Scraping years of overgrowth on the farm with the 1956 Cat D6 9U Bulldozer! 

The thing is insane - it goes through anything, and takes down anything. It's GIANT. The original 1950's user manual even provides instructions on how to use it in mud and water up to 3 feet deep (special plugs and procedures) - but the fact that it can work as reliably and forcefully partially submerged is just mindblowing to me!

@@BuyingTheFarm old cats are still considered as the best and most reliable machines Cat has ever made, and they hold up to that title to this day.

I've noticed that their resale price remains pretty constant, despite the age (or, I guess because of the age). This is excellent news. I plan on selling this once I finish the main work. It honestly is too big for what I need, and I have no way to transport it for service if it is ever needed without huge expense. At this point, I think I could get by with a Bobcat, or a more versatile mid-sized tractor with implements (once the main earth work is done).

Hey, thanks so much for that advice. That is excellent - I've never had a winch before (nor a bulldozer), so every tip helps! The issue I had was that the cable hook got snagged on something and free-spooled out without me knowing it. An hour later when I jumped off the bulldozer, the entire winch cable was gone! It wasn't hard to spot, but putting it back on is going to be a pain. Thanks for watching the video and I appreciate the comment!

Philip, WISE WORDS. The reason I created this channel was to hopefully attract comments such as this, from people who are far more experienced than I am. Thus far I can agree. While the bulldozer is way faster than doing any of this by hand, it is definitely a process that takes time. I am slowly learning that I need to map out what I need to do in my head before I drop the blade. I have gone over the same areas dozens of times without realizing I was doing it, I have created huge and unmanageable piles of dirt, I have in some cases buried trees I cut down that I need to cut into sections and remove.... I can agree with you 1000%! Regarding the trees, yes, I'm being very selective. Most are invasive nuisance species, but I'm taking care to stay away from the oak, maple, and other attractive and beneficial trees.

@@BuyingTheFarm outstanding sir! Well I'm happy that I could help, no one gets where they want to go on their own. And RU-vid is just an extended community, so absolutely the smart thing to do is take advantage of that pool of ideas. Remember, you're not a rookie after a day on any machine, just please be careful, dozers can be very dangerous, always wear your seatbelt, and have fun.👍

Hahaha, thanks for the kind words! Please stay tuned and feel free to comment often - I need the advice!

@@BuyingTheFarm you got it brother! 👍

This is excellent information! Thank you for providing your insight and process. I have the DEC scheduled to come out sometime this year to have them map the property (so I know where everything is). They did mention granting permits for the road that was previously cut through the property and for other purposes. I’ll provide a video on the process once that takes place. Thanks for that comment though!! :-)

Thanks a ton! Yeah I've always enjoyed the idea of heavy equipment, but I never had a need for it prior to purchasing this property. The operation of the equipment is DEFINITELY fun, and man does it make quick work of otherwise impossible tasks! I'm not a mechanic though, so the idea of maintenance and repair of a piece of equipment that can only be transported by a semi-truck and trailer is a bit unnerving. Anyway, I'm hoping to continue to make progress toward cleanup and eventually repair... with some planting in the spring! :-)

Hahahaha well the problem is availability and cost of hardware. I had to take down some trees, shrubbery, grasses and also move some earth and berms… so a mulcher wouldn’t have solved everything I needed to do. Further, the cost of hiring out the job with someone who had that equipment exceeded the cost of buying the dozer. Same for buying a mulcher as well as a bobcat or similar implement… just too expensive. Plus, bulldozing is just fun!! :-)

He sounds like a gobby git,you was only trying to help him.

not sure what this means, but thanks for the comment!

Kevin, that is excellent! We're in sort-of the same situation. My front acreage is 6 acres, and that was my goal as well. Your machine is a year newer than mine. Hahaha. Are you going to document any of it for RU-vid? Learn from my mistakes with this beast! Figure out how to scrape instead of dig. I haven't quite learned that yet and I have a mess! Many people suggested getting or making a root rake that clips over the front blade for cleanup. You may have better luck with this than me. I can weld, but my issue is the weight and size of the steel needed to build a root rake. I can't easily handle nor accommodate such large material. People have suggested renting one or buying one. I can't find one for rent anywhere, and the only places I could find to buy one is commercially through stores on the Internet ($3000-$6000ish). I couldn't find anything on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace in my general area. Keep me posted, and likewise stay tuned for more videos! :-)

@@BuyingTheFarm Yeah got all those great software updates on the ‘57 model 😉 I may end up making a video now that you’ve suggested it, I have a metalic go pro mount, I dont have to worry about any plastic hoods / fenders on this beast. We’ve had some wet conditions so far this year so i’ve deferred the dozer work until the ground dries a bit more. I had also asked a local metal manufacturing plant to build me a root rake but they essentially said it would cost more than the dozer is worth to build custom and to try and find one for sale. I do have a spear type rooting attachment for the blade, i’ll be giving that a go pretty soon. Best of luck with your future projects!

Oh man, that's awesome Kevin. Hhhmmm... I'll have to look into the metal go-pro mount. Why didn't I think about a magnetic mount before??? That tank is 100% steel and iron! Hahaha. Yeah, if you do some videos, send me a message - I'd love to see alternate ways of doing things. Keep me posted! :-)

That's great info. Do they sell these as a kit somewhere? I'd appreciate any info on what you put on yours. Thanks so much for the comment and the information!

Hi Jeffrey! Thanks for the comment! Yeah it is definitely a work in progress. I think once all the trees are down that need to come down, it will really start to take shape in my mind. For now I seem to just be making a mess here and there - hahaha. I’m trying though!!!

Thank you for watching, and definitely stay tuned for more! :-)

DUDE..... your channel is an inspiration! As I was starting down this road, I binged all of your videos. Your channel is what made me think of heavy equipment versus continuing down the road of trying to find suitable tractors and related implements. I wish I had an ounce of your mechanical knowledge though - I know nothing about this type of equipment. When I decided to buy a D6 I watched your videos. Everything I know has come from RU-vid, and content creators like you. A million thanks, and thanks for taking the time to comment! :-)

@@BuyingTheFarm You are already way ahead of me. Much like you, I realized I needed some heavy equipment to deal with the jungle that my property is turning into because a tractor wasn't cutting it. I should have bought something that actually worked like you did.

Hahaha - but just think about all the content the rest of us would have missed out on. I'm definitely not a mechanic (I have only ever rebuilt a couple truck engines with some supervision, and replaced components on common yard/garden equipment) but I will say that the few things I have fixed mechanically have benefited me in the long run because I gained intimate knowledge of how the piece of equipment worked, which made servicing rapid! I hope to God nothing ever happens to this piece of equipment because I'd be totally screwed - I just don't have knowledge (or strength) for this scale of machinery. I'll be calling you and volunteering my location and equipment for you to generate more content! Hahahaha

Thanks so much, Lawrence - I'm very new to every aspect of this (from the land to the equipment to the video)! It is all very much a learning experience. Thanks for watching, and stay tuned for more. :-)

Hello Ronny! Thanks for taking the time to comment and thanks for watching the video! :-)

Hey!! Thanks SO much for this comment - that was something I would have never thought of! I'm so happy you provided that exceptional advice and suggestion. RU-vid sending me money wasn't something I considered, nor was the fact that the drone could cause issues if that were to happen! Many thanks, and I appreciate the commentary on my drone work. To say it is simple is the understatement of the century, but it provides a unique and interesting angle! :-)

@@BuyingTheFarm You are very welcome. Our local junior college offers two - two day classes per year. They guarantee you will pass the FAA written exam for Part 107 after their classes. Maybe you have a school near you. Not that you really need one. All the information is pretty basic. The hardest part of the whole process is finding an FAA approved testing center. During Covid, the FAA didn't have much to do so, they sat at home catching drone users on RU-vid.

HAHAHAHA, that's funny. Hey, they gotta do something during shutdown, right? As it turns out, our area has a testing center about 1000 feet from where I live. So that part won't be an issue. I honestly never even thought of this - I already sent an email today inquiring about the process here locally. I'm very appreciative of your comment and your information!

@@BuyingTheFarm Sweet! Good for you man! If you have any issues, let me know. I'm happy to help. 🙂👍

You bet! I sure will!

Oh that's an interesting bit of geographic plant trivia. Thanks for sharing. Yes, it is most definitely invasive around here too, mostly near abandoned and run-down properties. In my mind, getting all that sumac removed is a huge bit of psychological progress, as the sumac around here is synonymous with "abandoned". I want to get rid of that abandoned feeling, and then start bringing things back!!

I wish I could burn all of this, but sadly doing that in this area isn't lawful and comes with fines and penalties. My goal is to get all the tree debris moved and dealt with (either cut up, mulched, removed, etc.) - I don't have any plans of leaving it covered/buried, but my main goal right now is to just get it knocked down while the weather is in my favor. Getting everything cleared and ready for planting is its own giant project at this point. I haven't really solved any problems here, I've just sort of moved them around. LOL

Jim, thanks for providing this suggestion - I'm trying to explore as many options as possible. In my area, open fires (brush fires) aren't legal - so I worry about that. I absolutely could just bury it all, also. I'd need to bury it all deep enough to be able to till the top foot or so of soil for planting. I have a couple quotes being written up for some local help - people with forestry mulchers, to make a pass over the entire field (once the trees are out of the way). We shall see - $$$. Thanks for leaving me a comment!!

Fred, it is a constant challenge. I often realize only AFTER I have done something that I should have filmed it! :-) I'm very new at this, but my goal is to build a community of people who have far more experience than I do, and hopefully gain some insight from the masses! I appreciate your comment!

Oh excellent - yes, having a skid steer solves a lot of issues with these kind of properties. They were just too far outside my budget (the ones that were available, anyway). The bulldozer is definitely fun, but most definitely overkill for this property. I'm going to sell it at the end of the season, and I'm on the lookout for more appropriately sized pieces of equipment!

I absolutely need a rake!!! I have a mess on my hands. Any recommendations for a rake on a bulldozer?? :-)

@@BuyingTheFarm For something that old...I would be looking for a good local fabricator...cause I can't weld for 💩

Hahahaha - I hear ya. I've actually been looking online for commercially available universal root rakes than can clip over the blade. They're available, but about $3000 plus almost the same amount for shipping. I've been YouTubing how to build one, but I am a bit discouraged about the process due to the huge pieces of steel needed for such a task. I'm not a big guy, or a strong guy. I CAN weld though, which I guess is a benefit if I were to try a DIY method.

Thank you so much - glad you enjoyed it. Stay tuned for more!

Ugh the cable is a nightmare, Mike - it weighs about 600lbs in total, and even getting just the end back wound around the spool is hard work! I haven't fixed it yet. Maybe this weekend. Yeah, the trees were a satisfying surprise when I backed up with that blade down. I had a "holy crap - it's working" moment. I had to basically press them right up against the foundation, drop the blade, and once the down-pressure kicked in, many tons of downward force bent the trunks/stalks right under the blade and pulling them out was easy. I was very pleased!

Thanks! 😄

Oh I can 100% attest to your wisdom! I actually tried it by accident to see if it really made a difference, and it did. But you're right - it is such a huge machine, it is best suited to the large unwieldy tasks - not the finish tasks. Unfortunately it is the only piece of equipment I currently own, so I'm going to have to try my hardest to balance the efficiency of pushing and moving dirt, with the gentle touch of finish grading (somehow). I haven't come anywhere close to mastering either technique yet!! :-) Thanks for the commentary, and PLEASE keep the suggestions and wisdom coming. I need every bit I can get! :-)

@@BuyingTheFarm Seat time will get you where you need to be. If you have anyone local that is an operator hit them up for some advice or tutorials. It may be a massive chunk of iron but believe me they are not that hard to break if you miss handle them. Back blading is ok for loose dirt and in float mode, not sure if your machine has float mode. Back blading can cause excessive wear on bolts, blade corners, frog plates etc. It also puts a lot of strain on the undercarriage which is only designed for forward action. From your video you did great for a rookie operator in a difficult machine.

Thank you so much for the nice comments.... and for the additional information! This is why I created this channel - to gain wisdom from people who know more than me about this stuff (which is literally everyone). Hahaha. Unfortunately I do not have a float mode, but I'm trying my best to just skim the surface to get the vegetation cleared (versus actual digging). Unfortunately, I'm usually running against the slope of the land, so I end up cutting a little more than I want. Either way though, I'm assuming most of what I'm doing is incredibly light work for a machine this big.

Hey! Thanks for the comment - yes the soil is great - it is soft, rich and looks like it will be great for planting (I mean, it has been a farm for over 100 years, so I hope it is good). :-) Regarding equipment, yeah there was a variety I could have gone with, but availability and cost were concerns. Nothing that could mulch was available in my price range, and rentals or hiring out the job would have almost been as much as buying the bulldozer. It is all a learning experience though. The bulldozer has been fun, and it has allowed me to take care of the stumps, the fallen trees, level out the piles of dirt around the property, as well as strip the top of the field. I would have had to have multiple pieces of equipment to do all of that. That said, I'm still on the lookout for more appropriately sized pieces of equipment for this property. This D6 is a bit overkill! Hahaha

@@BuyingTheFarm Don't get me wrong, I like the old D6 & it appears to be in great shape. The big mulchers rent for $300 a hr. in my area. They could do your farm in 2 days max., there would be NO stumps and NO burn piles to deal with. They will mulch the trees on your place like they were weeds.

The more I watch videos on those things, the more I like them! Yeah sadly the closest one for rent was an hour or so away, and with the cost of them transporting it as well as the rental cost, it just seemed very steep. HOWEVER, it definitely looks like something beneficial to have around. I'm hoping from here on out, I can get away with disc, rake and mulcher implements for a tractor (once the wood debris is dealt with). Sadly, I think I may have to hire that out... but again, finding someone around the area that can deal with that is an issue!

You can say that again!!! I still do! ;-)

YES - Hahahahaha. That is such a surprisingly accurate description. However, my acres of 6-foot tall pricker bushes are now GONE - so whether through a bomb or a dozer, I'll take it. Now I just have to figure out how to level this all out.......

Kevin, I've searched the area for rentals, and I cannot find any. It is even hard to find a bulldozer for rent around here. Everyone rents bobcats for $950 per day. I've been looking at plans to possibly build one that clips on the front blade, but I'm discouraged by the quantity and weight of the metal needed to survive on the front of a bulldozer. It's a couple tons of metal. I'm not a large guy, so that would be problematic. Likewise, I don't have a shop to work in that can accommodate stuff like that (with a gantry crane, etc). I am a decent welder though, which is what sent me down the DIY route. I'm still looking!! Good luck on your projects though - that sounds exciting! If you RU-vid any of the process, let me know! :-)

Hi Tim, thanks for the comment. Yes I agree that would have been the ideal tool for the weeds. Sadly I couldn’t find the implement and the tractor or skidsteer in my budget, and rentals in my area were prohibitively expensive for how long I would have needed it due to my work and travel schedules. The other issue though is that I had large berms of dirt that had to be leveled out, trees that had to be pushed over and moved around the property, and various other tasks. I still need to deal with the mulching situation (clearing of the saplings, limbs, piles of brush, etc), so that will be a consideration for the fall. :-)

That's AWESOME - keep watching, there's more to come. I'm excited to hear about your abandoned farm. Where is it? Are you going to create a RU-vid channel too? I need some ideas for mine too - maybe we can share ideas, LOL.

@@BuyingTheFarm Our new property is in New south Wales Australia and yes I am going to start another channel just about the farm. Yes we can shere ideas

When you get your channel setup, let me know - I'll subscribe!

@@BuyingTheFarm Thank you and I will mate but I have to say they won't be as awesome as your videos mate

Hi Mark! Thanks for the input and for the comments. You're absolutely correct, and this is a very wise comment. I have a 3/8 thick steel plate on the top of the bulldozer (part of the forestry package), the that is probably nothing compared to a falling tree. Most of what I have been pushing over a young-growth trees that are 20-ish feet high, or saplings. Everything is very alive and young and springy, but it if was anything bigger, older, or if there was any uncertainty of what was over my head, I definitely wouldn't go this route to push them over! :-)

You can also mess up your final drives by ramming a fixed object. It's better to approach the obstruction by first touching it with the blade then gradually engage the main clutch to see if the object will move. Big trees will probably require some of the roots to be taken out first before pushing the tree over.

OH, that's another great piece of advice - Thank you! As I've said a million times so far, I really don't know anything about heavy equipment - this is valuable information. The biggest equipment I've ever used is a Bobcat, so definitely a different scale of equipment. From now on I will approach all trees from a stop and see if they move. If not, I'll start digging around it!

@@BuyingTheFarm That dozer of yours can easily take out the roots of big trees plus you can use the excavated dirt for a ramp to get leverage (a higher push) on a large tree. I'm still looking for a vintage D-6 but they all seem to be up in the New England area where you're at or west of the Mississippi.

Hi Edwin! This stuff is all new to me and I’m finding it very enjoyable. I would highly recommend the process, if it is viable for you. If you make a channel for it, let me know - I’d love to see your process!

Scott, GREAT advice regarding the brush grubber. I had looked at one of those prior to just looping my winch cable around the trees, or pushing them over with the blade. I need to check one of those out again - I always forget there are cheap, simple tools that have a specific purpose when it comes to pulling and removing shrubs/trees. Now that I have TONS of brute force at my disposal, I've just been sort of going with it. :-) Regarding the sumac, fortunately it hasn't bothered me yet. I'm still keeping my distance though!!

The sumac trees he's pushing over aren't poison sumac.

Thanks for the comment @verteup - I've never really looked into the difference in types of sumac. I was always told to just stay away from it. If it truly isn't poisonous, it will make dealing with it a lot easier. I'll have to look more into it.

OH - that is good information, Aaron - I know nothing about sumac besides the old saying to stay away from it! I'll have to look more deeply into the different varieties. Thanks for the comment!

I have tested this Jim, and you’re 100% correct! I keep it in 1st gear all the time, just crawling along.

Yes Steve... that has been on my list. Currently there is a beer can (that has been cut in half) that goes over the stack when I'm done for the day. It came with the bulldozer free of charge from the previous owner! Hahahaha.

Thanks for watching! Yes, I'm sure there is something that can be done - there are clip-on height and level guages on Amazon, and there are also $$$$ GPS-based height and level systems that automatically control the hydraulics. The problem on my property is that it slopes down from the street toward the rear of the property, so anytime I'm scraping across the property (parallel to the road), it digs in because the blade is fairly level but the ground isn't. The simple solution is to scrape following the slope of the land, but that isn't always practical (especially around the buildings). Fortunately, back-blading is a very effective method to level out the property (and this is done in the direction of the slope of the land).... so I will have to do that at the end. For now, it is what it is. :-)

YES! Absolutely - any type of grapple bucket or something with a thumb would have made fast work of all of this. I got the D6 because it was in my price range, could handle a few of the different tasks I needed a piece of equipment to handle (pull up stumps, push over trees, move piles of dirt across the property, etc. I'm in the market for a piece of equipment that is more appropriately sized for this property once I sell the bulldozer at the end of the season. :-)

understood 100%

Hey, thanks so much for the comment - please come by and comment anytime! YES - I agree completely that a forestry mulcher would have been a better way to go for the weed-control aspect of this field. Sadly, the cost of such a device was more than I could afford, and so was rental from a facility about an hour away (with transportation and equipment rental, it was about $1200 per day). I didn't want to blow my whole project savings on the rental of a single piece of equipment, with no equity. Same for hiring out the job. It would have been about $2000 less than just buying the dozer. Also, I had big berms of dirt throughout the property that needed to be leveled out, as well as the tree aspect... so I would have needed something to handle those as well. As I go, I'm learning more and more about land management from people who comment on my videos. For example, I have never heard of the "O Horizon" before today - this is VERY valuable information, and I'm appreciative of your comment! Definitely would have been handy to know this before I started. Hahaha. But as I've said time-and-time again, all of this is a learning process and I'm in it for the long-haul.

@@BuyingTheFarm You got this! Kudos to you for weighing it all out and pulling a BIG trigger buying the dozer. My money says you never regret that purchase. Thank you for sharing with all of us. I know it takes a lot to put videos together! All the best!!!

I have a row of BIG triggers that need to be pulled... but I think they are going to happen one at a time at very specific milestones on the property. For instance, I know I need a tractor and some implements for the spring. That will likely be a late fall, or even possibly a winter purchase. Likewise, in order to fix the foundations I'm going to need a backhoe (probably an extendahoe) in addition to some other projects where the loader and backhoe would come in handy. I really don't want to get OLD equipment (long hard life of use, limited time left on components and engines, nobody really local to repair them...) so I'm trying to be VERY selective about the things I'm looking at.

@@BuyingTheFarm Similar boat here. Mini excavator and tracked skidsteer on my horizon. Both are a ways out, but must happen at certain points to facilitate development of our latest property purchase. Luckily, we have time to be patient and hunt down the right deal.

Jerry, yeah the previous owner mentioned the same thing - possibly re-welding new side and lower edges. I've only put about 15-20 hours on it of scraping vegetation (versus actual excavation) and plan on re-selling it before the end of summer/fall. I will mention that when re-selling, as the previous owner did to me.

@@BuyingTheFarm new blade edges and tips are easily available and comparatively cheap.

Excellent - I will look around. Thanks for that information!

Perhaps not.... but 100+ years as a farm, then hopes to be reborn as a hobby farm, with a lot of blood sweat and tears, does a farm make.

Woww… 500 acres. That is pretty significant!!! Get some big equipment for that hahaha.

Roughly central, in New York State

I seem to be just shifting it around. It’s not going anywhere permanently. I have to re-spread and even out the mess I’m making. :-)

I love Andrew’s channel! He lives about 3 hours away from my property. And while yes, he has awesome and efficient ways to clear land (and everything else anyone would ever need to do), most of that equipment is far outside the reach of the newer landowner. Sadly. Because all of his stuff looks very fun to operate!! :-)

Stephen… thanks so much for the comment and the kind words. I am also in upstate NY. Dead center in the state. Not so rural. :-)

@@BuyingTheFarm I had to laugh when it occured to me......we are in same community....🤯🤣.....if I had a better throwing arm, I could hit your barn from here. 🤓.....Great progress on all your hard work there!👍

Oh that's excellent Stephen! Hahaha. I've run into a few locals so far on here, much by accident. Keep watching and keep in touch. I appreciate the comments!!

Hahahaha Jerry, no offense taken. So listen, everyone has a process and everyone makes choices based on certain motivating factors. In buying this property I wanted to explore heavy equipment. I thought it would be fun, and I thought it would be a learning experience - both of those have been true so far. I shopped around for tractors, backhoe/loaders, bulldozers... taking into consideration things like price, transportation, ease-of-use, etc. In the end I got a bulldozer because it was cheaper than the rest of what was available in my area (yes, even tractors with implements) and the guy I bought it from offered to deliver it. I've never operated big equipment and I was excited to try a bulldozer. Also, I didn't do all the manual stuff you mentioned simply because I didn't want to. The thought of clearing 6 acres by hand isn't something I wanted to do or even consider - that is still the case today. I can't have open fires in my area, so burning stuff isn't an option. No matter what equipment I decided to use for this job, cleanup was going to have to be a task I would have to deal with after the fact. I have to figure that part out still. This farm is a project for me, not a living. This farm is for learning and experimenting. If I make a mess out of something, I will have to clean it up. These are all things I realized going into it, and all things I still realize now. I make statements in my videos because they are the truth of the situations - cleanup will be a lot of work. Moving all that dirt around to where it needs to go will be a task yet to complete. There will be more true statements made in all my upcoming videos. I'm not blaming anyone, I'm not blaming the equipment, I'm not blaming the process.... this is all about learning for me. So far I've learned a bit about cutting down trees, a bit about digging up stumps with a bulldozer, a bit about operation and maintenance of a bulldozer.... and there will be a lot more to learn. Everything is an experience for me, and I'm going to make a LOT more messes I will have to cleanup before the process is over. I grew up in a city, away from anything rural. I have no experience in a rural setting, and that was something I wanted to gain. What I'm doing may not be the most efficient, or the most logical thing from the perspective of someone who is familiar with a rural setting, but they are all experiences for me and I look forward to all of them, because they all represent learning something new. I started this channel mainly to get comments and discussions with people who have knowledge about this stuff that I don't have - so I'm appreciative for your comment. I give you a lot of credit doing acreage clearing by hand or with small tools - that is amazing to me. I didn't think anyone would ever consider such a task by hand simply because there are faster ways to do it using larger equipment. Maybe a bulldozer wasn't the best piece of equipment to use for this task, but it has been fun so far. :-)

Hi Simone. I didn’t use a mulcher simply because I didn’t have one. Likewise, purchasing a mulcher as well as a skid steer was WAY more expensive than a bulldozer. I got some prices to have companies do the mulching for me, and it was several thousand dollars. I decided to invest that money in a piece of equipment that I could use over and over across the seasons, instead of giving the money away to a company. :-)

Hi Lyle! Well, the reason I bought this property was mainly for learning and recreation. While I have a desire to plant some seed, it will again be for enjoyment and learning - not to make it an operational farm in the classic sense. Part of the learning process will involve making messes, with trees, piles of dirt, the buildings… and I’m ok with all of it. I have to learn what not to do and then how to fix it. So to that end I’m not so worried about messes, moving topsoil around, etc. for me it’s all part of the experience and the learning process. It’s hard to be gentle with such a huge bulldozer. It’s way overkill as I’ve learned. My goal is to just scrape the surface and get off the weeds and shrubbery and roots and stuff… but I end up digging each time. I’m getting minimally better though. I guess. Hahaha. I’m learning slowly. :-)

Hey! Roughly 23 acres. The front field that I’m clearing shown in this video is about 5 acres.

Morten, thanks for leaving a comment!! :-)

Well, it hasn't gone anywhere - it's still on the property. I do have to re-grade everything I have done so far. The ground is very rich, and the topsoil runs deep... so I think the field will be ok, especially after it gets disced, raked and tilled. Thanks for the comment!

@@BuyingTheFarm Top soil don't work like that. Dozers skim off the top soil(due to the tracks as well as the blade) and when that happens it is impossible to re-spread it back where it was. Couple that with a dull cutting edge on a dozer blade plus a few rain events and the top soil you previously had is either gone or greatly diminished. There's so many better ways of removing brush from a property than pushing off all the top soil with a dozer. Forestry mulchers, brush grubbers, bush hogs, etc etc. A Bureau Of Land Management class would go a long way. Or learn the hard way it naught to me.

@verteup - thanks for the explanation. As I've said in a few videos, I was raised in a city and had a desire to own a rural property. Not knowing much about agriculture and related topics, comments like this are valuable. While I'm not doing any of this to turn the property into a commercial farm, I would still like to protect the integrity of the natural resources. I plan on selling the dozer once the heavy stuff on the property is taken care of - it is just way too big. I'm in the market for a more appropriately sized piece of equipment that has some flexibility with implements.

Hhmm… you’re the only one who had made this comment so far out of almost 70,000 people. Lots of people have made positive commentary on the music, the real-world sounds and the narration.

Nick, thanks for the message! MORE to come. :-)