D6b ??

Firewoodjoe · October 13, 2018, 10:32:31 PM

Any thoughts. It's manual trans. No pony motor and hydraulic blade. Dry brakes? Value?

BargeMonkey · October 14, 2018, 12:17:52 AM

Not sure how much diff between a "B" and a "C", had a C for quite a while and good machines. Value on the older stuff is all condition, alot of big old iron around cheap right now.

Firewoodjoe · October 14, 2018, 08:05:28 AM

I read the c they went to wet brakes. It's nice clean and was told 7,000. I'm just undecided between a truck pusher or a Buncher. Production is everything but don't mean anything if u can't get 160,000+ pounds out of the woods.

mike_belben · October 14, 2018, 08:19:02 AM

i may never have a buncher but i hope to never be without a dozer. When nothing else moves, its your MVP.

Tramp Bushler · October 14, 2018, 02:35:55 PM

Do you already own it and are thinking of selling ?
There are times when a dozer is an expense and a challenge. ( mobing) but otherwise. They are a great asset.
Gotta be moving a LOT of timber to make a buncher worthwhile.

Skeans1 · October 14, 2018, 03:09:28 PM

Quote from: Tramp Bushler on October 14, 2018, 02:35:55 PM
Do you already own it and are thinking of selling ?
There are times when a dozer is an expense and a challenge. ( mobing) but otherwise. They are a great asset.
Gotta be moving a LOT of timber to make a buncher worthwhile.

How much wood do you have move just to make pulp worth while too? A lot of the guys out here do nothing but cutting as contractors might be a way if your end slows down you could stay steady.

mike_belben · October 14, 2018, 03:37:12 PM

Quote from: Skeans1 on October 14, 2018, 03:09:28 PM

How much wood do you have move just to make pulp worth while too?

WAY TOO MUCH!!
teeter_totter

Firewoodjoe · October 14, 2018, 03:58:42 PM

I figurer an old Buncher would run one day a week and keep me busy the rest of the week. It would increase production due to piles of wood for the forwarder and also the physical/safety aspect. But I'm thinking I'm going with the dozer. More versiale and I won't be tempted to fix roads and push trucks with my iron mule.

Maine logger88 · October 14, 2018, 04:21:13 PM

One way to look at it is you won't get a buncher for anywhere near 7k so buy the dozer now and then pick up a buncher later

Firewoodjoe · October 14, 2018, 05:11:03 PM

I actually know where there's a few for under 10. Shears and Timbco bar saws. There not pretty but run and work fine.

Firewoodjoe · October 14, 2018, 05:13:06 PM

And the dozer is two miles away. The bunchers I will have $1000 plus in transport.

mike_belben · October 14, 2018, 08:18:27 PM

If the dozer starts stops reverses steers and moves the blade, 7k is pretty cheap.

Riwaka · October 15, 2018, 07:15:34 PM

If you got a 1) slightly better forwarder how much further would you have to transport the logs to a pickup area the truck is not going to get stuck?
2)Get a really good forwarder and that can push/ pull the truck.
3) Heavy track feller buncher with single grousers that can pull the truck on a strop.

bad Old bulldozer - potential cost center - when is it going to need a new radiator, oil change, new batteries, how many hours per year used, seized tracks, leaking seals/ oil, general expensive parts etc.

good Old bulldozer - get lucky - only needs a snort of engine starter (after a gas burner sump warming) to get going on the coldest days, tracks still good enough to clank around for years. etc

Firewoodjoe · October 15, 2018, 07:41:51 PM

The tracks are great. I will see a cold start it's already cool here. And Michigan trucks are always having trouble. Always. And I will never use a forwarded unless is was a serious need. There not built for that. And no processor for some time. If ever.

chevytaHOE5674 · October 15, 2018, 08:28:03 PM

If your getting that many trucks stuck then you need to build better road in the first place or move to a different job until things dry up. We moved a lot of wood and tried like heck not to monkey with trucks. If it got to that point then we moved to better ground. Machine time is too valuable to be dealing with stuck trucks, not to mention the inevitable broke parts.

Are you in the business of putting wood on the landing? Or the business of spending your precious time tinkering with a log truck?

Firewoodjoe · October 15, 2018, 08:38:06 PM

This has gone to far haha. 😀 I'm going to be a one man small producer. But I currently drive self loader and doze roads slash skid run Buncher for a large company and yes we run 200-300 ton of wood 5 days a week. And yes we get stuck a lot. Last week took 2 648 and one 848 to get me out. No we dont try to do that and we do regroup when it does. But bad stuff happens during mud season. And I want to be prepared and have a versatile machine. Im only asking about the d6b. I know how to log and grew up doing it. Started very young. Not being a no it all just stating I'm not green. If trucks don't get stuck your lucky to have good ground all the time or you don't produce EVERY day. We do. Thanks to all for the response. And nothing rude meant towards anyone.

ilog4u2 · October 15, 2018, 09:19:39 PM

Firewoodjoe?... Is the iron mule ready to go? It sounds like you've found a good one.

mike_belben · October 15, 2018, 11:37:06 PM

Get the dozer, unstick the trucks, cut ditches along the roads. Scrape the slop off periodically. And move some wood.

Everything breaks. On broke days, the guy with the cheapest, simplest machine is winning.

Firewoodjoe · October 16, 2018, 04:28:12 AM

Yes the mule is ready. There's always more I'm going to want to get better but it's old. I want to make sure the fan reverses and look at the heater motor at some point to see if it blows. It is a good one I believe but I just want to be as ready as possible. I have oils saws fuel all bought up.

kiko · October 19, 2018, 07:57:15 PM

If that d6b was near me, I would snap that up. Run it until something major fails then strip it and sell piece by piece.

lynde37avery · October 19, 2018, 08:32:35 PM

fair price if it functions properly. we had a d6b for logging. for about 10 years. it was really slow but really powerful. I prefer dozers for logging so I'm going to be more one sided on this one. but $7k is a good deal. my 74 jd 450c was $13k and like 1/3 size of a d6b. crawlers can't exactly keep up with a tire skidder but can work circles around them in the woods and make getting wood winched out way easier. plus road building is a huge plus. I vote dozer over buncher hands down.

mike_belben · October 20, 2018, 10:29:10 AM

Besides roadbuilding and drainage capabilities, a dozer can still log in wet weather where a landowner would be angry about the ruts from stuck skidders. LGP pads dont like rocky ground but they float right over a swamp. On dry ground obviously they cant keep up with rubber.

2 years ago an outfit chose to keep logging in a really bad wet spell across the street from my house, and their 648 spread oak wilt to keeper trees all over a stand by sinking in to the belly pan and churning the roots all up. That was the only traction they could find. Among the people who have a clue, that left a real bad spot on their reputation. The ruts were 3 feet deep, theyve levelled of to 2ft but never drain now. Just long long puddles with a ridge down center. Theyll never be roads again unless a competent 6 way blade repairs it all.

My expectation is that was the deathknell of the plot as timber and eventually will convert to hay or housing.