A bulldozer is a heavy earthmoving tool with a front-mounted “dozer” blade used to push soil forward and create a level surface. It has a tracked undercarriage, a protective cage for the driver, and a rear-mounted ripper claw. The word bulldozer has various theories about its origin. It is commonly used in construction sites and by armed forces for battlefield engineering projects. The Case D9 is a famous military bulldozer used by the Israeli military.
A bulldozer is a heavy earthmoving tool that uses a front-mounted “dozer” blade to push soil forward and create a level surface for construction sites. A modern bulldozer consists of a tracked undercarriage, a protective cage for the driver, a rear-mounted ripper claw, and a variety of front-mounted blades. Some militaries add armor plate to a standard bulldozer for even more protection and deconstruction power.
The first models of bulldozers were little more than farm tractors equipped with straight faceplates for plowing and landscaping. Construction equipment manufacturers such as Case, Terex and International Harvester have refined the basic design, curving the front blade for better cutting power through hardened topsoil. Another change was the addition of a rear-mounted “ripper claw” for breaking up boulders and sections of road material. Some bulldozer blades can also cut trees or double as front loader buckets.
There are several theories about the origin of the word bulldozer. Technically, the word only applies to the front dozer blade, not the entire machine. Some sources suggest that the power and noise of the frame suggested a restrained bull, while others point to the extreme medical practice of bull dosing. What started out as a term for a heavy dose of medicine has become slang for scare tactics. Whatever the original etymology, there’s no doubt that a bulldozer can be a very intimidating sight when placed outside a condemned structure.
The most common place to find a bulldozer is a new construction site. The operator can use the rear mounted ripper claw to break up rocks, pavement or hardened soil. The next step is to set the front-mounted blade to a prescribed depth and literally push the loosened soil forward. Tracks similar to those used on tanks allow the bulldozer to remain stable on sandy or muddy ground. Eventually the entire site should be level enough for construction to begin. A bulldozer is usually not involved in the finer aspects of site preparation, but may occasionally be used for demolition or as an auxiliary front loader.
Armed forces around the world also depend heavily on modified bulldozers for battlefield engineering projects and a form of “gunboat diplomacy.” Perhaps the most famous military bulldozer is the Case D9, used primarily by the Israeli military for decades. The cockpit is protected by bulletproof glass, while the rest of the car is heavily armoured. When the front blade is raised to cockpit level, the D9 case can pass through most obstacles unscathed.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
