A bulldozer is a large and powerful crawler tractor that is usually equipped with a front blade that is used to move large amounts of soil, rubble and rock. A bulldozer can even be used to push equipment such as tractor scrapers. The term bulldozer is typically used to describe the crawler tractor variety of equipment and not the rubber tired variety.
Crawler dozer blades can be found in a variety of styles including:
?Straight Blade or S-Blade ? Shorter blade with no curve or side wings that can be used in fine grading applications
?Universal Blade or U-Blade ? A tall and very curved blade with large side wings that allow it to push more material
?S-U Blade ? A combination blade that is typically shorter with less curvature and will have smaller side wings. Can be found in a quarry setting.
?Angle Blade or A-Blade ? This type of blade pivots left or right to allow material to roll off to either side and is used in general applications.
?Powered Angle Tilt Blade or PAT Blade ? Has hydraulics cylinders to power the angle or tilt without the operator having to leave the operator seat. This type of blade can be used in general applications.
Crawler dozers can also have attachments on the back called Rippers that come in two different varieties a Single Shank Ripper (SS Ripper) or the Multi-Shank Ripper (MS Ripper). Rippers are used to tear up rock and hard earth breaking it into smaller rubble for easier removal to allow for easier grading.
?Single Shank Rippers (SS Rippers) ? Consists of one shank (long claw-like device) preferred for heavy ripping.
?Multi-Shank Rippers (MS Rippers) ? Consist of groups of two or more shanks.
Bulldozers can be found on all types of construction sites, mines, heavy industrial factories and even in military applications. Crawler dozers are made by a number of manufacturers including:
