Good morning folks

[ol Grump]

Im in a little ghost town in eastern Oregon called Granite. I worked in fabrication and machine shops since I was 19, then started and owned my own fab/ machine shop in Portland OR from 1982 til 1994.

I was raised in mining camps in NV so heavy equipment is something Ive been around since the 50s off and on. Ive operated Cats, driven trucks and run excavators as well as working on em occasionally off and on during my early working life.

Im retired now and currently have a running D2 5J, a D4 7U and the carcass of a D4 7J that Im in the process of tearing down. If anyone needs parts for a D4 7J, contact me. Otherwise itll go to scrap eventually after I get the parts that I want to keep or that can be swapped/ sold.

Im glad to be here. While not a true Cat mechanic, Im learning as I go along.

[Holger]

Hi and very welcome to this place!
I hope you enjoy the site!

/Holger

[rvannatta]

Im in a little ghost town in eastern Oregon called Granite. I worked in fabrication and machine shops since I was 19, then started and owned my own fab/ machine shop in Portland OR from 1982 til 1994.

I was raised in mining camps in NV so heavy equipment is something Ive been around since the 50s off and on. Ive operated Cats, driven trucks and run excavators as well as working on em occasionally off and on during my early working life.

Im retired now and currently have a running D2 5J, a D4 7U and the carcass of a D4 7J that Im in the process of tearing down. If anyone needs parts for a D4 7J, contact me. Otherwise itll go to scrap eventually after I get the parts that I want to keep or that can be swapped/ sold.

Im glad to be here. While not a true Cat mechanic, Im learning as I go along.

what the heck, You cant be from Granite, no one lives there, but I know where the place is because my wife went to grade school in Bates and it really isnt there (now).

That makes 2 of us dudes from Oregon---that is a crowd.... I cant imagine anyone with a name like Schnitzer in portland actually fabbing anything---- I thought they always cut it up and sold the pieces.

[dozeron]

Hi to ol Grump & Robert,
I might be asking you boys a question or two in the months to come. My wife and I are retiring next year and intend to buy a 5th wheeler and spend a couple of years going round Aussie. Its called the Grey Nomads here. Im going to look at a 26/28 ft wheeler as companies here are importing them in from the US/Canada, but I understand there are models that shouldnt be towed and are more or less used as trailerpark homes. May not be suitable for our roads over here.
Best regards, dozeron.

[rvannatta]

Hi to ol Grump & Robert,
I might be asking you boys a question or two in the months to come. My wife and I are retiring next year and intend to buy a 5th wheeler and spend a couple of years going round Aussie. Its called the Grey Nomads here. Im going to look at a 26/28 ft wheeler as companies here are importing them in from the US/Canada, but I understand there are models that shouldnt be towed and are more or less used as trailerpark homes. May not be suitable for our roads over here.
Best regards, dozeron.

You need a very large sized UTE (as I think you call them) to drag a trailer that heavy. I have no experience or expertise
as to any particular brand, but I am plenty familar with the problems that people get into with too much trailer for the truck.

Here on the West coast of NA we have what we call snow birds They migrate from the north land to the south land (usually Arizona) for the winter, and then some summer when it is 110 degrees F in Arizona they head north sort of like the migratory birds do so they only move them a couple of times a year.

If you expect to be on the road daily you will get sick and tired of dragging something that big. they are as big
as a semi-trailer---and you need a truck big enough to handle a 28 foot semi trailer, if you dont want it to chase you all over the road.

when you get to anyplace you want to stop--- the thing is too big to park--- you have to go find a semi-truck parking spot, etc..... a modest sized motor home, or a much smaller trailer---14-16 feet is a much better traveling companion if you are going on the tourist circuit.

You ever try to find a place to stop for lunch driving one of these things:

logtruck6a.jpg

Granted it isnt this bad, but you get the message.----travel light.