New register today

[smokydiesel]

Hi Im Paul, I have been reading this post for a while and finally registered. I have a 1966 straight 450 that I bought a couple years ago to put in a long driveway for my new home someday. I have found the knowledge on here very valuable to keeping the old girl running. Seems I have run into almost all of the common problems that are on this site. I would just like to say thanks for all the help that this site has provided me. I'm sure I'll have questions and maybe be able to answer some too. Thanks Paul

[KenP]

deleted

[LeonardL]

Welcome aboard Paul! Lavoy does run a very knowledgeable ship. Glad to have you aboard!

[smokydiesel]

Thanks for the welcome guys. When I bought my machine I had a very limited knowledge of dozers(none). I have worked on alot of cars and trucks along with a slew of farm machinery. Needless to say I should have taken someone with me to buy a dozer who knew what to look for. That said here is a short list of the minor repairs I have done.

-Remove and repair both cracked side frame rails, thats a job
-Remove and replace 3 of the 4 clutch housing bolts, yes they were broke off deep inside
-Attach the dash, all the bolts were either stripped or broken
-Re plumb entire fuel system
-Rewire entire machine
-Replaced old gauges with new mechanicals
-Replaced key switch
-Replaced cooling hoses and repaired the radiator
-Re bushed and pinned the 6 way pivot, tilt, and angle cylinders
-Repined c frame pivot pins
-Replaced blade cutting edges
-Replaced most of the hydraulic lines
-Replaced starter solenoid
-Replaced that little roll pin on top of the valve inside the trans that keeps the machine from moving when it shears off, in the field of course.
-New battery and cables.

-So now I hauled the machine home last night to replace and apparent blown head gasket, I hope. This is the first problem this year, it has been very dependable since I repaired the above listings. I have put about 200 hours on the machine in total. My own advise to someone new looking to buy thier first dozer is 2 things. Number one , take someone with you who nows what to look for, and number two, don't buy a dozer.

Thanks Guys

Paul -NW Pa

[smokydiesel]

I would like to add that I was also new at operating a dozer when I bought mine. Soon after I perfected the art of making wash boarded flat spots. After a while I figured how to slide a dozer down a muddy slope both forwards and side ways(both unintentionally and not just once). My latest accomplishment came when I managed to stick it in some mud. I learned how to use the angle blade and a chain to pull the mc from its resting spot, which did work for a while. Right up until I ran out of room for the machine to move further ahead because the tree I had chained to was now up against the blade. Then I learned that a chain saw and a humorous father in-law with a big 4x4 farm tractor were my two new best friends. Hard lessons learned.

[LeonardL]

After having worked on heavy equipment ( dozers mainly) most of my career, I found some of your "Minor" repairs some what amusing. On a couple of them, I would like to know what you would consider a "Major" repair. I realize that some of the things done to dozers are pretty major in comparison, but I have spent days on removing broken bolts that seemed to be welded in place.
As for the operation of a dozer? I had a older operator tell me one time that operating a dozer is simple. "Just tell it what to do and it will do it! Their really pretty stupid and you have to tell them what to do!".... Okay!... That was easy for him to say sense he had operated one sense he was a kid! He could make a job look like someone had taken a butter knife and smoothed it all out.
As for your learning curve? Well... that is known as "Pucker Factor". If your machine has a "Rops" then use that seat belt! Don't just sit on it! I know all to well what can and will happen if you don't. Sounds like you are having fun learning and that's the main thing.
As for Father in laws? Mine has long sense past, along with my Dad but I too would have been lost with out them! Some times there reassuring grins would cure a lot when it came to ill placed machines. My dad use to say "Son, keep her upright and down the middle, shinny side up!" So as long as you are keeping it upright, every thing else is minor. Have fun!

[smokydiesel]

Yeah your right the frame weld repair was a major repair, It took me about a month to get it apart, re-welded and gusseted and drill all the bolts out and put it back together. The 6 way pivot was a bear also, the bushings were loose in the housings and worn so badly they had stress cracks in them. I had to bore out the housing and get custom bushings made to fit. I welded up and machined the pin back to the original size. Now having done repairs on this machine makes working on cars and light trucks a breeze. Seems like everything takes alot longer to fix on a dozer.

[jtrichard]

it may take longer working on a dozer than a car but its had to push dirt with a toyota