Each week I take calls from people looking for winches for the back of their small dozer. The make and model changes, but the conversation is always the same. Common calls involve models like:

• CAT D3C, D4C
• John Deere 450G, 450H, 450J
• Case 550’s & 650’s
• International TD7 & TD8
• And... Any used dozer in the $15-25k range. 

PTO winches offer the most pulling power available for these small dozers, but unfortunately the CARCO 30B and Allied Hyster W3C, which are great winches for these small dozers, are no longer in production. Most of these small dozers listed above are currently selling on the used market between $15-25k depending on size and condition.

Owners looking to add a winch to their machines are left with 3 choices: 

1.)  New hydraulic winches come in several configurations for performance and price. The biggest difference is what drives the winch and how they are connected. (Call for Current pricing)

a. The best performance is only offered on newer dozers with an integrated hydrostatic winch drive.

b. Another high-performance option is available on some tractors via an upgraded high capacity hydraulic pump installed on the dozer.

c. Standard recovery winches are driven off the ripper hydraulic circuit on the tractor.

 - If your Dozer has a 4th Valve or Ripper circuit, this is becoming the most cost effective option for many installations. Ask us about the Carco H40R!  

2.)  90% of the calls we get for small winches are people with older dozers hoping to get a working used winch they can install on their tractor for under $8,000. This is the best option for most IF you can find one!! The big word is, “IF”, because you’ll need to find a winch with all the controls, PTO coupler, brackets, and you’ll need the exact parts made for your serial number dozer which are normally no longer made. Long story short….. needle in a haystack. If you are able to find a winch that fits your dozer, you’ll have to hope it works. Winches that have been removed off tractors were normally removed for a reason, they didn’t work. It’s common for winches to need $5,000+ in parts for the winch, and if the controls are not included it usually costs another several thousand. In the end this option is hard to find, and usually runs around $10-15k when you’re done.

3.)  SELL SELL SELL. The best used winch options are usually the ones that are already on dozers. Sell the dozer you have and buy a similar dozer with a working winch already installed. If the winch needs minor repairs internally that will cost way less than sourcing new mounting brackets, controls, and PTO group on a winch that hasn’t been installed. 

DozerWinchParts.com can offer discounts and used parts to help make these winches easier to install. Please contact us though if you are on the hunt, we might have the winch to fit your small dozer.