Expectations

General help and support for your Lindeman through 2010 John Deere crawler
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sci
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Expectations

Post by sci » Sat Nov 23, 2019 7:00 am

I have a 40c with a dozer blade and have started to use it on the farm and have some questions. Are they just too light to do any pushing? My soil is hard clay based and holds water and it seems to just slide when a load is put on it. I know not to take too much of a bite but being able to only push an inch is very taxing to say the least. It has decent cleats on the tracks and the clutches are not slipping. Is this machine best suited for sandier/lighter soils? I do have some limited experience with a JD350 dozer but that was on Long Island with very loose mostly sandy soil and now I am in northeast Pa. with rocks and clay. I know an older smaller machine is going to be limited in what it could do but I am thinking this machine might not be right for this areas soil type.
Any thoughts

Jim B
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Re: Expectations

Post by Jim B » Sat Nov 23, 2019 9:23 am

Clay and rocks can be hard to deal with. I have seen triple engines scrapers with a D9 pushing work to fill their bowls in a dry clay cut, any water and they were on a skating rink. I had a 430 with a 62 dozer blade, I worked in some places to cut material away. I have a 450E now and it does better but it has its limits too. You can't compare a 350 pushing sandy soil to your 40C in hard pan. You have a light machine so it is not going to cut 6 inches and push a full blade in hard pan material. I expect the grousers really aren't getting any bite compared to what they would in sod or a more granular material, so they start slipping if the blade does cut in. The shape of the blade and cutting edge condition can make a difference. A good edge and the right angle to the ground will let it cut and lift, too square to the ground and it is a dead push, brute force required. If you had something for a ripper to loosen the area up first you might push a full blade of the loosened material, if you don't have to cut it free. I would say from your description your crawler is doing about the best it can for the conditions. This is just my thoughts/opinion; others may vary.

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Lavoy
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Re: Expectations

Post by Lavoy » Sat Nov 23, 2019 10:43 am

Dozer width is also a factor. A 40 with a 7 foot blade will not dig like the same crawler with a 6 foot blade. Another factor is blade design as well as cutting edge condition. Buddy had a D47U he bought from my brother, great old crawler, but wouldn't dig worth a hoot in his soil. Turned the tilt turnbuckles back a couple turns and it dug like crazy.
To me, a #61 blade on a 40 digs the best due to the cutting edge. Now, if yours is cutting and it is just a load factor, not much you can do about that.
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Parts and restoration for antique and late model John Deere crawlers.
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sci
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Re: Expectations

Post by sci » Sat Nov 23, 2019 4:49 pm

Thank you for your replies. I am trying to push soil that was dug out with a mini excavator so it is already loosen. I will try to walk along side the blade as my son in law tries to push some dirt to see what I can about the angle of the blade cutting into the dirt. I would have thought that since the dirt was loose already the machine should be able to push a reasonable amount of material away from the area. Not looking for a full packed blade but just a reasonable amount. The dirt when even a little wet turns to slime and even a 4 wheel drive tractor has issue driving more than a few times in the same tire tracks. Would adding some material to deepen the cleats be an option or will that put too much strain on the drive line? If the blade angle is an issue is there a preferred angle for the cutting edge to be at?

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Lavoy
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Re: Expectations

Post by Lavoy » Sun Nov 24, 2019 10:59 am

You probably can not adjust blade angle, but look at your cutting edge. If it is dull and worn, that will really affect it as well.
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