Favorite old (old) warhorses

[treevet]

Tell us about your favorite old piece of equipment (not piece of sh t) you have or have reluctantly and painfully let go of. Up until about 10 years ago I had a 1938 Bean sprayer. Used it for gypsy moth etc. in Jersey. W 35 gpm pump and Hercules motor it would shake the top leaves on 100 foot oaks. Made thousands with it. It was once used by Farleigh Dickenson U. and had a front swivel axel and rear dually axel and was pulled by horse as a fire truck (trailer) by the college. A pal of mine working for another tree co. who got it from FDU told me about it. He said it was the best sprayer in his lot w 2 new units and boss didn t even know this. I chopped the front axel and put a pintel on it. I had it sand blasted and painted bright orange. One hit on starter button and it would purr all day long. I had an empty Michelob bottle upside down for a radiator cap. It was pure class. Quit the spraying and let it go.

 

[treevet]

I ve currently got a 1951 Ford wrecker that I ve seen in Ghost Busters and a couple of other movies. It has the original flathead engine and everything works. It s not prissy perfect but works about every few daysand is in real nice shape. It turns heads going down the road. I wouldn t hesitate to drive it to California. I ve had the boom modified in height to back a log into a flat bed dump and it will pick up a 2,000 lb piece in the far back yard and drive up to the road w little or no lawn damage (like a skid steer). It will drag a huge piece of lumber up an embankment tearing small trees down in the way. I adore this truck. I ve got a 14t crane but some places you can t get it there. I ve also got a Stihl 090av from the mid 70 s that is post 090 non av (a real jackhammer) that might outcut my 088 in some logs bcs of the torque. Prior to it I had a Homelite whiz 88 for big saw choice. It was a gear drive. It would go thru a big stump like butter w a 2 man handle on it.

 

[BigJohn]

I'd like to see some pictures of that truck!

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I liked Tom D's converted schoolbus with double ram dump on it. You could fit a lot of chip in the box and drive the 4 wheeler up behind the drivers seat. I drove it once and could sit up straight and see the road ahead (For those who do not know, I'm 6'9" tall). It was a little scary to drive though

 

[Grace Tree]

1947 Ford 8n tractor. Same age as me and it works better than I do. I've used it for just about everything. When I take it to a jobsite I get to hear stories about some' uncle or grandfather who used to have one of those. I think it will still be running when I'm not.
Phil

 

[maxburton]

Don't know if this qualifies...

When I started my company I was still in school and was working out of the back of my Taurus. I had a husky 141 (same as a poulan, I've heard) that was my only saw. I ran for hours every week for two years until it finally crapped out.

 

[oldirty]

damn JPS, your a big'n. what are you weighing in at? 6'6 235 here.




oldirty

 

[beowulf343]

damn JPS, your a big'n. what are you weighing in at? 6'6 235 here.

You'd be surprised how many big climbers are on this site-i know i was.


Favorite old workhorse-1947 farmall MD. Bought it from my grandpa when i was 19 (had a few major problems so he was going to replace it.). Grew up driving that tractor and loved it. Actually started driving that tractor before my legs were long enough to reach the pedals-had to stand up and hang on to the steering wheel in order to work the clutch. Raked alot of hay with that tractor-the tricycle front end would let you turn on a dime. Now days i fixed it up (not a show tractor but a work tractor) and use it when i go to cut wood, or get stuck, or whenever i need a little horsepower. Quick road gear too. Love how it will always start no matter how cold it is-start on gas, then switch to diesel.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

damn JPS, your a big'n. what are you weighing in at? 6'6 235 here.

near 240 in my carharts and 3 cups of Tasty O's and some bacon in me.

 

[treevet]

I'd like to see some pictures of that truck!

I m going to try to get a few together on Sun. I ve been meaning to learn to post them on ASite and this is a good reason. In return I want to see pict. of Tom Dunlop s chipdump schoolbus JPS mentioned. Unique or what?

 

[TimberJack_7]

My current favorite piece of equipment is my 1949 Dodge Power Wagon. It's got a 10 ton winch right behind the cab and a wrecker setup that will drag anything out of the woods or up a hill that I can get a hook on. That old 4x4 gets a lot of looks. It is at a buddies house right now getting some fabrication done to the flatbed.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I m going to try to get a few together on Sun. I ve been meaning to learn to post them on ASite and this is a good reason. In return I want to see pict. of Tom Dunlop s chipdump schoolbus JPS mentioned. Unique or what?

You will have to ask Tom (DunLAP- he dun lapped up all the granola bars, Dunlop is a tire and he is tired of the mistake) for pict's of that beast. I worked with him when i had other reasons to be in the Twin Cities for a few days at a time.

 

[winchman]

cheers treevet!

for starting this thread. i've been meaning to start a thread along the same lines, but didn't (doesn't everybody say that?).

i work at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC, on the arboriculture crew (5 men strong). we have a lot of equipment. one of these pieces of equipment is aptly labeled "the winch truck." it goes by no other name. it is a 1985 (i think) F700 with a 350 under the hood. it has a 40000 lb winch on the back , a 20000 lb winch on the front. both shaft driven. part-time 4wd. i used to say that this truck COULDN'T get stuck, until we ripped the front bumper (a monster in its own right) off trying to pull a 40" 14' section of white pine up a major slope (a bad weld was the culprit).

the ceo of the Estate, Mr. Bill Cecil, Jr., had a hand in creating this masterpiece over a decade ago, or maybe more (the facts on this truck are sketchy). i have never seen another truck like it, and the only thing close is something like the wrecker that treevet spoke of. wait, i just remembered seeing one other like it a couple years ago, not as impressive as ours, but weird, since it was a mercedes-benz truck chassis. they were using that truck to pull steel beams under a recently-raised house (also on the Estate after the floods of '04). i digress...

the timing of this thread couldn't be more poignant, since i was just kicking the idea around of having a "living funeral" for this fascinating truck in the very near future. i've spent enough time writing this post... if there is interest, i will post pictures. i already have a couple, but would add a few explaining the "why" for the funeral of this truck, which seems to be almost inevitable in the coming weeks.

sorry for "bending your eye."

long live "ol winchy."

 

[treevet]

Pictures, stories, I am interested and I m sure I m not alone.. Tom Dunlaaaap s school chipdump, the power wagon, the tractors, and winchy (that is what my wife affectionately calls my old 51 F-4 dually one ton wrecker, too). Old stuff s got character and better yet stories.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

we have a lot of equipment. one of these pieces of equipment is aptly labeled "the winch truck."

Sounds like what they call a timber snake around here, or a forwarding winch. I've seen them on trailers with huge spools of cable.

i work at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC, on the arboriculture crew (5 men strong).

My buddy Sean was out working with you guys not too long ago, he said he had a lot of fun.

 

[TimberJack_7]

I am going to attempt to post a pic of my Power Wagon that currently in an upgrade stage. The boom that is used for skidding logs out of the woods is currently detached and in the process of being beefed up. This should be a picture of the back of the truck. You will see what looks like a bunch of junk, but in reality it is upgrading in motion.....

 

[TimberJack_7]

Since the first photo worked, here is a shot of the front of my 49 Power Wagon. Note the Michelin XZLs that measure in a true 38.5 inches, no lift required. They really used to know how to build a truck......

 

[treevet]

Name says it all "Power Wagon". Classy truck.

 

[treevet]

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[treevet]

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