I thought it would be interesting to reflect back on the earth moving and construction industry in the 1980s and 1990s. Lots of changes in equipment and how jobs were done, ups and downs in the economy, etc. Although I was a youngster in the 80s I was very interested in the earth moving industry and started in business myself in 2000. Some of my observations: In the late 80s skid steers were getting big enough they started to take the place of small dozers or small track loaders for some applications. Skid steers in general were becoming extremely popular. There were dozens of contractors with a 743B or 753 Bobcats, often with a backhoe attachment as well. Mini excavators were just starting to make an appearance although I don’t remember seeing any around here until the late 90s. Cabs started to become semi-decent on equipment and more popular. The combination of quality, value, performance and reliability of equipment reached a high water mark IMO. Equipment we bought back then never seemed to have recalls or need warranty work. It went decades and thousands of hours with little more than maintenance and minor repairs. I’d love to hear from anyone who was in business then and their experiences. Size and scope of your operation, what kind of equipment you ran, what kind of jobs you were doing. Stories and pictures are always welcome.
I started in 1989 with a 1972 D8H with fibreglass cab.At the time Rops were considered a luxury that wasn’t necessary.Aircon and radio’s were also uncommon.I don’t recall any scrapers that didn’t have their doors removed or tied open. You also had to turn a blind eye to operators that drank alcohol at work. However,the work got done and I don’t recall any accidents on the many sites I worked on
I know a lot of the pictures I have seen from work in the 70s, there was always a beer bottle or 2. Heard lots of stories of drinking, not sure how any of them survived, or got anything done. They talked about a guy that ran the back of the asphalt spreader, and at times the only thing keeping him up right was the thickness adjuster. A guy that kept a bottle of wine on top of the motor of the asphalt roller. Guy on the service truck passed out while loading the spreader on the float. came out of the seat and landed face against a screaming engine. Only thing that saved him was his fall took the machine out of gear. Paving crew passed out on the side of the road on a busy street. Come to think of it, I think pavers drink a lot.
Back in the 80's I founded a large sand and gravel operation on my parents land with Tonka and Ertl equipment. It is second generation now, one of my D10's and a 773 haul truck is still being operated by my son. The Tonka equipment didn't hold up as well though.
HA! I developed a subdivision behind my Dad's garage with the ERTL toys you could get from the John Deer Dealer. Had a scraper, backhoe and a dozer. Of course had the triple 7 Tonka. What I remember about the '80's equipment was each year they had more and more electronics on them. The 843 Bobcat was bullet proof despite being powered by a Perkins. The 853 that came along after had more electronics and powered by a Kubota IIRC. Those were the first 2 machines I ran as a young teenager. No creature comforts back then either. My father bought a new 350 flatbed dump 1988 that didn't even have A/C. Only amenity was an AM/FM but it was such an improvement over the 66 Chevy dump with holes in the floor and a broke spring in the seat that if you didn't stuff enough card board under the vinyl seat cover it would stick you in the ass. Now machines are available with heated and cooled seats. The seats in my pickup can message my backside with the choice of cool air blowing or warmth. Just think how far technology has come in such a relative short time. Horses were used as travel for 100's years before the steam train came along. Look at the leap in technology in 40 years, it's pretty damn impressive.
Its interesting a couple of you have commented about how the culture around the job site has changed, especially in regards to safety, drinking etc. The area we live is very rural and much of it is stuck in a bit of a time capsule if you will. Its still not uncommon to see guys drinking, smoking, chewing on the job. Safety equipment is also often lacking, but many folks still have some common sense which goes a long ways. Something that used to be printed in a lot of old operators manuals was “The best piece of safety equipment in the world is a careful operator.” So true.
First skid steer I ran was a New Holland L425, I think it had about a 30hp gas engine and man I thought it was great. Then a few years later I rented a Bobcat 753 with tooth bucket and remember being amazed at how powerful it felt, it was actually able to get a full bucket of dirt lol. Also spent plenty of time on the little Kubota B21 and L35 backhoes. Even today some of what I run is outdated or undersized for the job. Something that I often think is how guys 100 years ago would have killed for some of our ‘small outdated’ equipment, really puts things into perspective.
I got started in a New Holland L555, probably 80's era, I don't know, it was old when I ran it around 2000 or so. I remember the headache from running it with no hearing protectors. Real men didn't wear those, you understand I remember how the sticks would bite back at you if you got to abrupt with it. The boss got a newer LX885 and man, that was a Cadillac!
Right there with you on the time capsule aspect. In the mining district I operate in, finding one or two of the guys up there after hours working on a personal project with the aid of a couple of beers isn't unusual. As for iron, rubber-tire equipment began to replace rail in the mid-80s; a few mines were slashed wider and had the rails pulled to accommodate 2-yard LHDs. Much of the equipment from that era is still around and could go into service with some work. I'm in my 20s so that was before my time, but the old-timers have stuck around and the workings from that period (those that aren't flooded) are easily accessed for reference. Fast-forward to now and things haven't changed much. We're still using 70s-90s open-cab equipment with air-cooled engines. The modern computerized stuff (drills are the most glaring example) is too expensive for small operators to maintain - there are million-dollar drill rigs abandoned up the road while machinery built while my dad was in school still runs. The health risk posed by diesel particulate matter is better understood, so ventilation and respirators are a higher priority. Two-way radios are also better and cheaper; they're used heavily for underground. My radio is just as important as my W65, cap lamp, and miner's wrench. Maybe even a little more so.
I was born in 97 I probably had a few plastic tool and machines before 2000 rolled around
Paving crew here had Vodka and mixers in there 5 gallon water jug everyday. Tandem dump driver pissed off the paver operator one day. So at an intersection he kept pushing the dump into a Cadillac . I thought this story was BS until I met the dump driver who confirmed it. We used their roller operator one time. I see one of my guys leaving the job and ask my dad what's up. Operator needs a bottle to keep him going. He was shaking so bad couldn't run the roller. After a few sips he'd clear the curb by 1/2" without looking down.
My father was a homebuilder and had one of the best wallpaper hanger when he was **** drunk. He drove an old Fred Samford type truck and would show up late morning, proceed to get drunk and hang wallpaper seamlessly - pun intended. He'd pass out in the house and get up the next day to finish the job. Different times for sure.
I was born in 80 and by the mid nineties my only operation included chasing girls. Wasn’t as successful as I would have liked.
Got 7 years on ya' Mike.
I can remember the country school I went to-especially the school secretaries car. 1962 Impala with a 409 & 4spd. That was 1963. Years ago there was a fridge in most shops with a case inside and a bottle in the back room.
Another thing I noticed was there used to be a lot of guys with just one machine and a truck. Lots of guys just had a backhoe and a single axle dump truck and seemed to do everything. Also a lot of guys with just a small Case or JD 450 track loader and a dump truck, also did a wide variety of work. If you were a one man show with a backhoe AND a dozer you were big time.