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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 6/5/2007
Posts: 2,719
Location: Sarasota, Florida, USA
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Why is it that most all the model dozers, track loaders and graders have rippers on them???? I know there are a couple dozer models that have a winch or just a non functional hitch but those are few and far between. It would be more true to have say the Cat dozers smaller than a D8 to not have a ripper, most any track loader and grader without the ripper!!
I guess I'm just going by real world experience in that most of the dozers, track loaders and graders I've ever seen didn't have a ripper on them.
Sorry for the rant I guess but I just get tired of seeing new models come out like the new Diecast Masters D5 LGP come out and it's got a ripper on it!! Why can't these companies leave the ripper off or make it so it can be removed without destroying the model???
Dain
I'm a kid at heart, so I will play with any model construction vehicle from 1:87 scale to 1:1 scale!!!!
Age is a state of time NOT a state of mind!!
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 8/27/2002
Posts: 4,819
Location: New Jersey
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dain555,
Your real world experience might have something to do with your surroundings. For the most part Florida has sandy soils, no ripper required. In general not true with the rest of the country. This leads to the marketing strategy of appealing to the masses.
From a model perspective, most dozers, track loaders and graders that are produced with rippers the rippers are relatively easy to remove, if one wishes. If the model is supplies without a ripper, the collector who wishes to have a ripper would have a difficult time acquiring one.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 12/21/2007
Posts: 2,862
Location: Eastern Pennsylvania
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Hi Dain, thank you for bringing this to light. I agree too that way much diecast dozers (D5 size and below), and track loaders are made with rippers. I follow the construction and equipment industry closely and a D3-D5 sized dozer with a ripper is primarily something that is seen on the West Coast such as California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona regions. These are also the same dozers that use slopeboards. It is extremely rare to see a similar sized dozer on the East Coast with a ripper. I believe this is because they are used on more smaller, congested jobsites, were the dozer would have to get up close to a foundation wall or other objects when back filling and rippers would get in the way and make the dozer overall more maneuverable without the rippers. I do like seeing larger dozers D8 and up with rippers but I know not every application calls for them such as wastehandling work. Now back to diecast relm, I think the reason why we see so many rippers on diecast dozers is because the diecast makers or the OEM wants their models to have the most moveable and posable parts as possible. I almost miss back when Conrad and NZG would secure the rippers to some of their dozer and track loader models with a screw which was easy to remove. Some even had rippers that were interchangeable with a draw bar (NZG D4D and Gescha D9G). I do wish that we would see some more dozer and track loader models without rippers, and I guess that is also why the Joal D5C is one of my favorite dozer models that I own.
-Mike, Collecting 1/50th Construction Diecast Since 2003. View My Collection Here, As of 12/14/22
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 8/10/2002
Posts: 1,569
Location: England
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Diecast Masters make the models that their main customer wants, and that means Caterpillar. So the relevant Cat business unit will have asked for a D5 with ripper. I agree that an easily removable ripper assembly would give flexibility.
http://www.CranesEtc.co.ukhttp://www.Twitter.com/CranesEtchttp://www.YouTube.com/CranesEtcTVCranes Etc on Facebook
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 6/5/2007
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Location: Sarasota, Florida, USA
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Randy, I grew up in NY State and most of the companies that had small dozers up there did not have rippers. Even the dozers I operated in 75 and 76 (John Deere 450 and Case 450) didn't have a ripper. Many of the dozers I saw when I went to work with my brother didn't have a ripper!! My brother worked for the New York State Department of Transportation on many road construction jobs.
Thanks for some support as I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way. I know First Gear has made a couple of the Komatsu models without a ripper too!! Yes, I like the idea of being able to take the ripper off as that would even make a great load too!!
Dain
I'm a kid at heart, so I will play with any model construction vehicle from 1:87 scale to 1:1 scale!!!!
Age is a state of time NOT a state of mind!!
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 6/21/2012
Posts: 491
Location: N. Cal
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I think the real world experience is a big part of it. Growing up in a small logging town in Northern California 95% of the cats (we never called them dozers around here, we called them cats, regardless of the brand lol) I saw had winches, were an open cab with brush screens and had sweeps. The D4s and D5s I saw were the TSK versions with the long track frame in the rear and a winch and grapple. As for graders I can't remember ever seeing one in use that did not have a ripper of some sort. It would be nice to see model manufacturers make it easier to remove or swap out the ripper for something else. So far I have swapped 5 rippers out for winches on my cats with a 6th being swapped for a winch and grapple, but that one still a work in progress. Clifton
My Facebook page: NorCalDiecastCustomsClifton
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 4/3/2003
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Location: Rockford,IL.
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I am a retired lowboy driver from the Midwest around the Great lakes, and in 30 years I can count on one hand he number of times I hauled a machine with a ripper on it. This includes D8's. Ryan Inc. had one D9H scraper pusher with a ripper, but left it on for added weight. A lot of the road graders had scarifiers mounted on the front behind the front axle before the blade. Most just had a hitch, some a counter weight, and some had winches. We have 2-3 feet of black dirt on top of clay on top of limestone, and I don't think the rippers work that well in heavy wet clay. Like others have said, D3, D4, D5, and even D6LGP's are used for finish dozers. As far as the models go, I have taken many many rippers off to install winches on them. I will say, the flanges on the rear to mount the rippers are handy for mounting winches on the back. My opinion is that Cat wants them on there to enhance the look of the models. 
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 1/17/2006
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Location: MN
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Agreed on the ripper issue….Here in the upper Midwest you rarely see a ripper, even on the bigger tractors, and a quick search in Machinery Trader shows the vast majority of Dozers D8 size and smaller are equipped with draw bars…..I was particularly disappointed that CCM didn’t offer a drawbar version in the multiple variations of the D7G and the D8K…the Conrad D9 draw bar is a nice piece, but really hard to come by
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Location: Rockford,IL.
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Brad wrote:Agreed on the ripper issue….Here in the upper Midwest you rarely see a ripper, even on the bigger tractors, and a quick search in Machinery Trader shows the vast majority of Dozers D8 size and smaller are equipped with draw bars…..I was particularly disappointed that CCM didn’t offer a drawbar version in the multiple variations of the D7G and the D8K…the Conrad D9 draw bar is a nice piece, but really hard to come by I have both the D7 and D8K with the winch option, both very nice models.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Location: MN
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I have the D7 with the S blade and the 8k with the winch because I prefer the OROP…..both nice tractors…..Fact is the winch is probably as rare as the ripper…..They made 3 variations of the D8. Been nice if they did one with a draw bar ……by the way, anyone want to swap a S blade for an angle blade
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