What is the oddest machine you have worked on or operated

[lilranch2001]

There were a few “Alaska” shows that has had these on them

 

[Williy]

Back in 1966 did a tune up on a home made
tractor with a model a Ford 4 cylinder engine
new plugs, points, capacitor, rotor, dist cap,
plug wires, fan belt, change oil, radiator juice
also worked on a large wall clock similar to this:

willy

 

[herm0016]

Zone rated offshore oilfield equipment. Engine driven hydraulic power packs in explosive proof form, positive pressure cab full of my computer equipment with multiple interchangable winch drums with different IPS steel cables approx. 20,000 feet long for different situations to lower tools for data collection or mechanical services in oil wells. And associated equipment to let that cable into the well under up to 15000 psi of well pressure. Some really interesting and unique equipment to run, transport, troubleshoot and fix.

 

[CliffordK]

I'm not sure if this counts, but at one time I worked in a furniture mill.

We had one machine called the "RF Machine" or "Radio Frequency Machine". It was a big microwave for gluing wood together. Whatever they were laminating, they'd run glue along the edges then push anywhere from one table top to a whole pile of legs into the machine at once. It would press the pieces together and hit them with the microwave for about a minute at which point it would shove a sticky mess out to be thrown on pallets with sawdust thrown between to keep them from sticking. Thinking back, a lot of manual labor.

Anyway, the interesting part of the machine was on the back side, outside of the machine, there was an ordinary florescent light tube sitting on a wire rack. No wires going to the tube. The RF power from the machine lit up the tube without wires and the person tailing the machine knew it was turned on.

 

[mikester]

CAT 631 Probably the funnest off road machine, 500+ HP, hauls 30+ yards and goes 35MPH. When you are riding you get to look down into the cabs of dump trucks and tractor trailers.

 

[lilranch2001]

View attachment 850697
CAT 631 Probably the funnest off road machine, 500+ HP, hauls 30+ yards and goes 35MPH. When you are riding you get to look down into the cabs of dump trucks and tractor trailers.

Never driven one but it looks like a wild ride, and a kidney buster!

 

[shooterdon]

John Deere 40 dozer.

 

[ArlyA]

I once worked on a 24 (or 27, I can't recall) yard bucket on a payloader. Didn't get a pic of the machine but each tire was 13ft tall. This was many years ago and it worked in a powder basin coal mine.

 

[MossRoad]

Here's one half of the largest machine I ever operated and/or worked on. Six stories high and half a city block long. A little noisy when running all-out.

 

[careyo63]

Printing Letterpress. Ran on the fly wheel.