Remember back to your childhood. Do you remember the one kid who had a go-kart, maybe a minibike or small dirt bike? Maybe even further back and the kid who had a Power Wheels Jeep? Were you that kid? If so…I hated you. Until I was ten, the closest thing I had to motorized transportation of my own was a Big Wheel pointed downhill. And no, the one time I stole my aunt’s Mustang II when I was five doesn’t count.
Regardless of whatever you owned, though, this kid’s toy just made every other kid’s ride look pathetic by comparison. That’s because his dad just built him a freaking bulldozer out of the majority of a riding mower, parts raided from a Ditch Witch (namely, the track system) and hand-made everything else. The father, Ryan Mueller, committed himself to the project for two reasons: 1) to give his kids something that was durable, and 2) to test out his skills as an engineer. After about a thousand man-hours and an estimated $6,000 invested into parts and materials, the end product is a 942 pound, 18 hp replica of a Caterpillar Twenty-Two ‘dozer that his kids can tool around on at a few miles an hour. Oh, and it’s completely useful too, since Ryan used the dozer to plow snow before he painted it. We do have to wonder about the actual thought process behind this concept of letting the kids use it. Think about it…if I was a kid, I don’t know if I could resist the temptation of clearing a path through the fence, Mrs. Homan’s roses, and onwards. If you thought the dog tore up your yard, just wait until Junior gets to work, right? Well, there’s two kill switches: one at the dash, and the other on the back of the dozer, just in case.
Click play below to see this thing in action! We could think of many uses for it. Digging Lohnes out of the snow, for starters…
(Courtesy: Jalopnik)
The “kill ” switch ( immobilize would be better) should be implanted in the kid’s head for complete safety.
Building your own bulldozer is pretty impressive, but giving the keys to a small child really seems like a bad idea. I’d have at least made the kill switches remote controlled.
I think it all depends on the child. My dad had me running a skid loader when I was four and I never got hurt but I respected it. It didnt have a roll cage or seatbelt either. Would I let me 6 year old drive it? Um no… not unless im on it with him cause he doesnt get the concept of how bad it could hurt him.
The videos don’t work, sure looks cool though ! I grew up out here in the sticks heck we got 10 year olds driving 1/4 million dollar combines that could probably drive through a house, but in the cities around here I have seen some kids that are too dangerous with a bike or big wheel, so I would say it depends on the kids.
Cool! but it’s a good thing I didn’t get a mini bulldozer when I was a kid. I wouldn’t have lived to see the sun go down.
That is so cool!
Like it. I’d let my kid have at it with that thing if we were working together on something.
But I’d seriously think about the remote kill switch.
look people, you are missing the point of this article. Just because you have no faith in yourself and your children does not mean that this dad is like you! Do you really think this dad, after all his work is going to just ” give the keys ” to his son? Come on now, let’s stop thinking about ourselves and give this dad credit for what he had done, by himself and for his boys! Do we make these negative remarks because we are jealous?