10 Of The OLDEST Heavy Machinery In The World

the predecessors of today's gigantic construction machines were well worth watching as of now they have a Monumental status but in their era they were adopted as the most advanced Solutions and owning them was a thing of privilege first up we have a giant Alice Chalmer hd41 bulldozer weighing in its 70 tons and built with 524 horsepower the crawler tractor made headlines is the biggest machine of its era Alice chmer teased the future at the 1963 Chicago Road Show with the introduction of the hd41 crawler tractor this 70 ton 524 horsepower Beast made waves as the largest tractor ever built at that time however this was just a sneak peek Alice chers wanted to ensure the Dozer would be a reliable performer and cut costs per cubic yard following its brief debut a thorough development phase ensued involving numerous prototypes tested in various conditions it wasn't until 1970 that customers saw it go through full production speaking of its history and 1938 Alice schmer began crafting its diesel powered tractors using General Motors engines by 1940 they rolled out three models the hd7 HD1 and hd14 to replace the older oil tractors the hd14 was the largest and most powerful crawler tractor of its time having 132 draw bar horsepower it also became the first crawler to feature a torque converter with its 1945 upgrade in 47 Alice Chas set another world record with the 163 horsepower hd19 a 25ton giant equipped with a dozer Blade the hd41 featured a cumings VT 1710 C4 cycle turbocharged diesel engine paired with a torque converter its power shift transmission offered three speeds in both forward and reverse reaching up to 6. 5 mph optional attachments included bulldozer blades up to 20 ft wide in both semiu and F U configurations along with a cushioned push block for push loading scrapers next up presenting the Timeless cat D6 debuting in the late 1930s the D6 received an engine upgrade in the late 1940s although the D6 remains available today newer models are labeled with suffixes like d6c this model is authentic its counterpart the D4 had an identical engine except the D6 featured a six-cylinder engine instead of a 4-cylinder this was a high-speed engine reaching 1200 RPM compared to the older Cat engines 900 RPM early versions featured a horizontally opposed two-cylinder gas engine at top the bell housing known as the starting engine it could be rope started or started with a 6volt electric starter to start the main engine you first cranked the pony engine either manually or electrically then engaged a pinion into the main engine flywheel and set a clutch to turn over the main engine once the main engine was turning you opened its throttle and if all went well it started allowing you to shut down the starting engine the starting engine did more than just crank the main engine it shared a water jacket with the main engine circulating water to the main engine head the fuel filter system was also warmed by this water the starting engine's exhaust was routed through the intake manifold to preheat the air for the diesel engine these features enabled the CAT engine to run in harsh weather but as diesel fuels improved and fewer places experienced severe cold anything below freezing was tough for early diesel engines cat began offering direct electric start in later models the starting engine was replaced by large batteries and an electric starting motor providing the now familiar convenience of push button starting moving on to the Excellence of the 1964 euklid tc12 Dozer when companies launch something drastically different they gamble big the iconic uclid tc12 Dozer released in 1955 broke the mold for crawlers they had aimed to Dethrone caterpillar from its top spot it didn't quite succeed however that doesn't mean that it was a failure so uid expanded into Earth moving equipment in the 1920s and became a leader in the construction equipment industry by the early 1950s uclid needed more funds and had aging leaders so GM bought it George Armington in his 80s oversaw the sale and his son Ray managed the uclid division of GM until 1960 transporting the tc12 was difficult because it was much bigger and heavier than other crawlers at 30 to 35 tons without the blade uid made it easier by designing the tc12 to split into two sections for transport as larger equipment became more common the tc12 fit in better the first major upgrade came in 1958 with the tc12 2 increasing the engine's power to 227 horsepower each by 1966 more upgrades led to the tc12 being renamed the 8280 in 1968 GM had to split up the successful uclid division due to an antitrust suit the truck division kept the uclid name while the Crawlers and Earth movers became part of the new terx brand TRX still exists today but uclid does not the tc12 or 8280 remained in production until 1974 with a total of 91 units built of both types about half and half divided between tc12 and 8280 by 74 simpler single engine dozes of equivalent or Superior horsepower were on the market and the disadvantages of the complex and aging tc12 or 8280 design made it difficult to market the production of them continued until 1974 with 91 units built next on the Oliver oc3 crawler tractor featured a hydraulic front blade and rear box blade despite the somewhat cumbersome arrangement of pipes and hoses it ran on a Hercules gas engine delivering 25 horsepower under optimal conditions the Cleveland tractor company founded in 1911 and rebranded later on as C track began producing bulldozers that could rival those from Caterpillar and Alice chmer it's powered by the aply named Hercules engine you can better track it with an engine named after a legendary hero lives up to to its name this 2. 2 L 4-cylinder gasoline engine delivered 29 horsepower at 1700 RPM whether you needed to plow Fields clear land or haul heavy loads this machine handled it effortlessly additionally it had a 12 gallon fuel tank and measured 8.

3 ft long 4. 36 ft wide and 4. 19 ft tall Oliver equipment company entered the crawler tractor Market by acquiring Cleveland Tractor Company in 1944 known for their reliable tractors in logging construction and farming Cleveland Tractor Company CL TR produced the successful CL Trak HG crawler from 1939 to 1951 the Oliver oc3 manufactured from 1951 to 57 continued using the same 22 horsepower 4-cylinder Hercules engine as the Katra HG in 1955 the tractor's design was updated to the flatnose style of the Oliver 55 farm tractor the Oliver CLE track oc3 was a versatile utility crawler for constructional farming offering options like a PTO sh belt pulley various load of buckets dozer blades and a vtype snowplow additional features included four track widths multiple track Treads cabs and electric lights the standard oc3 industrial with a 42in track width came with an electric starter though lights were an optional add-on moving on to another old sensation 1969 Caterpillar 977k Track Loader historically its predecessor the cat 977 was introduced around 1955 to 56 and quickly gained a reputation for being powerful and reliable for medium to large scale Earth moving projects interestingly this machine has a pusher blade instead of the usual loading bucket the 977k model was launched in the USA in 1966 followed by production in Japan a year later and in Scotland soon after for the UK and European markets the 977k featured a more powerful cat d33 turbocharged 6-cylinder Engine with 170 horsepower standard machine functions like an electric St and pedal steer system help operators easily maneuver the 977 in tight spaces the walkthrough operators compartment is also a special feature of the 46h unit and lets the person driving it have unrestricted access to the controls interestingly in 1971 caterpillar replaced the 977k with the 977l the new model had more horsepower a rollover protection system and much more enthusiasts favored the 977k for its classic design dependability and versatility with over 22,000 units produced it played a pivotal role in shaping the modern construction industry like many vintage machines the 977k contributed to countless infrastructure projects worldwide the 977k track loader excelled with its robust engine Advanced Transmission and userfriendly features some fortunate owners still operate these machines and the sound they make when starting or running is a testament to their persisting performance even after 50 years next on is a really old but interesting machine in the 19 1920s the pull grader towed by a crawler tractor was widely used for maintaining Country Roads the caterpillar 66 pull grader was the company's largest model then requiring two operators one for the tractor and one for The Grater the combined length of the tractor and grater made tight turns and Maneuvers challenging smaller gas tractors had greater blade attachments that were more maneuverable but still needed two operators surprisingly these old machines might still outperform some Modern equipment even after a century pulled by a crawler tractor this grader was caterpillar's largest model at the time and played a crucial role in maintaining Country Roads across the US unlike today's motor graders the 66 required two operators to work efficiently though its power source might seem simple and inefficient the 66 handled grading tasks effortlessly one standout feature was its 12T wide Blade with a smooth bolt-on Cutting Edge making it easier to cover large areas and ensure smooth even Road surfaces for both vehicles and pedestrians the first model of the 66 identified by the 6C SN prefix was available with hand control and power control options and featured double frame rails the second version still called the 66 but known as the single frame model featured a single frame rail this model bearing the 5e prefix was also available with hand or power controls and offered both steel and rubber tire options in the early 1930s caterpillar launched the auto patrol motor grader requiring just one operator the first diesel powered motor graders from caterpillar came out between 1938 and 39 the caterpillar 212 auto patrol motor grader represents the smallest of the three models caterpillar offered at the time now let's move on to the Tractor from the early 20th century in the early 1910s car manufacturer at Roland white saw a chance to enter the booming tractor Market but white aimed to do more than just produce another tractor after experimenting with a wield model he realized that Midwestern Farmers needed a crawler tractor one that was powerful yet light ad Ved yet affordable he met these criteria and more with the launch of the first Cleveland Tractor Company crawler in 1916 the initial modelr was quickly followed by the model w220 in 1918 a game changer that established Cleveland Motors and its CLE track tractors as major players in the crawler Market this move was so impactful that it pushed crawler giant halt to enhance his lineup with models like the caterpillar 10 one of the main attractions of the model W was its price selling for 1,3 $85 in comparison the Fordson tractor which brought horsepower to many farmers sold for $785 when introduced in 1918 another great feature of the w220 was its minimal soil compaction which significantly reduced the impact on crop yields additionally crop cultivation became vastly more efficient up to 100 times more when the model f was introduced however the Fordson was crude while the model W was Advanced the CLE track crawler including the model W was considered highly Advanced for its time moreover it featured a controlled differential steering mechanism and a planetary gear system allowing power to both tracks even during turns this design made the model W efficient and reduced soil damage known as birming Cleveland called this the true traction system which became a standard for future C track crawlers next up is the story of the pioneering effort in 1892 in a village in Northeast Iowa John Frick made a historic breakthrough in agriculture he created the first first successful gasoline powered Engine That Could move forward and backward what we now call a tractor before this Innovation farming was labor intensive and relied on bulky steampowered engines prone to causing forest fires due to their cumbersome nature frelix saw the need for a better solution freix invention the freix tractor had a simple name but a revolutionary design it featured a one-cylinder engine mounted on the running gear of a steam engine merging two power sources into one more manageable unit although its specs might seem modest today this machine was Far easier to control than the Hazardous steam engines of the past and marked a significant Improvement think of the freck tractor as the pioneer of modern tractors when freck took his invention to South Dakota for a test he succeeded impressively threshing around 72,000 bushels of small grain this achievement hinted at a new era in farming despite its potential selling the tractor was tough after the waterl gasoline traction engine company approved it only two units were sold it wasn't wasn't until 19133 that the company launched the LA model of the freeli tractor following years of development the world initially wasn't ready for this tractor's complexity however a year later they struck gold with the Waterloo boy tractor n this machine weighed £6,000 was £5.

97 ft wide and 5. 24 ft tall it featured a 7.