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Cat D7-e cable dozer..

Started by chain, December 05, 2010, 07:36:11 PM

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chain

I have a chance buying a cable cat dozer with tree-cutter blade, brush blade, rooter, and regular dozer blade. What advantages, if any, does cabled have over hydraulics?

1938farmall

it's easier to restore the cables if they are shot out in a war zone.  hydraulics are more difficult to get working again. al
aka oldnorskie

customdave

Cable dozer is nicer to clear land with if you have any to clear, also cable is quicker & higher on the dozer. Plus that old cat you should be able to change the clutch without spillin the cat which is a bonous!!

                                Dave
Love the smell of sawdust

captain_crunch

Till you learn to keep slack out of cable you can get very good at rethreading broke cable ::) and hyd down pressure can be helpfull if straddle a stump
M-14 Belsaw circle mill,HD-11 Log Loader,TD-14 Crawler,TD-9 Crawler and Ford 2910 Loader Tractor

John Woodworth

If the price is right and depending on what you are using it for go for it. they are good machines for clearing bus a lot slower and more operator effort to operate, the only down pressure you will have on the blade is the weight of the blade for digging but you should be able to master it and overall operation in no time.
Two Garret 21 skidders, Garret 10 skidder, 580 Case Backhoe, Mobile Dimension sawmill, 066, 046 mag, 044, 036mag, 034, 056 mag, 075, 026, lewis winch

captain_crunch

Cable dozers have a fifferent design (curavature) which causes them to suck into ground and react fast but take some getting use to but according to some of my older friends say they were better. But if you can get it right a D-7 is a great machine one of my favorites
M-14 Belsaw circle mill,HD-11 Log Loader,TD-14 Crawler,TD-9 Crawler and Ford 2910 Loader Tractor

John Woodworth

The slowness has nothing to do with shape of blade, to start with manual transmission with Johnson bar, manual tilt, manual angle, been there.
Two Garret 21 skidders, Garret 10 skidder, 580 Case Backhoe, Mobile Dimension sawmill, 066, 046 mag, 044, 036mag, 034, 056 mag, 075, 026, lewis winch

captain_crunch

John
None of the dozers were lightning bolts back then(got to remember I am still back there) beings newest cat I got is a 60 model and 14 is a 49 ::) ::) ::) I never ran a cable blade but heard all about them. 1/2 of the opperators swore by em and 1/2 of them swore at em is generally what you hear. But have you ever seen a chain opperated balde that had a large steering wheel and gear box to raise blade ?? so guess it did not take much to be a great improvement :) :) :)
M-14 Belsaw circle mill,HD-11 Log Loader,TD-14 Crawler,TD-9 Crawler and Ford 2910 Loader Tractor

sealark37

 :)Keep in mind that the value in a crawler tractor is in the drive train and undercarriage.  Get you local Cat parts & service salesman to measure the track and rollers to establish how much life is left to go.  Ask for the service history and tickets for repairs.  Cable dozers have limitations that do not affect the more modern hydraulic machines.  All blade adjustments are manual,  clutch, gearshift, steering, and winching keep the operator very busy.  All that said, if the price fits your budget, a D-7 of any flavor can do a great deal of work in the woods.  If you move the machine less than 4 times a year, it may be cheaper to hire the hauling.  Good Luck, and Regards, Clark

chain

Thanks for all the info.....certainly much to decide upon. The owner is a very considerate man, he use to own a tractor dealership, always kept up with cat modifications etc. but he says I'm third in line :D  

John Woodworth

The last cable machine I ran was over 30 years ago even saw own around in almost as long, by todays standards you arn't going to buy on for every day use, but clearing  and use on your own property fine. A lot of people will buy a older cat and clear their property and resell it for what they paid to someone else doing the same. I'm guessing between 2500-5000 is what a older D7 with manual trans. manual tilt-angle blade (hydraulic) would go for up here and a cable depending on condition somewhere around there probably less. 
Two Garret 21 skidders, Garret 10 skidder, 580 Case Backhoe, Mobile Dimension sawmill, 066, 046 mag, 044, 036mag, 034, 056 mag, 075, 026, lewis winch

4x4American

Quote from: John Woodworth on December 07, 2010, 04:28:38 AM
The slowness has nothing to do with shape of blade, to start with manual transmission with Johnson bar, manual tilt, manual angle, been there.


What's a johnson bar, eh?
Boy, back in my day..

beenthere

Maybe the forward/reverse lever. There are many def's of a Johnson bar.
In a semi-trailer rig, have heard the "Johnson bar" is for activating just the trailer brakes so the tractor brakes don't wear out. Used when the tractor is owner-owned but the trailer is a company one and brakes are someone else's expense.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Gearbox

Thermoids are the links that drive the clutch if you need to replace them do so in a set . If you do just one it will take all the load and will fail fast . when they fail most time they wipe the drive end of the starting motor out if you look it may have been welded . save the pieces to weld up good as new . We used to have a D7 cable and would park it on a hill and coast start it quicker than the starting motor.   Gearbox
A bunch of chainsaws a BT6870 processer , TC 5 International track skidder and not near enough time

longtime lurker

I never worked a cable blade E, but I played with a D7 17A a long long time ago.

Advantages of cable over hydraulics: that blade weighs a whole lot more then a hydraulic blade, which means you can go up a hill with a bigger log chained up to the back and not lose steering.
And cable blades being heavy penetrate faster then hydraulics do
And if you know how to work one you can feather the bottom of an excavation smoother, none of the jerkiness of hydraulics means no humps to bounce over going back.

She'll be direct drive, which means it'll out push a similar size power shift by about 15%.

Other then that there's only disadvantages, and there's a reason cable dozers went the way of the dodo.

You need proper machine cable on your drum too... Don't go replacing it with normal cable or you'll be forever breaking it.
The quickest way to make a million dollars with a sawmill is to start with two million.

loggah

I owned a D9 19A model i ran for years with a rear mount cable control, had a 4 part line on it and it was still pretty fast.You will want to make sure the dividers in the shive blocks aren't worn,if they are they will allow the cables to cross ,and that will cut the cable instantly!!!! you can cut a slope with a cable machine better then hydraulic machine,because of unlimited blade movement.If you have a front mount CCU they were prone to burning out seals,because of the heat from the engine. Don
Interests: Lombard Log Haulers,Tucker Sno-Cats, Circular Sawmills, Shingle Mills, Maple Syrup Making, Early Construction Equipment, Logging Memorabilia, and Antique Firearms

Ed_K

Don't stop the cable before the blade hits the ground,or wait to long after either  ;D .
Ed K

4x4American

Quote from: beenthere on June 26, 2015, 10:53:52 PM
Maybe the forward/reverse lever. There are many def's of a Johnson bar.
In a semi-trailer rig, have heard the "Johnson bar" is for activating just the trailer brakes so the tractor brakes don't wear out. Used when the tractor is owner-owned but the trailer is a company one and brakes are someone else's expense.


That's a trolley valve!
Boy, back in my day..

North River Energy

Might be mistaken, but in this context I think 'johnson bar' refers to the big lever used to engage the clutch?

gologit

Cable blade?  Get yourself some splicing tools and somebody to teach you how to make tapered splices.
LOL...it will give you something to do in your spare time.
Seriously, I've run both cable and hydraulic and I much prefer hydraulic.
Semi-retired...life is good.

loggah

Johnson bar is the reverser lever on a dozer, same on a steam locomotive.
Interests: Lombard Log Haulers,Tucker Sno-Cats, Circular Sawmills, Shingle Mills, Maple Syrup Making, Early Construction Equipment, Logging Memorabilia, and Antique Firearms

4x4American

Thanks, Loggah...


Wonder how they come up with that name
Boy, back in my day..

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