Hey All: Call me Bill or Oldseabee, only been on this forum a short while. One of the best I've seen. My history: 24 years with Clark Equipment, Welder, Product Development Lab for forestry equip. in St Thomas Ont. Canada, built and field tested logging equp from North Saskatchawan, North Ontario to Louisiana swamps. then, Loader/rubbertired dozer Lab in Benton Harbor Mich., then Michigan 675 (24 yard loader) project, then District Service Rep in southwest, based in Texas, then Atlanta as Forestry specialist for US and service rep for South east. Clark bought Euclid and partnered with Volvo to make VME. 17 years in Navy Seabee's reserve as mechanic, Desert Storm Vet. Then 9 years with Bell Equipment North America as National Service manager. Bell out of South Africa built three wheel and tracked Feller Bunchers and articulated dump trucks and Built trucks for John Deere. Now retired and like to share some of that experience with others in the industry. I have kept my old service manuals on the Clark, Euclid, Ranger skidder,Volvo loaders and trucks, and Bell logging and trucks. I'm out of breath!!!!!!!! Also a couple of years as mechanic for VME dealer in Atlanta, Volvo Michigan, Euclid, Hitachi.
Welcome aboard. Will be following your activity with interest. James
Well, got another Georgia Bulldog among us. Welcome to the forum oldseabee. :usa And...thanks for your service to our country.
Played for almost 8 years as a Seabee. NMCB-3 in Port Hueneme, and then as a diver with UCT-1 in Little Creek. I met my wife when I was in in Panama City for dive school over 11 years ago. And now, that's where I hang my hat.
I had always wanted to be a seabee but they wouldn't let me do that as a middy. My enlisted buds said you were the envy of basic. I always thought they had a cool history.
Welcome and I'll 2nd that :usa
hey oldseabee... from southeast alabama...we need help with a bell buncher, you seem to know a little something more than we can figure out here. give a shout if you have a minute 850 326 1446 thanks in advance dan
Hi Bill, I spot your quote from a google search. We are located in South Africa and specialise in all Bell Logger parts and components. See dbzdiesel.com for more info. Do you have any idea how many Bell loggers is running/been sold in the Georgia area? We also sell complete used Bell logger machines. Regards Rocco Cape Town, South Africa
Oldseabee : I hope you can help me. I need any information I can find on the michigan 35AWS & Massey 470 loaders made in st.thomas. Were those two made in michigan as well or just Canada? There is still quite a few 470s up here but not so many 35s. I wonder if Canada got the massey version & the states got the 35s??? I was wondering if you know the approx split of production numbers betwwen the 35 & 470?? Also the years they were built & any other details that you would know. Would you know the serial no to manufactured dates?? Thank you.
The 470's were built under contract from Massey in St. Thomas only, don't know where they all went. I'll have to do some digging to find any dates. I do have Operator/Service manual for them. I'm going out of town but will get back to you later in the week.
61BG I believe that the 35AWS started in 1966. I started at Clark St. Thomas Oct. 1968 and they were building 35's and 470's then. I think that they only built the 470's in 68 and 69. Any specs that you need on the 35AWS? I don't have anything on the 470 but it looked like the same machine except for the paint.
Oldseabee: I dont have ANY info on the 35 or 470, So any info you can pass along would be much appreciated. I just found another 470 today in fact! SN:4633-**-DI. Would you have any info on either ones production dates to serial numbers etc?? Also I did read one of your posts about the converter model number 272 & trans model number 2420.Were these reliable parts? Would you know what the axle models are? The clarks had 4 wheel steer where the masseys had front wheel steer(that is bucket end),whereas most loaders of that time frame had rear(engine end) steer. So one axle is ridgid thus the front & rear were different. On the 35 were the axles the same or when they were used in opposites ends of the loader would the rotations be wrong?? Any info is going to good use oldseabee, I Thank you. PS: How did you like the great big(LOL) town of st.thomas.
hello just wanted you to know that your are one of the reasons i have joined, your life experiences and your kindness to share it. prior to last week i really did not have a reason to join-most tree services(i own one)don't have a lot of need of payloaders, but i do. my old scoopmobile is about ready to crap, so i had the chance to pick up a clark michigan loader from my neighbor one block down the street. its a 75GMIIIA serial#409-b-360 detroit diesel 4A173476 RC4057N . i paid 3500 for it, neighbor told me if i put a battery in it and gave it a shot of fluid it would fire right up, but as i stood there looking at it i knew better than that. he said that it ran last year, but i have lived here for 12 years and i have never heard it ---and there is no missing the sound of a detroit a block away..long story short, i did get it started--changed motor oil and filter first---was going to go for new fuel, but it was 3/4 full of fuel---to much to drain out-- boosted battery and it fired up. it took awhile to get it broke free of the wheel sink holes from sitting in soft ground,but i got it out and limped down the shoulder to my yard..no brakes-but then i wasn't in much of a hurry--it felt like something was hanging up in the drive dept--i just wanted to get it home--not crapped out on the county road... when i carossed the road and hit the downhill section of my driveway i stopped took it out of gear and it rolled forward for 10 feet---so at least nothing was stuck---brakes/e-brake-- i put it in high gear and it shifted so i went for a drive around the yard, stopped bu the dirt pile and scooped/dumped 3 buckets of soil so i could see if the boom worked---a little sloppy--but works-- parked machine knowing that it is going to need a bunch of tlc before next summer--its going to help feed the screen plant for my dirt pile--about 500 yards--then i blend in composted/screened tree service chippings and plan to sell the product. out of time for now--but its you and others like you that i hope to connect with to make my clark 75 a project to be proud of.--i'll post some pics after i take some and figure out how to upload