Here is a 1968 WASHINGTON IRON WORKS TL-6 TRAKLOADER. They still call it a Trakloader even though it rides on rubber. It is equipped with a hinge type heel boom with a wood "snorkel" to extend its reach. Top speed is about 10mph. in high range. It could also be used for short yarding to about 400ft. Powered by a 250 Cummins engine. Almost all the controls are air, and this thing has a whole bunch of little Williams air cylinders and air pots everywhere!
thats awesome!
Neato :{
Wow! What an awesome piece of old iron, back when cables were used instead of hydraulics and logs were used as boom extensions!
i do believe i would be scared to run that.
That look like a old Crown Zellerbaugh mac. from down around Lady Smith i have built a lot of the for crown Was used for right of way logging worked good .That one looks like it might not travil any more with the tow bar.
I have some great TL-6 Pics- and all the original sales literature from Washington (a good friend worked for them). I owned a 208Dfor a short time and will round up some pics of that as well..............
A couple of TL6 pics, including a new machine with the Canadian boom version.
Oh man, those are some great pics Contract Logger- great in action pics! But the first two pictures have a bit better lookin machine than the last one . Are the pictures of the same machine from different dates?
No, all different machines. Washington built around 250 of these-- i know someone who has the build lists with S/N, build date, and who it was delivered to. These things are rusting all over the NW, Canada, and 8 in Alaska that I know of.
Washington TL-6 in Klawock, Alaska dredging rock Here we have a yarder/loader working in a dredging application- and doing agreat job I might add!
Wow, these are sweet pictures. Thats such a cool old machine... too bad there arent any here in WI, it would be really great to see one in person!
Abandoned TL-6 Trackloader near Kake, Alaska This belonged to a friend of mine who was logging at Kake in the 1990's. His partner was killed on it (hit a powerline at the shop) so he towed it out the road and there she sits. Boom was cut off and scrapped 5 or so years ago, engine and trans were pulled off, then the road was pulled out. Now its walk-in only, andin big Alaska bear country- not good. Saw it from the air several times, finally hiked in. Yes, there were bears harrasing me all the way in.
Thats quite the story, funny ive never heard of a road being abandoned here in WI, but im sure the rough weather you get up there can make it look like a road was never there. But it seems as though the Trakloader is holding its own still against the elements. Thats a sad story about the operator and the machine though
The machine is on Native land, but US Forest Service roads lead out to it. The USFS cannot afford to maintain the roads, so they pull out all of the culverts, bridges, etc, making the right-of-way impassable, even by four-wheelers, etc. Its a shame. Roads should be treated like an asset, but instead they are seen as a liability financially by some, so it makes sense to eliminate/close them by that rationale.........
It seems like thats how everything in todays world goes, anyone can sue anyone for anything and they do it just for the money and dont care whether its morally right or not. If someone slips and hurts themselves on a patch of ice on the walkway in front of my house, i'm liable for it... its pathetic.
The one in my pictures was originally a Weldwood machine, and I have the serial # on file. If I dig it up, could you tell me the D.O.B.?
The tow bar is for pulling it up steep hills, since you can't push it with all the overhang at the rear. This machine actually flipped up on its back climbing a hill once, but happily, they were able to pull it back down before it went over sideways.
Looks like some Greenies got their hands on some spray paint, what a shame
hello, If anyone is interested there is a complete Washington Iron Works TL-6 trakloader manuals catalog on eBay here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270666194745
Modified TL6 Originally posted and described on Washington Iron Works thread
There are still three TL6s being used here in Port Alice One loads logging truck trailers, one works in the bundling works where they sort barge dumps for the pulpmill, the other sits on a barge and used for dregging
Do you suppose they might want some parts. We also have a complete 3 axle TL-6, plus various major upper components of a third machine.
I will ask Richard Watson when I see him. I am not sure what he has for parts, WFP had about 10 of them here in the 80's long booms and heelbooms.They just gave them away when they switched to liquid loaders.
Scratch built Washington TL-6 Trakloader Here is my scratch built 1/25 scale model of a Washington TL-6 Trakloader. It was fun to build but huge!
Great model! Do you use Styrene to build these? What's the physical size of this thing?
Yeah its all styrene. It's 14" to the top of the gantry, and 7.5" to the top of the engine compartment. The carrier is about 10" long and the boom is about 18" long. I drew the plans up for it on Autocad and used those and about 50 reference pictures to build it. Cheers: Bill
I can see that you are somewhat of an expert level modeller - I can see the bottles of Tamiya paint in the background and your other tools of the trade. I'll have to learn a basic form of Autocad to play in your league as well. I'm hoping to build something in my coming retirement years and all these fine examples are inspiring me. Unfortunately the eyesight will fail me in the end - I'm building a 1:6 scale motorbike in the basement and it's driving me nuts with all the small bits. It's easier to build the real thing... Once again, great model.
That is the coolest thing I've ever seen! You must build one with the Canadian boom with snorkel, and guarding package to keep it company! Awesome!
That is a fine job good work.Looks real seeing how I was just on two of them today
Stopped off at the bundle works today and shot these.Note the disk swingers Richards idea. Aircraft disk brakes if I remeber right.
#5664, TL-6E 08-26-69, Rayonier of Canada Unit #1250, Pioneer, BC
Those aren't aircraft disc brakes - if they were the calipers would be aluminum. (I'm an ex-logger present day aircraft mechanic!). And no I'm not trying to be a know-it-all. It looks like some kind of automotive or truck set-up. Nifty.
Port McNeill div. thats the one that used to pile debris above the dryland so that means the one out on the barge is the one he got from Canfor.
The serial number is usually welded onto the left side of the deck, if you happen to find it, I can look it up.
delete, my post doubled....