The Different Parts of Bulldozers

A bulldozer is often found in large construction sites. It’s basically a crawler (continuous tracked tractor) with a blade for pushing rubble, sand, and soil, among others. It was first popularized in the 1920s and maintain its popularity as a construction site machinery because of its many uses. 

Bulldozers are among the heaviest and most durable equipment used in construction. They are also useful in other sites such as factories, farms, quarries, military bases, and mines. 

If you are planning to buy a new or a used bulldozer for your construction business, or you are going to operate one for the first time, it pays to know the different parts of this equipment. 

Parts of a bulldozer

Engine

Like any other powerful types of machinery, a bulldozer has an engine that gives it the strength to lift and move heavy things.  It is diesel-powered to allow the engine torque to move through rough terrain. 

Tractor

The tractor refers to the body of the bulldozer and consists of the cab where the controls are located. These control the left and the right track, as well as the lifting and movements of the blade and the ripper. 

Blade

The blade is a heavy piece of metal which is located at the front of the tractor. It can lift heavy materials through its hydraulic arms. There are three different types of blade. There’s the straight blade, which is short and has no side wings. Its purpose is only for fine grading. Then there’s the universal blade, which is tall and curved. It can carry more material as it comes with large side wings. Lastly, there’s the combination blade, which is shorter, has less curve and has smaller side wings. 

Tracks

The tracks are heavy metal links located on either side of the body that create powerful traction. The tracks are very wide, allowing the bulldozer to move through rough terrain. 

Ripper

A bulldozer doesn’t usually come with the ripper, but for bulldozers used for laying underground pipe or to move around massive amount of sand, soil or debris in a construction site, this part is added. The ripper enables the bulldozer to create tears in the ground by clawing itself across the ground. 

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