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If an operator can focus less on the functions of the machine, it means he or she can devote more attention to getting the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible. "You can maneuver where you want to be more quickly and get there faster, and you can start working quicker compared to past units," Drescher states. "All of these things combine to make dozers more nimble than past machines and overall more productive, because you're working more and positioning less."

High-tech Blade Control
As with other dozer operating systems, there has been a continuing evolution in implement controls. Perhaps nowhere is this seen more clearly than on large, high-production models.

For example, Komatsu offers dual tilt and pitch functions on its largest crawler tractors. "You can equip the machine so you can pitch the blade forward to make a more aggressive cutting angle when you start to doze, then change the pitch of the blade again during the dozing cycle and slowly move it back to more of a carry position," Les Scott explains.

Through the carry process, the blade is laid all the way back - acting almost like a scoop shovel - to enable it to carry a much larger load out front, Scott continues. Once you reach the dump area, you can then pitch the blade forward with the push of the blade control button and eject the dirt off the blade.

Caterpillar takes this even further with its Auto Blade Assist, which is essentially an automatic blade pitch control. According to Bruce Unger, you simply push a button to indicate you're in the loading/carry/spreading cycle, and the system automatically adjusts blade pitch and/or blade height, depending on how much automation has been built in. "In the case of Auto Carry, it will automate blade height during the carry part of the cycle," he says.