D6C

I'm looking at a Cat D6C, the serial is 10K13187. Looks like that's a '76 or '77 model. It belongs to a long time friend that purchased it 4 years
ago to clean up some property. He hasn't used it 50 hours since he got it... It's been too wet, or he's been too busy. The machine has a
completely new undercarriage and very little usage. There's a root rake, a V blade (shear), and the standard blade in on it now. The hour meter
shows 4500 hours. I'll probably wind up with this dozer, only because he's going to make it too hard to turn down. I need it as well. The best
part is, I'm going to use it on his property for 40-50 hours before I decide if I want it. I only have maybe 400 hours time operating dozers, new
dozers from small to fairly large (1450 Case). So there's gonna be a learning curve with this older machine.
I have a few questions.
Is this model a good dozer?
Is the 3306 a good engine?
Are there any typical problems with this model?
Any info would be appreciated, especially what NOT to do...
What the heck do you do with a V blade?

I'm no operator so I can't really speak to the blade usage. As far as the machine itself, if the price is right, you can't go wrong. Around here one like that will typically go for between $20,000 and $30,000. As far as the engine, you can't go wrong with a 3306 either. The originals had some issues, but if it's a spacer plate engine (look for about a 3/4 thick plate under the head), better still, as that solved the original issues. I've got several customers with either a 3306 or it's little brother the 3304, and there are rarely any problems with them. In fact I've seen one go well over 20,000 hours before needing any attention. Even then it was a pinhole in the liner, so it was an electrolysis issue, nothing mechanical. Anyway, when torn down the rods, mains, etc, all miked out as standard. Granted the guy runs a good oil, and keeps up with his maintenance, but it does happen.

Thanks for the info. This dozer also have a Hyster D6D winch on the back. I'm guessing it was used mostly for land clearing with the V shear and root rake. He's at the upper end of your price range. Considering all new undercarriage and pads, it's probably "worth" it.
Can't figure out the V shear though, or how to use it.

I'm with Wayne--my friend has a D6C that is his workhorse--I have run it for quite a few hours and with the turbo and power shift it is a very nice machine--only trouble he has had is a bearing let go in the tranny

I wonder how much a tilt- straigt blade would cost for your D6C? If it were me, I would start looking.

My brain wasn't functioning right when I read the post this morning and somehow ran the root rake and the v shear blade together...leaving me confused as I had never seen both incorporated in one attachment. I'm awake now, brain function normal...LOL... so maybe this will help.

The root rake is pretty much self explanatory in action. Keep it set where the tines are ripping the roots and/or pushing brush but not moving a substantial amount of dirt while doing so.

As far as the v-blade, it's easier to give you a link to a machine using one than to explain how to use it.

Price wise, if the undercarriage is as good as your saying, and it has three blades, the upper end of the range I gave would be where I'd expect to see it. Hope this helps.
D9 with v shear blade

Thanks for the link. I don't see how a D6 could use that effectively.

It has a tilt blade.

As a logger of 25 years in Idaho, I have run a D6C 10K series for thousands of hours skidding logs. This cat was the skid cat of choice by 90% of logging companies. The D6 10K was even a step above the later model D6 D do to a lower center of balance which enabled it to side hill more effective. The asking price for the cat would not buy a new under carriage, rails, rolls, sprockets, ect. The dozer on it would not be my first choice, but for your application will work just fine. Might not be a bad idea to check the final drives for any leaks. If they are leaking and finals need to be gone through, it's a costly item.

Thank you for your advice, duly noted!

Just to be clear, this dozer has a regular blade (with tilt), a root rake that first s the blade, and a V shear.

You'd be amazed at how much work one of the older D6 size machines can do. They might not have the HP of some of the newer machines, but they know how to put it to the ground. I've got a customer with an older D6 that rented a newer one while I built the engine on his. He said the old machine would do twice the work of the new one.

When Dad was working at a dealership back in the 70's and early 80's, he worked on a few machines owned by the Forestry Service for their fire crews. The V blades were common on those machines as they could take a tree down quite easily to make a fire lane. He said he watched them hit the tree with the blade, and basically run the blade edge along it and shear it right off. I think it's just one of those things that you have to use and get the hand of.

Anyway between the undercarriage, the tilt blade, and all the other goodies, it sounds like the machine is a steal in the price range you say he's asking.

I think it's a good deal as well.... If it operates well and without major issues. I'll get a good look and feel for it when I clear his land with it.

In my area, Southeast, v-shears are used mainly in reforestation, where they come in behind a clear cut, use the blade to clear rows, somewhat
parallel, to run tree planters. The cleared row makes it almost bearable for the guys on the planter.

The entire D6 series was well regarded from the 8U/9U series up to the later D series, as mentioned below. They were popular and a lot of them were built in each series, some of the highest production numbers of tractors caterpillar produced, 45,000-50,000 tractors on some production runs, roughly or close, going from memory from what I have read.

Spent quite a few hours on D6D's, at various times when I was a full time operator, they lived up to their reputation for sure. I helped the head mechanic at one place take one down to the bevel gear compartment, repairs like that and to the finals are definitely some work, so you want to know the condition of any of these as best can be done. You could pry on the sprocket with a bar see if its loose, run a magnet in the final drive compartment, look for metal fines. Sprocket if loose, could be a concern.

Tractors like these while much older, and not nearly as comfortable to operate as anything much newer, perform well and would be desirable for a myriad of uses on a farm or land needing work. The size of them also make them a perfect fit for where larger tractors would be too big.

I appreciate the reply and advice.

Congrats - -the D6C was one of the best dozers CAT ever made.
As said by NCWayne and others, the 3306 is tough, especially at the 140hp (original D6Cs were 120hp)rating, and if maintained should run to 7-10,000hrs easily.
And, it has the big bronze disc transmission which is very smooth and dependable.

Things to watch out for:
1) Land clearing is one of the harshest environments for a dozer - - banging, jerking, on the frame and final drives, uneven ground and stumps to twist the tracks and roller frames, lot of debris to plug the radiator and cause overheating or even fires in the belly guard, jillpokes to spear an operator and cause terrible injury.
BE CAREFUL, check over the machine at start of each shift thoroughly, and run it smoothly - you don't have to "baby" it, but slamming and jerking against stumps is sure to break something, real expensive.
The Operator's Manual for that model should have some tips on land clearing operation - - better yet, if you and your friend don't have a lot of land clearing experience, get with someone local that has been in the business a long time and learn from them.

2) Check the final drives for oil seepage/leakage and proper bearing adjustment - - please see Service manual.
Also, Scheduled Oil Sampling (SOS) can help diagnose problems before they get real bad.

3) I don't think the D6C is a pinned equalizer bar to the roller frames (D7G and up if I remember correctly, thus, the frames can be deflected away or into the mainframe in stumps/rough ground/side hills/clearing debris causing roller frame cracking or final drive issues due to twisting - - check roller frames alignment to mainframe and each other, check for cracks and repair, be careful on stumps and side-hill operation in stumps/big limbs, etc.

4) The D6C has separate clutches and brakes - - clutches on the levers, brakes on the pedals.
And, the dozer Lift is on the lever and the Tilt is a pedal arrangement - -may be different than the machines you've run previously, and some acclimation may be needed before you can also "Chew Gum" while operating this tractor

I really do like operating dozers, and the D6C is a good one

Be Careful, and have fun!