This weekend a couple California friends are flying in and we are going to go to Hillsburo, ND to strip down and load out a rare 1930 Caterpillar elevating grader. It is going to Laramie, WO, for restoration and then on to the Paso Robles Pioneer museum in time to be featured in the 2017 Santa Margarita Memorial Day show which also happens to be the site of the National Show in for the Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owners Club. If any one lives in the area and wants to stop by and say hi we will be getting there about noon Saturday and staying until complete with load out Monday morning at the latest. Its about 30 miles south of Grand Forks right off the exit in Hillsboro to the east.
That will be nice to see restored. Hopefully I can come see it when it makes its way out West.
It went well. Most of the snow was gone, had about 50 F for temps which is really odd for this area in Feb. OIH, 2 guys from CA and I got to work on it in the early afternoon and with help from a JD AG dealer's employee we actually were able to air up the tires and move it right across the street into the JD dealers lot where we started prepping it. OIH brought his skid steer and between the JD dealers 4 wheel loader with forks and OIH's skid we got the beam with the disk and the side elevator removed. They should be loading it this afternoon. We were done and in Fargo for dinner before I headed home. The guys from CA flew into the Twin Cities, rented a car and drove up to OIH's place on his directions "go north 100 miles and turn left into my driveway". They left there Sat morning and drove to Hillsboro ND and meet me there about noon. That's about 260 miles if you don't get lost in route....... I'll let OIH tell that story. My drive was just about 1/2 half that at 130 miles, I didn't get lost! I'll also let OIH tell the story about the Exxon Valdis! Rick
For some of us, that machine is known as a "Mucker". What was used to build a majority of the roads here in ND in the 40's and 50's. Someday I'd like to see one working.
This particular machine, a Model 60 was the largest pull grader Cat built. The original owner Frank Beards was elderly when he operated this machine to build most of the township roads around Reynolds and that part of North Dakota. His Cat skinner would walk the near new RD7 from job to drive with the mucker connected first, then the D7 sized Cat pull grader behind that, followed with a 2 compartment riveted fuel tank bring up the rear of the train. Frank would drive behind with his Model A truck eating plums. It appeared as he worked the mucker he constantly ate plums spitting seeds. He was known to always have a paper bag of them at his side. He recieved $15.00 per round (one mile up and back) for his Cat and mucker. I have attached a picture of the fuel tank which is on a wooden wheeled carriage. The grader was previous sold so it was not available. The muckers engine is stuck and will be overhauled and will be working at the Memorial Day Weekend show at the Santa Margarita ranch in 2017. That show will also be the National Show for the Antique Caterpillars Machinery Owners Club (ACMOC) and is open to all.