One of the things that we at Struck take pride in, is giving you the chance to take charge and build your own mini-dozer almost from scratch.
Although our other 3 models are offered assembled, the MINI-DOZER® MD196K comes with no frills and you do most of the work, including painting the machine and assembling the selected components. It’s easy for a D-I-Y’er, no welding is involved. Dan from Nebraska did just that and a lot more.
Why Dan Needed the MINI-DOZER® MD196K
In his own words, Dan explains that, “I purchased the MD196K to maintain and remove snow from my gravel driveway on an acre of property.”
If you have rented equipment to clear snow from your property, you know how costly it can be, and the hassles you will have to go through to get hold of the equipment you need. It is understandable to hear that Dan was motivated by the desire to have his own snow removal equipment.
Use Our Engine, or Supply Your Own
At Struck, we give our customers the chance to customize their equipment and Dan took full advantage of this opportunity. He used the Honda GX390 engine, the same one we use on the RS1000 model. Dan says he needed an electric starting system as well as the additional power that the GX390 engine had to offer.
With the Honda’s GX series you’re looking at one of the best engines in the business. More power. Quieter performance. Lower fuel consumption. Lower emissions. Better features. Exceptional performance.
Hydraulic Pump and Oil Tank
Next, Dan bought a hydraulic pump from us. He bought a valve and cylinders from a third-party supplier, and then made an oil tank for his MD196K. As soon as all these components were assembled, Dan went to the next phase of his well-planned DIY MINI-DOZER® build.
Taking Measurements and Making Drawings
Dan needed to make a cab and a hydraulically powered rotating blade for his MINI-DOZER®, so accurate drawings would be invaluable during this phase of the build.
To make proper drawings, Dan relied on the actual measurements of the assembled skeleton of what he wanted. He then had to figure out how to mount the cab onto the dozer using the existing holes visible on its structure.
Dan also explains that he had to think of a way to allow the hood to open, how to add doors to his DIY cab, how to add latches to the doors, how to fasten the windows onto the cab’s body and how to mount those windows onto the cab in a way that would make it easy for him to remove them.
Another more serious concern, from a safety point of view, was how to keep the exhaust fumes emitted by the mini-dozer from finding their way into the cab while he was busy clearing snow.
Parts Fabrication
When all those “engineering” problems were addressed in the drawings, Dan got to work making the different parts that he would need for his build. Designing the cab was “easy work” according to Dan, because his drawings were so comprehensive. He built and assembled the completed cab onto the MD196K.
Making the Snowblade
Dan says that he built the blade from scratch. He went big, making a 60-inch wide blade for snow removal. He goes on to say that, “The rotating blade bolts to the existing blade mount holes and it has clearance for full rotation while it is raised all the way up.”
What are his views about the cab? “It works very well to keep the wind out, just as the blade works very well too.”
When Dan looks back at the entire DIY build process, his concluding remarks are that, “I was very impressed with the quality and part consistency of the kit. Every bend and bolt and part fit perfectly.”
Now that Dan has completed his build, he was finally able to use it to push snow. Here are his remarks. “Attached is a photo of my dozer pushing snow. The snow was about a foot deep with deeper drifts. It was about 18″ or more deep in the area shown in the photo. I am impressed by how well it does in the snow. It clears the snow really well.”
If you, too, would like to enjoy the satisfaction of building your own MINI-DOZER®, get in touch with us. Or if you’d rather buy a machine assembled, we offer that as well! Make sure to build and price your perfect machine here.
