Anybody Remember Back When?

[Tractor Seabee]

Large equipment like bulldozers and shovels had Pony Engines for starting motors and attachments were cable operated rather than hydraulic. Start the pony and get it warmed up, popped the clutch and turned over the main engine until it started, usually had to give it a whiff of ether. Then warmed up the main engine and get to work. Sometimes an hour process. Cold days created a new problem, multi viscosity oils were not made yet. First thing start a fire under the engine to warm up the oil and water, a tarp over it speeded up the warm up, then go through the start up process. This could be 2 hour process. Sent the flunky out to do the warm up while we sat in the warm shed/tent and drink coffee. When I enlisted in the Seabees in 1954 we were still using some those.

Ron

 

[mddorange]

Ron, I hate to say it but I was only 8 in 1954.

Now I have heard of them and even saw a couple but never started or drove one. Sorry.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Ron, I hate to say it but I was only 8 in 1954.

Now I have heard of them and even saw a couple but never started or drove one. Sorry.

They could be a real ***** to start, especially in windy, below freezing weather. I was one of those flunkies back then. Wasn't sorry to see them go. Try greasing (hand pump) a bulldozer in those days. They took a lot of grease. Another flunky (E1-E3) job. In construction they were called oilers.

Ron

 

[k0ua]

I was a gleam in my dad's eye in 1954.. so while I have seen them on video, No, I haven't operated any of those....

 

[mddorange]

They could be a real ***** to start, especially in windy, below freezing weather. I was one of those flunkies back then. Wasn't sorry to see them go. Try greasing (hand pump) a bulldozer in those days. They took a lot of grease. Another flunky (E1-E3) job. In construction they were called oilers.

Ron

I grew up around big trucks and heavy equipment. My Grandfather used to take me with him to grade county roads or use a D7 when I was about 7 or 8. My father drove dump trucks for the county while he was in high school since my grandfather was the supervisor of county maintenance in TN.

 

[bcp]

Yes, but living in the SW desert, I didn't have the very cold start problems. I don't remember it taking more than 5-10 minutes. My use was seldom enough I had to look at things for a while to remember what to do. I always got the two levers mixed up, and had to sort that out in my mind.

Bruce

 

[oosik]

1970 - Dawson city - Yukon Territory. One of the old miners working a claim on Bonanza Cr had a dozer just like that. He spent more time tinkering with that dozer - greasing, adjusting, tightening, repairing than he did "dozing for gold". Start up was not a procedure - it was a ritual. He also had a non working coal fired steam dozer. The flywheel on that steam dozer was gigantic by anybodies terms. The entire dozer was a complete assembledge of bolted together bits and parts. He said it was brought from San FranSisco by steamer - around Alaska's Aleutian Chain - to the mouth of the Yukon River. Then reloaded onto a river paddlewheel steamer and up the Yukon to Dawson City. All the bits and parts were bolted together and you had a working dozer. Working with that steam dozer must have been a real handful. The only coal in that part of the world is a very soft - low grade coal. The steam and smoke must have made work a real choking experience.

 

[Looking4new]

I have seen them, but have never operated one. Thankfully.

 

[4get gto]

And think we bixch today if our block heaters don't work..

To listen from guys that worked on or operated the equipment from 50+ years ago really make you appreciate what we have today.

 

[oosik]

Can even imagine starting a dozer with a pony engine or even a coal fired dozer under the conditions described by the famous author/poet who spent three year on the Yukon, Klondike and Bonanza Cr - Jack London. He speaks of the fires of gold in a miners eye and starting a coal fired dozer at 45 below. At those temps you could get the fires going in the coal box - throw the lever and because the grease was now bakelite - completely shatter the clutch or blow a pin on the output shaft. I can just see me packing my bag and heading for warmer climes because at 45 below I was not about to climb under the dozer and start tearing thing apart.

In those days having a thermometer was an unheard of luxury. They would set half full bottles of various types of booze out on the porch - when the champagne froze it was X below - when the gin froze it was Y below - when their brass monkeys froze it was Z below.

However - for those who found the gold and those VERY FEW who managed to keep it - this brought an all new life.

I deeply treasure my 1903 original signed edition of Jack London's - Call of the Wild. During my many years in Anchorage - I went to the Yukon River, Klondike River, Bonanza creek areas - five different times - retracing the travels of Jack London. Those were truly wild and bawdy times. And to think - due to sheer respect and ultimate force the Northwest Mounties were able to keep ALL guns out of Dawson City during the entire times of the gold rush.

Right across the Klondike river from Dawson City was the largest Red Light District west of the Mississippi. There was a suspension bridge built over the Klondike for easy access. When we explored the Red Light district we recovered two fist sized blobs of rust - they were pistols. We found loads of hollow green glass tubes - about an inch in diameter and eight inches long - the women on our adventure finally broke down and politely informed us men what they were.