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Bulldozers are among the most valuable pieces of construction equipment globally, thanks to their power and versatility. Beyond construction, bulldozers are also commonly used in the mining, logging, and farming industries. With so many applications for this powerful equipment, you may be wondering how much it will cost for you to purchase a bulldozer for your operations.
Today, we’re going to cover all the basics you’ll need to know as you begin to learn more about bulldozers, how much they cost, and what you should look for as you start to shop for new equipment.
Whether you’re shopping for new or used equipment, or you’re looking for a short-term rental to use on a specific project, here’s a ballpark idea of what you can expect to spend on a bulldozer.
Depending on the size and horsepower of a new bulldozer, the price can vary significantly. For example, a modest bulldozer in the 40-100 horsepower costs around $150,000 brand new. Meanwhile, a larger machine with 300 horsepower or more used for mining or civil engineering may cost well over a million dollars.
While used machines might not have all the modern features of the latest models, what they lack in polish they make up for in savings. As a rule of thumb, you’ll save at least 40% of the price of a new machine if you buy used. It's also much easier to negotiate the price of used equipment compared to new.
You can get machines with tons of operator hours and older models for the lowest prices. But, you may want to steer clear of older dozers that need some TLC unless you have the capacity to perform the maintenance yourself.
While prices vary significantly depending on the size and power of the machine, most smaller bulldozers are available used for $30,000-75,000. Larger or newer dozers command a higher price, especially if they don’t have tons of hours on them. Depending on the model and condition, a large bulldozer can still set you back hundreds of thousands of dollars.
While all bulldozers are designed to move heavy materials, not every machine is a good fit for every job. Considering that, you’ll find several different types of bulldozers, each of which has unique strengths which make it ideal for specific jobs.
A crawler is the most common type of bulldozer. These machines move on a track, similar to a tank. The track provides exceptional traction, making a crawler the ideal choice for job sites with uneven or rough terrain.
These machines are usually outfitted with a ripper, a rear-mounted device that allows the machine to easily rip up pavement or loosen packed or frozen ground. This feature helps make crawlers useful for a broader range of applications for construction, demolition, farming, and more.
Crawlers come in a variety of sizes, ranging from 40 or 50 horsepower to well over 500. Like all bulldozers, pricing is largely dependent on size. Depending on size and features, a new crawler can cost as little as $100,000, or well over a million.
Wheel bulldozers are very similar to crawlers, with one crucial difference. While a crawler uses a track to move, wheel bulldozers have large tires instead.
These bulldozers have fully articulated steering, and a much tighter turning radius, making them ideal for navigating confined areas. Wheel bulldozers are also suitable for delicate grounds as they cause less damage than the tracks of a crawler.
The downside to a wheel bulldozer is that they don’t offer nearly as much traction as a crawler does. If you’re working on a site with uneven terrain, a wheel bulldozer won't perform as well as a crawler.
The cost of a wheel bulldozer is similar to that of a crawler. However, most models fall into the medium or large category, so you won’t find smaller and more affordable models like you can when shopping for a crawler.
Depending on its size and features, you can expect a new wheel bulldozer to start around $200,000 and go up from there.
Mini bulldozers are essentially the same as a crawler, albeit with a much smaller footprint.
These small machines are ideal for residential jobs and other areas where it’s impractical to have a full-size dozer on site. Like a crawler, these machines use a track system to move, and they provide excellent traction.
Most mini bulldozers provide 50 horsepower or less, and their lack of power makes them impractical for larger jobs or moving weighty material. Given their diminutive form, mini bulldozers are the most affordable of the three machines.
A new mini dozer starts at around $30,000 for the smallest models, and they top out around $100,000 for a more powerful model with more features.
The factor with the most influence over the cost of a bulldozer is its size. Read on as we look more closely at how size affects the price and what you can expect to pay for dozers in each size class.
The least expensive option when shopping for a dozer is the smaller class of machines. This class covers mini bulldozers and smaller machines with 75 horsepower or less.
In addition to being the least expensive, small bulldozers are also the most maneuverable, making them a wise choice for use on residential jobs and anywhere that larger equipment would be impractical.
Bulldozers in this class typically cost under $100,000 new, but the larger models and those loaded with the latest features can cost closer to $200,000.
Medium dozers are the most popular class of machines, and they strike a balance between power and maneuverability. These dozers are the ones you see most commonly on active construction sites.
Most medium bulldozers fall into the 100-300 horsepower range, and they have the size and power necessary to move heavy materials in almost all scenarios. You'll come across both crawlers as well as wheeled versions in the size class, so you should have no trouble finding a machine that’s a good fit for the work you do.
Depending on specific power and features, medium bulldozers typically start at a little over $100,000. Some medium bulldozers even eclipse the $1-million mark.
Large bulldozers are true masterpieces of engineering, and they’re the largest and most powerful class of bulldozers. Large dozers are commonly used for mining, logging, civil engineering, and massive infrastructure projects. 
These machines come in both wheel and crawler varieties, and both are equally popular depending on the application they’re used for. Large bulldozers are incredibly powerful and typically have 350-horsepower or more.
As the largest and most powerful class of machines, large bulldozers are costly. Large bulldozers start at around $1 million and increase from there. It’s common for a state-of-the-art large bulldozer to command a price north of $2 million.
