Hi mates,

I was not very active online the last month. Have good news, though: Since to years; I'm working as a heavy equipment operator. Started at a gardining contractor, now I'm in the middle of getting my license as operator. There is such a demand in the construction business that you can start working without license - depends on the company. I prefer to have it. Not only the actual work, but maintenence, transport - there are many types of errors you have to avoid.

In the summer, I will start working on a scrape dozer. Took me 3 years to get this job. No more scraper on construction sites pushed by dozers these days here. I'm very happy about it.

I remember the days back then when there were posts about big mining dozers here in this great forum. Now I'm 36, I like to get around on constrution jobs here and there to see some of the world. But with ~45, I could amagine to run a dozer an a quarry. Ripping rock with a dozer is an art, at least in my eyes. A lot of expierience with such type of machinery here in the forum.

Have found this video about a fresh delivered Komatsu D475A-5 with armored undercarriage for rock work. This thing is even heavier then a D11R Carrydozer 115 metric tonnes compared to 113 metric tonnes. I've heard that the big Komatsus are very good ripping tractors, even if they don't last as long to the next main overhaul as Cats.

D475A-5 rock special ripping
D475A-5 rock special pushing

All big quarry dozers in germany are D11Ns,Rs, and one T. Most are equipped with U-blades, not SUs like the D475. We had two D475s in a quarry near Hannover, but they were trade for D11Rs back in 2004/2005.

Hope to get a good thread rolling here.

Cheers,
Max

Thanks Weserutte!

It will be the Frutiger 13 cy machine. 1,5 years ago I was able to catch some seat time in the 24 cy Frutiger scrape dozer - though being impressive, it's simply too large to start with. The smaller one is still big, has a D9H size undercarriage. But you can see more of what's going on in the bucket during scraping. Big advantage for learning.

Here is a video of both the Frutiger and the Bührer working side by side. The Bührer has still the Menck-high-speed-undercarriage. Weighing 24 metric tonnes. The Frutiger SR 2001 comes at 27 metric tonnes - a tadd less agile as the Bührer, but more robust.

Frutiger SR 2000, SR 2001 and Buhrer 1030

Have fun!
Max

Is the D8H a big dozer? Some would confirm, others not. Anyway, I found this pretty interesting D8H with coalblade and a huge, bridgelike attachment with counterweight across the whole tractor. Now, what is it? Any oppinions?

http://www.liveauctionworld.com/CAT-D8H-CRAWLER-TRACTOR-VIN-SN-46A5418-COAL-U-BLADE-CANOPY-COUNTERWEIGHT-SYSTEM-WILL-BE-REMOVED_i27400508

Hi Jan,

sorry for the late reply. Yes, I was thinking the same. Regarding the high-volume coal blades on the D8s, I could even imagine the were running at a powerplant or similar.

Now for something big and red: Found a real nice video of a true classic big dozer, the Dresser TD40-B. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Uu1Csth0fA At first glance I thought I am seeing a 70 ton-class forest fire fighting dozer. And yes, I was a little bit excited about this. Red color and bush screens lured me into it. But the owner of this 1992 TD40 declares the red paintjob as a dedication to the heritage of IHC. Looks great in my eyes.

And further down in the comments, he even states that the TD40 was a true international one: Engineers from the United States as well as engineers from Poland formed a development crew that overcome the Iron Curtain back in the late 70ies. License agreements between IHC and HSW (now DRESSTA) started back in 1972, and in 1979, the first TD40 was put together in the polnish city of Stolowa Wola. Most TD40s were shipped to the US, only one unit went to former Czechoslovakia.

For further details, here is an interesting article about the TD40: https://translate.google.de/translate?sl=pl&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.retrotraktor.pl%2Freadarticle.php%3Farticle_id%3D218&edit-text=&act=url

I was not aware of heavy construction equipment being developped by West and East together during the Cold War. I know DRESSER sold mining equipment to the SU in the 1980s. Well, we are not talking about tanks or submarines here, but mining related equipment has an military related aspect as it comes to providing steel, concrete and energy. And in the end, the West won the Cold War because the Soviet Union simply went bankrupt.

Have any of you thoughts or experience with the TD40? I'm not aware of a single unit in Germany. Apart from those shown at bauma.


Best wishes,
Max