Rob,
I'm in there someplace. When I asked Steph to take the video clips, I told her that what I was hoping to see was dirt moving, being cut, falling off the blade and some closeups of the tracs.
Not to take anything of me sitting in the seat with a stupid grin on my face!! LOL
Jay,
Thank you. She took about two dozen video clips, but some are shakey, others are just kind of practice, and a few are copies of others that I thought were better.
I'm posting ten video clips on YouTube. It seems to take about three hours to upload each one, so I'm doing it before I leave or go to bed.
Egon,
Thank you. The clips are deceiving. It makes it look better on the ground then it really is. I spent 17 hours on the dozer over the weekend, plus prep time, and still had to stop because it got dark out. I need a few more hours to make it really pretty.
Moss,
It's a 1988 Case 1550 Dozer that's comparable to a Cat D6 of the time. Cat has so many variations of the D6, that this one falls behind in the power comparison on the newer ones. The engine is a Cummins 8.3 turbo that puts out 169hp. The dozer weighs about 40,000 pounds and the blade is 12 feet wide. It's called an 8 way blade since the blade itself also tilts forward and backward to help with cutting or finish work.
Flathead,
I've spent more then just a few hours on YouTube watching videos of tractors and construction equipment. Some of them have given me ideas and techniques that I didn't know about. Others are just plain fun to watch. Especially when there's nothing on TV, or we're watching something with the kids.
Frank,
I try to get her to drive it, but she refuses. We went for a ride together in it and she took over for awhile while I sat on the tanks behind the seat. It was very uncomfortable, but at least she got to give it a try that way. She even took out a few trees!!!!
Wayne,
Yes, I found a salvage yard in Florida that had three 1550's in their yard. For just $350 plus shipping, I was able to buy a used fan.
Eddie