trailers....
Listen to those voices of experience.
