The first thing you notice about Tim Davis’ early 1980s Terex D700A dozer is lime green – all over.
The other surprise is the engine’s sound.
“One of the drawbacks – or some people considered it a drawback – was they have the old Detroit Diesel series 71 engine, which was a very reliable engine, but they were extremely loud,” Davis says. “And so operators didn't like the noise.” (To see – and hear – his dozer in action, check out the video at the end of this story.)
He believes that’s part of the reason the dozer didn’t sell as well as other brands at the time. But for Davis, who has spent five years restoring his Terex from top to bottom, the noise of the 205-horsepower 6V-71T engine is part of its charm.
“I like them, to be honest with you,” he says.
Then he adds, “They are loud.”
It’s also a welcome sound after wanting for decades to find one of the forgotten dozer models that have mostly ended up as scrap, and being able to bring it back to mint condition.
