best d6 sized dozer for less than $15k?

[NutFarmer97]

Well our old D6-9U is not worth fixing any more and we are in the market for a used dozer. It would be used for pushing trees out and maybe some light logging. Does any one have any advice on what kind of dozer I should be looking for? I've found a few nice allis chalmers HD11's I like, any one have any knowledge about these?

[pstroke96]

my uncle has an early 2000's D4 cat and it is a very powerful little machine judgindg by looks it seems to be about the same size. caterpillar is definatley the way to go imho. a jd would be a good second. we have a 450E at work a nice machine as well but that cat is my choice

on edit: i see you said under 15k. disregaurd the D4 its out of your price range, but the 450 is. thats what i would go with

[NutFarmer97]

Originally Posted by pstroke96

my uncle has an early 2000's D4 cat and it is a very powerful little machine judgindg by looks it seems to be about the same size. caterpillar is definatley the way to go imho. a jd would be a good second. we have a 450E at work a nice machine as well but that cat is my choice

on edit: i see you said under 15k. disregaurd the D4 its out of your price range, but the 450 is. thats what i would go with

What year range and exact model JD 450 should I look at? I've head one of the JD dozer models with a 4 cyl diesel have problems with the internal balancing shafts, is the 450 one with this problem?

[pstroke96]

ours is a late 80's im not exact of the year but its a nice little machine, it has alot of hours on it and im not aware of any internal balancing issues, but its a company machine it may have before i got there. i looked around a bit and they look to be going in the 12-18k range depending on condition. heres ours, because im a

[navistar45]

Dependeing on years, and size, every brand has certain model's that were,poor, ok, good or even great. Just because it's cat or etc; does not mean it's the greatest. When shopping for a machine like a dozer, base it on what your gonna do with it, and how it will be used. Factor in parts availability in you region, price, and resale if you plan to do so. In most series that the d6 was available, it was a good machine, some series better then other's. This being said, other machine's will most often do the same job, and cost you less to purchase. A fiat 14c is a bit larger then a d6, but can be had for less money, and is a good machine. A dresser or earlier version international td15 is a good dozer of similar size also. I have had both of these units, and like them a lot. A komatsu 65 is also a good choice, just try and get one with the komatsu engine, and not the cummins option. I have been around few allis chalmers dozers , so really cant state how good they are. Again, chk on parts availability. You might also try a google search for info also..

[pstroke96]

i never said that a differend machine wouldnt do the job just as good. he asked for opinions and i gave him mine, there are plenty good machines. but both jd and cat can get you pretty much anything for most of there machines. even the oddball ones. also thoes are the only two dozers i have experience with, i didnt want to say things i didnt know

[NutFarmer97]

So I have done some more looking and have some more questions. I was advised that if I plan on pushing out allot of trees I should be careful about Dozers that have the yoke style blade like the newer cats and the JD's like the above 450e. Is there any truth to this?

[strokeorcroak]

the JD 450 is a great choice, we had one for 10 years with a 6 way blade up front and a winch in the rear. It was just about perfect for weekend warrior

[NutFarmer97]

Originally Posted by strokeorcroak

the JD 450 is a great choice, we had one for 10 years with a 6 way blade up front and a winch in the rear. It was just about perfect for weekend warrior

think i could push out a walnut orchard and yard some fir logs allright? or do i need somehting bigger?

[pstroke96]

it should do the trick, as long as the tracks are good, there about 70 horse and 15,000 lbs fwiw. i dont have alot of seat time in it but it can push quite a pile.