Bulldozer (Track Type Tractor )
A bulldozer is a crawler (Continuous tracked tractor) equipped with a substantial metal plate (known as a blade) used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc., during construction work and typically equipped at the rear with a claw-like device (known as a ripper) to loosen densely-compacted materials. The term "bulldozer" is often used erroneously to mean any heavy equipment (sometimes a loader and sometimes an excavator), but precisely, the term refers only to a tractor (usually tracked) fitted with a dozer blade. That is the meaning used here.
History
The first bulldozers were adapted from Holt farm tractors that were used to plough fields. The versatility of tractors in soft ground for logging and road building contributed to the development of the armoured tank in World War I.
In 1923, a young farmer named James Cummings and a draftsman named J. Earl McLeod made the first designs for a bulldozer. A replica is on display at the city park in Morrowville, Kansas where the two built the first bulldozer.
By the 1920s, tracked vehicles became common, particularly the Caterpillar 60. To dig canals, raise earth dams, and do other earth moving jobs, these tractors were equipped with a large thick metal plate in front. This metal plate (it got its curved shape later) is called a "blade". The blade peels layers of soil and pushes it forward as the tractor advances. In some early models the driver sat on top in the open without a cabin. There are three main types of bulldozer blades: a U-blade for pushing and carrying dirt relatively long distances, a straight blade for "knocking down" and spreading piles of dirt, and a brush rake for removing brush and roots. These attachments (home-built or built by small equipment manufacturers of attachments for wheeled and crawler tractors and trucks) appeared by 1929. Widespread acceptance of the bull-grader does not seem to appear before the mid-1930s. The addition of power down-force provided by hydraulic cylinders instead of just the weight of the blade made them the preferred excavation machine for large and small contractors alike by the 1940s, by which time the term "bulldozer" referred to the entire machine and not just the attachment.
Over the years, bulldozers got bigger and more powerful in response to the demand for equipment suited for ever larger earthworks. Firms like Caterpillar, Komatsu, Case, JCB, Liebherr, LiuGong, Terex, Fiat-Allis, John Deere and International Harvester manufactured large tracked-type earthmoving machines.
Bulldozers grew more sophisticated as time passed. Important improvements include drivetrains analogous to (in automobiles) an automatic transmission instead of a manual transmission, blades controlled by hydraulic cylinders instead of early models' cable winch/brake, and automatic grade control. Hydraulic cylinders enabled more precise manipulation of the blade and automated controls.
Bulldozers attachment
The most common attachment is a ripper to loosen densely-compacted soils. A large bulldozer usually has only one shank on the ripper, and a small bulldozer usually has multiple shanks. Each shank has a replaceable tooth on its end.
A less common attachment is a stumpbuster, which is a single spike that protrudes horizontally and can be raised to get it (mostly) out of the way. A stumpbuster is used to split a tree stump. A bulldozer with a stumpbuster is used for landclearing operations, and probably has a brush-rake blade.
A more recent innovation is the outfitting of bulldozers with GPS technology, such as manufactured by Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc., Trimble Inc, or Leica Geosystems for precise grade control and (potentially) "stakeless" construction. As a response to the many, -and often varying claims about these systems, The Kellogg Report [3] published in 2010 a detailed comparison of all the manufacturers' systems, evaluating more than 200 features for dozers alone.
The best known maker of bulldozers is probably Caterpillar in the USA, which earned its reputation by making tough, durable, reliable machines. Komatsu, JCB and John Deere are present-day competitors. Although these machines began as modified farm tractors, they became the mainstay for big civil construction projects, and found their way into use by military construction units worldwide. The best known model, the Caterpillar D9, was also used to clear mines and demolish enemy structures.
