Editing Bulldozer (section)

== Description ==
{{stack|[[File:Liebherr 722 Planierraupe 1.JPG|thumb|A [[Liebherr]] bulldozer with a straight blade]]
|[[File:Liebherr 722 Planierraupe 2.JPG|thumb|The same bulldozer's multishank ripper]]}}

Typically, bulldozers are large and powerful [[tractor]]s with [[continuous track]]ed treads. The tracks give them excellent traction and mobility through very rough terrain. Wide tracks also help distribute the vehicle's weight over a large area (decreasing [[ground pressure]]), thus preventing it from sinking in [[sand]]y or [[mud]]dy ground. Extra-wide tracks are known as swamp tracks or low ground pressure (lgp) tracks. Bulldozers have [[Transmission system|transmission systems]] designed to take advantage of the track system and provide excellent [[tractive force]].

These traits allow bulldozers to excel in [[road building]], [[construction]], [[mining]], [[forestry]], [[land clearing]], infrastructure development, and any other projects requiring highly mobile, powerful, and stable earth-moving equipment.

A variant is the all-wheel-drive wheeled bulldozer, which generally has four large rubber-tired wheels, hydraulically operated [[Steering#Articulated steering|articulated steering]], and a hydraulically actuated blade mounted forward of the articulation joint.

The bulldozer's primary tools are the blade and the ripper:
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=== Blade ===
[[File:Wintershall Monte Kali 01.jpg|thumb|Bulldozer with combination blade]]
[[File:Komatsu bulldozer pushing coal in Power plant Ljubljana (winter 2017).jpg|thumb|Bulldozer pushing up to 7 m<sup>3</sup> with semi-U blade with large side wings]]

Bulldozer blades come in three types:
* straight ("S blade"), short with no lateral curve or side wings. Can be used for fine grading.
* universal ("U blade"), tall and very curved, with large side wings to maximize load.
* combination ("S-U", or semi-U), shorter, with less curvature and smaller side wings. It is typically used for pushing large rocks, as at a quarry.

Blades can be fitted straight across the frame, or at an angle. All can be lifted, some, with additional hydraulic cylinders, can be tilted to vary the angle up to one side.

Sometimes, a bulldozer is used to push or pull another piece of earth-moving equipment known as a "[[Wheel tractor-scraper|scraper]]" to increase productivity. The towed [[Fresno Scraper]], invented in 1883 by [[James Porteous]], was the first design to enable this to be done economically, removing the soil from an area being [[cut and fill|cut]] and depositing where needed as [[cut and fill|fill]]. Dozer blades with a reinforced center section for pushing are known as "bull blades".

Dozer blades are added to [[combat engineering vehicle]]s and other military equipment, such as [[artillery tractor]]s such as the [[Hitachi Type 73|Type 73]] or [[M8 tractor]], to clear battlefield obstacles and prepare firing positions.<ref name="trewhitt">{{cite book |last=Trewhitt |first=Philip |title=Armoured Fighting Vehicles |year=1999 |publisher=Dempsey-Parr |isbn=1-84084-328-4}}</ref> Dozer blades may be mounted on [[main battle tank]]s to clear antitank obstacles or mines, and dig improvised shelters.

=== Ripper ===
[[File:Caterpillar D9N.jpg|thumb|A [[Caterpillar D9]]N equipped with a single-shank ripper]]
[[File:Liebherr 724 Planierraupe 4.jpg|thumb|Multishank ripper]]

A ripper is a long, claw-like shank that may be mounted singly or in multiples on the rear of a bulldozer to loosen hard and impacted materials. It is raised and lowered as desired by hydraulic cylinders. Usually a single shank is preferred for heavy ripping. The ripper is equipped with a replaceable [[tungsten]] [[steel]] [[alloy]] tip, known as a boot.

Ripping can not only loosen soil (such as [[podzol]] hardpan) in agricultural and construction applications but break shaly rock or pavement into easily handled rubble. 

A variant of the ripper is the stumpbuster,<ref>{{cite web |title=The Essential Guide to Stump-Related Attachments for Heavy Machinery |url=https://www.boomandbucket.com/blog/the-essential-guide-to-stump-related-attachments-for-heavy-machinery |website=www.boomandbucket.com |access-date=3 February 2024 |language=en}}</ref> a single spike protruding horizontally used to split a tree stump.
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