What was the first piece you owned or operated? Mine was a 1966 Lull 7C-1 I bought in 1978. I used it a bit then totally rebuilt, really restored it I still have it too although not running I may restore it one day. Right after I restore the ones I am now working with I'll snap a picture of the poor thing tomorrow if I get to my yard. I thought it was old when I bought it at 12 years old now the Lulls I bought new or almost new is from 85-92 which makes it all older than 12 I had a 7C-2 (FAT tires rear) I sold and a 1980 Lull 844 with a gas Chrysler 318. I sold that to a friend who still has it otherwise I may still have it. He kept bugging me and I wanted diesel and narrow carriage with a cab. I had a1985 Lull lined up which I got way cheaper than what I sold the gasser for. I hate selling machines as I get attached to them. :dizzy I only enjoyed somewhat selling a 1889 Ford F-450. May think I am nuts but I used to fall asleep with a Lull brochure on my chest every night hoping to get a telescopic 4WD Lull. It was an 844 with a tower that when 42' at the time with a tower. I found one forsale and I want it like a classic car. i don't know what they want for it yet, maybe Monday they will call. You know the car you couldn't get when you were young or had and sold it. I have also been wanting a Gradall:Banghead part of this has become a hobby or collection.:bash:bash:Banghead I think I am nuts!
Cat 320CL. Talk about one nervous rookie. . .
First piece I hopped on was an old International 100 loader w/ a MP bucket. I believe I was 5-6 at the time.
Thomas skidloader. Not sure what model or year. Only that it had a Wisconsin engine that did not have a muffler.:badidea
cat 953.
Allis chalmers hd 16 ac dozer,1955 model.It had a hand clutch & gear transmission,but it also had a torque converter behind the clutch that used diesel fuel from the tank insted of hydraulic oil.It was a good dozer.
early 40's R4 Cat crawler. Back in 1970 in eastern Montana. That Cat was gas powered and is still running today.
The little D2 in the picture was my first dozer. Back in the day it had an "S" blade (it has an angle blade now) and no winch and was the most miserable SOB thing in the world to run. Still is, matter of fact. :drinkup
The first piece I ever ran was a 3020 John Deere tractor. Dad would sit on the fender and I would stand up to steer it down the field pulling a 4 bottom plow. I was mabey 5 at the time. First piece I ran to gain a paycheck, not just a place to live was a D6 D skidding logs for a buddy of mines dad. Jason
Kobelco SK200...that was probably the most nerve wrecking day of my life. It played out something like this! "Run that I have to go!" And my boss hoped in his truck and left. Thats the last I heard, so I was suck running a machine I knew nothing about, or how to operate it. But I learned and now I love that things with a passion.
My fathers JD350 dozer.Little dozer with a angle blade ya had to manually set your angle with.It pulled a lot of timber though and built a lot of logging roads.
1986 Bobcat 843 with Perkins engine, probably one of the best skids ever built.
Too young to own, first thing I operated on my own was a Deere 870 tractor. Before that, I just was along for the ride or sat on the equiipment figuring out what levers did what. It can't be that bad Dave, I could use something like that to keep our trails open.
1st operated a D4, 1st for pay D8 14A #7785 cable, 1st owned 1964 D8 36A #4093 cable, thought I died and went to heaven when I bought the first D8K 77V18843
In 86 I bought a 1984 792 JohnDeere excavator with a bucket & thumb. I`ve made my living as an union (local 3) owner operator ever since. I now own a CAT330L with a bucket & thumb. I`m in the market for a new one in another yr or so. I`m 54 now so I figure I need to wear out one more before I retire.
first thing I ever ran was a farmall m. First piece of excavating equipment I owned is a deere 450c trackloader. As for ran for pay, I'm thinking it was a deere 544 wheel loader in the service
Not to hijack a thread, but we still have a HD19. It is supposed to be early to mid '50's no one knows for sure.
John Deere Model M tractor was my first. I was in the 4th grade. We had a small farm. For a paycheck Case 480 C backhoe. It had a manual shuttle and the two sticks for the front loader. What a pain that machine was to operate, until you spun the seat around.
um this
First I ever ran was a CAT 980B in the late 70's
1999 1845C. Bought it new we still use it on a daily basis. great machine
CAT mini excavator, on a tight, mini site. I loved it and have been hooked ever since.
1954 International TD-18 towing a sheepsfoot roller. The foreman wouldn't let me near anything else until I could back the thing in a straight line. As I improved I got to run other, more interesting stuff
First wheel loader-a Euclid 72-40,3.5yd bucket,6v53 Detroit power(and it had lots of that) loading in a pit.Sixteen years old on my summer school holidays. 1972 John Deere 510 backhoe-80h.p.,8 speed powershift transmission.Front end was a pig to get used to,but the backhoe was alright. Both were good learning experiences. Dominion
The first piece of earthmoving equipment I operated at the age of 12, was a 1949 McCormick Deering (International) W9 tractor, petrol/kero engine, fitted with a cable lift front end loader, with a one cubic yard mechanical trip bucket. I was digging out drift sand, that had drifted from our paddocks onto the side of the road and loading it on to our truck. It took all the strength I had to push the clutch and brake pedals and pull the lever to operate the winch of the loader, which was driven from the belt pulley of the tractor. Power steering had not been invented, either. Rn'R.
This is me in 1981 lol....I think this is my dads D5 (maybe someone can correct me if I'm wrong) he used to let me pull the levers in his lap I thought I was the coolest. Check out the ROPS
I started the same way, but on a 4020 gasser. One day at the age of 7, the old man hopped off the tractor and him and grandpa headed for the house. After that I was on my own, and had to be damn sure I kept them furrows straight :beatsme Next I was on to a Case 580B. Spent many summers cleaning up around the farm, cutting ditches, building roads and moving dirt. First machine I ran for pay was a Skytrack 6036 when I was a carpenter. It quickly became my full time job. All the carpenters I was working with knew I wanted to be an operator, and pushed me away from carpentry, and into operating full time
Caterpillar D7G in the Marines :usa
John Deere B with petcocks and a hand flywheel you spun to start it. Hand clutch and narrow front. That was in 1959. First dirt mover was an old Oliver dozer on a ski slope. Old massey ferguson backhoe digging water and air lines for snowmaking. Back in 1967 they were already old.
Mine was a IH Farmall Cub tractor harrowing fields at age 15. The next was a JD 850 dozer. Rick
That's a pony-start D6 9U, built sometime in the '50's. Nice pic, BTW:drinkup
my first drive was my grandads d6d, first job driving a 312b/320a, first machine to own was a pc 40-7. it gets in your blood eh!!
First one to operate was a Cat 966C loaded a truck when I was 7 that loader is still around doing what it does , just not as much
lets see 1st peace to run and own well own now was and is a 1978 jd 310A 2wd still have it and as i have been told i was about 5 6 years old at that time
Good question...mine is an International 340 crawler with narrow tracks. We have become good friends over the years. Still in daily use around the farm.
Kubota B8200. It was a huge powerhouse that shook the earth when digging.
Back in the day when I used to go to Jamaica, we had a quarry where I was a go-for (meaning I had to go-for everything that was asked) I got to operate a 87 Case 580C. It seemed easy enough, although it was for like 30-45 min a day that was one of the best life experiences I have had.
It is amazing how some memories stay with you I was in the fourth grade. We had a small farm going. A family friend had a Dozer business. Probably a 450 John Deere it was about 1969 and the Dozer was very new, He pulled it with a 4x4 ford pickup. Anyway he came over to the farm to dig a pond for us. Took him several days to get the job done, pushing it out bigger and deeper until we hit water. I would go out there and watch. Then he would stop and wave me over. I would climb up there and set in front of him on a little piece of the seat cushion. That was the greatest thing ever; riding that Dozer with my big friend. I can still remember it like it was yesterday.
My first time alone in the seat was Dad's RD 4 trackrolling the area he had disked up around the outbuilding to kill the weeds. I was 5 or 6 years old. First payday was a 60 Cat pulling a harvester. I wasn't strong enough to start it so the sack sewer did that for me. I was 13 or 14 years old. I joined O.E. Local 3 in 1957 and ran a 14A feeding a crusher. $3.33 an hour.
The first is the best - I guess! My first piece of equipment was a new Ford 445 rubber tire TLB. I started out on the loader and it was a champ. Then I bid my first backhoe job. It was to correct errosion scars on a retainment pond. Looked great. Looked easy. Well after 3 hours, I called the client and asked him to call in some one to correct my mess and I would pay the bill. I got lucky - he said "You could not make it worse. Forget it." I got that TLB out of there as fast as I could. I got home and for 12 days straight used the hoe. Finally, when I got to where I could talk and add up numbers while digging, I found I was good enough to use the hoe.
60,s farmall to work the dirt at flat track motor cycle races. well that got me hooked .there's nothing like it.
back in the eighties as a kid i used to go with my dad every weekend on the diggers would never miss the opertunity my first digger i drove was a 1983 jcb 3cx they were everything back in those day and my first owned machine was a pel job eb30 naw replaced by volvos in the eighties i rember driving old mf50d and 50 hx aswell as the 3cx
my first owned digger
Hey Volvobl, I see you are from the UK, are Leylands and Seddon Atkinsons still still around? I love those trucks. I only get to see them when I visit Jamaica
Small Case 350 Dozer. Diesel
A little 30hp Fahr tractor similar to this when I was about 7 or 8 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Fahr_D17N_1955.jpg used to pull sleds behind during winter until the local schoolteacher dobbed on us. Next winter I run myself over with it whilst doing time trials around the barn, that hurt for a while.
Same story here!
This was an awesome thread to read! Great pics and great stories in this thread!
Leyland became leyland daf i have 2 of them i dont see much seddis about naw i think iveco took them over but as for the leyland dafs they are very good trucks i prefered my older daf compare to the newer ones
47a d7, 1985, I was 8, back when cell phones were a coffee can full of quarters for the nearest pay phone. Dad had to go make some calls and told me to degrass ahead of the scrapers. i learned quick how to make every pass count! First i bought was a 613c 92x1367.
I hated it when my grandfather put one of these machines in my hands to help in the garden. :Banghead Oh well, I guess it taught me the value of hard work. First piece of "live machinery"? Hmm, construction forklift, just don't remember which one. The only one I remember was an old "skeleton frame" Lull with a Chrysler slant 6, that thing was a contraption of the oddest sort.
First machine I operated would have been a KATO 1220 excavator sitting on dad lap somewhere between 4 & 6 and the first I operated completely by myself was a CAT 375 ME at about 10. Shane
I totally agree, my uncle had I think a 70's Leyland, I loved the way that thing sounded when it cranked up, the new daf's are ok but nothing like the early models.
Kabota MK7500 or something ...realisticly ..1972 P&H T750.. ... Without supervision ...Krupp KMK 5125
1946 IH Farmall. It was a great tractor if you had set jobs. It would not do anything that it was not used to, or made for. Treat her right, she'll be good to you.
977 track loader. Was 13 yrs old and got to push down my first house. WAY COOL! First machine to learn on full time was 743 melroe bobcat. Great little machine. I dont own any machines yet, but have 2 trailers if that counts. 14' gooseneck dump trailer and 30 ft 12 ton equipment hauler.
Some of you guys were operating pretty serious machines your first time out.
in high school i worked on a dairy farm,first day there i was in an early 80s ford 555 backhoe i was loving it even if it was cleaning up manure, also ran a hand full of international tractors and an old (im guessing) 70s JD 350 dozer,after that i knew i wanted to work outside:drinkup
1st machine Cat D8K, about 1984. I was employed as a pilot car driver,waiting for a truck driver to arrive. My only experence was putting a machine in gear to go back & forth. A foreman ask me to cut a V ditch. Had no idea what to do, but it was fun. Looked just like this machine.
D8K serial number 77V18842 Don't know if this is considered a thread hijack. Thats the highest serial nunbered D8K I have ever seen, must be one of the last ones built?
The first excavator I operated was a 345B L.... A day I will always remember....
Oliver OC-46
The first machine I ever ran was a John Deere 450 dozer. I was seven years old.
A 1962 mack B-61 Six wheeler and a Dyanhoe 190 backhoe. Starting digging telephone lines in town and doing sewer connections. Wouldn't mind having just that combination instead of what I have now.
Earliest pictures have me diapers on a '52 ford 8n. Eventually dad bought a IH 500E blade. I was in heaven.
First piece of equipment I used was a 1988 Kramer-Allrad 312SL Shovel Loader. What a piece! We still have it and it runs okay but it has seen better days. It was resurrected from the weeds behind the shop about three years ago and we have been using it to load salt in the pickup trucks. It leaks oil, hydraulic fluid, sometimes diesel, and has no heat. The parking brake does not work, turn signals inop, reverse alarm inop, and if we leave it running with the lights and electric fan running, it will kill the battery.
first machine i figured out was an international 3616 backhoe. first machine i bought for my own use was an international 175b crawler loader. never gave me any problems and it moved a lot of dirt in the 3 years i owned it. only sold it because i had no use for its size after that. good machine.
First operated was a Ford 675D when I was 9, NH 675E when I was 10. Then came the E120B also when I was 10, lots of fun!
Distant Memories First one I ran was a Koehring 666 sittin' on my Dad's lap when I was 4.I would use the thumb switches and he would use the levers and pedals naturally.That ole bar stool seat was a tight fit for the two of us.
My first machine was a John Deere 440B log skidder when I was about 9 years old. Good times.
The first machine I owned was a Whissell HopTo 311 excavator. The biggest POS I've ever seen, ran, and worked on. No power, no speed, and very loud (DD 6V-53T). It had a gear pump that could only produce 1850 psi and 12 gpm after the rebuild. I sold the machine and bought a 1990 Cat E200B which was no better ( just a junk Mitsubishi relabled as a Cat).
Cat 988B Loader converted into a Power Cable reeler. Spent over 50,000 hours as a Production Loader, was converted into a rubber tire (the worst of fates for a piece of equipment at a mine) and then still had gumption and was converted into a Cable Reeler. No A/C, no Fan, heat was off or nuclear meltdown. No lights, leaked everything like a sieve. You could not kill the thing though. Once flipped over off of a Safety bench and fell 90 feet straight down. Snapped the guy's Radius/Ulna at a 90 degree angle and landed back on its wheels - running.
D5C it was in my backyard and i they left the key in it and i started it and started moving and i remeber my mol flipping out i was 6
Brand new 268B CAT skid steer, I knew nothing about equipment when I started working the yard at the local CAT dealer and they guy I worked with wanted to start me out on the small equipment.
john deere back hoe The first piece of equipment i ever ran was a mid 80's john deere backhoe 310 or 410 I think was a long time ago
Dieseldave, had to laugh at your description of running the D2. My Dad had me on one when I was a kid working on breaking and digging out stones on the farm. One hard machine on a man and if you ever learned how to use it any other dozer was like a day off! Of course if you stalled it..and who didn't, you had to hope the pup engine would start or there was a tractor and a chain handy..lol.. Actually my first piece of equipment was a pull type Champion grader that lifted the moldboard by using two large wheels, one on each side. My Dad would pull it with a John Deere D, plunk me on the platform of the grader and point at which wheel to turn and what direction he wanted it to turn. Think I was about six at the time. To this day my favourite piece of equipment is the grader.
First piece of equipment was a JD 450c dozer.
The first piece of heavy equipment (other than farm tractors) I every ran was a Hitachi EX700 BE for a few minutes at an auction. Talk about a scary introduction.
first piece for me is a case 580b. just happened last week.
John Deere 1010 Dozer strait six GAS motor, manual tilt blade, my grandfather had me dressing out a field. I was six, he still thinks I should be paying him some sort of fee for getting me started
First one for ,me was a John Deere 2010 crawler bucket dozer w/JD backhoe attachment .... it was a mid sixties machine with a very tired 4cyl Jd diesel engine ....It was later re-powered with a 302 V-8 from a '69 Ford p/u... The thing would pop wheelies ....LOL... and that was with out the backhoe on !
first rig My first machine I ever ran was a 1979 detroit diesel powered drott 40. it was probably 1980 or 81. I didnt really like the drotts back then but I would really like to run a totally refurbished one now.:drinkup
My first piece of construction was a 5 gallon pale. At the age of 12 carrying hot oil to a barber-greene hot mix plant. The pay was great. Twenty five bucks a week.......like to go back with what I know now! Prolly would have been an inventor of a hot oil pump...lol
Yup... Prolly would have been... but you weren't.... :cool2 It's like I've told you several times before.... Bah, ha, ha, ha. OCR... :lmao
Zing!!! :lmao :falldownlaugh
late 70s fiat allis fe5 dozer. bought for $9000, cleared twenty plus acres and used for a couple years then traded for case 580b backhoe and 4000 but wish i had the money to keep. it was a nice little dozer
A Case 580B when I was about 16.
When I 6 or 7 during the summer I would go to work with my Dad and every morning before the Tpull operators stated showing it was may job to operate ? half a dozen super C Tpulls that we push started and let them warm up for the days work. No brakes I could barely pull and push the steering levers but I also felt 10 foot tall. Because none of my friends could do this.
Hy- hoe My first was a 1964 I think anyway, HY-HOE what a beauty!
. Believe it or not this was my first piece of Heavy Equipment ( which is in the picture below ) that I started on, and I was about 5 years old at the time. I would spoon out holes in Dad's dirt driveway big big enough to put my fist in and then see how far I could carve out the side ways all around inside the hole before it would cave in then fill it back in before Dad got home. I was inspired by watching a man with an old Ford tractor with a loader bucket and he would load gravel out of the creek on to his dump truck in front of our house in the country and sell it to people for road and driveway repairs. Later on in life ( 19 ) I drove a Potato Chip truck, then a Single Axle, a Tandem, and a Tri Axle Dump dump trucks. 1980 Freightliner Cab Over and a dump trailer 1994 Freightliner Condo and 53' trailers 1999 Freightliner Classic Condo and 53' trailers A 769 and 773 Cat Dumps A Euclid 35 Ton Dump An 50 Ton Pay Hauler Dump 480 and 580 Case backhoes 300 and 310 JD backhoes Kobelco and a Korean Excavator Track Hoes Endloaders ... Cat Track 955/977/983 - Jd 450 Some different rubber tired loaders Dozers ... 450/550, Cats 6 and 7, AC 11 and 21 Cranes ... 18 Ton Drott, 20 Ton Groves, 20/35 Ton Bantams, 45 Ton American, 50 Ton Link Belt. .
The first piece of equipment I ran was a Case 1085C Cruz Air rubber-tire excavator. I was about nine or ten years old and was watching it clean ditches on a new golf course when the operator invited me into the cab and showed me how to what lever did what, and what pedal did what. My dad came looking for me as I was later for supper again and was pretty pissed about it, but when he discovered me in the seat loading loon sh*t into a tandem I was off the hook. Ten years later after finishing high school I took a diesel mechanic course that was aimed at getting "wannabe" diesel mechanics some knowledge and practical skills so students could get an apprenticeship, I worked for a small earthmoving contractor that was nice enough to let me try running his Cat 215 excavator and well I haven't stopped operating since. I would upload some pictures of the old excavator but the uploader thing doesn't seem to be working again.
Only the best operators start this way!!:usa
My first machines were a 72 JD 820 tractor and a '72 JD 2030 tractor on an old ground-driven rake. Round and round and round and round. My grandparents had 80 acres of hayfields in coastal Maine and that's what I did every summer til 5 years ago when they both passed and my mother sold the farm.
Back in 1989 my dad bought this 'ere Bobcat 732, and I got to try my hand at it the very same day hauling firewood. I was 9 at the time and you couldn't get that big huge grin off my face! We still have this Bobcat today and it still works as good as it did then!
first bigger thing was a case 210 trackhoe and for pay was a jd 850 c in edmonton alberta
First i ever ran was a cat 950B at 5 years old loading gravel into a dump trailer. i had been riding in them with my dad and he was standing on the side. first thing by myself was 1988 Cat D8N at 10 years old. they would haul fill into a field all week and he would drop me off on saturday to push it all in the hole. you have to start somewhere
First peice I ever got paid to run was a988 cat loader with a huge air leak so u couldn't use the brakes. Loved it then. Ever time I had a chance after that I got in the cab. My favorite ? Was do u know how to run that? I always replied yes then I had about five minutes to figure it out. Which worked really well until I got into a rubber tired cat hoe and I couldn't start it. I didn't know the key needed to be on for thirty seconds to start. Jig was up that time. And to this day if someone asked me to run a garden tractor and I'd never run it I would. Got my sights set on cranes and airplanes now. Still waiting for the ? Do u know how to run that. When someone calls a machine that your in.
My First !!!!!!!, I fell in love with Dozers when i was 4, i'm sure it was D6 9U (1962) it was clearing land behind where i lived. I first drove a cranvel backactor towed by a fordson major tractor ,10 years old cleaning drains , My First real job at 14 was Driving a D9G 66A towing a static pad foot roller on a dam wall. MY First own machine was case 580B frontend loader / backhoe, not a good start this almost broke me in 6 months, So out with case and into a CAT 941 traxy never looked back.I Still have 8 pieces of CAT Gear ,1 WABCO 111A,1 KOMATSU 380 crusher, And i'm still Looking for 2 x 627 F/G And D8T.(Because i think scrapers and dozers will come back soon) Cheers Leroy
In 67 I was placed on a Deere 5010 self loading scraper, I thought it was the coolest at age 10! remember when we got our first Deere 4020 ag tractor with power shift, pulled 2 6 yard pans with it. front wheels hardly ever touched the ground!!!! wow that was a long time ago!40 years later and I am still playing in the dirt!!
first machine owned was a JCB 3CII, 1978 if i remember right. first operated was also a back hoe, although i was in single figures and cant remember what it was? ...got a few photos somewhere....
a ford CL-40 skid steer......man am I glad that things gone! lol. Pj
First operated was a mid 50s farmall cub on the parents' property. First for money a yellow Ford tractor loader. The bucket was rusting through on the bottom and eventually the cutting edge ripped off with a good section of the rest of the bucket and the company scrapped it out. First serious machine, a JD 444 loader when I played operator for a while as an apprentice at the local.
First operated was a 966 loader a contractor parked at the gas station I worked at part time in high school. Contractor said we could use it to clean up snow around station over the weekend if we wanted to. Sure did, also flattened two junk cars that were going for scrap, that was fun. First owned was a diesel IH farm tractor with a loader. First serious piece of equipment was a JD 310 backhoe.
First piece of heavy equipment I ever operated for a long enough period to classify myself as an operator, was a KW Dart Sicard 65 Ton rock truck. I have a picture of one, and will post it as soon as possible.
It was in 1998, and the first machine was an International TD-20C. My dad was digging a house basement with an H1000C Insley, and I was pushing the dirt away on a pile with the 20C. I really liked the machine, but when they came out with the TD-20E, it was a whole new ballgame.
First piece of heavy equipment I ever operated was a 2005 John Deere 310SG backhoe and that was at Atlantic Transport Training Academy for Heavy Equipment Operator Training in 2008. Here is a pic of me in it.:thumbsup
first piece operated DM600 mack around '73-'74ish. finished up driving F model 5x4 318 some time early 80's first piece bought (new) 1985 CASE 1845C & CORD KING firewood processor (new) first and only so far (used) 1989 C70 w/juice brakes and everthing still goin' strong. just started with the toy's:
First piece of equipment operated: RD 8 caterpiller w/ cable blade. Track tightener was frozen and it had loose tracks. Man every day that thing would walk out of the tracks. We had another D8 and he would come along side and push the track back into position. Took me a couple weeks to figure out how to keep those tracks on. First piece of equipment bought: Oliver OC3 loader. Reversing tracks. and a Bay City mobile crane. Took out a lot of houses with those around Oakland, CA and that was 42 years ago.
Mine was a 98 Bobcat 743..
mine was a D47U, i still own it and another beat up excavator......... and a 20 ton tilt deck to move the cat. it's great till you have to work on it!
D7 3t Highest Serial # USA 66V 06309 76V 01024 77V 21649 Total = 28,982 The First piece I owned was a D7 3t I was 18 and it was about 45 it had the good old crank start pony motor and my right thumb still has not recoverd I had to learn the hard way to keep your thumb up. I also got good at putting tracks back on along with many other things. The good old dutchman who sold it to me wanted me to think some old lady only drove it to church on sundays and I was young enough and dumb enough to believe him. Well another class from the school of hard knocks. Maybe some day I can graduate from there.
Purchased in 1987 a Koehring 466D excavator and still have her. She just snapped the axle that runs the drive chains and I'm in need of one. Any help would be appreciated.
is this gunny mcgowan from 2ND CEB?
Cat d4 My Daddy worked for a Man in the Logging Business. They used D4's for pulling logs to the ramp from the swamps of South Georgia. They used Logging carts with airplane tires on the cart with a winch that threaded from the D4 thru the Cart with about 6-8 chockers. Man thangs has changed over the years. Thats was back in 60's and I don't know how anyone would live today doing that kind of work or if we could get anyone to do that type of work. Talk about Safety and OSHA Rules. They would porbably send the owner to prison for life. But the injury rate was nearly nothing. Probably cause people just didn't think about getting hurt and drawing a check. They just worked from week to week and kept food on the table.
The first two machines i ran were a d7 17a and an equally ancient 977 loader both direct drive of course at least the 7 had a hydraulic blade and a turbo hmm wonder why i cant hear anymore?
Wanna hear some noise try the Euclid (terex) 8240TT. V8 detroit twin turbo. Now thats a lot of noise. Too light for the of power. :usa
At one time i had an 8230b definately ear plugs needed.
The first machine I ever operated was an early 60's Case 450 shovel dozer w 4in1 . It was the summer of '74,I was 9 and sat on the right armrest and operated the levers for my father while he drove. The first machine I solo'd on was a '67 Terex 72-21 loader when I was 13. I loved the green color!
Company I worked for bought a 450 loader with 4in1 bucket brand new. I was running it having a gay old time when the sales man came by and says thats not the way to run this machine. I was using the pedals to steer it. He showed me how to use the hi low levers for turning. Took a while to get the hang of making slow turns. :usa
In 2003 I bought a 1989 CAT 426 4X4 with a broken hour meter that read 8500 hours and started digging and plowing snow. I fabbed up a snow plow and a fixed thumb for it and doubled it's productivity. I love my CAT and it has been a great machine to this day.
Hello. I just joined up here. My first piece of equipment i ran was an older kobelco excavator with a 10 ton removable counterweight. My dad worked at a sand and gravel pit and ran this machine and let me sit on his lap when i was little and dig holes in the sand. Then i later bailed out bottom sand from the pond there. I have been trying to find any pics or info on this machine and cannot find anything. I do not remember a model number ???LC, year 1990 maybe?? 10 ton hydraulic removeable counter weight, orange in color, mitsubishi engine, i remember it to be a pretty big machine. My dad could pull out stuck loaded tri axles with just swing motor. Any info on this machine would be nice as it is the main reason i joined up here. thanks.
First Piece of equipment was an old John Deere 350 dozer, we sold it a few years later and bought a 450b dozer (she had a little more power), The first truck I ever drove was a 70's Mack R600 dump truck that ol' truck will always be with me!
First owned D6C, in 1977 -will never forget the serial no 10K10542. Would love to know where it is now (like the first girl friend) :tong. It was a better balanced logging dozer than the D6D that I prematurely 'upgraded' to.
1st machine was a 2U CAT D8 bought if for $3850 didnt know a thing about equipment at the time and figured it was a CAT it had to be good(Yeah Right). Ran a total of 8 hours and found out the trans was gone the ring and pinion was almost gone and the dry clutch was coming apart. I sat on that machine for 10 years and when the price of scrap hit $350 a ton it went to the foundry at a very nice profit I might add. I too still remember the serial number of that machine and it has a special place in my heart.
That 1st machine, an RD 8 cable blade, I didn't even know how to start it. It was running when I got to the job and the boss told the operator to teach me how to run it. We were at a landfill site in Emeryville, CA. As soon as the boss left, the operator got in his pick up and went home. I figured out the forward and reverse and was pushing rocks building a dike in the bay. Pushed a row of rocks and concrete the blade went up and loosened the cable and it came down with a bang. Broke the cable in the back where it goes into the winch. Didn't know what to do. An older colored driver came next and handed me a claw hammer and cresent wrench, said you gotta figure out how to cut the cable and rethread it. I was only 21 didn't have any knowledge of this machine but by the time he came back with another load I had figured out what to do and was pushing rock. :usa
The first piece of equipment for me was a Valpadan walk behind rotary hoe, it had a bolt on attachment system so we had other attachments including a 3' mower, 4' sicklebar mower, a rotary hoe, Dad made a big trailer, roller, my own design of a three tyne ripper and a grader blade. I has a three speed gearbox, plus diff lock and the rest. For 8 hp was a very good little machine, in the 27 years we have owned it i hate to think how many hours it has done. Every weekend when i was 8 i used to mow 2 acres of grass with the mower, and did rotary hoeing, grading the driveway plus many other things. Was the best education i can say i had. Now owning/running three mid size tractors and equipment, plus machinery operator for a farmer...
At age 15 I got tired of grubbing fence rows on our farm by hand and found myself a John Deere 440 dozer......... thats when my real education begain! I had that dozer for 5 years and had every bolt in it out at some time or the other. It grubbed miles of fence row on our farm and every farm in the area. I miss that screaming little 2-53 engine
FMC track skidder, thing could pull a mountain....can't remember what year she was, she was gettin tired when I got my hand's on it but it still had pulling heart!! :usa
First machine for me was a John Deere 120. That little machine was a workhorse and has survived constant abuse.
Is this what you ment??? http://www.tractorhouse.com/list/li...&Manu=JOHN DEERE&Mdltxt=120&mdlx=exact&pdcl=1
My dad had a 1962 International TD-9 track loader with 4 in 1 bucket, started running it at 7 years old. the gravel truck was a 65 chev C-80, with a detriot 6v-53 and 5x4 trans, ran that at 12 years old, what a POS that truck was! But was all fun back then.
well I got to operate a small case escavator at the case 50th anniversary loader backhoe rodeo compition i think is was a cx 31 or a cx 36 I cant remember off the top of my head
Yes, It was.... :usa
First piece of equipment was a Bomag sheeps foot compactor, couldn't even begin to tell you the year. After a year of that and the water-truck, I got promoted to a Cat 938B loader, then first "digger" was a Cat 416B rubber tire. First excavator was a Komatsu 200PC.
My first and only equipment owned is a cat traxcavator 941,great machine!!!!
My first purchase was a case 550lt just picked it up off CL. Still waiting to move it. Unless you go back to 10 yrs old, I had a riding mower I used to mow lawns in the neighborhood. I was on farm equipment younger than that but it wasn't Mine.
My first thing to run was a Ditchwitch V30. Damm thing got something like 30" wheel base, is a skid steer, and can go about 30mph.
When I was about 9 or 10 after school I would carry my dad some coffee.He drank coffee while I run the HD16 Allis Chalmers.Next was a D6B the farmer bought him brand new with a pony.We were the only ones tat knew how to start it.
310 Case track loader that a friend lent me while I was building my house. Spent more time putting the tracks back on then operating it.
Deere 544E
D4 open cab. think ive still got some of the grit on my teeth
D-4 crawler with Trackson Hi-Shovel, it was a workout for a ten year old but way more fun than the rake and shovel I usually ran!
Clark 743 bobcat,brougth 12 years ago second hand still running strong bit hard to start on cold morning tho lol.
first machine i ever operated was my mom and dad's 1973 allis chalmers 160 farm tractor. i was 7 years old. 40hp 3 cylinder perkins. that little tractor taught me a lot. dad let me blade the gravel road on our farm. first machine that i owned is a 1992 cat d4c dozer. started out with it in 2002. borrowed dad's 79 1 ton and bought a gooseneck trailer on a credit card. started my business in 2002, working for a farmer that had MS and cancer; he couldnt feel his leg. i had recently broken my leg in an atv accident. so i showed up to my first dirt job on crutches. the old farmer laughed and put me to work diggin' up stumps. dad passed away in 2008. we currently have 3 10-wheelers and pup trailers, my d4c and a w20c case loader. I also own my own tri axle haul trailer, no credit cardsor bankers involved. i still run the allis spreading gravel and some customers wonder why i dont have a "green" tractor. i just shrug my shoulders and collect my check. dad always said to take care of the tractor and my kids will get to wear it out. i am beginning to think he was right. "PRIDE IN YOUR RIDE" WWW.SANDHILLDOZER.COM
Hi ! The fisrt machine a operated was a 1976 Cat excavator , but I've been machinery maniac from the day I was born ! so last year I bought a brand old J-D 690B 1980 excavator and 2 months latter a J-D 350 1966 straight dozer , my next buy is a Mack dumper ! yes Mack
We had a TD6 dozer. Worked ok when it was working... Wish we had gotten the JD 450c as the first though.
A CAT 920 rear steer loader with a cab and heater. Auto bucket level and float made for smooth operation. A well balance machine that would make loading a 5 yd dump like a waltz. Very nice, well balanced machine that would take a lot of abuse as long as I kept it greased and breathing well. I still see a few around, though not as nice as the one ran.
Great grandpas TD9. Soon to be restored in his memory
rsherril;Would that have been a 922 cat with rear wheel steer i drove one at a sand pit in 75. cheers leroy
Yep it was a 922B rear steer no ROPS. GREAT LITTLE LOADER.
I bought a new 922B in the early spring of 1970,,,,, $16,500. Sold it thirty years later for $12,500 only problem experienced in that time span other than normal wear items was a broken bolt in the injection pump drive... no biggie and back to work.
I wanted to leave school and the old man told me I had to get a job first , so I walked across to the neighbours who I had been helping out and asked if I could work for him , got the job , and that was the end of school . That was 1976 and have been driving trucks and operating machinery ever since !!! First payed job was driving Massey Ferguson agriculture tractors , an old 65 ,175 and 185 and 188 , then ended up owning 188 3 -4 years later .
The first machine though was a farm tractor, an Oliver 60, and that was over 55 years ago. I couldn't open the gate, so dad would let me drive the tractor and he opened the gate. Ran the tractor on a baler the next year a lot of the summer. First heavy machinery was a D-7 Cat dozer, and have been around heavy equipment ever since.
A 35A D8 Cat. cable. I bought it when I was 19 (2 years ago) traded it for cash and now have a 17A that Im afraid that the motor might be stuck on and an HD 11 that was thought to be stuck but the starter was out. still feeling like I traded up
1959 J.D. 440 track loader w/ a 2 cyl 2 stroke detroit, stick steer w/ gears and a direction reverser. It turned right just fine but had to back up to turn left. I thought it was a big tractor till I got a job running a cat 983
First time ever driving was back when i was 5, got to move the 850 John Deere dozer out of the shop. First time operating was pushing some dirt when i was 12 with the TD-15C. Kind of funny, almost 18 years later and will be running that same dozer all day tomorrow. Trbo
Mine was a BobCat. What a fun little beast.
I'm too young to own but I first ran our Case 580 C and 850 C when I was about 6, when the Super M arrived I thought I was in heaven.
It was a ** dozer, cant remember if it was 100 or 200 or what, most of the decals/paint were worn and I am not an expert on equipment. the six way had me so screwed and being such a small dozer it was hard for a first machine. Wish I could say I mastered her, but I was tossed off after 2 hours of train tracks. before that I ran tractors on the farm though if they count.
First operated was John Deere 3010, in '01 bought cub cadet 28 HP with loader, that little tracor has been put through stuff a dozer wouldn't do. Used it to clean up 6 acres of beaver dams with, until I got some help with an excavator. . Took a LOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGG time. Recently bought bobcat 753 SS loader. I love running 'em all, wish I had more to play with.
I had a 1980 Lull 844 too! Haha brings back good memories ***
MD6 cat highlift. pony, gear drive. lotsa fun. tom
Hi ranger 48' bucket truck, 1964 model on an International 1700. I was age 5 or 6...... still the fastest bucket truck on earth!
after high school got a good job pushing ltl-freight, but was to hot-head'd @screw'd it up, then somhow i got with the Iron-workers@screw'd it up, by now I-am 21 year's old. then i got a class-1 driver lisence at least that's what it was back then,) join'd teamster's, but then got a court order to apear,-judge told me i was a menace. Had to many speeding tickets with my ninja motor-cycle's, suspend'd for 6-month's, then a freind offer'd me job in towing, and that's ware i drove the mother of all truck's---------! 1989-pete-379-long-hood-bigdaddy on a Vulcan/9-40/w/50,000lbs-winch.
First equipment driven was a Cat 613C11...still run frequently, I now own a Fiat-Allis 262B, haven't had the oppurtinity to run it very much, but I like it, and we'll have to see where I land with it!
If I remember correctly......it would have been a farm tractor. John Deere. 720 crop row model.
no it's heavy duty tow truck
** 60 loader backhoe. moving snow around the yard
I was about 8 or 9 when I first ran a backhoe, older 416 cat. Im 23 now and havent bought a machine of my own yet.....
My first piece owned is a case 350 track loader. I'm working on my third post so I can start a thread on it.
If you are counting farm tractors it would have been an Oliver 88 I was so young Dad had had to put it in gear for me so he could pick up the hay bales in the field.
Farm tractor - 35 massey ferguson- My Dad bought new in 1964- the farm auctioned in 1982 due to going broke on feeder steers. I bought the tractor back from the man who bought it at the auction a couple of years ago. Like Greenleaffarms- I remember Dad putting it in gear for me while we picked up hay and loaded tobacco.
My First was a Bucyrus Erie 30B with a hoe front that my father owned. Later I bought a Hein Warner C-14 that I had to overhaul the 2 cycle Detroit Diesel. Both were worn out when I got them and I used them for several years. They sat parked in my yard for 20+ years and about 3 years ago I scraped them. I hated to see them go and I hated to see them stay.
Hi all I've been lurking around here for awhile but finally decided to join. The first piece of machinery i ran was Massey Ferguson 265 tractor on my dad's farm. I was 6 or 7 at the time and had to stand up to drive it. Dad had to put it in gear and push the clutch for me. I would drive it with the baler and wagon in tow and dad would put it in gear and get it going then he would stack the bales on the wagon while i steered it around the field. I was hooked, and ever since then i was always looking for a new machine to play with. The first excavator i ever ran for any length of time was a Deere 270C LC, digging a pond and moving mulch piles. That was too much fun. The bucket on that machine had a few cracks in it and i tore it apart when i got into the hard stuff but they got a new one Now I'm 20 and trying to figure out if i should go get an engineering degree or spend my life on heavy equipment lol
Cat D8 2U identical to the one here. I had just turned 13 years old.
85 john deere 310 backhoe. bought not long ago just for some personal use
Mine was a Komatsu PC 400, probably around six or seven.
Bought and run my first six months ago, it's a 1985 Komatsu D31. Since then I have bought a track hoe, track dump, and stump grinder. This stuff is addiction and my wife is ready to kill me.
I took delivery of my first tractor today. It's a 1973 580B Case tractor. I read some stuff on here about the 580B but for better or worse this is my new toy. I paid $4800.00 for it and the guy even delivered it to me free. He stated he had already rebuilt the transmission. I use the tractor today moving dirt and stuff. It did very well. It's a 73 so it will need some hoses replaced and some work from time to time but I think it was a good investment. We having loads and loads of dirt delivered to the house to areas of our property this tractor will help me move those piles of dirt and do some digging from time to time. This is my first post. I'll be on here learning about the B and how to service it. Any help advice and suggestions appreaciated. Thanks,
clark 743 bobcat, 10 years later i upgraded to a wa380-1 hehe
Takeuchi tb135 or John Deere 5210
A shovel when I was a kid working for my father. his word's i still remember. "your going to learn how to drive that first before you drive my machines". True Story.
An old AC 5 shovel dozer for me.
my first piece of equipment was a 955 track loader still runs good but was replaced by excavators they are much more efficent
JD tractor running discs:usa
my first piece of equipment was a farmall regular tractor when i was about 6 years old
Dec.of 2010 I bought a 1974 Komatsu D20s-3 track loader in decent shape. Only put on maybe 40 hours so far but am loving it. Other than some regular grease and, next, some adjustments on the track, it has run like a charm. Can't wait for the spring to fire her up after sitting at the cottage all winter.
That D2 looks like it should be a Christmas stocking stuffer. Great looking machine...
First thing I ever got to run doesn't seem like much compared to previous stories. I was working for a contractor assembling shelving and store fixtures for CVS pharmacy. I got to run a small forklift to unload the semi that delivered all the materials for that particular job. Once I had my butt in the seat, hands on the sticks and saw those shiny cylinders going in and out .....I was hooked!
My first piece was an International Harvester TD-18 with a Drott Skid Shovel.
In 1975 at the age of 7 I was allowed to run a 931 for a while moving some dirt and brush. Then for our lake property we got an old Bobcat 1966ish 444 I believe. Got to move a 950 back and forth between the pit and dump site at 14. First machine I got paid to run was pushing snow with a Fiat Allis 645 and then up to a 966C, which I have spent thousands of hours on. Stew
Started out on farm tractors then to a 955H, 933, & Case 850, loaders, First Dozer was a Cat D8H Direct Drive which I ran for six years. Owned a D46U and a Britstand trailing ripper for about 2 years. Have a Fordson fitted with a CRANVEL loader that I'm restoring at the moment.
A ford 8N I was around 10 years old.
Case 580c backhoe. Working for a construction company, the regular guy was sick, I was the only volunteer.
1951 allis-chalmers wd. I was about 5 or 6 years old. I use to clear the yard of snow. we had a small blade on the front, had one way hydraulics and a hand clutch as well as the foot clutch. The hand clutch made it work for me because there was no way I was going to reach that foot clutch. Dad would be working changing tires in the shop, while I was outside pushing snow.. How things have changed. I don't think I would trust my 7 year old with that, my 11 year old, sure.
Poclain 90b when I was around 5/6 years old.
Kubota B8200 and CASE 580K, both in one day! Ahh a good day to remember with my dad.
The first i remember was running my dads primemover 1300 skid-loader around 1988-1989. Dad told me I sat on his lap before that and pulled levers on a 977 before that. Don't own anything myself, work full time for dad throwing dirt for him.
Here I am when I was 4 years old digging with a John Deere 310SE
The first piece of equipment I ever operated was a John Deere 1010 dozer when I was 7 years old. Good memories.....:drinkup
First thing I ever ran was an old Deere 410 backhoe my Grandfather borrowed from his uncle, I was probably 4-5. The cousins had/have an excavation co so I grew up around machines.
My first piece of equipment was a toro dingo. Five minutes after i tried that i got on a bobcat skid steer and went to town.
Case Skidsteer (a friends), then Cat 941 Crawler -Just bought it a couple weeks ago to build a road into my camp...now Ive got to learn how to use it well!
tonka d8
1970's LONG backhoe. Had orops and deere 2.stick control. Also had a side mounted crane for pipe..
mine was some realy old kato had 4 levers out frount where joysticks whould be and 2 more in the middel for tracks
first operated Mitsubishi MS04M (or something similar) was about 4 or 5. then a uho54 Hitachi, Kobelco sk60 and sk100 first payed job was a Komatsu pc120, then a cat 350b and then a Hyundai 210lc-7
Did the Mitsubishi have odd controls on it
wouldn't have a clue, just remember what it looks like so i searched up Mitsubishi mini ex and one came up that looked like it
1957 td18
1949 cat d7 3t just parked it when i was 10 but sadly i still havent fully bean taught how to run a dozer fully but im good with a mini exivator after 1/2 or so hours running one
kramer 312 loader ineed parts for a 312 Kramer is yours foresale ifso give me a call 616 723 4409 bill
Mine was a 9180 Case International tractor with tandem 19 yard Rynolds scrapers
1971 CAT 930 wheel loader. Still have it.
Jcb 6c Hello, new the forum, this was my first excavator back in the late 70's, bought it used to do stuff on our farm in Lincolnshire England.
Ames shovel
Thanks, although she was tired when I bought it she did alot of ditching etc,
It was a Cat 225 or 235. It was a very early model. It had over 20,000 hrs. It was beat to death! Everything was loose; boom,bucket,tracks,levers, and the seat was all metal!:jawdrop It smoked so bad- you couldn't breath! The swing motors were shot,, too. A little while later I was loading trucks out! It wasn't easy, but prevailing wage was great!!
First machine I ever drove was a Leland farm tractor. First construction machine operated would have been a Case 580B First machine owned 600 Bobcat with a gas engine and clutch drive.
What do you think? Can I use this for equipment ? here is a link to the one I want to buy http://www.machinerytrader.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?ohid=9270409
First thing operated: Cat 46A Cat with a Letourneau First machine owned: 1954 Adams 440 motor grader
First I rented a small 10,000 # excavator and learned to clear ditches. By the time ditch was cleaned, I was determined to own some big toys. Started with a Hein Warner C 14a that was badly used. Then acquired a D8H dozer that was also well used. Learned to use on my own. Both accomplished what was needed. Cleaned/cleared several acres of ground and 3 plus miles of drainage ditches several times. It was a good learning experience on both. Both pieces got drowned two times and were brought back to life each time. Everything sort of still worked when sold last year. The dozer had probablly 2 feet of slop in blade two foot high and rubbed the tracks some. Tranny still shifted and started by jumping solenoid on starter. The unfixed exhaust leak really killed it power wise at the end. The front idlers and all rollers were worn out on Hein Warner when acquired and only got worse. When sold, one idler was not functional and pumps marginal. The hydraulic leaks kept my busy and caused several pump failures. Still remember fighting the floor pan to get to track drive hoses, while swimming in 70 gallons of lost fluid. I remember the bucket, stick, and boom cylinders were super strong for it's weight. It could take down tress the Hitachi EX 270 has trouble with now. Oil leaks were not fixed until exceeded 5 gallons per hour. I had a very good supply of Witches oil (unknown mix but mostly 15-40 at 50 cents a gallon) that worked good enough.
This operator has me beat on age: http://static.video.qq.com/TPout.swf?auto=1&vid=r010673xh67
i first ran my dads cat d3 when i was a kid but never spent much time in it. He got a cat 267 mtl when they first came out. i learned alot on that thing and ended up buying a 267b for my first machine.
Is that so, why didn't you try to learn that bud. I bet that you may learn very well. I remember my learning days when i was getting trained and the time was like one of my memorable moments. I always like to learn new things and heavy equipment was one of my choice so i took the heavy machinery equipment diploma certificate from Ontario.
555 John Deer Track Loader when I was 5.
Massey-Ferguson 202 w/ loader. Bought as basket case. Now my mower.
Inter T6 when I was 14 how hard can it be, I soon learned D4 Trackscavator taught me never to let my knuckles brush the spark plug when trying to get to the coke in a hurry and push it in before the pony choked and died I have picked myself up out of the mud several times. I have a lot of respect for the magneto's on those motors they can make light up a city Cheers GMG
John Deere 310A backhoe
fist machine i ever owned was l785 new holland skid steer
The first machine I bought was a 1983 JD 655 hydrostatic track loader wi/4 in 1 bucket. Man that baby was fast and sweet to run.
My uncle let me run a Ford 9N chasing the hay baler when I was 8 or 9. I'd start it in gear since I couldn't push in the clutch. First equipment to get paid on was a brand spanking new late 70's International TD7.
Drove a D2 as a kid and in 1966 at 14 years of age my cousin and I graduated in the equipment world, me to a 2U-D8 and him to a 3T-D7 both with cable scrapers. They were owned by his dad, my uncle. We buried 55 gal. barrels of goo daily from 3M for the entire summer school break. For the last 25 years the site has been high fenced off and is a no access superfund site. They had a permit to dump back then but it had to buried each day before we went home.
Oliver 88 gasser with a feed grinder when i was about 5 or 6 and first for pay was a neighbors IH1086 with a disc then bough my first was an IH1466. First piece of construction equip was a Case580K
My first equipment I bought is a couple days ago...1976 ** 50a Backhoe. Just for working around my proprety and pulling tree stump Never drove one before, i'm getting it tomorrow :thumbup:
Caterpillar D6 9U series, C frame blade, pony motor start. I was loading it on a Vulcan 35ton low deck trailer and did not know to drop the rpm's as the tractor is about to break over the dovetail. I ended up with one track on the trailer and the other on the ground. I just swapped the direction and drove it back onto solid ground and backed it on the next time at only an idle.
First machine I operated was an old R35 Euclid end dump. This was in 1969, at a ferroalloy furnace plant in Ohio. I was 19, and working during college summer vacation. No training period at all on it. The foreman just asked me if I could operate it. I said "Sure, no problem". It was quite an experience and I was lucky I did not run over anyone or anything that first time out. Jeff
'52 Ford 8N First piece was a 1952 Ford 8N .. had a stuck valve .. $800 cash and carry. Ain't nothing sweeter with a Fresno blade for final grooming. Machined in a water temp port while I had her down, converted to 12 volts and spin-on oil filter. Oldest piece is a 1950 Austin-Western Supper 88H, re-engined with a DD 3-71. Cheers!
"This operator has me beat on age: http://static.video.qq.com/TPout.swf...id=r010673xh67" from post 233 Grandson just turned 3 .. guess he's gotta wait a couple years. No Tonka Toys for this young lad
The first piece I operated was a JD skidder when I was 9. My grandfather owned a logging company in the 70's and he would do maintenance on equipment Sunday mornings and take me with him. Seeing I was usually bored and throwing rocks at everything, he started up one of the skidders and put it in gear and told me to check the road for any trees that had fell across the road after we got there. Of course no trees had fallen but I sure checked ever foot of that 20 mile dirt road. I have been hooked ever since but the first I owned was a old Cat D9e my grandfather left me in a will.
First thing I ever drove: JD "G" raking hay. Narrow front, no power steering. I was about 8. First piece of construction: Case 680E backhoe.