Check this out Al

[stehansen]

This picture is from a job that I was at a month ago or so. It is a Caterpillar D-8 13A and the guy is a deputy sheriff and this is what he is doing for a project. He is taking two old Cats one is a 2-U and the other one the one in the picture and is going to use the good parts from both to make one good running tractor. He has a blade for it too.

 

[Al Smith]

Looks like a lot of work to me .

 

[Stumper]

A whole lot of heavy, dirty work filled with ventilation language!

 

[gf beranek]

Neat. Keep us up to date with progress pics. I love those old Cat's

 

[sotc]

looks alot easier than putting together a modern one!

 

[MasterBlaster]

This is cool.

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/08uxZqiZq3M&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/08uxZqiZq3M&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

 

[Thor's Hammer]

'Did yuh like that?'
Lancashire's greatest son, Fred dibnah.
Funny enough, that village at the start of that film is only about 40 miles from me, Marford in Cheshire.

 

[sotc]

waay cool!

 

[Al Smith]

Steamers are neat but dangerous in the hands of a novice.Several years ago they ran the crown sheet on one out of the water in northern Ohio and blew in to kingdom come,several were killed.

I have seen a 40 HP Case steamer put out more power on the belt than an 830 John Deere rated at nearly double.I also saw one completely pull an 8 inch belt into on a Baker fan.

Of the things I have great respect for,explosives and live steam rate at the very top of the list.

 

[MasterBlaster]

What's up with spinning the "steering wheel" like that?

 

[stehansen]

Awesome. The dog wasn't too sure about things.

Yeah Al, it is an insane amount of work. And compared to more modern tractors when you are done you have a 20 ton tractor with 120 drawbar hp. He needs someone to come and press off the sprockets on one of them and I gave him my cousin's # but he hasn't called him.

 

[RIVERRAT]

That clip on the steam engine was cool. I busted up at the end where he was hacking from the smoke of the engine while smoking a cigarette. HAH !

 

[MasterBlaster]

That smoke is what eventually killed him.

 

[Al Smith]

What's up with spinning the "steering wheel" like that?

Those things had a goofy steering arrangement.It used a chain wrapped around or tied to the center wheel support.
Due to the fact there is no caster to the steering it will not self center like an automobile.You steer into a turn and out of it.It had such a gear reduction or mechanical advantage on the steering,you had to really turn many turns to make it do anything.

That one in the flick had a center wheel like a roller. Many had an axle ,much like wagon that turned.Same deal,steer in and out or the damned things would run in a circle.

 

[Al Smith]

Oh.I might add that one time in a local parade,one of the steamers burnt two tons of coal and boiled off 500 gallons of water in two miles.It ran out of water and didn't make the entire parade. That was a giant old Russell of about 80 steam horse power,made in Marion Ohio.I think it weighed something like 40,000 lbs .

Note,the one thing you never do is run a steamer out of water,they blow like a bomb.