Caterpillar Dozers

If you have a lot of heavy material to be moved, pushed, or cleared, then a bulldozer, is the likely tool for the job. With the combination of multi-environment traction, a muscular engine, and large and versatile blades attachments, bulldozers are capable of transforming just about any area imaginable. They come in multiple sizes, with the top end being about 400 horsepower, and the smallest around the 50 horsepower size. For most jobs, the one to two hundred hp sized bulldozers will get the work done.

They are quite capable machines, even in the most hostile working environments. With their tank like treads, they are capable of working on just about any traction challenging surfaces. Sand, gravel, and even swampy terrains are no match for a dozer. Part of their agility, comes for the balanced weight distribution. Even though they are quite heavy, because the distribute their full weight over the length of their treads they don't sink or get stuck very often.

One of the critical components of any bulldozer, sits on the business end, and it's the blade. There are basically three types of blades you can get for a bulldozer. There are universal blades, straight blades, and a hybrid universal-straight blade. Each for specific type jobs. If your dozer needs to gather material, and move it around than a universal blade would work best. For road grading type applications, a straight blade works well. If you need to do a little of both, then the combo universal-straight blade is likely what your looking for.

Keep in mind, the size of the job your trying to accomplish, the area you have to work in. You need to match power, with budget, and your working area. While it's true, that a dozer can make room for itself by moving whatever may be in it's way, there's no point in having it removing walls or doors that aren't meant to be moved. Make sure you have room for you bulldozer to work in.

If you think you've settled on a size of dozer that works for you, there are a few other buying considerations to weigh. If the person running your dozer is going to be working long shifts, make sure the operator cab is equipped for that. Consider the skill of your operator. Giving them an area to work in that is easy to use, and comfortable, will compact driver fatigue, and improve job site safety.

Dozer maintenance is an important consideration as well. No just the ongoing maintenance, but the maintenance that has bee performed to date. As the seller, what kind of maintenance has been done, and if possible get a maintenance log for the machine your considering. Not only will it give you some insight into what kind of shape the bulldozer is in, but will also help budget for future maintenance for you.

A bulldozer is a pretty big financial investment, sometimes in the tens of thousands of dollars. Make sure you know what your getting. Ask the seller plenty of questions, including maintenance, engine hours, history of jobs, and reasons for selling. If possible, get multiple quotes from different vendors, for similar machines. Understanding what your getting is important.