Im trying to find pictures of a mid 1960's Northwest log loader. If any one has any or knows of a northwest thats still around id appreciate it.
There are a couple of photos scattered about in other threads here. There is one photo of a brand new NW shovel, a Model 6, I believe. Also try Google Images.
What type of loader? There are some that were just shovels with the shovel front exchanged for a heel boom, others were set up almost like Cypress loaders. One of those is at the Museum in Duncan, BC.
Northwest model 6 last summer-forest museum
Another Angle - Same Machine I just happened to take a shot of the above machine but from the other side. I used to work on a side that had an old Northwest Trakloader. It was the L-44, and it was finishing off it's career as a spare loader back in around 1980 at Sproat Lake Division. I actually had a chance at running it - I remember that it had a line shortener. Anyone know what happened to it?
thanks for the pictures. i want to build a model of the northwest that my dad ran. It was a 1967 50-d. the body is preety similar to the one in the picture. his had a young boom on it. it was cool old machine, wish it was still around
I think it was Washington that marketed that line shortener rig for converting shovels. I think Sutherlin marketed one, too. It seems that there were quite a few old NW's working as loaders in the late 70's, early 80's, I've met guys that ran them. That was the period when the old grade shovels were being retired, and some of them ended their days as loaders. One fellow told me that the one he was operating in the 70's for Husby was so old and creaky that they put a drawbar on it and towed it with the D8, since the tracks were nearly shot. I think the Model 6 at Leemar was the last one sold in BC, around 1979-80.
Madill converted new NWs brought in new from Green Bay Wis. for a while. Only rubber tire units as I recall. We even sent one of our guys back to the factory for a training course. He was in QCI doing a down drive shaft and couldn't get it in. Phoned the plant in GB for help and they told him to go down to the ice cream parlor and get some dry ice to pack it in to shrink it. Won't repeat what he told them about ice cream parlors, in camp, in the QCI, but it wasn't polite. Regards D.D.
Did Madill convert them under their own name, or under contract to B.C. Equipment? I think the one at the museum was from B.C. Equipment, they were the distributors for NW in BC for many years. I think maybe 30+? I've never been able to figure out who converted them to loaders, though. That one looks to have a Mantle/Cypress boom.
I don't remember anything about BC Equip being involved with Madill conversions. I do remember talk of how we were going to be Canada or west coast dealers for NW but it may have been just talk. I think after we did a few conversions and some field service on them the powers that be decided we could build a better mouse trap and things evolved into the 075 using a lot of the engineering that went into the boom,gantry,undercarrage,etc as a starting point. I might see the fellow who went back to GB in a couple of weeks so will try to get more info or correct any I have remembered wrong. Regards D.D.
Two Northwest ad's Two Northwest ad's from 1979 and 1974
BC Equipment had a shop on Granvillle Island that took the car body and installed the side guarding as well as the Mantle boom. BC Equipment was owned by the Crocker family (two brothers and a sister if I'm not mistaken). BC Equipment was also the dealer for International Harvester, Lister,Hough.
Thanks for that, chokerman!! I had always wondered about that. Hey, maybe you know who did the similar conversions on the Bucyrus Erie machines? I'm pretty sure that I've seen Link Belts with high cab and Mantle boom, as well.
I could be mistaken but believe that Link-Belt also used Mantle. Link-Belt was distributed by Rendell Tractor back in the mid to late 70's. Bucyrus also could have used Mantle booms, they're distributed by Vancouver Equipment. Washington Trakloader also may of used Mantle booms. They're distributed by Walkem Equipment.
I think you're right about Link-Belt, but Washington built their own booms. And now that you mention it, I think I have an old VANECO ad showing the Bucyrus loader. When did BC Equipment close its doors? Mid 70's?
I believe that the mid 70's seems about right, as about that time they'd let a lot of their employees go on to different jobs.They were running a skeleton crew moving employees to any of the 3 locations in the lower mainland. The North Vancouver shop was the tractor shop as well as Hough loaders and trucks.The 306 Industrial shop was were the fuel repair shop was. Granville island shop was home of the shovel and log loaders, also Lister generators as well as An air compressor shop.
That's really great info, Chokerman! It's amazing how much of the history of our logging machinery has come to light on this forum. Keep it coming!
Here's a 1970 ad showin a NW Model 60 at Crown-Zellerbach. Apparently CZ had a fleet of NW loading machines- I've seen them on rubber and crawler mount, with both heel-booms and dipper-sticks.
Is that an ad from Cal-Ore Equipment? I seem to remember a similar ad with the machine in front of their shop on 4 Ave S. in Seattle. I always liked the fact that they had to strap the log as the grapples were too small.
Old ad.
Just and update on that Northwest Shovel loader at the BC Forest Museum in Duncan. It was purchased new in the mid-60s by Mount Sicker Logging when the Smith brothers owned the company and they logged many years in the Cowichan Lake area on Vancouver Island. Lawrence Smith was the one and only operator. And as I understand it, when Smith brothers sold Mount Sicker Logging to their employees, the line loader was donated to the forest museum because the new owners into the second growth and were going for juice log loaders. That Northwest machine still fired up when it was time to move it from it's initial location near the highway in front of the museum entrance to where they walked it over to the big field across from the locie sheds overlooking Somenos Lake. I also know the every couple of years Lawrence would take his kids up in the bush to the log loader and together they would give it a fresh coat of orange, black and white paint. Turns out it was a summer family outing that his kids enjoyed. Sadly, Lawrence Smith passed away yesterday on November 14th after a long battle with MS.