In North America few names in the heavy equipment industry are as well known as John Deere. This is for good reason. John Deere produces some of the highest quality machines, including dozers. The most popular of their dozer models are the the 650, the 750, and the 850.
Weighing under 9500 lbs, the 650 is the most transportable of the John Deeres mid-size dozers. Two models larger, the 750 is the ultimate mid-range machine for jobs that require high output but still maintain good maneuverability. Lastly, the 850 is John Deeres third largest dozer and boasts a 205 horsepower engine and SmartGrade Integrated Grade Control.
As machines known for their brute strength, dozer manufacturers are constantly innovating with new technologies to produce the most powerful dozer. However, one of the key to this power may just be one of the oldest tricks in the book: gravity. The heavier a machine is, the more traction it has on the ground. The more traction a machine has the more torque it is able to utilize. Using this simple formula, Komatsu created the worlds biggest and most powerful dozer. The Komatsu D575A weighs in at an incomprehensible 168 short tons and measures 16 feet tall and nearly 39 feet long. In fact, the D575A is so big that in order for it to be transferred it must be disassembled to be put on multiple trailers and then reassembled at its new worksite. Its blade alone measures 12 feet tall and can maintain a capacity of pushing 90 cubic yards of material. Items enormous crawler tracks give this beast 101.55 square feet of ground contact area at all times allowing the machine to have extra pushing power, 23 lbs per square inch, to be exact. The tracks are so big that the D575A has actually been known to effortlessly run over pickup trucks leaving behind what look like a flattened aluminum Coke can. In order to power such a monumental machine
Komatsu had to develop its own custom 12-cylinder, four-stroke, 1,150 horsepower diesel engine. The machine wasn't created just for show, however. The D575A is actively used in many mines and coal fields across the world. Some of these dispersed destroyers are fitted with a piece of heavy equipment to the back of their frame called a ripper. Rippers are a shanked digger that penetrates and drags through the earth as the dozer moves forward, leaving a trench in its previous path. Just like every other part of these massive machines, the ripper on the D575A is far larger than most and can dig nearly 7 feet deep in one pass.
There are two primary variants amongst dozers. Even though they are manufactured by over 50 companies world-wide, dozers maintain very similar functionality in every vehicle. They mainly differ in size, strength, and wheelbase style. As expected, the first two criteria go hand-in-hand with the larger dozers typically being the most powerful ones. These varying sizes can make a world of a different on the job site. Brands like Komatsu America Inc. created their machines based off the principle of maximum efficiency. Knowing that one machine with a greater breakthrough force but less maneuverability works well in open spaces compared to a machine with greater agility but less torque is more important in tighter spaces, Komatsu has created model for every foreseeable situation. Leaving no room for error, Komatsu is currently producing 53 different models of dozers and also has a many older models available on the used market. For smaller construction projects models like the ones from Komatsu D37 series are incredibly efficient with a compact blade of 2.5 yards squared and up to 89 horsepower when operated at 2200 rpm. Another major variable for picking the right dozer is determined by what type of terrain it will most commonly by traveling on. In environments like unsteady, soft ground a tracked vehicle gives the operator a more balanced and stable dozer. Alternatively, wheeled dozers, with their large tires, can travel on road and harder surfaces more effectively as well as provide the machine a tighter turning axis. For this reason, urban construction zones will more commonly use wheeled dozers over crawler dozers.
There is no shortage of excitement around the buzz that comes from the heavy machinery and dozer communities after events like CONEXPO-cON/aGG. This major event happens every third year in Las Vegas, Nevada and features the newest developments coming from dozer technology and industry advancements. For example, last year Case Construction unveiled the worlds first compact dozer loader. Many other industry-leading brands display their most exciting and effective machines at CONEXPO-cON/aGGs exhibit areas. Additionally, there are over 150 educational settings for attendees to continue to develop their knowledgeable and skill set in their respective industries.
With over 50 companies all around the world producing new types of dozers every year many of the slightly older models get bumped to the used market to make way for the newcomers. This has led to many construction companies in the market for a dozer to keep their eyes on sites like mascus.com. Mascus, as the worlds largest used heavy equipment marketplace, helps connect potential buyers with the dozer or machine they need for their operation. Because so many buyers are gravitating towards such a unique platform, so are many sellers. Individuals or companies looking to unload their used dozer or other heavy machines just have to complete a brief registration before getting their used equipment in front of thousands of daily viewers on Mascus.