Hi everyone, I noticed that there have been no posts from Bob in the last couple of weeks (we are both from Ont.) & I then called his wife who informed me that he had passed away quite suddenly on March 7th. I had sent him a private email around the 10th (not knowing) & there was no reply which aroused my suspicions that something may be wrong. She then asked me to let the forum members know, to which I agreed to do so, thinking everyone would appreciate knowing. I explained to her just how helpful his advice was over the years & she was very touched by that. Metalman
It Always my heart when one of the online "family" moves on to greener pastures. Our prayers go out to Bob's family.
I'm lost for words. You get so used to having people around and then suddenly they are gone and all their knowledge has gone with them. We should all be thankful that Bob's wise words & good advice will continue to survive here on the forum as a tribute to him. R.I.P. Bob. Condolences to the family. Edit: I was just looking at my PMs and saw that we were exchanging ideas only the day before he passed away. That kinda makes the hairs on my neck stand up a bit.
:crying dammit....
Really sorry to hear that. I had conversed with Bob (Robert Nichols) for many years as he was the go to guy for help. I knew he had health issues, sure am going to miss him. R.I.P. old friend. Here is a picture of Bob in his pre-retirement days.
Yes, he was a "GIANT" by advice standards indeed. I am sure we will all miss that "Later Bob" as he signed off........................
Yair . . . Thanks for the heads up Metalman55 I have dealt with this before on other forums and there is very real and genuine sense of loss when one of our anonymous friends suddenly is not with us any more. R.I.P. mate and condolences to wife and family. Scrub Puller
Thanks for following up Metalman. I'm Bob Ont's daughter. He was never happier than when he was fixing machines. I loved that the internet let him keep at it even after he retired and his health failed. All the best to you all, Sincerely, Triscuit
In the anonymity of a forum we seldom know much of age or health. I've often thought how it is amazing that bad people never die. I've waited a long time to hear of someone lower than dirt dying. Donald Trump will live forever, so will Hillary. The beauty of this, and similar forums is that the truly bad people get weeded out. Those who've been here a while are good, and caring people. No one here is shy about sending an ******* on his way. I didn't know Bob, but I'm sure those who did, feel a profound loss now. I'm sorry to see the cycle of life takes those we love. We need a change of rules where only those who can pass without the grief of loved ones may die. Only then, will it be a just world. To his loved ones I extend my sorrow. Willie
Sad news to hear. So often over the years I've seen many a mechanic enjoy what they do and put heart and soul into all of it. I guess we enjoy it so much we wear out and don't get to see many of those retirement years in good health. We get just as worn out as the machines we have the opportunity to fix. Fair winds and following seas to Mr. Nichols.
Triscuit, So sorry to hear the news of your dad, I've only been on this forum a short time but always felt Bob was one of the top guys that made this forum what it is today. My thoughts are with you and your family!
Welcome to the forum Triscuit & thanks for your words. Had a nice conversation with your mom which was appreciated. The response by the many members here on the forum to your dads passing, bears testimony to the legacy that he left behind. Our condolences to your entire family.
What Lantraxo said x 3. He was great help to many here. Myself included. Your reward will meet you in Heaven. Ron
Rest in Peace my friend.
Bob is one person I really would have like to met in person. When a man takes time to advise and help others like he did , just sharing his knowledge is truly a testament to what kind of a person he was. Not cutting others short , but he was "The Trackloader guru" in my books. I witnessed him helping people repair machinery online and diagnosing problems , 99% of the time was right on. When I had issues and he responded it was a good feeling to have his knowledge. My condolences to the family. The family may never know just how many people he helped in this manner. So sorry for your loss of a great person.
Very, very sad to hear You know those people who you can tell are very smart, experienced and have so much knowledge after reading only a few of their posts- he was that to a tee Knowledge of the old machines is becoming a lost art and he will be sadly missed. X2 for loving the "later Bob" at the end of each post Suddenly my "problems" that I had a work today are nothing - puts everything back into perspective and makes you look around and enjoy what we have today cause we don't know when it's our turn.
Welcome to the forum Triscuit. I am sorry to hear of your fathers passing. My father was a field service man for Crothers in the 70's and I think I recognize their logo on your dad's coveralls. Your dad knew the Caterpillar machines expertly and his knowledge helped many of us on this forum. May he rest in piece.
RIP , Bob.
"Later Bob".
He was one of those guys when he typed you shut up and listened. No **** he knew it 100% Will definitely miss his knowledge. Later bob...
Very sad. Condolences to his family.
Thank you Bob
always looked for his posts, great advise and knowledge lost RIP Mark
Over an over, Bob pulled THE answer out of nowhere, with no extra verbiage. Later Bob. You're missed.
I hate to hear this, that man new his stuff! Later, Bob.
Thanks to metalman for finding out and letting us know. I have worried before what happened when somebody that is a regular on here just suddenly drops off the radar. I wonder if we could do something like add phone numbers to the info on us that the moderators hold, so if we disappear, somebody could check on us.
RIP Bob. Your wisdom & kindness will be greatly missed.
Rip
R.i.p.
Just read the sad news of bob's passing. Bob also helped me with my troubleshooting and was always 100% correct,he will be sorely missed.R.I.P Bob.
Very sad to hear of Bob's passing. I always looked out for his posts as they reflected such a depth of knowledge and experience expressed so succinctly. What I find so impressive about HEF is the calibre of experienced mechanics, managers and operators and their quality posts. But being the son of a mechanic I know that the managers, operators and virtually everyone else rely on a good spanner operator to get the job done to completion. The knowledge volunteered by Bob and his peers on HEF has helped many people worldwide out of a mechanical problem, especially in older machines. Miss you Bob :angel
Condolences to family, RIP Bob
One thing I believe I seemed to take for granted growing up was the number of qualified mechanics and parts people at our disposal. Only when I got older and some of these guys started quitting or moving on did I realize how valuable they were. Same goes on here. I haven't been on here long enough to truly know Bob, but like everyone says when you saw he posted, you knew it was worth reading. Prayers for the family. Later Bob.
Bob was a great asset to the forum, he'll be missed. RIP Bob. Ed
Rest easy Bob. You will be missed
As someone said earlier, when Bob posted, you "shut up and listened", and as an early 40-yr track loader operator and some time spanner man, I loved reading his diagnoses of problems with those machines. I somehow thought he was a younger man, shows what you don't know. My condolences to you and your family, Triscuit. May your father rest with his maker.
Bob, was Top Draw all the way I loved him, he would often E.Mail me on all sorts of topics and had a very calm tempered and civil way that set him off as a true Gentleman, through his comments and style I often thought he was about 40 years old as he had a fresh mind and a very keen interest in so many things, it would seem he had a very good humour as he would often laugh at some of my posts and comment in a cracking way to me. Sadly I have lost a good Pal RIP Bob see you later tctractors ( this news put a tear in my eye )
Sad to see such a valued member and friend go. Will miss you Bob
In all the years I've been browsing this forum I've often thought what real gentlemen are here,sad to think that we have one less now.a lifetimes experience and knowledge gone just like that.god bless and look after him and his family
Hi Trisquit, I am a relatively new member to the forum, and did not get involved in the repair side of equipment discussions often, but one thing for sure about your Dad is that if he mentioned something you can bet it was spot on. I don't have anything to add to what has already been mentioned, but I think it is safe to say that the sentiment of the forum members is pretty unanimous - your Dad was very generous with his time and substantial knowledge, and he will be missed. God bless you and your family.
Thanks bob for sharing your knowledge. RIP
Thank you -ALL of you. My Mom and siblings and I have been watching the boards with amazement and pride. We knew he was proud of the work he did here. And he often shared stories of people who he had helped, and people who thanked him. Sounds like this is a pretty incredible group - I think it is safe to say your sincerity would have resonated with him, and that's probably a big part of why he spent so much time here. We miss him terribly, but are finding comfort in all the kind words. Triscuit
Tricuit; I am another that always liked to read Bob's posts here and his famous sign-off -- Later Bob. Thanks Old Magnet for posting Bob's picture. Another member from Ontario disappeared from posting on HEF with the username Phil. One of his last threads (Case 480D dies Burying a Goat) ironically had a picture of his son it. Phil and I emailed back and forth many times. I always will wonder what happened to him.
Old Magnet, thanks from me, too, for posting the picture of Bob. Triscuit, I too will really miss seeing the sign-off "Later Bob" and his words. He was very generous with his knowledge, and he made a very big contribution here. He cut to the chase, and didn't waste any words, and said valuable stuff with those words. I will miss that a lot. I sent my condolences to you and your mother and your siblings. RIP, Bob Ont.
So sorry for your family Triscut, it truly is a sad time when we lose a loved one. He was a wealth of information here and I for one was always amazed at the depth of his knowledge. As Dickjr said I would have loved to have met him also. The world has lost another good one in Bob.
just reading thru some of Bobs posts and p.ms,he will be greatly missed down here,but I am sure, up there, those spanners/wrenches are much lighter, enjoy Bob
Triscuit, I hope that by following this thread you and your whole family have come to realize the high esteem to which your father was held by everyone on this forum for the breadth of his knowledge and his willingness to share it with others. We will also miss him terribly for that reason. I was one of the people with whom he communicated "off grid" and we enjoyed swapping "war stories" of our experiences working on heavy equipment. You may have noted the geographic spread of people posting. Obviously there have been messages of condolence from closer to home but also from as far away as Australia, the UK, and South Africa to name just a few. That should give you an idea of just how many people's lives your father impacted who will be forever grateful to him for assisting them with their machinery.
Very sad news indeed. Bob has come to my help on these forums many a time and I will certainly miss his help and advice. RIP Bob!
Sad news for sure, my condolences to his family. I was always in awe of his vast knowledge about equipment, he will be missed here for sure.
Triscuit, I'm so sorry for your loss. I never miss a chance to point out that it's the members here that make the place what it is, and your Dad was the epitome of that. If it's of any comfort, know that we often have visitors that come here and search for solutions to their problems without ever joining or posting. That means that your Dad's good advice has probably helped far more people then you'll even see here, and also that it'll live on and help even more in the future.
Hi Triscuit, Glad you found your way here and my condolences to you and your family. On this forum there are a group of wise people with tons of experience and great mechanical skills that are obvious. I would consider Bob to have been a member of this group and he will be sadly missed. If you do a search you will see how much Bob contributed here. Bob will be immortal as long as his words and advice are available on the internet.
Post says moved!!!!! To where and why????
OM, a moderator has made this thread a sticky, so it will always be near the top of the list even if nobody posts to it for a while. Good idea.
Triscuit, I'm sorry for your loss.
OK, thanks. I'm used to the ACMOC format of vBulletin where a Sticky is labeled as such and the title information doesn't go away.
Also the thread was originally in the dozers section. One of the moderators has moved it to the General Industry Questions section as I imagine more people are likely to see it there.
Just found this; and im also very sorry to hear of Bobs passing. He certainly was a wealth of information about earthmoving machine; and his knowledge will be missed by a lot of people. Condolences to his family, from down at the bottom of the world in New Zealand. Mervyn Pepper
I moved it this morning, and made it a sticky, at least for a few weeks. In "Dozers" it was easy to overlook. I think we owe Bob at least that much.
I just found out about this thread today, sad indeed to hear the news of Bob, he was a wealth of knowledge. Fortunately a good bit of that wonderful mind was shared unselfishly by Bob himself here at HEF and his words and advice will continue for posterity. Thank you Bob, fair winds brother.
I've been away from the forums a few days and missed this thread. The membership is what makes these forums work and it's always sad to learn that we've lost one. Bob's generosity in sharing his knowledge are what the forums are all about and he will be sorely missed by all. Our deepest sympathies to all his family. Rest in Peace Bob
Hello Triscuit: Please accept my deepest condolences on the passing of your father. I was fortunate enough to work as an apprentice under Bob when I worked at Crothers many years ago. It was only for a short period but he left a lasting impression on me for his professionalism, calmness and the need to sometimes think outside the box when looking for solutions. I recently rejoined the Ontario Cat Dealer and although it was after Bob had retired his name still came up on a regular basis. He was always spoke of in a highly respected manner and anyone that apprenticed under him or worked with him will agree that they became a better Technician and person for it. I heard about his passing through an internal email and unfortunately was working out of province when heard the news, otherwise I would have paid my respects at the funeral home. Once again please pass on my sympathies to your family, Scott.
I just saw this thread too. So sorry to hear of Bob's passing. He helped me with my 931B more through forums and e-mails than I think a dealer could have with the machine right in front of them. He knew these machines like the back of his hand and knew all the tricks and short cuts to get them working right, whether it was fitting 2 seals to keep the throttle shaft from leaking or a simpler way to adjust to adjust the brakes and steering clutches. It's not often you find someone who is so willing to share a lifetime of knowledge with others. What's even more fascinating is if Bob told you something, it was on the money 100%. Bob leaves a legacy that most can only dream of! My deepest condolences to Triscuit and the rest of Bob's family.
I am sorry to read this. Bob seemed like a good man. My condolences to his family and friends.
I was driving along the Niagara early on the morning heard the news of Bob. It was still dark that early as I looked up his way, thought of him and said a prayer or two. Made me think of the song. ... "It's not what ya got. ...It's what you give. It's not the life You choose. ....It's the life You live." Rest in Peace Brother
I just found this sad news. I wondered whey I haven't seen him post. He helped me with a few issues on my 980's both on and off the forum. Great guy, knowledgeable and spent the time to help others. I know this is late but I very sorry for your loss.
I still think of Bob, I do miss him and its been a few years now tctractors
It's funny. I was searching for something the other day and came across the info in a thread to which he had contributed almost 10 years ago. I still think of him every so often and miss him too.
My condolences to the Family.
I think of Bob just about every time I use my D6C. It was my first tracked machine I ever bought, knew nothing about Dozers and UC's but Bob's help gave me the confidence that I could own/operate/repair my own machine. I conversed with him through email much more than on the forums, was just a top notch person. We seem to have less and less people like Bob these days.
Yes Bob sounds like the best of the best! There are alot of knowledgeable peoplw on here i have found out. I feel good about advice on here that helps newbies like me. Good luck in the future: Honky Cat
Bob was awesome! I almost got to meet him. He was visiting family in Calgary so kind of close but still about a 3 hour drive away.