How to Choose the Right Dozer for Your Job

1. Tracks and Tires

A dozer's tracks, which resemble those on a military tank, help the machine move. Because dozers are incredibly heavy, their tracks need a large surface area to keep them from sinking into the ground. The track consists of the track frame, rollers and assembly. A chain surrounds the frame, which creates a flat surface so the rollers can move across various surfaces.

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Certain dozer models feature tires instead of tracks. It's essential not to use those on soft surfaces, like sand or mud, to avoid sinking. A dozer with tires puts the machine's weight on the wheel's four points, which is why the machine can sink into soft ground. Tracks disperse the load across the surface, making them suitable even for use on numerous types of soft surfaces.

2. Blade

A dozer's blade does all the lifting and moving and consists of a heavy metal plate. Certain blade varieties will have wings on the sides that help the dozer push larger loads of materials. The dozer's frame, such as a C-frame or push frame, holds the blade and can tilt or angle it.

Plenty of dozer blades can complete various tasks, but the most common type of blade associated with a dozer is a curved model that can push earth and other materials.

3. Ripper

Situated at the back of a dozer, a ripper breaks up dense earth and materials. It looks like a claw with either a single- or multi-shank design, which specifies how many prongs the ripper has.

Not every job needs a dozer ripper, but it's useful for breaking down materials that you need to move. The farming industry also uses rippers to break up farmland and make it easier to plant and grow crops.

4. Engine

A dozer completes heavy moving and lifting jobs, meaning it needs a powerful engine. As you select a dozer, consider an engine with lower levels of emissions to meet standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The exact engine specs for the dozer you select will depend on its size, features and status as new or used.

5. Cab

The cab is where the operator sits. It houses the controls and keeps the operator safe and comfortable. Look for dozer cabs that reduce sound and absorb the impact of operating the machinery, especially if you'll be working on uneven terrain. While those features are essential no matter how long the operator will be in the cab, you should definitely prioritize them if the driver will be working long hours. These features allow for the most comfort.

Types of Dozer Attachments and Blades

The blade is the dozer's main attachment. There are a handful of options to choose from, depending on your needs. For your next project, consider these types of dozer blades:

• A straight blade: Also called an S-blade, this kind is short with no side wings. An S-blade is ideal for handling fine-grain, medium or hard materials, making it a useful blade for light grading.
• A universal blade: Known alternatively as a U-blade, this type is tall and wide. The curved shape and side wings make a U-blade useful for pushing materials, even over long distances.
• A semi-universal blade: The SU blade combines qualities of an S- and U-blade. An SU blade isn't as wide or curved as a U-blade. While an SU blade has smaller side wings, it's still suitable for pushing soft to medium sand, soil and materials.
• A Variable Pitch Angle Tilt (VPAT) blade: This kind lets you adjust the lift, angle and tilt of your dozer's blade. It brings flexibility to your job site, helping you complete various tasks.

Those attachments have various functions and ranges of movement. Understanding them will help you choose the best blade for your dozer. Depending on what the blade's style is and how it's attached to the dozer, you can adjust its:

• Angle: The angle determines if a blade can move to the left or right. How far a blade can turn depends on how it is mounted. Angling the blade is useful for pushing materials to the side without maneuvering the entire dozer.
• Tilt: The tilt refers to the blade's up and down motions ' whether it tips toward or away from the ground. Tilting the blade can provide precision for tasks like grading, digging or removing stumps and other obstructions.
• Lift: The lift refers to how the entire blade system moves up or down via the arms and frame. Lifting the blade is useful if you need precise control of what you push or if you need to traverse your job site without moving materials.

If you have more specialized tasks to complete, consider special dozer attachments and blades. Options like mulchers and rakes help with specific jobs that a standard blade can't perform.

3 Main Types of Dozers

Along with various attachments and blades, there are three main types of dozers you can choose from for your specific job. Each serves a different purpose and comes with benefits for every industry. Consider each choice from this quick guide to dozer types:

1. Crawler Dozers

Also known as a track dozer, a crawler looks like a tractor. The tracks provide traction and mobility on uneven terrain, and the blade is heavy enough to push or haul bulky materials and objects. Because of their power and maneuverability, crawler dozers are ideal for jobs in places like:

• Areas with irregular surfaces
• Fields
• Plains

2. Wheel Dozers

Wheel dozers ' or tire dozers ' feature tires instead of tracks. You can operate this machine on a smaller axis than you could one with tracks, making it easy to maneuver. While that aspect sounds like it'd be useful for smaller areas, note that wheel dozers are often larger than crawler dozers.

The wheels make this machine an excellent option for sensitive ground. Dozer tracks are typically metal, meaning they could damage certain surfaces. In contrast, wheel dozers have tires that aren't as likely to ruin paved or sensitive surfaces. Remember, though, that you don't want to use a wheel dozer on too soft of a surface because you risk sinking. Instead, use it for projects in locations like:

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• Stadiums
• Commercial grounds
• Water parks

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3. Small or Mini Dozers

What are the different types of dozer blades?

Once you've decided on a dozer, it's time to take the dozer blade into consideration. There are a lot of different factors that go into choosing the right blade for a particular task. Manufacturers put a broad range of factors into the blades that they pair with their dozers - the right architecture, structure and size of the blade can make a big difference in performance and the quality of work being performed on the job site.

PAT blade

The Power Angle Tilt (PAT) blade tilts and angles using hydraulic power. This is the most popular blade type for mid-sized and small dozers, as it offers increased versatility and is good for both general dozing and finish grading. PAT blades have also evolved to become very durable, which makes them a more common blade choice for mid-sized dozers.

C-frame blade

Manual Angle Power Tilt is an outside C-frame blade that can be manually angled, but offers power tilt capability. This blade often finds use on pipeline right of way.

S-blade

S-blades, or straight blades, are the shortest type of bulldozer blade and are used on large mid-size dozers and up. These blades will generally have blade tilt, and on larger dozers will be available with dual tilt. They can pitch the blade forward for aggressive cutting and back for more efficient blade carry. 

U-blade

A full U blade includes large side wings that form a pocket in the blade for greater load carrying capacity. For general and rock type applications, the semi U blade is the most popular. In high volume and downhill dozing, the full U blade provides greater performance because of its better load carrying capabilities.

Cushion blade

Cushion blades are generally only found on large dozers; these are very specialized narrow blades used for push loading scrapers. Rubber biscuits cushion the shock load when the dozer contacts a scraper at the beginning of the push. The blade is narrow to help prevent contact with scraper rear tires.

Six-way blade

Six-way blades offer increased blade maneuverability and can be used in a wide range of applications. Grade control supports the experienced operator with the ability to hold consistent grade throughout the day and enables a novice operator to get up to speed quickly. 

What to consider when choosing a blade for your dozer

Today's contractors and fleet owners are looking for bulldozers that handle heavy dozing, spreading, finish grading and more. Here are five key tips to consider when selecting a new bulldozer blade.

Downhill or uphill dozing direction

The dozing direction impacts the need for a rear attachment for uphill reverse travel, and may lean toward a semi U blade or full U blade on larger dozers.

Type of material 

When the blade is being used to push material such as rock, or if there are extreme conditions involved, consider using a semi U blade on a big bulldozer.

Transportation widths

Keep in mind your local regulations for transport widths; this may push buyers toward narrower blades so they can avoid having to remove the blade for every move.

Blade weight and machine balance

If you select a heavy blade on a nose-heavy tractor, you may need to look at a rear attachment to help balance the machine.

Specialty blades

If you are using rakes, clearing blades or similar attachments, these often favour a push-arm or C-frame design.

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