Bulldozer buying (used)-What do you look at (for)?

[Deas Plant]

Old information and history

Hi, Joe.
I'm no history nut but I do reckon that every effort ought to be made to keep the history of the evolution of earthmoving and construction machines as complete as possible. I'd also like to see some sort of record kept of the older ways of doing things for people who still don't have the 'you beaut' modern gear to play with.

I also don't see a lot of point in spending 40+ years in the saddle then simply retiring and fading away, taking all that gathered experience and knowledge to the grave with me. THAT is why I come to forums like this and my day is made if I can save ONE person from having to find out something the hard way.

I haven't had a lot of opportunities to talk to older hands about their experiences and finding out what they knew from them - been too busy having my own experiences and finding out for myself. Where I consider that I have been fortunate is in the bloke who was my first and only real formal instructor, in the jobs I have been given and the supervision that I have had - the third only sometimes. I have also been fortunate in that, right from the start of my operating career, I had a natural ability to quickly sum up a machine, its capabilities and its lacks, and work with it rather than fight it to achieve the task at hand.

That natural ability also allowed me to do a lot of my work pretty much on auto-pilot, without having to really think about it from very early in my career. This has allowed me a LOT of time for thinking over the years, which has led to me also doing a fair bit of work with myself and others in the personal development field - which has also been VERY rewarding.

 

[Jeff D.]

I'm no history nut but I do reckon that every effort ought to be made to keep the history of the evolution of earthmoving and construction machines as complete as possible. I'd also like to see some sort of record kept of the older ways of doing things for people who still don't have the 'you beaut' modern gear to play with.

:thumbsup That's exactly how I feel too!

The first machine I bought on my own was a '39 Farmall H farm tractor. Paid $1100 for it in the mid 90's. I would've preferred newer stuff at the time, but couldn't afford much more for basically a toy too push snow and brush hog with, so..........

This began my interest in older equipment. I've always wanted to pay cash for whatever I bought, and don't mind tinkering, so older equipment fit my needs well. I've always bought machines with more of a "hobbiest's" enthusiasm, rather than the idea to try and make money with it.

Working on, and operating this older stuff has made me more curious about the history of these machines and how they were used back in the old days.

It also gives me more respect for the people who had too use this stuff when it was new, and better understanding of how it got to where it is today. It would be a shame for this history to be forgotton.

I remember a couple sayings I've heard. I may not have them exactly right, but they were something like "The best way to predict the future is to study the past." and another "Those who have forgetten the past are doomed to repeat it."

I'm starting to understand better what they mean as I'm getting older, and in more ways than just with the equipment.

What I'd particularly enjoy is a "History of dozers". Something that starts at their beginnings, and includes all the improvements made by the different manufactures, current and defunct. I've thought that Cat and the rest wouldn't be what they are today if it weren't for these improvements made by other Co.'s like AC, etc that have since faded away.

This would be a good project for you when you're bored, or retired Deas.

 

[Deas Plant]

Bored??????? Retired?????????? Do not compute.

Hi, JeffD.
Bored????????? Retired??????????? These terms do not compute. Input, input. (Five Is Alive.)

Between work, these forums and my personal development and alternative healing work, I don't have time to get bored. Sleep is often an optional extra - 4-5 hours a night.

May I suggest that you take it on??????????????

You might like to take a look in the Transport - Trucks section of these forums at the Truck For Sale post. A GREAT opportunity for a young feller to get a start in life.

 

[jmac]

Jeff, great idea! Deas has a long history of running machines as does some others on HEF. I have always been interested in history and especially with history about something that I have a lot of interest in like heavy equipment. Prior to lasers, gps, or air conditioning how was it done? I think that the skill involved back in the day was greater than what you need today. I sit in my heated or ac cab on my dozer with joysticks in my hand (no need to make a comment) and it is pretty easy to get good results with out a lot of practice. I think that future machines are only going to make it easier to do what is expected of them with less and less skill. Look at GPS, Laser etc. Not a bad thing but we should not forget or appreciate and respect what the operators before us had to do. Look at the internet, any thing you want to know it is all here, just Google it. I was driving past a very old cemetery with my kids one day and pulled in to look at some of the very old grave stones. Some of them from 1850 and the size and detail of the stones was amazing. My son took down some of the names and when we got home he Google them and we spent a afternoon researching the famous people that were buried in that cemetery. Most of our streets in my town are named after those people. Got off track, sorry, but history is cool.

 

[PSDF350]

I have seen pictures of dozers pushing down, well for lack of better descripition, cliffs. Not really quit that bad but you get the idea. Anyway I think not only has techneques (sp) changed but what is excepetable risk taken.

 

[Jeff D.]

Look at the internet, any thing you want to know it is all here, just Google it.

It is amazing, and for alot of equipment like older farm tractors the history is pretty well documented. I've noticed for construction equipment it doesn't hold up as well. For manufacturers still in business it's good, but for those that aren't, not too well. I search for Hough info when I was looking at my wheel loader and there just wasn't much available. This wasn't a flash in the pan company either. They were around along time, but very little history is available online. Same with the Massy Dozers. Most of the info was from other members here. I couldn't find much on my own pertaining to them.

I'm not sure why this is, but it could possibly be that farming equipment is manufactured at much higher numbers than construction equipment. Just my theory.:beatsme

 

[Deas Plant]

Cliffs work both ways

H, PSDF350.
Somewhere buried deep in the anals of this forum is a post about how I took a bare-a***d, angle blade D9G up an 8 foot vertical wall one night at an iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. As I mentioned in that post, I don't think I'd like to try it with a hi-sprocket machine. It's mostly just knowing your machine. I was 23 years of ripe old age at the time so I 'MUSTA' bin a real 'full bottle' on knowing my machine, huh?

Full of all the knoweldge and wisdom that only the young can possess??????

Re: History.

http://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventions/a/bulldozer.htm?terms=bulldozers

http://inventors.about.com/od/articlesandresources/ig/Antique-Tractors---Photos.--0J/index.htm

 

[PSDF350]

H, PSDF350.
Somewhere buried deep in the anals of this forum is a post about how I took a bare-a***d, angle blade D9G up an 8 foot vertical wall one night at an iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. As I mentioned in that post, I don't think I'd like to try it with a hi-sprocket machine. It's mostly just knowing your machine. I was 23 years of ripe old age at the time so I 'MUSTA' bin a real 'full bottle' on knowing my machine, huh?

Full of all the knoweldge and wisdom that only the young can possess??????

Re: History.

http://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventions/a/bulldozer.htm?terms=bulldozers

http://inventors.about.com/od/articlesandresources/ig/Antique-Tractors---Photos.--0J/index.htm

Around here we call it full of **** and vinagar. So your famous I see. Thanks for links.

 

[Jeff D.]

Thanks Deas.

Expert, Deas Plant from the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia commented.....

Well?!

A guy could get used to being called that easy enough.:notworthy

 

[Deas Plant]

I'd rather not get used to it.

Hi, JeffD.
I'd rather not get used to it. Firstly, it's her term not mine. And I don't consider myself an expert, just another bloke with some experience and about enough knowledge to be dangerous.

Then there's the breakdown of the word 'expert' - an 'ex' is either a has-been or an unknown quantity and a 'spurt' is a drip under pressure. I DON'T want to qualify as wunna them.

Maybe I'da done better to sign on here as 'Clueless'. LOL.

 

[PSDF350]

Hi, JeffD.
I'd rather not get used to it. Firstly, it's her term not mine. And I don't consider myself an expert, just another bloke with some experience and about enough knowledge to be dangerous.

Then there's the breakdown of the word 'expert' - an 'ex' is either a has-been or an unknown quantity and a 'spurt' is a drip under pressure. I DON'T want to qualify as wunna them.

Maybe I'da done better to sign on here as 'Clueless'. LOL.

lol but it's not a spurt. it's pert as in pert nipp1es. Which I also dont wonna know.:drinkup

 

[Deas Plant]

You stay outa this.

Hi, PSDF350.
You stay outa this. I like my version better and I'm in charge of what I like. "SPURT". LOL.

 

[PSDF350]

Not a problem I really didn't want to see you pert anyway.

 

[Deas Plant]

Good! That's settled then.

You have a great Easter.

 

[PSDF350]

You to my friend.

 

[DoubleNickel]

Update

I'm back from falling off my horse. I feel better now.

 

[DoubleNickel]

Cat 1979 D5B

http://cgi.ebay.com/CATERPILLAR-197...3QQihZ014QQcategoryZ97121QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Tractor runs out very well. The D5B is very responsive to the steering clutches, the direct drive dry clutches are also very responsive. There are no major leaks, only small leaks are on the cylinders on the blade(need new seals). Undercarriage(sprockets,rollers,chains are 75%) pads are 50%+. Tractor has good paint, 2 side glass are broken and 1 panel of glass in rear window is gone. The winch is in good operating condition. We used this tractor on our farm for a dirt project. I hired an independent mechanic to do all repairs and serivce on a regular schedule. Any other questions let me know.
Thanks
Responce from the seller.

Can anyone tell me what all the levers do in the cab? What do you think of this machine?

I can't get this machine, as it is to far away. Would cost 5 grand just to get it here. The winch is worth 5 grand I think?

 

[Deas Plant]

All Dem Levers

Hi, DoubleNickel.
What do all the levers do? Starting from left:

Master Clutch
Left steering clutch - interconnected with left steering brake.
Right " " " " right " " .
Throttle
Short gear lever is forward-reverse
Long gear lever is main box - 5 forward, 4 reverse. (I think)
Blade control - lift/lower and tilt on one joystick.
Winch control - on panel behind blade control. I have never used one but I suspect it would have 4 positions, wind in, locked/neutral, wind out and free spool. I am open to correction on this.

Hope this helps.

 

[jazak]

Hey DoubleKnickle,nice to see you on another site. I'm "jazak's" dad "KTS" on lanwcafe. Here I'm "jazak"

Take a look here this guy is nuts. lol

http://www.lawncafe.com/showthread.php?p=286401#post286401
(scroll all the way up)

 

[DoubleNickel]

Oh, that's just great!!

My cover is blown. First I beat myself up on this thread, now jazak is lashing me!! -lol- :falldownlaugh How come you just don't tell them about thread #16123 post#67?

I show you guys. I just bought this one.:avid