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BulldozerWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Bulldozer
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Abulldozerisacrawler(continuoustrackedtractor)equippedwithasubstantialmetal
plate(knownasablade)usedtopushlargequantitiesofsoil,sand,rubble,orothersuch
materialduringconstructionorconversionworkandtypicallyequippedattherearwitha
clawlikedevice(knownasaripper)toloosendenselycompactedmaterials.
Bulldozerscanbefoundonawiderangeofsites,minesandquarries,militarybases,
heavyindustryfactories,engineeringprojectsandfarms.
Theterm"bulldozer"isoftenusederroneouslytomeananyheavyequipment(sometimes
aloaderandsometimesanexcavator),butprecisely,thetermrefersonlytoatractor
(usuallytracked)fittedwithadozerblade.
Alargebulldozerwithripper,theCaterpillarD9

Contents
1Description
1.1Blade
1.2Ripper
2Modifications
2.1Armoredbulldozers
3History
4Manufacturers
5Historyoftheword
6Seealso
7References
8Externallinks

Description
Mostoftenbulldozersarelargeandpowerfultrackedheavyequipment.Thetracksgive
themexcellentgroundholdingcapabilityandmobilitythroughveryroughterrain.Wide
trackshelpdistributethebulldozer'sweightoveralargearea(decreasingground
pressure),thuspreventingitfromsinkinginsandyormuddyground.Extrawidetracks
areknownasswamptracksorLGP(lowgroundpressure)tracks.Bulldozershave
transmissionsystemsdesignedtotakeadvantageofthetracksystemandprovideexcellent
tractiveforce.
Becauseoftheseattributes,bulldozersareoftenusedinroadbuilding,construction,
mining,forestry,landclearing,infrastructuredevelopment,andanyotherprojects
requiringhighlymobile,powerful,andstableearthmovingequipment.
Anothertypeofbulldozeristhewheeledbulldozer,whichgenerallyhasfourwheels
drivenbya4wheeldrivesystemandhasahydraulic,articulatedsteeringsystem.The
bladeismountedforwardofthearticulationjoint,andishydraulicallyactuated.

ACaterpillarD10Nbulldozerequippedwitha
singleshankripper.

Thebulldozer'sprimarytoolsarethebladeandtheripper.

Blade
Thebulldozerbladeisaheavymetalplateonthefrontofthetractor,usedtopushobjects,andshovesand,soilanddebris.Dozerblades
usuallycomeinthreevarieties:
1. Astraightblade("Sblade")whichisshortandhasnolateralcurveandnosidewingsandcanbeusedforfinegrading.
2. Auniversalblade("Ublade")whichistallandverycurved,andhaslargesidewingstocarrymorematerial.
3. An"SU"combinationbladewhichisshorter,haslesscurvature,andsmallersidewings.Thisbladeistypicallyusedforpushing
pilesoflargerocks,suchasataquarry.

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Bladescanbefittedstraightacrosstheframe,oratanangle,sometimesusingadditional'tiltcylinders'tovarytheanglewhilemoving.The
bottomedgeofthebladecanbesharpened,e.g.tocuttreestumps.
Sometimesabulldozerisusedtopushanotherpieceofearthmovingequipmentknownasa"scraper".ThetowedFresnoScraper,inventedin
1883byJamesPorteous,wasthefirstdesigntoenablethistobedoneeconomically,removingthesoilfromthecutanddepositingit
elsewhereonshallowground(fill).Manydozerbladeshaveareinforcedcentersectionwiththispurposeinmind,andarecalled"bullblades".
Inmilitaryuse,dozerbladesarefixedoncombatengineeringvehiclesandcanoptionallybefittedonothervehicles,suchasartillerytractors
suchastheType73orM8Tractor.Dozerbladescanalsobemountedonmainbattletanks,whereitcanbeusedtoclearantitankobstacles,
mines,anddigimprovisedshelters.Combatapplicationsfordozerbladesincludeclearingbattlefieldobstaclesandpreparingfirepositions.[1]

Ripper
Theripperisthelongclawlikedeviceonthebackofthebulldozer.Ripperscancomeas
asingle(singleshank/giantripper)oringroupsoftwoormore(multishankrippers).
Usually,asingleshankispreferredforheavyripping.Therippershankisfittedwitha
replaceabletungstensteelalloytip.Rippingrockbreaksthegroundsurfacerockor
pavementintosmallrubbleeasytohandleandtransport,whichcanthenberemovedso
gradingcantakeplace.Withagriculturalripping,afarmerbreaksuprockyorveryhard
earth(suchaspodzolhardpan),whichisotherwiseunploughable,inordertofarmit.For
example,muchofthebestlandintheCaliforniawinecountryconsistsofoldlavaflows.
Thegrowershattersthelavawithheavybulldozerssosurfacecropsortreescanbe
planted.Alesscommonrearattachmentisastumpbuster,whichisasinglespikethat
protrudeshorizontallyandcanberaisedtogetit(mostly)outoftheway.Astumpbuster
isusedtosplitatreestump.Abulldozerwithastumpbusterisusedforlandclearing
operations,andprobablyhasabrushrakeblade.

Bulldozerblade

Modifications
Bulldozershavebeenfurthermodifiedovertimetoevolveintonewmachineswhichcan
workinwaysthattheoriginalbulldozercannot.
Oneexampleisthatloadertractorswerecreatedbyremovingthebladeandsubstitutinga
largevolumebucketandhydraulicarmswhichcanraiseandlowerthebucket,thus
makingitusefulforscoopingupearthandloadingitintotrucks,theseareoftenknownas
aDrott.
Othermodificationstotheoriginalbulldozerincludemakingitsmallertoletitoperatein
smallworkareaswheremovementislimited,suchasinmining.Averysmallbulldozeris
sometimescalledacalfdozer.
Somelightweightformofbulldozerarecommonlyusedinsnowremovalandasatoolfor
preparingwintersportsareasforskiandsnowboardsports.

Multishankripper

Inanangledozer(imagehere(http://www.travellerdave.co.uk/?p=7194))thebladecanbe
pushedforwardatoneendtomakeiteasiertopushmaterialawaytotheside.
Nevertheless,theoriginalearthmovingbulldozersarestillirreplaceableastheirtasksare
concentratedindeforestation,earthmoving,groundlevelling,androadcarving.Heavy
bulldozersaremainlyemployedtoleveltheterraintoprepareitforconstruction.The
construction,however,ismainlydonebysmallbulldozersandloadertractors.

Armoredbulldozers
Somebulldozers,especiallybulldozersinmilitaryusage,havebeenfittedwitharmorto
protectthedriverfromenemyfire,enablingthebulldozertooperateinbattlezones.The
bestknownuseofanarmoredbulldozerisprobablytheusebytheIsraeliDefenceForces
(IDF)oftheIDFCaterpillarD9,forearthmoving,clearingterrainobstacles,opening
Atrackedloader
routes,detonatingexplosivecharges,anddemolishingPalestinianhomeswhilstunder
fire.TheextensiveuseofarmoredbulldozersduringtheSecondIntifadadrew
controversyandcriticismfromhumanrightsorganizationswhilemilitaryexpertssawitasakeyfactorinreducingIDFcasualties.
Somebulldozershavebeenfittedwitharmorbynongovernmentcivilianoperatorstopreventbystandersorpolicefrominterferingwiththe
workperformedbythebulldozer,asinthecaseofstrikesordemolitionofcondemnedbuildings.Thishasalsobeendonebycivilianswitha
disputewiththeauthorities,suchasMarvinHeemeyer,whooutfittedhisKomatsuD355Abulldozerwithhomemadecompositearmortothen
demolishgovernmentbuildings.

History
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ThefirstbulldozerswereadaptedfromHoltfarmtractorsthatwereusedtoplowfields.Theversatilityoftractorsinsoftgroundforlogging
androadbuildingcontributedtothedevelopmentofthearmouredtankinWorldWarI.
In1923,ayoungfarmernamedJamesCummingsandadraftsmannamedJ.EarlMcLeodmadethefirstdesignsforthebulldozer.Areplicais
ondisplayatthecityparkinMorrowville,Kansaswherethetwobuiltthefirstbulldozer.[2]OnDecember18,1923,CummingsandMcLeod
filedU.S.patent#1,522,378thatwaslaterissuedonJanuary6,1925foran"AttachmentforTractors."[3]
Bythe1920s,trackedvehiclesbecamecommon,particularlytheCaterpillar60.Rubbertiredvehiclescameintouseinthe1940s.Todig
canals,raiseearthdams,anddootherearthmovingjobs,thesetractorswereequippedwithalargethickmetalplateinfront.(Thebladegotits
curvedshapelater).Insomeearlymodelsthedriversatontopintheopenwithoutacabin.
Therearethreemaintypesofbulldozerblades:aUbladeforpushingandcarryingdirt
relativelylongdistances,astraightbladefor"knockingdown"andspreadingpilesofdirt,
andabrushrakeforremovingbrushandroots.Theseattachments(homebuiltorbuiltby
smallequipmentmanufacturersofattachmentsforwheeledandcrawlertractorsand
trucks)appearedby1929.
Widespreadacceptanceofthebullgraderdoesnotseemtoappearbeforethemid1930s.
Theadditionofpowerdownforceprovidedbyhydrauliccylindersinsteadofjustthe
weightoftheblademadethemthepreferredexcavationmachineforlargeandsmall
contractorsalikebythe1940s,bywhichtimetheterm"bulldozer"referredtotheentire
machineandnotjusttheattachment.
Overtheyears,bulldozersgotbiggerandmorepowerfulinresponsetothedemandfor
equipmentsuitedforeverlargerearthworks.FirmslikeCaterpillar,Komatsu,Case,JCB,

AnarmoredCaterpillarD9RBulldozerusedby
IsraelDefenseForces

Euclid,[4]AllisChalmers,Liebherr,LiuGong,Terex,FiatAllis,JohnDeere,BEML,
XGMAandInternationalHarvestermanufacturedlargetrackedtypeearthmoving
machines.R.G.LeTourneauandCaterpillarmanufacturedlargerubbertiredbulldozers.[5]
Bulldozersgrewmoresophisticatedastimepassed.Improvementsincludedrivetrains
analogousto(inautomobiles)anautomatictransmissioninsteadofamanualtransmission
suchastheearlyEuclidC6andTC12orModelCTournadozer,blademovement
controlledbyhydrauliccylindersorelectricmotorsinsteadofearlymodels'cable
winch/brake,andautomaticgradecontrol.Hydrauliccylindersenabledtheapplicationof
downforce,moreprecisemanipulationofthebladeandautomatedcontrols.
AmorerecentinnovationistheoutfittingofbulldozerswithGPStechnology,suchas
manufacturedbyTopconPositioningSystems,Inc.,TrimbleInc,orLeicaGeosystemsfor
precisegradecontroland(potentially)"stakeless"construction.Asaresponsetothe
many,andoftenvaryingclaimsaboutthesesystems,TheKelloggReport[6]publishedin
2010adetailedcomparisonofallthemanufacturers'systems,evaluatingmorethan200
featuresfordozersalone.

AworkingbulldozerfromtheFirstTractor
Company,onXinbuIsland,Hainan,China.

ThebestknownmakerofbulldozersisprobablyCaterpillarintheUS,whichearnedits
reputationbymakingtough,durable,reliablemachines.Komatsu,JCBandJohnDeere
arepresentdaycompetitors.Althoughthesemachinesbeganasmodifiedfarmtractors,
theybecamethemainstayforbigcivilconstructionprojects,andfoundtheirwayintouse
bymilitaryconstructionunitsworldwide.Thebestknownmodel,theCaterpillarD9,was
alsousedtoclearminesanddemolishenemystructures.

Manufacturers
Industrystatisticsbasedon2010productionpublishedbyOffHighwayResearch
showedShantuiwasthelargestproducerofbulldozers,makingover10,000unitsthat
yearor2in5crawlertypedozersmadeintheworld.[7]Thenextlargestproducerby

ALiebherrbulldozerwithamultishankripper.

numberofunitsisCaterpillarInc.,whichproduced6,400units.[7]

Historyoftheword
19thcentury:termusedinengineeringforahorizontalforgingpress.
Around1880:IntheUSA,a"bulldose"wasalargedose(namely,onelarge
enoughtobeliterallyorfigurativelyeffectiveagainstabull)ofanysortof
medicineorpunishment.'Bulldosing'meantaseverewhippingorcoercion,or
otherintimidationsuchasatgunpoint.[8]

ACaterpillarD11Nbulldozerequippedwitha
doubleshankripper

1886:"bulldozer"meantalargecaliberpistolandthepersonwhowieldedit.[8]
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Late19thcentury:"bulldozing"meantusingbruteforcetopushoverorthrough
anyobstacle.[8]
1930s:appliedtothevehicle.
Theseappearedasearlyas1929,butwereknownas"bullgrader"blades,andtheterm
"bulldozerblade"didnotappeartocomeintowidespreaduseuntilthemid1930s.
"Bulldozer"nowreferstothewholemachinenotjusttheattachment.Incontemporary
usage,"bulldozer"isoftenshortenedto"dozer".

Seealso
Athanasforthe'bulldozershrimp'(fromthewayitpushessandabout)

Bulldozerforsolidwastemanagement.

MarvinHeemeyer,knownforhisrampagewithamodifiedbulldozer.

References
1. ^Trewhitt,Philip(1999).ArmouredFightingVehicles.DempseyParr.ISBN1840843284.
2. ^KansasCuriosities:QuirkyCharacters,RoadsideOddities&OtherOffbeatStuff(http://books.google.com/books?
id=OZVrxulVBtoC&pg=PA189&dq=James+Cummings+J.+Earl+McLeod+bulldozer&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Gtt4T_S_L_Cu2AXLoYW2Bg&ved=0CD
AQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=James%20Cummings%20J.%20Earl%20McLeod%20bulldozer&f=false).Retrieved20120401.
3. ^Patent1522378,AttachmentForTractors,JohnEMcLeodandJamesDCummings,FiledDecember18,1923.
(http://www.google.com/patents/US1522378?printsec=abstract&dq=1522378&ei=iagXT7qWCYqbtwe76JHpAg#v=onepage&q=1522378&f=false)
4. ^Haddock,Keith."EuclidGeneralMotors'CrawlerTractor"(http://pendergast.ca/antiqueengine/euclid.htm).PEITractorClub.Retrieved
11September2011.
5. ^"TournadozerBuiltforSpeedyEarthmoving"(http://www.constructionequipment.com/tournadozerbuiltspeedyearthmoving).Construction
Equipment.Retrieved11September2011.
6. ^TheKelloggReportLLC(2010).Article:TheKelloggReport.RetrievedDecember15,2010fromkelloggreport.com
(http://www.kelloggreport.com/index.html)
7. ^ab"Shantuiofficiallylargestdozerproducerintheworld"(http://www.earthmover.com.au/newequipment/2011/may/shantuiofficiallylargest
dozerproducerintheworld).TheEarthmover&CivilContractor.May2011.
8. ^abc"HistoryoftheBulldozer"(http://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventions/a/bulldozer.htm).Retrieved20081217.

Externallinks
Themechanismofabulldozer
(http://www.kenkenkikki.jp/special/no02/e_index.htm)(Shortillustrated
explanations,withflashanimations,suitableforkids)

WikimediaCommonshasmediarelated
toBulldozers.

VanNattaBulldozers(http://www.vannattabros.com/dozer.html)Further
informationaboutworkingbulldozers
OldengineBulldozerpagesphotos(http://www.oldengine.org/members/holland/images/Australia2005/Australia2005%20440.jpg)
Googlesearchforimagesofcalfdozers(http://www.google.com/search?
num=10&hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1680&bih=890&q=calfdozer&oq=calfdozer&gs_l=img.3..0j0i24l2.5345.
12086.0.12238.11.5.0.6.6.0.72.349.5.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.brueBQwyDps)
Retrievedfrom"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bulldozer&oldid=648861270"
Categories: Bulldozers Demolition Engineeringvehicles Trackedvehicles Americaninventions
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