What is a bulldozer?
A: A bulldozer or dozer is a large, motorized machine equipped with a metal
blade to the front for pushing material: soil, sand, snow, rubble, or rock
during construction work.
It travels most commonly on what?
A: Continuous tracks, though specialized models riding on large off-road
tires are also produced.
Its most popular accessory is a what?
A: A ripper, a large hook-like device mounted singly or in multiples in the
rear to loosen dense materials.
Bulldozers are used heavily in large- and small-scale
construction, road building, mining and quarrying, on farms, in heavy
industry factories, and in what?
A: Military applications in both peace and wartime.
The word "bulldozer" refers only to what?
A: A motorized unit fitted with a blade designed for pushing.
The word is sometimes used inaccurately for what?
A: Other heavy equipment such as a front-end loader designed for carrying
rather than pushing material.
The tracks give them what?
A: Excellent traction and mobility through very rough terrain.
Wide tracks also help distribute the vehicle's weight
over a large area preventing it from what?
A: Sinking in sandy or muddy ground.
Extra-wide tracks are known as what?
A: Swamp tracks or low ground pressure (lgp) tracks.
Bulldozers have transmission systems designed to take
advantage of what?
A: The track system and provide excellent tractive force.
A variant is the all-wheel-drive wheeled bulldozer,
which generally has what?
A: Four large rubber-tired wheels, hydraulically operated articulated
steering, and a hydraulically actuated blade mounted forward of the
articulation joint.
What are the bulldozer's primary
tools?
A: The blade and the ripper:
Blades can be fitted straight across the frame, or
what?
A: At an angle.
All can be lifted, some, with additional hydraulic
cylinders, can be what?
A: Tilted to vary the angle up to one side.
Dozer blades are added to combat engineering vehicles
to do what?
A: To clear battlefield obstacles and prepare firing positions.
Dozer blades may be mounted on main battle tanks for
what?
A : To clear antitank obstacles or mines, and dig improvised shelters.
What is a ripper?
A: 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.
The ripper is fitted with a replaceable tungsten steel
alloy tip, referred to as a what?
A: A boot.
Bulldozers employed for combat-engineering roles are
often fitted with what?
A: Armor to protect the driver from firearms and debris, enabling bulldozers
to operate in combat zones.
The most widely documented use is what?
A: The Israeli Defense Forces' (IDF) militarized Caterpillar D9, for earth
moving, clearing terrain obstacles, opening routes, and detonating explosive
charges.