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I bought a 1981 D3B two years ago. Powershift, 3 forward 1 reverse, PAT blade,
24" swamp pads, 5000 hours, sealed track (not SALT). UC was pretty good. New
P&B about 1000 hours ago, new grousers welded on the pads. Not a single dent in
the sheet metal. $22,000, which was just a bit above the market in Georgia,
because it seemed to be in better than average shape and came from a used
equipment dealer with an excellent reputation. I use it for clearing and grading on a hobby farm, so it does not get a lot of work. Here are my thoughts. I would avoid the swamp pads next time. They tear up the
pasture too much and put a lot of stress on the rails in rough ground. Even with
the tracks tighter than spec, they will slip off the rollers fairly easily. But they
have been great the few times I worked in a shallow creek. Also, they come with a
10' blade, which is about 1 1/2 feet too wide for the weight of the machine in all
but soft dirt. It easily spins the tracks, so the 70 hp engine is more than
adequate. Starts without ether above 35 degrees, but needs a shot below that. I see no need for the 3 forward 3 reverse transmission. I would like the single stick
control for governor and transmission, to make it easier to idle back when shifting.
The manual says you can shift from forward to reverse at full throttle, but
cautions that it shortens transmission life. The center trunnion (pivot) on the 6-way blade was worn out, so the blade had
5/6" of vertical slop. About $400 in parts fixed it. The steering clutches and brakes are dry, so they will probably require replacing
more often that the wet ones. The pedal steer works great, and I can't imagine
going back to lever steer. Mitsubishi made the whole thing, but it is inch not metric. It was made for US use
and the CAT dealer can get all the parts.
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