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Crawlers, Dozers, Loaders & Backhoes Discussion Forum

where did term dozer come from?

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andy b.

10-18-2004 18:56:01




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back before i knew better, i called anything with tracks a bulldozer. after learning about these wonderful beasts, i realized "crawler" was generally the appropriate term. where did the term bulldozer come from? i'm guessing it is a trademarked term like snowblower or bush hog.

andy b.




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Billy NY

10-20-2004 08:15:46




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 Re: where did term dozer come from? in reply to andy b., 10-18-2004 18:56:01  
R.G. LeTourneau played a big part in turning crawlers into earthmoving machines, through cable controlled equipment. In the case of Caterpillar Tractors, and probably most others, they were intended for agricultural purposes initially, can't forget logging either, Cat did not offer dozer kits under their own name until sometime into the mid to late 40's, prior to that, LeTourneau dozer kits, (LeTourneau was located in Peoria close to Cat ) LaPlante-Choate, Bucyrus-Erie, and a myriad of other smaller fabricators of similar equipment were aftermarket options if you wanted cable controlled or hydraulic operated ground engaging equipment. O'le R.G. revolutionized the earthmoving industry, there are some books about him in publication.

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Davis In SC

10-20-2004 19:19:45




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 Re: where did term dozer come from? in reply to Billy NY, 10-20-2004 08:15:46  
"Mover of Men & Mountains" is the biography of Mr. LeTourneau. He was not only a brilliant inventor & businessman, he spent a large part of his life furthering the Lord's work. I recently bought a copy of the book, signed by Mr. LeTourneau , on Ebay. Great Reading !! Regards, Davis



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Paul in Mich

10-20-2004 11:03:03




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 Re: where did term dozer come from? in reply to Billy NY, 10-20-2004 08:15:46  
Billy, While LeTourneau may have been instrumental in developing the cable system for raising and lowering blades and other equipment, he did not have that much to do with tracked or Caterpillar type equipment. He was, however, the father of the pan mover, or Tournapull (sp)movers, and the diesel electric system to propel, steer, and operate the cable and hydraulic systems. I met him once, a very interesting man.

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Billy NY

10-20-2004 17:48:16




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 Re: where did term dozer come from? in reply to Paul in Mich, 10-20-2004 11:03:03  
No doubt, just figure I'd mention the dozer kits, he certainly sold a lot of LeTurnovers as some people called certain models of their scrapers, still see a fair amount of LeT towed scrapers in limited use today. I think the scrapers and all the other ventures he was involved in and the ideas he made happen, especially some of the really unique equipment he was responsible for building, certainly set a lot of precedents in some areas of the industry, other ideas were not so popular from what I understand. In any event, that must have been a real pleasure to meet a man like R.G., would love to hear more about that, really interesting story, and the company still has it's name on some really big mining equipment, there was a big LeT loader at Minexpo in Las Vegas recently, what a monster.

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Bob Plumadore

10-24-2004 12:00:48




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 Re: where did term dozer come from? in reply to Billy NY, 10-20-2004 17:48:16  
the term refers to a blade that was PUSHED by steers, the blade was in front of the steers and the operator controlled the blade from a sulky in the rear. steers usually out weigh mules & horse 2 to 1.



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Pete/ME

10-19-2004 02:59:40




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 Re: where did term dozer come from? in reply to andy b., 10-18-2004 18:56:01  
The population boom that occured after the Norman invasion of England required an increase in tillable land. After the trees were removed, the fields were smoothed by oxen dragging a large log between them. Because the process was so slow, the operators were known to actually fall asleep while operating the team, and became known as the "bulldozer".



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Oldfarmboy Jim

10-18-2004 20:51:21




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 Re: where did term dozer come from? in reply to andy b., 10-18-2004 18:56:01  
Wow, what a great question! You"re going to rile the hornets" nest with that one. Almost everyone who ever drove a tracked vehicle will have a story to tell about how the dozer got its name. And none of them will be accurate. My Funk & Wagnall"s dictionary says ..."A tractor of the caterpillar type equipped with a heavy steel blade, used for moving earth, clearing wooded areas, etc. ..." I"m gonna guess that the name had nothing to do with dozing (sleeping) and had more to do with the amount (dose) of power that would be needed to do a huge task. Hence, a BULL DOSE would be an amount of medicine( large) appropriate for a bull. "It would take a Bull Dose to knock that tree over." That"s my story and I"m sticking to it. There is a gent who frequents this forum and goes by the handle of BOBDOZER. He might have a better story than mine. I"ll guess that you"ll get 15 responses to your question.

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JimInOz

10-19-2004 01:59:02




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 Re: where did term dozer come from? in reply to Oldfarmboy Jim, 10-18-2004 20:51:21  
Sam Sargent/Michael Alves book "Bulldozers" tells us that it came from a term in the 1880s...
to bull dose was to administer a large amount of medicine OR punishment.Bull dosers became people who administered intimidation with a gun...anything that got in the way was levelled.I'm sure your imagination can take it from there.The book is a good little book.



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