I never had till today. While out killing time driving around to see it anyone was cutting wheat yet, I came across this old gem, sitting next to some other old, forgoten farming equipment. After looking at it, and sitting on that old seat, makes me wonder why it took so long for comfort to become an afterthought!
Heres a few more of this old jewel
The pic of the sweet spot, I forgot ot put in in the last set!
That is a great find, thanks for posting it. I have often wondered why comfort was and IS an after thought when a machine is engineered.
We where down in Cuba for vacation a number of years ago and we where on a jeep tour and seen a cable excavator sitting on the side of the road whitch was about 5 miles from our hotel. The next day I wanted to take a look at this machine not haveing seen one before so we went back there and talking to the engineer of the job and trying to talk too them they fired up this hoe for me. I can tell you this operator could run this cable machine as fast a hydraulic machine. I was impressed by it
You know the saying, "That'll buff right out"? Maybe it's true. Wouldn't it be cool to restore that one? This one was at the HCEA show last year:
That ones in much better shape than the one I found! Nice pics, Digger. Jason
I just wish I had the time and money (and talent) to find one like you posted and turn it into something like the one I posted. I still love seeing pictures of them in the rough....
Thankfully, Digger, there are those that do give these old machines a new life, like the one you found. And those individuals or groups that restore old iron have my deepest gratitude. Otherwise, machines suffer the fate of the one JLT found. His pics give the perfect illustration of an old girl that one day crawled onto a piece of ground, and was shut off, to never breathe oxygen through its cylinders again.
I ran a cable hoe for the first time ever the other day. It is my friends (Jim Humphrey) and he is digging a house lot with it! Its a bucyrus erie 15B with a digging hoe on it. He also has a front shovel for it. He also has a Unit Crane on wheels. I will get some pics and post them here shortly. doug
Now ya just can't leave it at that, Doug! Well...what was it like diggin' with it?
Thanks for sharing those pics- I hope that that old Unit gets a home as I imagine the scrap dealer is not far behind. makes me sad to see a beauty like that one go to the torch. I love the "after" pic too. Goes to show what a lot of sweat and money will get ya. BTW I just brought home a Bucyrus Erie 14B crawler crane. I have the hoe attachment which will go no the machine. I am a new memeber of the HCEA Clamshell Chapter and some of the guys in the club did all the heavy work of gettin her on the low boy. The crane had been sitting for 10 years in a pasture- just fired right up with a new battery- Budda Diesel. I will post pics soon Galen
IT was different for sure , having to jump on the brakes so the boom wouldnt fall after cabling it up. Then PUSHING on the levers to make the boom and stick come to me instead of PULLING on the levers. You would want to eat your wheaties in the morning before heading out for the day on that. Overall it was really cool and I would love to find one for myself someday just because. I will get pics tomorrow as i am heading over there to deliver some stone. doug
ive never seen one but my gradpa had a unit i dont know what model but when you moved it you would pick up on side up the traks and they would goin to 8ft and then we would put it on the trailer it was pretty cool.
Heres a quick pick of my friends 1949 Bucyrus Erie 15B . I will add some more tonight , I have to run now. I ran this machine the other day it was pretty cool.
I have a straight boom hoe front for my 14B but I'm convinced its actually for the 15B although I've never had it on the machine...yet. I have seen pictures including the operators manual showing a smaller arch boom hoe front for the 14B. Anyone have more info on this?
More pics of Jim Humphreys 15B and other toys in his yard. Its a 1949 BUcyrus Erie 15B with a back shovel . I will include pics of the front shovel also. He also has a Unit crane on wheels. A spare B-E 15B for parts. A 1928 Mack AB . ANd 1958 Case 319 gas crawler. Heres some pics. doug
take two
few more
more pics
Nice pics Dug. That B-E hoe looks sweet. I'll bet after running that Unit hoe that you operated that you'd love to give it a go on a shovel, eh? Nice Mack truck your bud has there.
Anyone know of someone selling one. [email protected]
I have been fortunately enough to have had some play time in a couple of old cable hoes. A Unit and a P & H. I only run them. I would be lieing if I said I operated them. I have a long ways to go to be a shovel operator.
Those pics of the old Unit cable hoes brought back childhood memories...my Dad had one just like it, used it a lot, had interchangeable hoe & front shovel. I can remember riding in it as he was digging...both with the shovel & the hoe. I was too young then to appreciate the effort it took to run it, but I can remember it was loud & rough riding. As I remember, the shovel was much smoother than the hoe operation. The weak link was the pinion shaft for the swing...he was always breaking them. As a kid, I loved it.