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hello from michigan

Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 10:56 pm
by librarian62
Just joined up. Glad to be here. Maybe I can learn a thing or two. My main interest is pre-1980 crawler draglines and pullshovels (backactors).
I've been collecting sales literature/brochures/manuals on old crawler draglines/cranes/pullshovels/shovels, and various trucks and cars, for quite a few years....usa-made (some british and italian car stuff also). I don't have it all, but I am always on a quest for what I don't have in my collection yet.
The only "machinery" I've operated was a WW2 era Oshkosh 4x4 snowplow with cummins diesel, and two-stick transmission (a lot of fun after I got used to shifting it); and a Case 1450 dozer.
I'm already enjoying the photos of old SMITH cranes and excavators in this forum. I'm going to check-out that SMITH crane website as well. :wave:

Re: hello from michigan

Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:37 am
by Jeremy Rowland
Hi Kevin welcome to CMN :wave: :thumbup:

Jeremy

Re: hello from michigan

Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 8:48 am
by Holger
Very welcome Kevin!
Any chance that you have photos of the Oshkosh to show?

Re: hello from michigan

Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 9:09 am
by librarian62
Thanks guys!
Sorry, no pics of the Oshkosh. It has long since been scrapped. When I ran it back in the '80's plowing parking lots and private drives, it had some cracks in the frame rails. The frame was already slightly warped from all the snow it had pushed over the years. It was an old W-703 from the air force, which was then (just after WW2) bought by a local county road commision, and sent back to the factory for conversion to diesel, and a longer hood to house the Cummins. It resembled a W-900 series after the conversion.

Re: hello from michigan

Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 9:47 pm
by Renaultman
Hello and welcome Kevin glad you joined.

Re: hello from michigan

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 7:02 am
by librarian62
Thanks Renaultman :wave: I'm glad I joined as well. Have learned quite a bit already about old Neal-Unit and Smith crawler crane/excavators....kind of a breath of fresh air since I have already amassed gobs of info on most all of the USA machinery of the same type.
Still more to learn about.