Bro you really are a good teacher! I have been running a dozer, excavator and other equipment for years. I get really frustrated running a dozer sometimes seems like i get doing the same work to get it right. I am learning by watching people like you THANKS AGAIN !
I operate a 750k everyday building roads for draglines and working on ditches. Great video, seat time is key. I feel I learn everyday and I have over 10,000 hours of seat time.
A 750K seems like a tiny machine to be working around draglines! That dozer must look like a toy. Thanks for the comment Laura, I totally agree. It doesn't matter how much seat time you have, you're always picking up new tricks and discovering ways to improve your technique.
I started operating a dozer when I was 16 yrs. it was an old on a D8 cable model with a pony motor to start it, I grow into a J.D. 450 C w/dual slopeboards and became an owner-operator for 27 yrs. did a lot of finish work on slopes an fine grade etc, I am now 66 yrs. old and have trained a lot of dozer hands in my time and believe that evey operator should start on the biggest, oldest, sloppiest/loosest dozer you can find the work and your way down to a small toy/dozer because as you know the smaller the harder to operate. However the way you explained the operation of a dozer in you video was the same way I would explained to a green horn but most of all the statement you said " its like riding a bike you once you find level you will never lose it" a very true statement and I still use the bubble in my ass today as I go and play in the dirt part time, Therefor my (HAT IS OFF TO YOU) for educating up coming dozer hands
What I'm gathering is you were an operator back when you really had to operate! Those old dozers had more levers and pedals than I'd know what to do with. Thanks for watching and I appreciate the support!
Just my two cents, but I was taught to always grease at the end of the day while you're fueling and cleaning tracks. As all of the fittings will be warmer and take grease easier. And it is a good idea to look the machine over after work the same as before working. Definitely some great information. Setting grade with such a short wheelbase is a real challenge, anyone can hop in a D8 and push fill all day, but working the dozer is truly an art. Good tips for newcomers, but like you said there is no training like on the job training!
Great point. I should do a video specific to this topic because there are definitely two schools of thought. I think at the end of the day as long as the machine is getting cared for you are doing your job as an operator. I personally liked greasing at the start of the day because the machine needed to warm up anyway and I was fresh. I wasn't rushing through it to get home quicker but that's just my personal preference. Thanks for the comment, I appreciate the feedback!
Only issue is what if some one else may be running it the next day or some one else ran it the day before. im always for greasing in the morning so before it runs i know its got fresh grease in it. If no one else runs the machine than you, then sure end of day can be a good idea.
So, I talked my way into an operator position out here in the oil fields of West Texas and am going through orientation now. Of all the equipment a dozer is what interests me most. I’ve operated a bit here and there in the past, in loaders and skidsteers, but only operated a dozer once for about five minutes haha. I truly hope I can get into a dozer sooner than later and don’t get stuck in a loader. No offense to loader operators lol. Anyway, I’ve watched a ton of these style videos over the years and have to say, nobody comes close to you. Your teaching skills and ability to explain things are really admirable. Thanks!
Dad just bought a 2015 CAT D6T LGP a few months ago and I’ve been trying to soak up as much information on it as possible. It’s got about 5,100 hours on it, pretty clean unit and I want to take care of it. Your videos have been very helpful! We have landforming tractors and excavators and I run all of that, but I’ve never ran a dozer before. I didn’t even know what LGP meant until I watched your video lol.
When pushing forward with angled blade, when you back up at end of your pass, reverse the angle of your blade fully to opposite direction. Move over half blade width so furrow is in the middle if the blade. Put the blade in FLOAT position. This will fill in all small dips made from the original push. A 72 year old an taught me this. He told me two things. 1.) use the blade on both passes, 2.) if you don't get a dozen stuck your not pushing it to its full ability. I do like your videos !
Robert, you are the first person I have seen on TH-cam to to explain that technique. I have been doing that esp, when finish grading. Cuts time down considerably.
Awesome video!! I own a dump truck, been around heavy equipment for last 20 years. Always wanted to get in a dozer. I can watch your videos for hours. Really great job!!!
@@DieselandIron I just picked up a dresser TD7e with a slope board and rippers. I only have a couple hours seat time and I really was surprised how difficult it was to operate and frustrating. Being a professional operator who has never run a dozer or blade I still thought I would have it mastered in a few hours🤣 Lesson learned, about to go get some more seat time and push some dirt!! Dozers are awesome machines.
First rule - it’s just dirt you can’t break it Second rule - who cares if you take a little too much just put some back Third rule - no 2 operators are the same Fourth rule - if you reach the intended final result there is no right or wrong way to get it done Remember every operator does things different. They aren’t wrong they are different. A person may have a bad knee he will be different, a person may be left handed so they may favor backing to the right or left, a person may have a bad neck so they favor a certain side. Nobody is wrong. If a trainer says you have to do things exactly like they do find a different trainer.
hello, I am a French beginner machine operator, I work a lot on caterpilar excavators and wheel excavators, I watch your videos very carefully, they give me a lot of info, I learn a lot with you, continue and thank you for it is really great, my dream is to come and live and work in the United States, me little French :) see you soon
Thanks so much, Man! I’d previously only run them a little bit (two older D3’s) and I’m back to dirt work again after 15 years, so this was super reassuring to some of my theories on what was frustrating me today & also what I’ve been (where I’ve been feeling the machine and the ground).
good video, friend, I have worked operating a D10t bulldozer for 5 years, working in dirty terrain, neat no need to carry material and then push it into the hole of the crushing machine, today I was moved to the area from previously carrying a Komatsu D65p, the job is to make the area neat and there were a lot of mistakes operating the bulldozer and it made me frustrated today
A lot of guys who have gotten all of their dozer experience in the bigger machines get frustrated when moving to the smaller track bases. You don't realize how helpful the longer track base is until you don't have it anymore. Give it a little time and your brain will adjust and you'll be blading smooth again.
@@downfour47304 I'll second that! I still occasionally have rough days on the Dozer where I cannot carry grade to save my life and I have to slow myself back down
I've always wanted to attend a heavy equipment school and pretend like I don't know what I'm doing for 5 minutes before running the gear like a champ just for fun. Pro tip; regardless of whether you have a 6 way blade, the direction of travel makes a HUGE difference in how you carry material. Instead of turning around the house in a big sweeping motion, orient yourself through the pile straight to where you want to go. Trench push by taking the material in front first.
I can't tell if the first part of this comment is a dig or just an observation. For the second part of your conversation, you are spot on. You will be far more effective getting lined up and pushing in a straight line when slot dozing
@@DieselandIron not a dig, just a rich fantasy of mine after a long time of operating. I would also suggest with those John Deere machines that the faster you run them the better you can be. Especially in heavily sandy materials. The blade can move exceptionally fast on them in comparison to Cat 6s and Komatsu 71s. With a Cat 6, feathering your decelerator while in 2nd gear works well. When in a Deere I run them about 2.5-2.7F and handle the blade as fast as I can. Once you get up into a D10 you'll find that the blade is surprisingly fast for the size of machine and having that experience in the smaller machines makes a difference. Slot pushing is the key to every successful dozer operator. I slot push everything, all the time. If I have a 100 ton pile of material and a D6 I'll climb the pile and start hogging out from the front every time instead of taking tiny bites off a side. I even employ this with 400 ton piles and a D10 as swiping just takes too long. I've been mining and doing heavy civil for about 15 years and I've been in just about every situation you can find with a Dozer.
Super video! My GPS is topcon and I don’t have the double button for adjusting on the fly like you have but that’s really great because I have to turn off my gps and remove junk material or add fill . Maybe Deere will add those !!
I run a brand new D5 High track dozer with 350 hours on it pushing over 150 loads of sand in a day on my new job, but, I only have about 40 hours of experience on a dozer. (I am a loader operator mostly) so thanks bro
This is not the first time I’ve heard someone say “I drive with my ass” and it’s hard to understand if you’ve never experienced it but once you get the feel of it then the understanding falls into place and in the end (no pun intended) that’s the easiest way to explain it to someone else. Good job on elaborating on it a bit more though 👍
O for operate I for in motion, always check your DATES on the filters and know their time frame to change, if you have an older machine the lube points may not be visible, sooo we have copies in the cab laminated. I'll take my new D5 high wheel, sweet machine
That’s so weird- I am a novice dozer operator with a HD7 Allis and what took me probably 50 hours of run time behind the sticks figuring it all out myself, you just said in the first 5 minutes! I finally inured out, I needed to just trust my ‘ass’! And constant bumping the hydraulics for blade micro management! Those 2 things I’ve found out have made the biggest difference in maintaining the grade you need.
All of this advice has come from thousands of hours in the seat. I can give people a head start but it still takes putting in the hours. Thanks for the comment!
Growing up on a farm and dad operating a logging business. He always said you need to operate from the "Seat of your pants". So I'm teaching my kids to operate and they get sick of me saying that🤣. Great video
@@DieselandIron not a problem. As a fairly new operator I can say you’re spot on with taking your time and don’t get frustrated. The only way to get better is seat time without a doubt!
@@DieselandIron I got to learn on levees and cutting in slopes!😂 talk about crash course! Still nowhere near expert. Another big piece to me learning is being a sponge and soaking up tips and knowledge from the experienced operators. Stay humble and willing to learn.
@@hudz32 cutting slopes is not a beginner task. You are 100% correct. Never stop learning. There is way what is too much to learn in this industry to ever think you fully get it and you are above learning. Humility goes a long way in this business
Good video. Currently running D10 and struggling with those rocker controls for for direction. I'm in control with a handle control but man sure getting frustrated with this new set up.
I've got a video on grade stakes and setting grade. Have you had a chance to watch those? Let me know if that leaves you with some questions and I'll try to do another one specifically on bluetopping.
She's a hard machine but once you conquer it you will love it. Doing finish work in a dozer makes you feel like Bob Ross painting some happy little trees.
Ive got two day runing a dozer im making a road its 3.5' higher than the base ground these trucks are bringin in mud/clay boulders not dirt not sand i get it pretty level and i go to push the truck load & all of a sudden the dozer takes a fkn nose dive and fks up my last run now ive gotta backdrag to try to fix it yet it takes another nose dive wtf am i doin wrong? Thanks for the video this is the first one ive seen, P.s i have zero training didnt even know what one was when i heard people talkin about'em i worked ultra deepwater drill for 20years and never have done any heavy equipment operating except the equipment on the rig, Preciate the video
I’m on my 3rd day training on a dozer and it’s frustrating forsure !!! I got so frustrated I was making a mess I decided to jump on a loader clean up my mess in no time .. DOZERS totally different animal
If you want to find your "level butt" faster, run a skid/track steer first. You can feel just about every little mole hill and you don't have to worry about blade tilt because you just can't. They're also smaller and if you mess up and cut a little too much, you can bucket material over to fix the mistake.
I think those buttons that change your vertical offset on the blade control are a bad design especially on the John Deere 700/750s I’ve noticed when trying to hit the shaker you can easily switch your numbers and not notice for a while
Ya, you definitely want to be aware when you hit them. That is a costly oops... In the case the blade shake is disabled when in gps mode so there's no reason to accidentally hit the buttons.
Diesel and Iron damn on a 750 Deere the shaker works but that button works too unfortunately being a gradechecker I don’t run much but Gps lol but I have found it easy to hit it when running a machine maybe because I don’t spend everyday on one
@@smokingbluedream ya you get a really good feel for when you actually depress the button. It will also show up quick if you are close to grade and the dozer doesn't take a pass like were expecting.
Diesel and Iron I learn a lot from working with talented operators like yourself everyday doing grade you see who can carry it from station to station not just hit it once every 50 feet. just watching what moves they take at certain times helps out a lot whenever I get to get on a piece of machinery
It's one of those skills that come with time. At first you don't carry the material because you are worried about going to deep in your slot so you have a tendency to leave material. Your situation will be a little harder because you are on a coal stockpile so the material isn't hard packed. In regular soil you start to get a feel for when you are cutting vs carrying. Just give it time and your skills will start to develop where you are making nice long passes.
Ok so I’ve been running a d6T for a while with a 6 way. I got moved to a new jobsite and they had a d8T but the 6 way doesn’t change blade angles. It changes the roll forward or backwards of the blade. I’m trying to figure out what it’s best use of that function.
That's going to be your carry function. When you pitch the blade forward it will cut more aggressively. When you pitch the blade back it will carry more material and won't dig nearly as much.
haha amen to that! Almost every dozer operator with a solid career under their belt has some sort of back issue. If it isn't the constant banging around it's the nonstop head turning to look behind you. Thanks for watching!
Great series you're putting out. Quick question: If you were going to mount a single laser receiver on a dozer blade, would you want it in the center or on the end, keeping in mind that it will be mounted high enough for 360 degree reception, and there will be a remote receiver in the cab. My thought is to put a crown on a long driveway, I could just mount it on the end, and lower my end to get my percent of slope for drainage. But, I also think in the center would be a bit more accurate for flat work. Your thoughts?
Thank you! I would advise you put the mast in the center of the blade. That's pretty much standard practice. A lot of those systems will come with a pitch and roll sensor that will be able to determine cross slope as well. That will take the guesswork out of it for you. At the end of the day you could easily mount a level in the cab that would indicate your pitch from left to right. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment!
Canyon either tell me or make a video on how to get rid of the washboard? I've been dozing for a couple of months now and having a major problem with washboarding. I run a deere 850l lgp in a sand mine. Thanks
Sand is really hard to grade when you are first starting out. Due to the fact that it is loose, it doesn't offer resistance to the blade so you end up grading entirely by sight. The best advice I can give you is to slow down a little so you are making flat passes. As your skill increases, challenge yourself to go a little faster. As soon as you start wash boarding again, slow down a bit. Over the course of a couple weeks you will see a noticeable improvement on your skill. There is no shortcut on this one. This is where the skill part of the "skilled trades" comes in. This is a craft that you have to hone and the only way to do it is with hours of seat time. As frustrating as it can be, look at it this way: if you can grade flat in sand, you can grade flat in just about anything.
Eventually I'd like to put out a second video that gets into more advanced dozing techniques. That's where I would address working on extreme slopes. This was more of an intro video for new operators. Thanks for the comment Luke!
Lol the O means there is no connection, i look at the O as Off rather than use (I)as placement for engage XD, its a looped connection to keep flow of electricity out of the glow plugs im assuming lol, the (I) means you've made a connection of electricity.
I operate a Cat D9T and have for a few years but I can’t seem to get the dips out when i push grade, sometimes it works out sometimes not i rolled my cutting edges forward and that seemed to help but it still happens, any advice?
Rolling your blade forward is going to help you cut in while rolling the blade back is going to carry material. To get the dips out you just have to spend time really working at it. It is one of the hardest skills to attain in a dozer. The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to just slow down a bit. It's hard to do but you need to get good at grading flat before you increase your speed. Once you start getting the hang of it, bump your speed up a little until you start seeing dips again. Stop increasing speed and stay there until you can go that fast without dips, then increase your speed again.
This is a tough question due to all the variables involved. What size dozer exactly? Is it flat, level terrain or will you be pushing uphill? Downhill? What is the soil composition? Clay? Topsoil? Sand? Is it wet? There's a lot that goes into this sort of thing. Just a total off the top of my head guess I would say you could knock it out in 10ish hours. Maybe 2 days worth of work if conditions are working against you.
Good tip! It's hard to operate with no visibility. I have another video where I use the 2D system to grade. It's only effective when you have a good sized area that will have the same pitch. 2D isn't good for just rough grading because of the time it takes to dial in your slopes.
@@DieselandIron Hard material is clay and shale, a ripper is for rock. A dozer blade only has two settings Roll dirt, or scrape and load. Roll dirt is for making Trails in woods, or cutting hard clay. Scrape and load is for finnish Grading. You carry twice as much material in Scrape and grade, but the dozer will stop in hard dry clay. In roll dirt the dozer never slows down.
I just subscribe been watching ur videos for litle over 2 hrs straight Im a new dozer operator and u r right about getting frustrated I guess I beter work on my patience, good stuff Ill continue watching more videos🤘🤘🤘
Thanks for the support Richard! Stick with it, this is a skilled trade. If it was easy then everyone would be doing it brother. Let me know if there is a topic you would like me to cover and I'll do my best to make a video on it.
It does help in several ways. You learn to anticipate adjusting the blade as you track forward over ground you've already graded. You also learn how to pitch the machine to assist in grading. These are all skills that help in a dozer.
I know this is an old video and not sure if youll see the comment, but is there an advantage of doing it the first thing in the morning vs. end of day, other than you worked a long day and may not want to spend the time?
@@jesterofatlas5749 ah, gotcha! I've always found doing it in the morning worked best for me. You already have the machine warming up so it gives you something to do while you wait. I know at least personally I struggle with getting out of the machine at the end of the day knowing that I have another task I have to do. I find greasing gets neglected when I do it in the evening.
You are correct. Technically it is an eight way blade due to the manual adjustment. These are still referred to as a 6 way blade though in the industry. Thanks for the comment Evan!
Bro you really are a good teacher! I have been running a dozer, excavator and other equipment for years. I get really frustrated running a dozer sometimes seems like i get doing the same work to get it right. I am learning by watching people like you THANKS AGAIN !
I really appreciate the kind words! Thanks for watching and let me know if there's something you'd like to see
I operate a 750k everyday building roads for draglines and working on ditches. Great video, seat time is key. I feel I learn everyday and I have over 10,000 hours of seat time.
A 750K seems like a tiny machine to be working around draglines! That dozer must look like a toy. Thanks for the comment Laura, I totally agree. It doesn't matter how much seat time you have, you're always picking up new tricks and discovering ways to improve your technique.
I started operating a dozer when I was 16 yrs. it was an old on a D8 cable model with a pony motor to start it, I grow into a J.D. 450 C w/dual slopeboards and became an owner-operator for 27 yrs. did a lot of finish work on slopes an fine grade etc, I am now 66 yrs. old and have trained a lot of dozer hands in my time and believe that evey operator should start on the biggest, oldest, sloppiest/loosest dozer you can find the work and your way down to a small toy/dozer because as you know the smaller the harder to operate. However the way you explained the operation of a dozer in you video was the same way I would explained to a green horn but most of all the statement you said " its like riding a bike you once you find level you will never lose it" a very true statement and I still use the bubble in my ass today as I go and play in the dirt part time, Therefor my (HAT IS OFF TO YOU) for educating up coming dozer hands
What I'm gathering is you were an operator back when you really had to operate! Those old dozers had more levers and pedals than I'd know what to do with. Thanks for watching and I appreciate the support!
Just my two cents, but I was taught to always grease at the end of the day while you're fueling and cleaning tracks. As all of the fittings will be warmer and take grease easier. And it is a good idea to look the machine over after work the same as before working. Definitely some great information. Setting grade with such a short wheelbase is a real challenge, anyone can hop in a D8 and push fill all day, but working the dozer is truly an art. Good tips for newcomers, but like you said there is no training like on the job training!
Great point. I should do a video specific to this topic because there are definitely two schools of thought. I think at the end of the day as long as the machine is getting cared for you are doing your job as an operator. I personally liked greasing at the start of the day because the machine needed to warm up anyway and I was fresh. I wasn't rushing through it to get home quicker but that's just my personal preference. Thanks for the comment, I appreciate the feedback!
Only issue is what if some one else may be running it the next day or some one else ran it the day before. im always for greasing in the morning so before it runs i know its got fresh grease in it. If no one else runs the machine than you, then sure end of day can be a good idea.
That's good idea
Not anyone can in dozer and push all day.
So, I talked my way into an operator position out here in the oil fields of West Texas and am going through orientation now. Of all the equipment a dozer is what interests me most. I’ve operated a bit here and there in the past, in loaders and skidsteers, but only operated a dozer once for about five minutes haha. I truly hope I can get into a dozer sooner than later and don’t get stuck in a loader. No offense to loader operators lol. Anyway, I’ve watched a ton of these style videos over the years and have to say, nobody comes close to you. Your teaching skills and ability to explain things are really admirable. Thanks!
I appreciate the compliment! I hope you get your dozer seat time sooner than later brother!
@@DieselandIron so far just a roller for me haha. Long days!
Dad just bought a 2015 CAT D6T LGP a few months ago and I’ve been trying to soak up as much information on it as possible. It’s got about 5,100 hours on it, pretty clean unit and I want to take care of it. Your videos have been very helpful! We have landforming tractors and excavators and I run all of that, but I’ve never ran a dozer before. I didn’t even know what LGP meant until I watched your video lol.
I'm happy to help! Let me know if you've got questions!
Just finished a heavy equipment training school and I find you videos very helpful and interesting thanks
Thanks for watching, I really appreciate it! I'm glad the videos are helpful. Now that you're done with trade school, are you job hunting?
When pushing forward with angled blade, when you back up at end of your pass, reverse the angle of your blade fully to opposite direction. Move over half blade width so furrow is in the middle if the blade. Put the blade in FLOAT position. This will fill in all small dips made from the original push. A 72 year old an taught me this. He told me two things. 1.) use the blade on both passes, 2.) if you don't get a dozen stuck your not pushing it to its full ability. I do like your videos !
Thanks for the input Robert and I appreciate you supporting the channel brother!
Robert, you are the first person I have seen on TH-cam to to explain that technique. I have been doing that esp, when finish grading. Cuts time down considerably.
Back blading is a cheaters move. :P
Gentlemen farmer here, my new to me 550G is getting delivered tomorrow... this was helpful thank you
That's awesome! It's always fun getting new toys! Let me know if you got any questions I can answer for you.
Awesome video!! I own a dump truck, been around heavy equipment for last 20 years. Always wanted to get in a dozer. I can watch your videos for hours. Really great job!!!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate you watching!
It is a good little Doze!!!
Another tip: Don’t give up just because it’s taking a while to figure it out. Stick to it regardless
Amen! Great advice Kailin! Thanks for the comment!
i just started today was my frist day in a dozer a lot harder than it looks
@@brandonurman8048 don’t give up! Very much worth the struggle.
Appreciate the good content💯 keep the “how to operate” series going good for upcoming operators.
Thank you! I'm hoping to slowly work through all the machines as I have access to them. Thanks for watching!
Off or Ingage!! I'll remember that, 40 years old and every single time I assume o is on!! Thanks learn something new every day
Haha happy to help! Hopefully this will save you some irritation 😂
@@DieselandIron I just picked up a dresser TD7e with a slope board and rippers. I only have a couple hours seat time and I really was surprised how difficult it was to operate and frustrating. Being a professional operator who has never run a dozer or blade I still thought I would have it mastered in a few hours🤣 Lesson learned, about to go get some more seat time and push some dirt!! Dozers are awesome machines.
Fellow operator, great video dude. Seat time is key.
Thanks Woody! I appreciate you watching brother.
I'm taking a heavy equipment operator course now.. can't tell you how helpful this is. Thanks !
Thanks for watching Margo! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
First rule - it’s just dirt you can’t break it
Second rule - who cares if you take a little too much just put some back
Third rule - no 2 operators are the same
Fourth rule - if you reach the intended final result there is no right or wrong way to get it done
Remember every operator does things different. They aren’t wrong they are different. A person may have a bad knee he will be different, a person may be left handed so they may favor backing to the right or left, a person may have a bad neck so they favor a certain side. Nobody is wrong. If a trainer says you have to do things exactly like they do find a different trainer.
All great points! Thanks for the comment Stacy!
hello, I am a French beginner machine operator, I work a lot on caterpilar excavators and wheel excavators, I watch your videos very carefully, they give me a lot of info, I learn a lot with you, continue and thank you for it is really great, my dream is to come and live and work in the United States, me little French :) see you soon
Thank you for watching and thank you for the feedback! Feel free to reach out if you have questions!
Thanks so much, Man! I’d previously only run them a little bit (two older D3’s) and I’m back to dirt work again after 15 years, so this was super reassuring to some of my theories on what was frustrating me today & also what I’ve been (where I’ve been feeling the machine and the ground).
Thank you for watching and thanks for the comment! Welcome back to the industry!
This is a great instructional video. Thank you so much!
Really glad it was helpful, thanks for watching man!
good video, friend, I have worked operating a D10t bulldozer for 5 years, working in dirty terrain, neat no need to carry material and then push it into the hole of the crushing machine, today I was moved to the area from previously carrying a Komatsu D65p, the job is to make the area neat and there were a lot of mistakes operating the bulldozer and it made me frustrated today
A lot of guys who have gotten all of their dozer experience in the bigger machines get frustrated when moving to the smaller track bases. You don't realize how helpful the longer track base is until you don't have it anymore. Give it a little time and your brain will adjust and you'll be blading smooth again.
I’ve always called it wash boarding but tomato tamoto lol. Agreed tho. Dozer is one of the most patient demanding pieces of equipment when starting
You’re on point with taking it slow. In a dozer slower is actually faster.
Thanks for the feedback! I agree, slower is faster. It's easy to feel pressure to go fast as a new guy. It's counter intuitive to slow down.
@@DieselandIron I still catch myself doing that. I’ve been in the trades for some time now. Jack of all trades. Master of none! 😂😂
@@downfour47304 I'll second that! I still occasionally have rough days on the Dozer where I cannot carry grade to save my life and I have to slow myself back down
I've always wanted to attend a heavy equipment school and pretend like I don't know what I'm doing for 5 minutes before running the gear like a champ just for fun.
Pro tip; regardless of whether you have a 6 way blade, the direction of travel makes a HUGE difference in how you carry material. Instead of turning around the house in a big sweeping motion, orient yourself through the pile straight to where you want to go. Trench push by taking the material in front first.
I can't tell if the first part of this comment is a dig or just an observation.
For the second part of your conversation, you are spot on. You will be far more effective getting lined up and pushing in a straight line when slot dozing
@@DieselandIron not a dig, just a rich fantasy of mine after a long time of operating.
I would also suggest with those John Deere machines that the faster you run them the better you can be. Especially in heavily sandy materials. The blade can move exceptionally fast on them in comparison to Cat 6s and Komatsu 71s. With a Cat 6, feathering your decelerator while in 2nd gear works well. When in a Deere I run them about 2.5-2.7F and handle the blade as fast as I can.
Once you get up into a D10 you'll find that the blade is surprisingly fast for the size of machine and having that experience in the smaller machines makes a difference.
Slot pushing is the key to every successful dozer operator. I slot push everything, all the time. If I have a 100 ton pile of material and a D6 I'll climb the pile and start hogging out from the front every time instead of taking tiny bites off a side. I even employ this with 400 ton piles and a D10 as swiping just takes too long.
I've been mining and doing heavy civil for about 15 years and I've been in just about every situation you can find with a Dozer.
Shout out from Novi! Thanks for your videos I'm looking to get into the industry and your videos are extremely helpful.
Thanks for watching neighbor! Reach out if you've got questions!
I ran a grader , loader and scraper. But damn dozers i never could do. They are tuff
It is a very different animal, that's for sure. Thanks for watching!
Well done bud, I'm ready to operate a dozer 👍🏻
Thanks! I'm going to try and work my way though the machines with similar videos.
@@DieselandIron Cool, looking forward to some more.
Super video! My GPS is topcon and I don’t have the double button for adjusting on the fly like you have but that’s really great because I have to turn off my gps and remove junk material or add fill . Maybe Deere will add those !!
The GPS market is pretty competitive right now so it wouldn't surprise me at all if Deere modifies its design.
I love this video. Thank you!
Thank you for watching and commenting!
I run a brand new D5 High track dozer with 350 hours on it pushing over 150 loads of sand in a day on my new job, but, I only have about 40 hours of experience on a dozer. (I am a loader operator mostly) so thanks bro
You got it Florida Man. Try to stay out of trouble, we are all rooting for you 😂
@@DieselandIron haha thanks I need any help I can get 😂👍
@@blackscoped my first day running a D6 is Monday 👍🏻
Great video explained well!
Thank you for watching!
Awesome video thank you for taking the time. I've watched it couple times and it's been very helpful
Thanks for watching Logan! Give me a shout if you have any questions.
This is not the first time I’ve heard someone say “I drive with my ass” and it’s hard to understand if you’ve never experienced it but once you get the feel of it then the understanding falls into place and in the end (no pun intended) that’s the easiest way to explain it to someone else. Good job on elaborating on it a bit more though 👍
Thank you! It is one of those things you don't really understand until you've done it.
"Ass Level" is something you need to be able to do in a skid-loader when grading as well.
Thank you Sir!you are a good teacher
Thanks for watching Sam!
O for operate I for in motion, always check your DATES on the filters and know their time frame to change, if you have an older machine the lube points may not be visible, sooo we have copies in the cab laminated. I'll take my new D5 high wheel, sweet machine
All very good advice. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment.
O for open, line for closed breaker
That’s so weird- I am a novice dozer operator with a HD7 Allis and what took me probably 50 hours of run time behind the sticks figuring it all out myself, you just said in the first 5 minutes! I finally inured out, I needed to just trust my ‘ass’! And constant bumping the hydraulics for blade micro management! Those 2 things I’ve found out have made the biggest difference in maintaining the grade you need.
All of this advice has come from thousands of hours in the seat. I can give people a head start but it still takes putting in the hours. Thanks for the comment!
Growing up on a farm and dad operating a logging business. He always said you need to operate from the "Seat of your pants". So I'm teaching my kids to operate and they get sick of me saying that🤣. Great video
In a dozer especially, that's the way you do it! It's all about feel!
Best video I’ve seen for beginners!
Thanks Chris! I appreciate the kind words.
@@DieselandIron not a problem. As a fairly new operator I can say you’re spot on with taking your time and don’t get frustrated. The only way to get better is seat time without a doubt!
@@hudz32 amen to that. Seat time... And lots of it!
@@DieselandIron I got to learn on levees and cutting in slopes!😂 talk about crash course! Still nowhere near expert. Another big piece to me learning is being a sponge and soaking up tips and knowledge from the experienced operators. Stay humble and willing to learn.
@@hudz32 cutting slopes is not a beginner task. You are 100% correct. Never stop learning. There is way what is too much to learn in this industry to ever think you fully get it and you are above learning. Humility goes a long way in this business
I’m really great grading with a track loader but honestly don’t have that much time in a dozer
Great video, this helped me out a lot
Thanks for watching brother
If you are great at grading with a track loader, you would be a Picasso in a dozer in no time.
How about "O" for off and "I" for ignition?
I think you're onto something. My little memory trick is so ingrained now I don't know that I can switch! 😂😂
Good video. Currently running D10 and struggling with those rocker controls for for direction. I'm in control with a handle control but man sure getting frustrated with this new set up.
Every time you get used to something in the industry they go and change it!😂
Great Video! 👍
Much Mahalos!🤙🏾
Thanks for watching!
Can you make a video on bluetopping...specifically how to set hubs to subgrade..
I've got a video on grade stakes and setting grade. Have you had a chance to watch those? Let me know if that leaves you with some questions and I'll try to do another one specifically on bluetopping.
@@DieselandIron ill have to look for it..thanks
I cant seem to find it...could you send it to my email?
@@mannyrodriguez8926 th-cam.com/video/kdzcUAgU4f4/w-d-xo.html
@@mannyrodriguez8926 th-cam.com/video/vxvTLzrkTgc/w-d-xo.html
Dozer is the hardest machine I have ever been in. It took me 5 days of 8 hours to get slightly comfortable and stop making humps.
She's a hard machine but once you conquer it you will love it. Doing finish work in a dozer makes you feel like Bob Ross painting some happy little trees.
Ive got two day runing a dozer im making a road its 3.5' higher than the base ground these trucks are bringin in mud/clay boulders not dirt not sand i get it pretty level and i go to push the truck load & all of a sudden the dozer takes a fkn nose dive and fks up my last run now ive gotta backdrag to try to fix it yet it takes another nose dive wtf am i doin wrong? Thanks for the video this is the first one ive seen, P.s i have zero training didnt even know what one was when i heard people talkin about'em i worked ultra deepwater drill for 20years and never have done any heavy equipment operating except the equipment on the rig, Preciate the video
Great tutorial
Thanks for watching!
Great knowledge and video, practice,practice
Thank you! That's exactly it. Nothing beats seat time in this industry. Thanks for watching!
I for ignition, don't forget to check the transmission oil
🎉🎉Thanks so much!! I also like the "O & I" how yuh do it. I always learn so much from your videos.🎉🎉
I'm so glad they're helpful, thank you for the support brother!
[thank, you for youre helpful video.👍 i, just bought a 2002 939c cat track loader bull dozer with a 4&1 bucket for $40k]
Great video thanks
Thank you for watching!
That was a great video
Thanks Roy!
I’m on my 3rd day training on a dozer and it’s frustrating forsure !!! I got so frustrated I was making a mess I decided to jump on a loader clean up my mess in no time .. DOZERS totally different animal
Well done
Looking behind you before backing is a great tip …. You should try it …
If you want to find your "level butt" faster, run a skid/track steer first. You can feel just about every little mole hill and you don't have to worry about blade tilt because you just can't. They're also smaller and if you mess up and cut a little too much, you can bucket material over to fix the mistake.
Great tip! Thanks for the input and for watching!
Super vid mate thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
You can slow the cat dozer blade down if you look in the settings
You can but even in the lowest, slowest settings the blade was ridiculously fast on the K series. The d6k was the worst in my opinion.
The power of these machines fascinate me.
They are pretty incredible when you stop and think about it.
Ignition starts with an I!🤣👌
Good point! 🤣🤣
I’ve never seen inside the newer machines. Honestly think I prefer the older dozers.
The new ones are nice. There have been a lot of improvements to increase operator comfort and overall efficiency.
Forgot the transmission..... 😆
I think those buttons that change your vertical offset on the blade control are a bad design especially on the John Deere 700/750s I’ve noticed when trying to hit the shaker you can easily switch your numbers and not notice for a while
Ya, you definitely want to be aware when you hit them. That is a costly oops... In the case the blade shake is disabled when in gps mode so there's no reason to accidentally hit the buttons.
Diesel and Iron damn on a 750 Deere the shaker works but that button works too unfortunately being a gradechecker I don’t run much but Gps lol but I have found it easy to hit it when running a machine maybe because I don’t spend everyday on one
@@smokingbluedream ya you get a really good feel for when you actually depress the button. It will also show up quick if you are close to grade and the dozer doesn't take a pass like were expecting.
Diesel and Iron I learn a lot from working with talented operators like yourself everyday doing grade you see who can carry it from station to station not just hit it once every 50 feet. just watching what moves they take at certain times helps out a lot whenever I get to get on a piece of machinery
@@smokingbluedream that's a great way to learn techniques that work well. Operators all have their take on what works best.
I believe that dozer has pilot control like an excavator, electric over hydraulic. makes the blade lever feel really loose.
Most of your newer dozers have gone to electric over hydraulic. It's far easier on your arm and wrist and it integrates with grade control far easier.
I'm a new dozer operator and struggling to keep material for a long distance, struggling to cut windros to a level as I'm working with coal
It's one of those skills that come with time. At first you don't carry the material because you are worried about going to deep in your slot so you have a tendency to leave material. Your situation will be a little harder because you are on a coal stockpile so the material isn't hard packed. In regular soil you start to get a feel for when you are cutting vs carrying. Just give it time and your skills will start to develop where you are making nice long passes.
Ok so I’ve been running a d6T for a while with a 6 way. I got moved to a new jobsite and they had a d8T but the 6 way doesn’t change blade angles. It changes the roll forward or backwards of the blade. I’m trying to figure out what it’s best use of that function.
That's going to be your carry function. When you pitch the blade forward it will cut more aggressively. When you pitch the blade back it will carry more material and won't dig nearly as much.
I used to back up in 3rd gear years ago when i could still walk like a humen being.
haha amen to that! Almost every dozer operator with a solid career under their belt has some sort of back issue. If it isn't the constant banging around it's the nonstop head turning to look behind you. Thanks for watching!
@@DieselandIron those little hidden stumps and rocks sneak up on you in high gear backing up.
Great series you're putting out. Quick question: If you were going to mount a single laser receiver on a dozer blade, would you want it in the center or on the end, keeping in mind that it will be mounted high enough for 360 degree reception, and there will be a remote receiver in the cab. My thought is to put a crown on a long driveway, I could just mount it on the end, and lower my end to get my percent of slope for drainage. But, I also think in the center would be a bit more accurate for flat work.
Your thoughts?
Thank you! I would advise you put the mast in the center of the blade. That's pretty much standard practice. A lot of those systems will come with a pitch and roll sensor that will be able to determine cross slope as well. That will take the guesswork out of it for you. At the end of the day you could easily mount a level in the cab that would indicate your pitch from left to right. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment!
Canyon either tell me or make a video on how to get rid of the washboard? I've been dozing for a couple of months now and having a major problem with washboarding. I run a deere 850l lgp in a sand mine.
Thanks
Sand is really hard to grade when you are first starting out. Due to the fact that it is loose, it doesn't offer resistance to the blade so you end up grading entirely by sight. The best advice I can give you is to slow down a little so you are making flat passes. As your skill increases, challenge yourself to go a little faster. As soon as you start wash boarding again, slow down a bit. Over the course of a couple weeks you will see a noticeable improvement on your skill. There is no shortcut on this one. This is where the skill part of the "skilled trades" comes in. This is a craft that you have to hone and the only way to do it is with hours of seat time. As frustrating as it can be, look at it this way: if you can grade flat in sand, you can grade flat in just about anything.
Actually the soft sand I don't have a problem with it's the hard dand that messes me up and I don't know how to correct it
Tilt/pitch your blade angle around 30 degrees. It will bridge and not have a gouge tendency
What brand laser/grade control are you using in this video?
The machine with the masts was running a Leica 3D GPS system on it.
Awesome , Thank you
Thanks for watching!
Shoulda talked about working on steep slopes and learning to counteract how it likes to dig in more the more weight u have on the bladed
Eventually I'd like to put out a second video that gets into more advanced dozing techniques. That's where I would address working on extreme slopes. This was more of an intro video for new operators. Thanks for the comment Luke!
thank you
Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much
Thanks for watching!
O for off I for ignition is what I remember
Lol the O means there is no connection, i look at the O as Off rather than use (I)as placement for engage XD, its a looped connection to keep flow of electricity out of the glow plugs im assuming lol, the (I) means you've made a connection of electricity.
That's easy for electrical engineers to remember. For us dumb dirt guys we have to use memory tricks...😂
I operate a Cat D9T and have for a few years but I can’t seem to get the dips out when i push grade, sometimes it works out sometimes not i rolled my cutting edges forward and that seemed to help but it still happens, any advice?
Rolling your blade forward is going to help you cut in while rolling the blade back is going to carry material. To get the dips out you just have to spend time really working at it. It is one of the hardest skills to attain in a dozer. The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to just slow down a bit. It's hard to do but you need to get good at grading flat before you increase your speed. Once you start getting the hang of it, bump your speed up a little until you start seeing dips again. Stop increasing speed and stay there until you can go that fast without dips, then increase your speed again.
@@DieselandIron 10-4 I’ll give it a try thank you
How difficult would it be to turn a d6k into a 4 axle diesel switcher locomotive?
Gus, you are well outside of my scope of knowledge. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say....difficult.
If you were on a medium size dozer how long would it take to strip a foot of dirt off an acre of an open field? Thanks!
This is a tough question due to all the variables involved. What size dozer exactly? Is it flat, level terrain or will you be pushing uphill? Downhill? What is the soil composition? Clay? Topsoil? Sand? Is it wet? There's a lot that goes into this sort of thing. Just a total off the top of my head guess I would say you could knock it out in 10ish hours. Maybe 2 days worth of work if conditions are working against you.
Peace be upon you, I am a dozer driver with 20 years of experience in all technical and engineering works, looking for a job
I is for ignition, lol .. but good video..
Fair enough...
The first thing to do....wash the windows . If you can't see you can't do your job . And why not used the electronics ?
Good tip! It's hard to operate with no visibility. I have another video where I use the 2D system to grade. It's only effective when you have a good sized area that will have the same pitch. 2D isn't good for just rough grading because of the time it takes to dial in your slopes.
Nice work using a finnish Dozer, wonder how you would do Cutting Hard material?
Thank you! When you say hard material are you talking hard clays or getting more into rock?
@@DieselandIron Hard material is clay and shale, a ripper is for rock.
A dozer blade only has two settings Roll dirt, or scrape and load.
Roll dirt is for making Trails in woods, or cutting hard clay.
Scrape and load is for finnish Grading.
You carry twice as much material in Scrape and grade, but the dozer will stop in hard dry clay.
In roll dirt the dozer never slows down.
@@carrollsanders9376 we have a fair amount of hard clay up here, that's why I was confused if you were referring to Dozing rock after a blasting crew.
@@DieselandIron hard clay move the top of the dozer blade as far forward as it will go, peal it off like cheese.
I just subscribe been watching ur videos for litle over 2 hrs straight Im a new dozer operator and u r right about getting frustrated I guess I beter work on my patience, good stuff Ill continue watching more videos🤘🤘🤘
Thanks for the support Richard! Stick with it, this is a skilled trade. If it was easy then everyone would be doing it brother. Let me know if there is a topic you would like me to cover and I'll do my best to make a video on it.
Thank u senor keep up the great job
Is it true if you are good at grading with a skid loader it’ll be easier on a dozer?
It does help in several ways. You learn to anticipate adjusting the blade as you track forward over ground you've already graded. You also learn how to pitch the machine to assist in grading. These are all skills that help in a dozer.
How do you keep you blade steady to grade a level surface.
Lots of practice. That's not even a sarcastic answer, that's the honest truth. Hours and hours of practice.
I know this is an old video and not sure if youll see the comment, but is there an advantage of doing it the first thing in the morning vs. end of day, other than you worked a long day and may not want to spend the time?
What are you referring to specifically? I don't remember what all I talked about in this video.
@@DieselandIron doing the greasing of the machine.
@@jesterofatlas5749 ah, gotcha! I've always found doing it in the morning worked best for me. You already have the machine warming up so it gives you something to do while you wait. I know at least personally I struggle with getting out of the machine at the end of the day knowing that I have another task I have to do. I find greasing gets neglected when I do it in the evening.
I N G A G E
It's like the derp version of Star Trek!
Grato pela informação
Thanks for watching!
Hasn’t that got a 8 way blade the tilt for the blade at the top is a manual to tilt it to cut better
You are correct. Technically it is an eight way blade due to the manual adjustment. These are still referred to as a 6 way blade though in the industry. Thanks for the comment Evan!
Lol, I just started excavation work for the first time, boss said he’s going to throw me on the dozer and track hoe on day 4 lol.
There's no better way to learn than sitting in the seat! Let me know if you have questions.
" I " is actually for ignition.
That makes more sense than my little memory trick but now I've got it so lodged in my head I don't think I can change it!
รุ่นนี้ใช้ดีทำงานเร็วมมาก
"I" could be thought as for ignition.
That's a great point!
To the moon 🌙 👍
I for Ignition
Where the heck you get them shadez
amzn.to/2SiDTKc
They are cheap and hold up well. I'm on my 4th set
11 all day every day
“How do I know when I’m at grade when using dozer??”
My instructor: ha! By the hole in ur ass how else?!”