Any one heard from "Ozdozer" he was on here a few years ago, lots of D7 clearing vids and photos.

Hi, TomTrack44.
OzDozer did come back briefly a few months ago but somebody laid some insulting language on him and he departed again. I won't be very surprised if we don't see him back here again.

Which izza pity as he has a LOTTTT of knowledge and experience and is ever ready to share it where it is welcome.

Just my 0.02.

Hi Deas,

yes, I remember OzDozers posts. Thanks for mentioning him. The best I could do was sending him an email. Maybe he reacts, I would be glad if he does so.

Best regards,
Max

There was another guy over at the heavy equipment forums, called himself Scrub Puller, he had some nice 1960ish land clearing pictures from a company called Bruce Rhoades. They built there own canopies, the D9Gs had also welding units abord - and the canopies had lights! That's rather rare for a land clearing dozer of this era. and it was quite task to find the right light sources. Even rather big-sized naval lights, that can withstand a storm, did break. The solution: The lights used on the landing gears of bush airplanes had a dampening mounting and this would do the trick.

"Deas wrote:

Hi, TomTrack44.
OzDozer did come back briefly a few months ago but somebody laid some insulting language on him and he departed again. I won't be very surprised if we don't see him back here again.

Which izza pity as he has a LOTTTT of knowledge and experience and is ever ready to share it where it is welcome.

Just my 0.02.

That’s a shame. OzDozer shared a lot. Both technical and just practical know-how, an e-gentleman with no doubt in my mind. Hope we “see” him here again.

Bernie

Hi, bernie.
I would not be surprised if we never see him here again. From memory, that is the third time that somebody here has been 'less-than-respectful' to him.

Just my 0.02.

Hi, Folks.
There were only 6 Euclid TC12s imported new into Australia and I know where 5 of those six currently are. Two of them were originally set up as a pigeon pair for scrub pulling, complete with two-piece timber canopies to cope with the engine oscillation characteristics of the TC12s. The right hand half of each timber canopy had a 100 gallon water tank built into it to give on-board fire fighting capability.

In addition, both were fitted with modified drawbars that shared the load equally between the two sides instead of the original single pull point attached to one side of the tractor. Each dozer blade had a fairly robust bar poking out about fifteen inches to the side from the top corner of the blade. This was to allow the operators to nudge bigger trees that might stop the chain to loosen them up before the chain got to them. One tractor had its bar on the right side of the blade and the other had its bar on the left so that both tractors could have their bars on the inside of the chain

I don't have any photos of the canopies installed 'cos both canopies were elsewhere when I saw the tractors.

Just my 0.02.

Hi Deas,

thank you so much for sharing this. That is a very nice inside into the world of scrub pulling. Most machinery enthusiasts here in Germany still know the TC12s - and probably have seen photos of the Hungry Horse dam project with the high-ball in use. Or, like in geography class in school, have seen some footage of rain forest clearing with chain + D8's during construction of the Transamazonica highway. The TC12 is and was a very rare tractor here in Germany, and customizing it for scrub pulling like this, now, that is something.


I have heard of the canopy-installed water tanks before. With dry leaves and such collecting in the belly pan of the tractor, engine fire was a threat. Deas, were these tanks something found often on scrub pulling tractors?


Best regards,
Max

Hi, FatCatGotHot.
That pair of tractors are the only ones I have ever heard of that were equipped thataway. Some carried fire extinguishers. I have also heard of operators running a burning machine into a nearby dam to put out a fire and then dragging that machine out with the other one on the other end of the chain.

It often surprises people just how much there is that will burn on a great big chunk of steel like that.

The tractors pulling the cable and ball on the Hungry Horse dam were Allis Chalmers HD19s.

Just my 0.02.

Hi Deas,

made a jump in my text. Wanted to say that most know the TC12 OR high-ball clearing/scrub pullin, but not the combination of both.

Last year I found field evaluations from the Vietnam War, pretty rude scans in fax quality, but still a good read. Canopy mounted water tanks on the Rome Plows were mentioned, as a field improvement. The use of the D9G Rome Plows was also explained and evaluated, but I just can't find this page anymore. Biting into my desk feels good, but does not seem to help.
I have some FLECO and ROME PLOW catalogues from the 1970ies, advertising tractor mounted tanks + handpumps and hose. Here and there you find the explanation for land clearing tractors "What's not aboard can not break", but regarding water tanks/fire extinguishers, I always thought that is something simple, but necessary.


Best regards,
Max