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Let me start by saying free advice is what you pay for it. ;) I am assuming from your questions that neither you nor your son has any substantial experience. That leads me to my first suggestion and that is your son think about working for someone else to gain experience as well as to find out if it is really something he wants to do. There are also some good trade schools that would give him a start, As for the selection of a machine I can’t give you specific advice since I know nothing about what he wants to do and what opportunities are available. I will give you some general thoughts. If I were to have one track machine and using it to do general work it would be a loader not a dozer. I would not have 4 in 1 on it; they are neither fish nor foul. While they do some things well since they can grip (i.e.: demolition work) they are hindered by a lot of bad traits that make them less than desirable as a loader because of reduced capacity and dump angles; as a dozer they are pretty much a waste of time. You can do as well with a standard loader bucket for grading. The truck will be pretty much useless overhead for a dozer operation but can have some value when used in conjunction with a loader. As to the make of the machine, it depends on your area and support. If you need maintenance support or only parts are things that should be considered. My preference is Cat but if you have a good Komatsu or John Deere dealer close by then those are factors to consider. As to the truck you should give consideration to use. If the truck can provide income, either on its own or in conjunction with a machine that might drive you toward a bigger truck than is needed to haul the machine. Single axle trucks have little value for real hauling. The under carriage is the entire assembly of the tracks and frames. I would suggest you have someone that is knowledgeable look at and evaluate any machine you might be considering.
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