dozering again

[komatsu d475-1]

Back on the dozers as things very quiet,had a break since 07 but all came back easy enuf

[dpan]

Just a guess but the laser you used was sitting in seat of tractor. Great display of craftsmanship.

[komatsu d475-1]

Thanks Dpan,your right, theres no horns on the blade lol,only help i had was a pair of glasses,oldschool all the way

[andrew campbell]

Some very fine grading work there. I am curious what got you back in the seat again after six years. I am frequently tempted to go back to it until the winter comes and then the temptation is less.

I think I am reasonably good on a dozer and then some one like you comes on the job and makes me look like an amature.

May be you could send us some tips and tricks on how to do it right.

[komatsu d475-1]

Andrew i came back to it as our own remediation work is quiet so its a infill for now but i realise that its still something that i enjoy doing for now,I couldnt realy tell u any tips as i still pick up things but every dozer is different.Some days i can do better than others but i always "try" to do everything going forward and no backblading.Pat blade makes it easier
Ps if im grading its 2nd gear with small revs,thats what works for me but maybe not for someone else

[essexpete]

I have never driven a dozer and any thing else I am only an amateur so to me that looks unreal. So seriously no laser involved? Do you operate when grading forward with a degree of overlap on what you already have levelled? And another question what about spill around the side of the blade when you are finishing off. Sorry if this all seems obvious to anyone.

[andrew campbell]

Pete that is not a silly question. I have been driving dozers on and off for seven years. I still find it hard to not have windrows. One drivers method was to keep the blade tilted down a bit so that the 'light' side of the blade would not create windrows.

[komatsu d475-1]

I will try to answer this as best i can regarding windrows.
Firstly you need to prepare the area to be graded by keeping it a little high so that your trimming involves a very fine cut,Trim until a windrow appears then stop and drop back to pick it up and so on until you have the area finished.Instead of backblading go over it again just carry the blade very lightly over the top of it.If there is any heights you can see them as you are travelling forward you can catch them and carry any excess to the end of the grade or drop it to fill a hollow.If you carry the blade light enough there will be no windrows.If you have a pat blade angle it like a grader and the excess will always run of to the one side but again you need to be cutting of a small amount which is why the prep is important.Sight the first cut through spot on then move 3 widths of the blade and make another cut and sight this.You can now with practice grade the areas between the paralell cuts with your eye as you have something to work to that you can see

If your cutting a batter start at the top and work your way down,You need to move down at least two thirds of the blade at a time as if you only move down 1 or 2 feet at a time i find that it leaves a round profile on the batter .Again prep work is the key as you are moving near the width of the blade down you do not need to be taking much of as there will be to much material to work with.This is how i do it but someone else will tell u different
A half reasonable eye in your head helps plenty of practice and patience.
I have never used a laser or gps but its looking like thats the way forward,Doesnt seem to matter if you can trim without it the skill is now readily available at the press of a button.

Is this similar to how others grade?

[andrew campbell]

Hey we need more of these methods and tips.

What is the trick to get an even edge when pushing stone out as in a road. I once had to make a single track road across a site with a D65 (straight blade). Eight wheelers were tipping in line. If you took too much with the blade from the pile it made the road too wide with over spill at the blade edges. In the end I took gentle cuts from the top of the pile until it was the right width and depth. To get a straight edge on pads I found that working at a slight angle to the edge allowed the stone to fill the edge.

Most jobs now seem to have a laser on a staff so it has to be right.

Back blading is an interesting discussion a lot say that you should not have to revert to it to gat a finish yet it can be the only way of getting out the track marks ?

[komatsu d475-1]

Ive managed to get work back home again as i have been travellin for a long time now and the dinner sitting ready for u when u get get home is hard to beat,anyway what do yous think of the pink panther,spoiled in my opinion by the colour but its still a new machine at the end of the day.one thing i will say imo cat has the best seats and this one is as good as it gets