Hi folks, long time lurker, thought I might as well join after so long! So a friend of my Uncle has offered me an old machine for "free" (problem is if I say Ill take it I have to move it somehow). He heard I like restoring old equipment (which I do!) It is one awkward, overbuilt looking unit! It has a 6 cylinder Hercules Gas engine (seized tight) He figures water got in it sometime along the way, hasn't ran in 27 YEARS. The water pump blew, he removed it, had pump rebuilt, never put it back on and its sat since. 2 front tires are somehow ok, Back tires have fallen off rims, but he has 2 brand new tires (27 years old lol) to put on. There is no info on the internet at all that I can find. Ill get some pics shortly and post them. Hydraulics and Engineering have come a long way since this thing was built, sometime in the mid '50s Im presuming. Anyone know anything about these things? Approximate weight? Is it worth tearing into? Thanks
Hello Billie, I once operated this same death trap. The only thing different was the the cab had a WW2 like fighter plane style sliding canopy. Gas under-powered and not good on operator comfort. Had snow removal in up state New York some twenty years ago.Using both this loader and a old friggin huge Case W36. Neither one of these monstrosities were good for anything other than loading a toy Tonka truck. If I was you,... I'd blow it up in place. Saves time,money and needless pain from busted knuckles. Perhaps someone else ,has something nice to say about the hough loader in question ? Slagpot
Even if you got it working, it is a dangerous configuration. Series I michigan loaders had similar boom set up, but after several operators had various body parts cut off or mangled by the boom, They had to come out with Series II machines which had the boom arms pivot in front of the operator's compartment. If you can get it trucked home and strip it for parts, you might be able to sell a few, but I wouldn't even attempt to use it in one piece.
Yep death trap is right that thing is good for scrap or maybe parts thats it.
What would that loader weigh? looks like a hough h90
Clark Equipment made a 18,000 lb cap forklift in the 50+. Called it a CY180. It had a Hercules JXC 6 cyl engine. Should you be able to get the engine model (usually 3 or 4 letters like the JCX) you might be able to locate engine parts. Google "Foley engines" to get info on a rebuilder who was strong on Hercs in that "era". Only one of these I ever saw actually was in 1954 in a fertilizer plant in West Point,MS, and it was a smaller version with 4 cyl Continental Y112 engine.
Don't listen at them naysayers. They done forgot what fun is! Get that sucker home somehow, and have fun restoring it. That is if you just plan on enjoying it, and not trying to do much serious work with it. If you need a machine for serious work, find something a LOT newer.
When I was in college (mid 80's) I ran one of these to load logs. It was dangerous - had to make sure the logs did not roll off of the bucket/forks down on the operator. John
Education Quick learner there; huh, John. And not all knowledge is gained in a class. Roger
Fastest *duck* in the east
Im not sure Im going to get to this rig, the guy is wanting it gone from his place this summer lol. I ended up getting a backhoe since (which Im fighting with trying to replace some bushings at the moment) and a massey 135 tractor that has a big hole in the block, since I was offered this beauty. It might weigh between 8 and 10 ton my guess would be, maybe more..hard to tell lol.
I'd have say I've found some pride in owning a HOUGH HA that is a 4cyl waukesha model FC gas. It has served me very well given what I've invested into her. I have posted in the old iron forum here so you could find pics and all that here if you're curious. I would have to agree that the design of this one you found as well as my HA, is a bit likely to raise your life insurors' eyebrows LOL! But I am a fool for getting dangerous at times. I say yah gotta use common sense - don't do things that these machines were not meant to do. Anyway I've seen pics of these before and I doubt you'll never find other happy owners.
Hough HM I have a HMG loader and use it weekly to load scrap iron, ran it across the scale and it can across at just over 17000 lbs. Mine has the cab on it and the 6 cyl gas herculies engine, only thing I have had go wrong with it is one of the caps for the universal joint for the rear wheel drive has came off.