I Bought a COLOSSAL Caterpillar D9 Dozer, DIRT CHEAP!!

Summary

The video follows Matt from Diesel Creek as he purchases a used 1970s Caterpillar D9H bulldozer despite not needing one. He dismantles the massive blade to transport it, weighing the parts and calculating costs. After reassembling at its new home, Matt reflects on the amazing deal he got, around $11,100 for a $50,000 machine. Though he doesn't require it, Matt is excited to use the 111,000 lb bulldozer for projects at the nearby steam show before selling it.

Takeaways

• 😊 Matt bought a used 1970s Caterpillar D9H bulldozer even though he doesn't really need it, because the price was too good to pass up
• 🚜 The D9H weighs about 90,000 lbs and is twice as big as Matt's D8 bulldozer
• 👷 Matt and his friends disassembled the bulldozer blade to transport it, using an RC crane truck and service rig
• 🚛 They transported the 19,000 lb blade on one truck and the bulldozer itself weighed around 88,000 lbs on the truck
• 🌡️ The weather was freezing cold, making work conditions miserable with frozen equipment
• 🔧 Matt reassembled the blade onto the bulldozer at its new home at a steam show
• 💪 The D9H has 111,000 lbs of pushing power and a ripper shank to tear through rock
• 🤑 Matt paid $11,100 for the D9H, which he estimates is worth $40-50k, so it was a great deal
• 🚜 Matt plans to play around with it at the steam show then sell it to a buyer he already has lined up
• 👷‍♂️In the next video Matt will use the D9H to push a lot of dirt and drag out a stuck machine

Q & A

What machine did Matt buy?

Matt bought a 1970s Caterpillar D9H dozer

Why did Matt buy the D9H if he didn't need it?

He got a good deal on it that he couldn't pass up. At $200/ton, he paid around $11,100 for a dozer worth $40-50k.

How much does the blade assembly weigh?

According to the Caterpillar manual, the blade assembly with tilt cylinders and arms weighs around 18,000-19,000 lbs.

How are they transporting the D9H?

They are completely disassembling the blade so they can legally and safely transport the parts. The blade goes on one truck, the tractor on another.

What was wrong with the starter?

The starter was having issues turning over. They had to bump start it.

What date did they pick up the D9H?

They picked it up on December 26th.

Who all helped pick up and transport the dozer?

Matt had help from his friends Sam, Gino, and Big John.

Where are they taking the D9H?

They are taking it to the National Pike Steam Show.

What do they plan to do with the D9H?

They plan to play around with it and use it at the Steam Show before selling it.

Why couldn't they do much pushing the first day?

The muddy conditions made it difficult. The tracks kept getting clogged.

Outlines

00:00

😄 Introducing a recently purchased D9H bulldozer

Matt introduces a D9H bulldozer he recently purchased. He explains that he didn't really need it but it was such a good deal he couldn't pass it up. The plan for today is to disassemble the blade to prepare it for transport.

05:01

👷‍♂️ Disassembling the D9H blade

Matt and his friends disassemble the bulldozer blade, disconnecting it from the push arms. They use an RC crane and service truck to lift and move the heavy components. Matt notes the blade assembly weighs around 19,000 lbs.

10:02

🚜 Loading the detached D9H blade onto the truck

With the bulldozer blade now detached, Matt's friend uses an RC terrex to lift and load the blade onto a truck for transport. Matt reflects on how helpful it is to have good friends to help with projects like this.

15:13

🛻 Transporting the D9H components to their new home

Matt transports the detached D9H blade to its new home at a steam show. He weighs the load and does some math to calculate the total weight. The next day, he returns to transport the D9H tractor.

20:35

⛽ Refueling and troubleshooting issues with the truck

After transporting the bulldozer components, Matt refuels his truck. There are some issues getting the truck restarted, but his friend is able to successfully bump start it instead.

25:47

😅 Challenges securing the load for final transport

As they prepare to transport the final D9H tractor, Matt's trailer won't lift properly due to frozen lines. After some effort, they get the trailer lowered, chained, and lifted again to haul the heavy load.

30:51

🚛 Carefully hauling the reassembled D9H to its new home

With the D9H tractor loaded onto the trailer, Matt cautiously hauls the reassembled, 88,000 lb machine 40 miles to its new home at the steam show.

35:56

🔨 Reattaching the blade at the D9H's new home

Now at the steam show, Matt reattaches the repaired blade assembly to the D9H tractor. One of the pusher arms had a small crack they gouged out and welded.

42:25

👷‍♂️ Trying out the operational D9H bulldozer

With the D9H fully reassembled, Matt reflects on the great deal he got on it and plans to use it for projects at the steam show before selling it. He tries a couple test pushes with the bulldozer.

47:26

👋 Signing off after introducting Matt's new D9H

Matt concludes by noting if viewers want to see more videos featuring the D9H to like, comment and subscribe. He also promotes his merchandise store to help support his channel.

Keywords

💡dozer

A dozer refers to a bulldozer, which is a powerful tractor with a front-mounted blade used for pushing large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc. Dozers like the D9 are essential for major earthmoving and construction projects. The video revolves around acquiring and operating a D9 dozer despite not having an immediate need for it.

💡under carriage

The undercarriage refers to the chassis or drive-train of tracked construction equipment like dozers and excavators. It includes the tracks, wheels, rollers, and suspension components. The video emphasizes examining the undercarriage to ensure the D9 is in good, operable condition.

💡blade

The blade is the large metal plate on the front of a bulldozer that is used to push and level dirt, rocks, etc. A significant portion of the video covers detaching and transporting the massive D9 blade using cranes and trailers.

💡digging

Digging refers to excavating and moving earth using heavy machinery like dozers and excavators. Although not shown in the video, digging is discussed as one of the main uses for the D9 dozer at their facility.

💡ripper

A ripper is an attachment on the back of a dozer with large teeth to break up dense materials like compacted soil or rock layers. The video emphasizes excitement about the D9's ripper to penetrate deeper than existing dozers at their site.

💡pushing

Pushing means using the front blade of a dozer to reshaping terrain by clearing, leveling, or moving large quantities of rock, soil, etc. The video concludes by highlighting the D9's superior pushing capabilities compared to smaller dozers.

💡dirt

Dirt refers broadly to soil, gravel, sand, and other earthen materials that are moved and shaped by heavy equipment like dozers. Moving dirt is a core task discussed throughout the video.

💡tracks

Tracks are the heavy metal treads that wrap around wheels on dozers and other tracked vehicles. They distribute weight and provide traction when pushing and digging. The video shows the D9's tracks getting clogged with mud.

💡rock

Rock refers to stone, bedrock, and other hard geologic materials. Ripping through and moving rock is noted in the video as a key capability of the D9 dozer.

💡power

Power refers to the massive mechanical force generated by heavy machinery like the D9. Much of the video emphasizes the D9's considerable power, weight, and size compared to smaller dozers.

Highlights

Bought a D9H bulldozer even though I don't need one

Got a great deal on it - couldn't afford not to buy it

Going to disassemble the blade and load it onto a trailer

Using a remote control crane to lift the heavy blade assembly

Blade assembly weighs around 19,000 lbs - crane can handle it

Hauling the blade on one trip, tractor on another

Tractor weighs around 90,000 lbs fully loaded

Had to bump start the tractor when the starter failed

Reassembled the blade in muddy conditions - it's a beast

Paid only $11,100 for this $40-50k machine

Going to rip up bedrock with the ripper that others couldn't

Will push a lot of dirt and test capabilities in next video

Not much repair needed - just needs to be put to work

Twice the weight and power of the D8 bulldozer

Support channel by buying merch at dieselcreek.com

Transcripts

good morning everybody welcome back to

diesel Creek my name is Matt I am super

excited today because I have bought

something that well frankly I never

dreamed I would buy a I figured I would

never really have a a good excuse to buy

one I I certainly don't have the need

and they're also pretty expensive so two

reasons right there why I figured I'd

probably never own one but turns out the

need to buy it is because it was just so

affordable I couldn't turn it down guys

we could not afford not to buy it yep

that's what I'm telling the wife we

couldn't afford not to buy it

so some

things sometimes things come up that you

just can't afford not to

buy a d9h just happened to be that

something

today I believe this is an early to mid

70s

d9h got a full U blade 1,800 hours on an

overhaul really nice underc Carriage I'd

say the underc carriage is 90% or better

it's got a rebuilt final drive on this

side single shank Ripper a nice cab with

working air

conditioning unlike most things I buy

this thing is TurnKey put it to work

operational do I need a d9h absolutely

not do I want the d9h well who

doesn't like I said for the price

couldn't turn this one down we are here

today to knock the blade apart and load

it up so I got my buddy Sam from Scrappy

Industries he's got his remote control

terx should be able to load that blade

up on the trailer Gino and the service

rig we're ready to go Big John on the

film

crew all

right let's disassemble a D9 action all

right so first things first here we need

to reposition this unit just a little

bit so we can get the truck with the

crane backed in right going to do a

little cold start action

contact

a

dear

Darla all right so we got the tractor

all pulled up close

here Gino's service truck on the other

side there he's going to handle all the

uh the light work and let the terx

handle all the loading so according to

the cat manual this whole blade assembly

with the Tilt cylinders the arms and

everything is like like 18,000 and

change so close to 19,000 you might as

well say so the little TRX should be

able to handle all

that and having the service truck here

is just going to make it a lot

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easier we should tell everybody for the

video purposes this is December 26th

While most people are out returning the

gifts that they didn't want I'm out

picking up

mine should be able to rotate that bar

though

yeah just being dramatic for effects for

the

film like a discovery show this my first

major Film

Production oh these were barely

tight

you shackling or you just

hooking hook work ocean a here

yeah yeah that'll

work you look like you're pretty good up

and

down youo how hard was this to take

apart how hard with it yeah it's falling

apart it's nowhere near as easy as that

td25 but that was like a world record

Setter

there

yeah how's that Big John

perfect

so right now he's booming down to try

and hit the other cylinder so they can

pin that one up

too Dino's over trying to find some

Hardware to make it all

happen

let's see if you made

it he work it'll work

where

probably thank you okay so on big

machines like this and U blades

specifically you cannot haul the machine

with the blade on it it's way too wide

at least for around our area like

there's places out west you can get away

with

it in our case we have to completely

disassemble the blade so the actual mold

board has to come off and then all these

push

arms we got to disconnect all these

braces inside there it makes for a

pretty good Jag of work all so we can

Nestle it nicely on a trailer and haul

it down the road legal

like so what Sam's trying to do is rock

that forward and then that Ram should

fall down

little

more that's what we wanted right there

beautiful look at that

oh tire iron and all oh just grab that

thing yeah buddy that's a good thing

about got this Scrappy RC crane set up

that is something this is Scrappy all

right

it

oh look

out hold on it's going to swing at the

TR oh she is loose but not that loose oh

actually yeah oh do anything for you are

you prying off of your steel toe right

now I'm glad I'm not your insurance

provider

[Laughter]

come on girl I going wiggle that much

not come out

yeah yeah

coming nailed

it look at that buddy

Gino you're blocking the shot

here my bad

myad I'm impressed

watch hope you use good chain

binders they in are they good that's

debatable to

be I'll tell you what guys it is nice to

have friends like Sam and Gino and Big

John

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here should have drove the Grove out

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here what are you thinking you going to

cheat it to one side you going to split

put a blade arm on each

side stand

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back

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oh

h

I

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leave let me uh let me

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find you going

fishing

all righty we got all the cranes folded

up put away the blade is

loaded that blade doesn't look that big

when you're showing it by itself but

when you put it next to the carry

deck she's she's got some scale to

[Applause]

her

all right well we just got our

heavyweight so time to do some maths

figure out how much this is costing me

all right well we just rolled up

here to the National Pike steam show

where the D9 is going to live for a

while we're going to drop the blade

today and go back for the tractor

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tomorrow

going to hurry up and try to kick this

stuff off real quick we're losing

daylight pretty

quick

[Music]

what's up

bud like my new hoodie I like it I'm a

cat guy

today 15 bucks off their website though

seriously that I shouldn't be promoting

them you should go to Diesel creek.com

and get your own diesel Creek swag but I

feel weird wearing my own stuff in

public it's not

me buy a D9 get a shirt yeah buy a D9

get a free hoodie that's what they

should be running that kind of

[Applause]

promo

all right so the same routine as the

blade

Mission we're getting an empty

weight and we're going to find out what

this thing weighs

[Music]

first

69 wait what what she weigh uh weigh 54

oh no I lied 48920 48920 is what he says

it weighs we'll see how close he is give

me a little start

start don't you hate that Ser I believe

[Laughter]

you mine does the same thing starter so

annoyed if this isn't a commercial for

yank RS I don't know what

is perfect never had a toilet before

oh my God it doesn't

fit so gin have you ever bump started

this before honestly yeah we had to do

it in Nashville one time the starter

went out of it again and uh

apparently apparently today is the day

for another one I've never bump started

a Peter pil so this is exciting for me

hey don't shut it off anymore cuz I

can't pull you once you put a D9 on it

you can definitely started with an n

off he's

live buddy that worked pretty well yeah

I really couldn't complain about that

it's glad you you good thing you brought

your Ford starter for your pil you

[Music]

know what you say What's the total 489

of the light

weight minus a little pride left a

little bit on the scale I'm going to

shut it off again I better start don't

you do it okay when we get that rest if

you park on a hill you can do it oh

yeah

[Applause]

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sh

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[Applause]

h

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all right Gina's getting his rig backed

in here right

now got a detach climber up on there got

Big John up on the trailer getting all

the good shots make sure you guys drop a

comment thank Big John for his efforts

on this one above and beyond we're

lowering the trailer down dumping the

air out so we can unchain our third a

cuz I'm too poor to have an airlift

third and uh we'll unchain it open those

ball valves and then we'll have all

three axles down for hauling the tractor

back maximum weight distribution yeah

how far you let this out uh all the way

oh okay like leave like two links

hanging

out I think this is oh it's frozen some

guy took the tractor trailer to The

Beacon at 4:30 this morning so now

everything's

frozen I was like that seems like a bad

idea but what I

know I guess it's no different than

running down the rain in a slushy Road

in a early morning I I wouldn't even

offer like if I work there I would just

call in sick today like I'm not working

in this cold well it's it's 80° inside I

don't care that's the best place to work

that place is like a sauna inside

yeah that keeps exhibit a attached to

exhibit B what happened to that line

right there what that electrical cord

she's got a slight kink in her I didn't

think they put 90° in wires that's

custom you can't get that kind of

at

Walmart trailer just falls

apart God everything is frozen how much

they charge you to wash that thing 99

bucks really isn't that bad you know

who's paying for that don't you this guy

hey

y That's the only reason why I got

permits today was cuz you were paying

for for him we have permits we have we

have three

permits

H buff all righty shut her

down chain this baby down get her going

up the steam

ship I'm excited

this is a freaking

Dozer I never once in my life dreamed

that I'd own a D9 yet here we are all

thanks to you guys watching so make sure

if you like this kind of content you

like seeing some guy buy a D9 even

though he doesn't need one be sure you

hit that Thumbs Up Button subscribe see

what we do with this thing buddy that

thing is

crooked you cross chaining on each end

um

let me get it up in the air first cuz

it'll deflect so much yeah I know I'm

not going to tighten them yet it just

getting them rigged

[Music]

up

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B

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don't shut it off I don't think this

scale is big

enough brought the 340 po to zville I

had to split way both of

them

don't shut it off you me to shut it off

don't shut it off we can push start it

with this oh wait how' we get it off the

trailer how much do you think this load

will weigh my calculations are correct

this baby weighs 88,000 as it sits and

that's could be a little off but very

close let let's go to 87 for Price is

Right

[Applause]

rules

[Music]

all right Matt how's your guess well

guess way

wrong we got to do some math what was

the lightweight we are at

142

240 minus I think it was

[Music]

489 93 340 I was pretty good at 90,000

guessing on the deck all right so we're

a little heavier than I thought but not

awful we are no we got 40 miles left

close enough what's 40 mil among

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friends

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l

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spe

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[Applause]

sh

[Applause]

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[Applause]

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[Applause]

oh

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[Laughter]

[Laughter]

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sh

amaz with a little Lube will do a

it

come on man I'm charging by the hour for

this thing to sit on the

trailer

[Applause]

a

[Music]

d

hi picking up the axle this is back to

the Corman axle in

Reverse bringing her

up boy this breaking warm oh yeah we

just moved 42,000 lb across three states

of course the brakes are going to be

worm what's up need anyways

woo

[Music]

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all right it's a couple days later it

has rained and snowed a whole bunch

since then and now it's thought out it's

a Mucky mess but we're going to slap a

on this thing today and hopefully we're

going to be pushing something by the end

of the day I got Gino back over here

with the service truck our little

redneck buddy Austin's here to help we

found a little crack on this Pusher arm

here might have to gouge that a little

bit and throw some weld at it before we

stab it back together but everything

else looks pretty

good except for this mud the mud doesn't

look very the mud

sucks should have brought a triaxle at a

rock up here first

on the

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budget

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oh boy guys we got her all back

together it's a sloppy mess out here but

you know what there's no way that I'm

going to leave here without pushing some

dirt today what an absolute

Beauty

111,000 lb of Freedom right

there

oh

oh

I got another

planate

[Laughter]

we got us a D9 as you can see I got her

parked up here next to the 8 and uh

buddy Sam's td25 this is a beast of a

machine it is literally twice the weight

and uh probably twice the pushing power

it would stand to reason as the d8 now

as you may have guessed we don't need a

D9 or I may have mentioned earlier in

the video that we don't need the D9 but

I couldn't afford not to buy it doing

the math I paid 200 a ton for this

machine that comes out to $11,100 if my

math is correct

so this should be A40 $50,000 machine

all day long I just got a screaming good

deal on it so that's why I bought it

we're going to play around with it for a

while and I believe I've already got a

buyer lined out for it so we're going to

enjoy this thing while it's here do some

work up here at the steam show with it

and then uh probably end up kicking it

down the road but it's going to be fun

while it's here I don't want to do much

pushing today because well partially

because of that right there just plugs

up the tracks now I got to spend 20

minutes shoveling these tracks out after

the video

but

uh it's a sloppy mess so everything is

just like jello anyways it's not really

a good time to be dozing stuff

but kid in a candy

store I'm particularly excited for the

Ripper on the back here every year down

in the Dozer pit we dig a hole and try

to rip up some of the rock the Bedrock

down underneath all the material that we

blade

around and nobody has a D9 with a ripper

on it up here so I should be able to get

through some rock that nobody else has

been able to get through a little bit of

a different video for you guys since

there's really not much repair that

needs done on this thing the Blade's

sloppy but other than that this thing's

Cherry I really don't need anything it

just needs put to work so in the next

video you guys see on this machine we

are going to be doing just that we're

going to be uh pushing a lot of dirt

with this thing might have a dead

machine to drag out of the

way we're going to put her to the test

and see what she's capable of

and if those couple pushes were any

indication she's she's capable of quite

a

bit so anyways guys I'm going to leave

this one off right here if you guys like

this video and want to see more on the

D9 be sure you leave a comment down

below and hit that Thumbs Up Button

really helps me out helps me to keep

buying D9 so be sure you tickle that

like button and uh if you want to help

support the channel in a little more

direct way head on over to dieselcreek

dcom pick yourself up some sweet swag

over at the store we've got hats

t-shirts beer kozi sticker packs the

works over there at the store that's

diesel creek.com link is always down in

the

description but that's all for now guys

thanks for watching I'll catch you on

the next one

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later

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