The way we were

[FOWLER MAN]

Thanks Ian.
The mixer in your post is a Parker.

!950's dozers were mainly Cat, International and Allis Chalmers imported from the U.S.
There were some British offerings from Fowlerand Vickers and at the small end of the market there were Fordson County. David Brown, Bristol and Platypus.
I used or repaired all these makes except the Platypus.
Here are some photos. of Cats and Fowlers. Others and some memmories next post.
Fred

Cat D6 (2).jpg

Cat D8.jpg

Cat D6.jpg

D8 pushing Marshall Gainsbro tractor with 8 yard Onions box.jpg

Challenger 3 (2).jpg

img023.jpg

Challenger 3.jpg

[Neversweat]

Back to basics...................

bd1233.jpg

Steve

[38RBSII]

Very interesting photos, thanks Fred

[FOWLER MAN]

Hello Again,
Thanks for the replies. Here is some more on dozers from 50s and 60s.
Firm I worked for in the early 60s ran three Cats and a small David Brown blade, from there I went on to look after a fleet of 30 tractors 27 Cats and three IH's. It was pretty buisy with just two of us doing everything, mostly undercarage and back end repairs.
One unusual repair I remember doing was on a D7E, a pin had come out of a governor weight and dropped into the timing gears taking a couple of teeth off the camshaft gear. The shaft and gear were all in one and a replacement cost more than 6 months wages for a fitter, at that time, 6 shillings 3 pence (62.5p) per hr. I was asked if I could repair it.
I built up the teeth with weld and re-shaped them. Fingers crossed we rebuilt the engine, and to my certain knowlege it was still running when they sold it 5 years later.
The company was taken over and I was moved across Cardiff to a new home to modify the braking systems on the Scammels and trailers to comply with the new regulations. (1968/9) This involved replacing the multi-pull ratchet hand brake with an air system and the single line piston operated system with triple line diapheagm brakes. I rebuilt these Scammels from end to end including the Gardner and Leyland engines and I replaced the Scammel trailer couplings with York fifth wheels.
I worked on everything for a while, mounted an Atlas crane and built an alluminium body on a new AEC chasis. Got a welding code so that I could repair the jib sections on the P&H 150 ton cranes these welds were X rayed.
Eventually I got to work on the tractors again. They ran a mixed fleet of Cat, Allis Terex, Komatsu and Case machines, all good experience.
I didnt get to work on Fowlers till I started my own business about 1975 (the one in the river in the my last post is one of mine), I also had Cats, Drotts a Track Marshall and an Allis 21P.
Here are some more photos of the t5ime.
Fred

AC HD 21A dozer.JPG

VICKERSVIGOR.jpg

Cletrac.jpg

David Brown.jpg

Platypus 50.jpg

Fotdson County.jpg

[billh]

went the china clay museum last year and i dont think that machine was there then. but this was.

IMG_1260.JPG

Muir Hill LH1 loading shovel , made in Altrincham, early 1950's. Engine is a Perkins P3. We scrapped ours in about 1987, bought it in 1970 from a builder in Oldham for £70. Two forward gears and two reverse. If you drove into a stockpile and filled the rather large bucket then reversed out too fast the machine would tip on its nose and the driver would be facing the ground, restrained by the steering wheel with the radiator ( at the back of the machine) emptying its contents down your neck! A very powerful machine for its size but not big enough reach to load a tipper truck like a Bedford TK. We used it for all sorts of odd jobs, one was fitting two forks to the bucket and using it to recover concrete railway sleepers- over 200 as I recall. It was made road legal for a few years- I remember going for a bucket load of fish & chips in central Manchester a couple of times. The engine was always in a terrible state- difficult to start and not much oil pressure, the main reason it was scrapped. Still got the bucket, in good condition though.
Bill

[FOWLER MAN]

Hi Bill,
I took this photo of a simmular Muir Hill recently.
It has been beautifully restored by a friend of mine as you can see. I need to ask him for more details.
I'm sure he wont mind if I post the photo here.
Fred

010.JPG

[billh]

Hi Bill,
I took this photo of a simmular Muir Hill recently.
It has been beautifully restored by a friend of mine as you can see. I need to ask him for more details.
I'm sure he wont mind if I post the photo here.
Fred

010.JPG

That's a nice looking machine. I suspect it's more modern than the LH1. The LH1 had only single acting rams for lifting and tilting the bucket so you couldn't apply any downwards pressure except due to the weight of the bucket and arms. It also had a shorter wheelbase with a very good turning radius, unless the bucket was full and then the rear steering wheels lifted off the ground and then there was no option but to go in straight(ish) lines. The driver's position was like a fighter aircraft cockpit, a tight squeeze to get in and no rapid exit in an emergency . I have never seen one feature of this machine, before or since- the ordinary automotive type engine clutch ran in the engine oil, the bell-housing being connected to the engine sump by 3 oil ways at the bottom. We discovered this feature when we bump started it with no starter motor fitted and oil was fired out of the starter motor hole by the gear ring.
Bill

[essexpete]

Looks like the lift cyl on the orange MH is only single acting. Not too much point on downward force with a front wheel drive.

Great photos everyone.

[topkit]

Great photos everyone please keep more of them coming it is great to see all of these lovely old machines, has anyone got pictures of OC SUMMERS or Willam Press jobs from the 60's and 70's They used to do alot of the new gas main jobs before North sea gas came on tap, i can remeber lots of machinery around and would love to see some pictures also does anyone remember Reliable Plant hire they used to hire out JCB 3C'S quite often to J. Murphy.

[Martyn Henley]

also does anyone remember Reliable Plant hire they used to hire out JCB 3C'S quite often to J. Murphy.

Yes David they were about a lot here in east Kent in the 80's, were they not part of J.Murphy ?

Martyn