davehummell

Many years ago I rigged up a rail car coupler on the loader arms of a wheel loader a new Cat for a wood mill in Tunkhannock they used it to spot cars in their yard I used to see the loader all the time. I used to spot the rail cars down in our yard in Northampton but the loco I drove scaled out at 250 tons

I have been over to Coolsprings engine show anyone interested in mechanical things should get to see the stuff on display. Kinser's Ruff and Tumble is a very good show old trucks and heavy equipment running around quite a few steam traction engines running around an ungodly number of tractors and lawn tractors, a working machine shop making parts, old cars on display. Canandaigua's pageant of steam is amazing with the amount of steam powered stuff running. At Penns Caves is a very good engine and tractor, car and truck show.

Cleveland brothers had two motor generators welders that I used one in the dirt shop and one in the welding bay they were very good welders I bet when they moved up to the new building they got rid of them. I have an old Lincoln 400 amp power source for the mig and the aluminum stinger gun great old welder I got a great deal on a 300 amp Airco tig and stick it must be 30 years by now. I just had to fire up the torch with the brazing tip to braze the handle back on a cast iron griddle I just bought I guess brazing and torch welding with coat hangers is a lost art.

Boy does that name bring back memories we did work on Racho's stuff I get the names mixed up anymore and where all the coal stripping's I worked at on Cat equipment I just can't remember anymore. I was in that garage one time and they were rebuilding a shovel bucket Cicione was around there across the street I helped to replace his waterpump on his Mack years ago.

Joseph I just went past your garage on Wednesday was shopping down to Hometown and had lunch at the Beacon diner first time I ate there was about 1973 we were heading in the stripping's to repair a Cat. I have been in that garage more than once if memory serves it was Yamula's back in the dark ages. Didn't I see an old R model on the lower side and another old truck?

I had this happen to me many many years ago I came up to a red light and I can't remember what lead up to the event but I let out the clutch and it moved backwards when I had the trans in first forward the truck was a Freightliner with a 3406 engine, I think it had something to do with the jake brake I remember I shut the ignition switch off and hit the switch firing up the engine and the truck pulled away like nothing happened.

Larry it looks like you spent some time designing the mounting to hold the trans time well spent. I got delegated to help my cousin change the clutch on his Ford jubilee farm tractor you split the tractor so I made up a bracket and I used the jack and wheel assembly from a trailer tung. that time spent making the setup really made the job go easy we had it done in under 4 hours.

Larry when I upgraded the engine in my B I splurged and bought the dry type air cleaner from Watt's it fit were the oil bath filter fit and it looks just like the oil bath one.

Larry too bad your triplex wasn't a double over 13 speed you would have the road speed without changing your rearend and it looks like it doesn't have a jake if you can get one it would be a nice extra for pulling your trailer, I run a complete muffler system on my truck and if the passenger window is up I can't hear it working of course I have 70 year old ears.

Back in the seventy's I used to take care of a fleet of R's and F models 237 and 300's all with the 5 speeds I can't remember any of the truck drivers tearing up the trans or the rears.. Engines I did one a month and you had to pay attention when running the valves some were dynatards we ran about 27 or 29 Macks and some ran the coast and Canida runs. My old Autocar had a twin stick 4x4 and 262 Cummins. I ran flatbeds, equipment trailers, vans with the 5 speeds not my favorite trans I like more gears. I had the chance to give the 3408 in a Pete a tryout I liked that engine my all-time favorite was the 1693 I could really get some power out of that engine on the dyno.

I watched J D Vance and I liked his actions I'm really hoping he is the real thing he looked like he was ready to get to work I am hoping he ends up being a worthy help to Trump and the county.

I just watch Ms. Leavitt's dealing with the press and she has more patience than I have I wouldn't let that crew feed my chickens god give her strength. I couldn't stand the last woman. So far, I like what I'm hearing from Trump.

My B model had a low rear and a duplex out on 81 I was a sitting duck couldn't get more then 50 miles an hour and in todays traffic that isn't good I slid in a 373 rear and that was a lot better had s- cams and about new brake shoes and good drums. The duplex started to jump out of nineth gear so in went a 13 speed triplex and I can cruze 70 on the highways.

I was up to Kevin's place and I saw lots of Macks and lots and lots of Mack parts but if he was into Brockway's I can't remember seeing any there is a guy up over the border around Binghamton and when I was at his place he had Brockway's and some Macks.

Larry if you do decide to use this trans behind the 285 i'm guessing you still are using the single disc clutch don't let it lug mine with the 260hp. and triplex will slip the disc if I'm not careful if it gets down in rpm and I give it too much throttle too quickly it happened coming back from Macungie

I used to work a street over from the Acme warehouse and I used to see the fleet of Macks leaving in the morning. Used to see Defazio's old Brockway's up on R-81 for years.

Larry I tried to buy a 285 that was in an R model truck but it had a tight spot when turning it over with battery's so I settled for a 260 hp. I really wanted that 285 I used to drive an R model triaxle and I liked the way it pulled that R run a lot better than the 237 Macks I ran. I have no complaints with settling for the 260 plus I scored a set of jakes when I went to pickup the engine

Back in time guys would run kero and add automatic tranny oil for lubing the injection pumps for over thirty years I always added the power service treatment at fillups. It was a great leap forward with airdryers and heated fuel filters. I always dreaded Monday morning getting the trucks and equipment running after setting all day Sunday and around zero in the morning when I showed up for work.

You think that truck is ugly I owned and hauled with an old 1960 White cabover 5000 now that was pretty unimpressive

I did some repairs for Yamulla back in the 70's when I was a cat mechanic spent about a week up in their striping's replacing the steering clutches on a d-8 in January I was in that building quite a few times. I don't miss the working outside in the winter I remember changing a water pump on a 270 cummins along r-81 in a snow storm another time changing brakes on a Freightliner outside in the snow

When I was about 11 0r 12 my mother took me to the library and I found the book Bulldozer by Stephen W Meader years later about 50 or so I found you could buy that book new and the book T model Tommy and several others from this author. My uncle worked at Cleveland Brothers and it was a very big deal to go with him to the shop and go for a ride on a loader or bulldozer at my young age

Many years ago I was dating a woman that had a stoker efm furness and I restored a 53 Ford one ton dump truck and I would go over to Kassy Kassa's for two ton of stoker coal the box had a coal door and I had a shoot and in the cellar coal bin it went back then it was 40.00 a ton. When we separated she had an oil furness installed, at my house I heat with oil and I installed a mini split system and in my shop I heat with oil

I remember Bartetta's and I used to go past Pittston Trucking their fleet was all B models that I remember when I was living in Harding their one mechanic got killed when he was adding air to a split rim tire I knew the guy but I can't remember his name. They hauled ashes out of the Harding powerplant.

When I was about 14 years old I got a job cleaning a large clothing material shop and until I graduated high school I took care of the place and it had a large stoker Furness but it had a hopper for the coal and no worm to feed the coal to the unit so I shoveled tons and tons of coal and carried garbage cans full of ashes out to the back of the store added a bit of grass out there so I had more grass to mow I swore I would freeze before I would have coal heat.

Back in the early 73's I worked on Cat equipment at about most of the strip mines up Hazelton way. I am shocked at the price of a ton of coal today compared back then. Last job I worked at it was an old mine site near Nanticoke that many years before my uncle worked at the same mine still had the shaft ventilation fan still intact in one of the buildings. A hunting buddy of my father and I was in the Knox mine disaster there is a picture of him crawling out a vent shaft He said it was the greatest feeling when he got out in the sun light