Buying: Large used dozers

The main point to check on any used bulldozer is the condition of the undercarriage. Very large machines are rare at auction.

It’s weird, but the bulldozer, for all the destruction it can wreak is often seen as a sign of peace and prosperity. Bulldozers are used for construction, and wherever there are tracks and a blade, chances are there is new investment and ambition behind them.

It stands to reason then, that there is a huge market for these machines, especially with the number of road building projects going on in the region. In fact several very heavy models more usually suited to quarry work are battling the elements in a bid to grade the way for.

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While a number of manufactures have brought super-heavy class bulldozers into the region over the years, the two major players are Komatsu and Caterpillar. Without looking at the brand decals the easiest way to tell the two apart is the position of the drive sprocket.

Komatsu models have ‘flat’ tracks, while all Cat D8, D9, D10 and D11 models built after the 1970s have the treads form a triangular shape at the rear.

This is known as the ‘High Drive’ system and it eliminated the traditional final drive system in favour of one that uses planetary gears capable of withstanding more torquesince it spreads the forces over multiple gear teeth instead of a single tooth as in the traditional system.

The reason for this design is to make the system modular for easier maintenance, as well as protecting the drive init from the worst of the dirt and the grit.

The disadvantage of the system is that track life can be reduced, due to extra movement between the planetary gear and the track, although Cat say this problem has been eliminated with the addition of a sealed lubrication package.

According to Keith Lupton of World Wide Auctions, the main point to check on any used bulldozer is the undercarriage.

“Check the condition of items such as the idlers and the final drive sprocket. If you can shave with the teeth it won’t have been doing the tracks any good and a rebuild can be very expensive” he said.

He added that the very large ‘Cat dozers such as the D10 and D11 are rare items at auction, although some do appear from time to time as the Abu Dhabi government apparently owned a fleet at one stage.

More common in the heavy class is the D9L, as these are popular in the region’s quarries, though they are usually being sold for a reason.

“These machines work extremely hard, and even though the sand might have made the blade look clean and shiny, very often the frame is bent and torn.” He pointed out that the maintenance on larger models is expensive too.