- US Soldiers Bulldoze Iraqi Crops (October 12, 2003)
...he children of one woman who owned some fruit trees lay down in front of a bulldozer but were dragged away, according to eyewitnesses who did not want to give... - On the Murder of Rachel Corrie (March 17, 2003)
...nt, was killed by the Israeli Army. Rachel was standing in the path of the bulldozer as it advanced towards her. When the bulldozer refused to stop or turn asi... - Israel to Raze Palestinian Homes with Robot Bulldozers (November 3, 2003)
...The giant Caterpillar bulldozer, used by the Israeli military to destroy Palestinian homes in the West Ban... - Israel Combs Hebron HQ For Bodies (June 28, 2002)
...... - Israeli Army Arrests 40 ISM Members (August 5, 2003)
...nk. US activist Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer in the Gaza Strip town of Rafah in March and fellow ISM member Tom Hurndal... - US Troops Arrive on Hostage Island (April 20, 2002)
...town, a 184.5-metre (609-foot) landing ship off Basilan. They unloaded bulldozers and other heavy equipment, which was then taken to a Philippine army camp... - 'I Was a Human Shield' (May 1, 2003)
...caused a storm. A young woman, human rights activist, was killed by an IDF bulldozer which ran over her. Her name was Rachel Corrie, she was 23 years old,... - Anatomy of Terror (February 13, 2004)
...ople, wounded about forty, including several children. And the purpose? To bulldoze three houses, some orchards and olive groves, and to look for suspected tu... - Tough New Tactics by US Tighten Grip on Iraqi Towns (December 7, 2003)
... tactic that echoes those of the Israeli Army. In Iraq, the Americans have bulldozed, bombed or otherwise rendered useless a number of buildings which they det... - Making Themselves Feel Right at Home (April 29, 2002)
...ing hold. Soviet-era military debrisófrom MiG fighters to helmetsóis being bulldozed into piles. The runway apron has been extended. Offices and a gym are unde... - Israel Goes on West Bank Rampage (March 27, 2004)
...thern parts of the West Bank said on Saturday that Israeli occupation army bulldozers were sealing off Palestinian towns and villages with huge walls of rock an... - Israeli Reservists Tell Of Jenin Camp Assault (April 26, 2002)
...ans to leave their homes in safety. He also questioned the decision to use bulldozers to knock down houses at a time when he said the fighting had mostly subsid... - Can the Peace Movement Reinvent Itself? (March 23, 2003)
...ntiwar movement has defined itself in opposition to George W. Bush, to his bulldozer style, his hellbent drive toward war with Iraq, his barely disguised conte... - Israel Threatens to Deport Relatives of 2 Fugitive Militants (July 20, 2002)
... boys take donkeys to a spring down the road to fill plastic jugs. An army bulldozer was building more barricades today, and an armored personnel carrier sat a... - Arafat Says No Free Elections Until Israel Withdraws (May 17, 2002)
...n the camp, a militant stronghold, but Israeli officials have denied this. Bulldozers levelled homes, and troops and gunmen fought house to house. HAMAS FOUN...
Bulldozer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A bulldozer is a powerful crawler (tracked tractor) equipped with a blade.
On the right side is the blade, on the left side is the rear-ripper.
The first bulldozers were adapted from farm tractors that were used to plow the fields. In order to dig water canals, raise earthen barriers, and do other earthmoving projects, the tractors were equipped with a large thick metal plates. This thick metal plate (it got its curved shape later) is called a "blade". The blade peels layers of soil and pushes the soil as the tractor advances. Sometimes a bulldozer is used to push another piece of earthmoving equipment known as a "scraper". The Fresno Scraper, invented in 1883 by James Porteous, was the first design to enable this to be done economically, at the same time removing the soil and depositing it in shallow ground.
Over the years, when engineers needed equipment to complete large scale earthmoving works, firms like the Caterpillar Tractor Company, Komatsu, Fiat-Allis, John Deere, International, Case, Leibherr, and JCB started to manufacture large tracked-type earthmoving machines. They were large, noisy, and powerful, and therefore nicknamed "bulldozer".
Through the years, the bulldozers got bigger, more powerful, and more sophistocated. Important improvements include more powerful engines, more reliable drive trains, better tracks, raised cabins, and hydraulic arms that enable more precise manipulation of the blade and automated controls. Some bulldozers are also equipped with a rear ripper claw in order to loosen rocky soils.
The most well known maker of bulldozers is probably the Caterpillar Tractor Company, which earned its reputation for making tough, durable, and reliable machines. Although these machines began as modified farm tractors, they became the mainstay for major civil construction projects, and found their way into use by military construction units throughout the world. Their best known model, the Caterpillar D9, was also used to clear mines fields and demolish enemy's structures.
Bulldozers have been further modified over time to evolve into new machines which are capable of working in ways that the original bulldozer can not. One example is that loader tractors were created by removing the blade and substituting a large volume bucket and hydraulic arms which can raise and lower the bucket, thus making it useful for scooping up earth and loading it into trucks. Other modifications to the original bulldozer include the reduction in size of the machine to permit it to operate in small work areas where movement is limited. There are also tiny wheeled loaders, officially called Skid-steer loaders but nicknamed "Bobcat" after the original manufacturer, which are particularly suited for small excavation projects in confined areas.
Most often, bulldozers are large and powerful engineering vehicles. They have excellent ground hold and a torque divider planned to convert the engine's power into dragging ability - enableing the bulldozer to use its own weight to push very heavy things and remove obstacle that are stuck in the ground. The Caterpillar D9, for example, can easily tow tanks which weight more than 70,000 kg. Because of these attributes, bulldozers are used to clear areas from obstacles, shrubbery, burnt vehicles and structures' debris.
Nevertheless, the original earthmoving bulldozers are still irreplaceable as their tasks are concentrated in earthmoving, ground leveling and road carvings. The heavy bulldozers are mainly employed at the leveling of the terrain in order to make it fit to construction. The construction itself, however, is mainly done by small bulldozers and loader tractors.
Bulldozers can be found on large and small scale construction sites, mines, roadsides, military bases, heavy industry factories, and large governmental projects.
See also
Engineering vehicles: bulldozer - front loader - backhoe loader - excavator - tractor - skid loader - crane - grader.