Comparison mini dozer

[Builder]

As a construction company owner, I buy used all the time. Usually the only thing I buy new is my personal pickup. Right now I have 3 pickups, 1 dumptruck and 2 farm tractors. Everything but the pick-up was bought used. Even a lot of attachments (snowplows, mowers, georgia buggies, york rakes, etc.) I mostly buy used.

After 20+ years of doing this, with some common sense, good used equipment is easy to come by.

 

[20 20]

My mini ex and dump truck are used and in great shape, all I had to do was change fluids, do that with all my used machines. I have bought many things used over the years, for the most part I know what to look for. When I was looking for my dump, I can't remember how many I looked at. I drove all day to look at one that the guy said was in awsome shape. Everything looked great when I got there and seemed to work. He kept telling me to take it for a drive. I don't work that way, I waited for it to warm up then started really looking over things. That thing leaked like a stuck pig, never did take it for a "drive". My point is that if you're not carefull, for every good deal there are probably 5-6 bad. When I was looking for my truck I found countless shady deals and only a couple of honest ones. Don't forget these people are selling for a reason, and sometimes reading{watching their personality} the person is all most better then checking the vehicle.

 

[orezok]

It's kinda like the sign I saw at the junk yard. "If you think used parts are no good, why are you driving around on them right now?" Hmmm...:mur:

 

[J_J]

http://www.struckcorp.com/download/MT1800.pdf

Struck Corp. Technical Support

Struck Corp; Magnatrac? Compact Crawler Tractors

 

[20 20]

$18,815 for the biggest they make, without ANY attachments not even a blade

 

[dbear]

Don't have any seat of the pants experience, heck I never even laid eyes on anything other than a picture, with either a MagnaTrac or NorTrac, but looked into both at one time. I really liked the MagnaTrac for size and manuerverability, but thought, for the money, it really should have a standard LQ diesel, 3pt, pto, and quick-tach FEL. The NorTrac came with standard (I think) rear 3pt and pto, something a used construction dozer will not have.

 

[20 20]

. The NorTrac came with standard (I think) rear 3pt and pto, something a used construction dozer will not have.

Correct the norttrac comes standard with the 3pt and PTO

 

[MarkV]

Any real world experience with machines this size? I am not bashing anything, I just wonder how something that weighs under 1900 lbs could be effective. The loader on my 40 hp tractor is rated to pick up more than that.

MarkV

 

[Builder]

I made that point earlier. A light dozer is quite limited. To "doze" you need weight. I have little doubt my M7040 or certainly my NH backhoe would out-doze a itty bitty dozer.

However, in the right situation, they could be useful. Xspecially spreading driveway stone or cutting a small road/trail, etc.

 

[Dargo]

Don't have any seat of the pants experience, heck I never even laid eyes on anything other than a picture, with either a MagnaTrac or NorTrac, but looked into both at one time. I really liked the MagnaTrac for size and manuerverability, but thought, for the money, it really should have a standard LQ diesel, 3pt, pto, and quick-tach FEL. The NorTrac came with standard (I think) rear 3pt and pto, something a used construction dozer will not have.

I've not been on here a lot lately because I picked up a side job buying some equipment for a dealer. I've patched, rigged and fixed properly all sorts of equipment. One of the best places to look is IronPlanet. You get a guarantee with the equipment that they actually do UOA tests on engine and hydraulic oil in general. Besides, after a while, if the test results aren't tampered with, you can read the machine's history like a book.

Mid sized pieces of equipment are finally coming down in price now. At first it used to be used junk and really large pieces (difficult to transport) that went really cheap. With so many construction companies borrowing money on their equipment and business being slow, a lot of equipment is showing up for auction. Some key pieces for a guy to have would be a good track loader and a decent sized mini excavator. Putting in some more soccer fields in a bad area (which doing so seems to really tear up some user here) last week we proved that a Kubota and Takeuchi 7 ton units will flat put a full sized backhoe to shame. It's pretty well safe to say that, with experienced operators on both, the mini excavators will do twice the work as the full sized backhoe will do. That means, if you want one, used backhoes are reeeeeeeealy cheap right now.

Unfortunately really small equipment won't do much work than a 6'10 man in good shape! I think my neighbor "Big John" is 6'10 and I know he can out dig one one of those silly looking towable "diggers" they sell. I think "Big John" measures footers by his shoe. I'm pretty sure he says his size 23 shoe is right at 24" long. Makes for a good reference for width and depth of a footer. I just wouldn't want to be buy them or be kicked by one of them. About the only thing a small dozer does well is tread lightly on soft ground and have a large ground contact point. The large ground contact point will allow it to push much harder than a wheeled machine unless it lacks weight and power.

If you haven't looked on IronPlanet, I'd give it a try. On most all equipment you will get a professional opinion and dozens of pictures of the equipment. Out of a dozen or so pieces I've bought from them only one wasn't what was expected and they made good on it immediately. Good luck!