Komatsu dozer

[snoopdog]

Going to an auction tomorrow, has an older D21-A5 on the list, that only shows 164 hrs. Went and looked at it today, and it does look good, but is that a refurbish or what? I find it hard to believe a machine of that vintage with those hours. I need a small dozer to do some clearing and then sell, but I know repairs can cost more than I can hire it done by a pro. They seem to be popular in canada. Any idea on the value?

 

[jltrent]

I saw one sell at a local machinery auction in nice condition, it brought $12900....If that is actual hours probably around the 12k-15k range worth and a good buy at that price......

 

[snoopdog]

I saw one sell at a local machinery auction in nice condition, it brought $12900....If that is actual hours probably around the 12k-15k range worth and a good buy at that price......

Thanks JL, I expect to buy it cheaper , It may cost me to go to this sale. There is an 08 crewcwb 3500 4wd duramax there also, with 101 k miles, and it is slick.

 

[snoopdog]

I saw one sell at a local machinery auction in nice condition, it brought $12900....If that is actual hours probably around the 12k-15k range worth and a good buy at that price......

Thanks JL, I expect to buy it cheaper , It may cost me to go to this sale. There is an 08 crewcwb 3500 4wd duramax there also, with 101 k miles, and it is slick.

That pic is definitely a later model

 

[Nesikep]

Guaranteed it's got more hours than that.. I'd say look at the pads, if they're worn pretty good, I'd guess 4000hrs, if they're really good, who knows how many.
Make sure you put the tranny and steering through its paces, the cost to replace those can make it a boat anchor in a hurry... Without seeing a pic of the condition, it's really hard to say what the value is.


According to this, the -5 is pre 1985.. good bit of info here
http://www.alaskaexcavators.com/Komatsu_Dozer_Models.htm

I don't know what exactly you're going to be doing.. the loader crawlers are SUPER handy.. of course they aren't as good for road building, but if you're going to be digging stumps out, a dozer can pretty much only push, a loader has a huge amount of leverage when you use the heel of the bucket and tilt back... out JD350B has a breakout force of something like 10,000 lbs and can lift 4000 without breaking a sweat.. I've dug out some massive rocks with it.
The biggest drawback of the loader is it's really hard to cut into something on an angle.. road on a sidehill? very hard unless it's wide

Another good read (says there's a guy that deals with them in OK too, 3rd post)
https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/threads/d21a-5-komatsu-opinions.17141/

 

[snoopdog]

 

[Nesikep]

It does look like a low hour machine, don't see any drips from the cylinders, etc and it hasn't been bashed up
However, the pads look unsuited for much heavy pushing, perhaps if you have time and a good welder you could weld some additional, deeper grousers or ice lugs on it to help with that

 

[jltrent]

The Komatsu on a float behind that Duramax will look good. Please post pics when you get it all hooked up....The tracks on the Komatsu look like the kind you see on a loader, instead of a blade dozer or they are worn down, still looks real nice low hours.

 

[snoopdog]

It does look like a low hour machine, don't see any drips from the cylinders, etc and it hasn't been bashed up
However, the pads look unsuited for much heavy pushing, perhaps if you have time and a good welder you could weld some additional, deeper grousers or ice lugs on it to help with that

They actually look better in person than in the pic, but that is not out of the question. The intent is for light work, and our ground is pretty rocky, we'll see. I can haul it with the pickup so that is a key point for me as well. I am a total novice on dozers, so trying not to get burned learning.

 

[snoopdog]

The Komatsu on a float behind that Duramax will look good. Please post pics when you get it all hooked up....The tracks on the Komatsu look like the kind you see on a loader, instead of a blade dozer or they are worn down, still looks real nice low hours.

After looking at some pics of new grousers, yes they appear to be worn.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

How is the rest of the undercarriage? Rails? Sprockets? Rollers? Etc. The picture is hard to tell but it looks like the pads on the front idle (worn single gousers) are different than the ones further back (loader street pads).

Have somebody familiar with undercarriages take a look. A worn out bottom end can be a headache and cost you well more than you can imagine to replace.

Even running on rock and pavement you cant wear pads out in 160hrs.

Powershift machine? Get it warm and make sure nothing slips. I've been inside a couple Komatsu trannys and parts are expensive.

 

[Nesikep]

agreed on the undercarriage look-over... One thing that's kinda missing on a rough-duty machine are rock guards for the rollers... Yes, powershift transmissions get expensive quick, as do final drives.. check the oil levels there and see how the oil looks, as a bargaining point if nothing else

If you use the machine within it's intended limits, it should do well, if you have rougher stuff, you might be better off getting an old D6, TD11, etc, it'll push 10x harder at idle and be far faster.. no, you won't haul it behind a pickup though
We hired out a bunch of stuff that could have been done with our JD350, but a breakdown and the wear and tear would have been more costly than the 15 hours of work it took a D8 to do.. can't remember now, that could have been a D9 too

 

[snoopdog]

Thanks for all the advice, I have been studying hard on the info that I can get in the web. I brought it home for better or worse . I'll post some more pics tomorrow and glean some more info from you guys.

 

[Chevy]

You can drop it off if you want I can try it out for you. Make sure everything is working okay and all.
I just to have a 450 case. It would sure come in handy. Have a bad day just go push all the neighbors Fords in the creek.
That's a joke!!!
I hope you like it!!

 

[snoopdog]

 

[wbvs58]

Looks good, how is it running? Have you had it out pushing the neighbours Fords into the creek yet?
How many HP is it rated at?
I have a Cat D4D, 75hp and get through a lot of work with it clearing and earthworks, very handy.

Ken

 

[snoopdog]

Looks good, how is it running? Have you had it out pushing the neighbours Fords into the creek yet?
How many HP is it rated at?
I have a Cat D4D, 75hp and get through a lot of work with it clearing and earthworks, very handy.

Ken

We ll, it was a little hard to get started this morning, used the glow plugs, didn't seem like it was turning over fast enough. Blew good smoke, so I gave it a shot, and it started right up. So, probably batteries in my future. The right brake is gonna need, I hope just an adjustment, really have to stand on it, but it does work. No fluid leaks anywhere that I can tell, did find some loose or missing bolts. Not gonna do much with it, till I get manuals and go over it good, just my mode of operation when dealing with used stuff. It's just a 40hp machine.

 

[Silver]

When your pins and pin bosses get worn like that it's generally a pretty good indication your bottom rollers are getting worn out and causing the rails to clash with the roller flanges. It would be a good idea to put an old axle or bar of some kind on the sprocket and back up until it binds with the rails to snug the track up tight and then measure the chain pitch over several links then divide by the number of links. Compare that number to OEM pitch to see what your wear / stretch is. Also measure rail height and compare to new. Undercarriage is pricey and tends to set the value of the machine.

Edit: Just realized you bought this machine, hope it holds up well for you

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Without measuring it and comparing to new that undercarriage is very well used. Sprockets are worn and egged out, rails looks work down, front idle looks worn, etc. Avoid excessive reversing and sharp turns as that wears things faster and is more likely to throw a track.

Hopefully you bought it right.

I had a D3 with similar undercarriage and got tired of putting tracks back on so I shipped it down the road, because for what it cost to fix I could hire a lot of work done. Lol.

 

[wbvs58]

Take the fuel line off the filter and blow air back into the tank in case there is sludge or debris partially blocking the intake. Check for a drain or sump on the tank that can be drained first.

Ken