Weekend before last we helped Tom move some of the last stuff from Woodland back to Paso Robles. Hamer helped move with his truck, Willie helped with his truck and a borrowed detachable, Tom's pickup and gooseneck and us. MikeMc came with us and he was going to borrow a trailer. His trailer fell through, so we decided to have him pull my trailer and Tom had me drive his Peterbilt and trailer, so we had five trucks all together this weekend. Daron from California City also rode along with us.

Tom had me drive over to Paso Robles to get his truck Thursday after work and bring it back to Bakersfield. Daron met me at Mom's Friday morning at 6:30 am. We drove to Mike's house (he already had gotten my trailer Thursday night) and picked him up. Then we drove to Harris Ranch for breakfast. They were overhauling their kitchen, so it took about two and a half hours to get breakfast. Luckily we weren't in any hurry. We finally left there and arrived in Woodland about 2:30 pm.

Willie, Hamer and Tom were at Wallace's loading the Best round wheeler on Willie's truck and Hunter's Best 75 and land leveler on Hamer's truck. They had us go over there to help them. Tom drove the 75 and loaded it off the dirt over the back. Even with things relatively level it really rared up. Of course all the fuel ran to the back of the tank and it would starve out just as it was ready to break over, so it took a couple of tries to figure out we needed more fuel. I had to run to Best Ranch to get the fuel, because none of us had thought to bring any over to Wallace's. I came back, we fueled it up and Tom finally got it up on the trailer.



Then, we fired up a D8H that was sitting there and used it to pull the round wheeler over and onto Willie's trailer. That sure is a sweet D8, especially with the big root rake on it.

Tom, Daron and I moved over to Best Ranch and got ready to load Mike and me. We put a dead Best 60 with a huge Wilamette winch on the front of Tom's truck with Tom's Best 60 101A on the back.

By that time Mike had arrived and we prepared to load the Diesel 70 on Mike's truck. It was dead so we needed to use the D6D chained to one track frame and Tom's turbocharged RD6 chained to the other to pull it up. We started it up the ramp and got most of the way up when the chain broke to the D6D. Luckily the RD6 was able to hold it where it was while we rehooked.

We rehooked and pulled some more. Just as it was about to break over to the flat, the truck started sliding forward. Mike had to jump in the truck and hold the brakes and we still slid it forward some, but it finally did break over. Tom said that the Diesel 70 weighs about 33,000 pounds so we put a small D2 sized scraper on the back.

After we finished loading and visiting we went to Baker's Square in West Sacramento for dinner and on to a cleanup and bed. We left at 6:30 am, had a good breakfast about an hour down the road and arrived at the museum in Paso Robles around 1:00 pm. We unloaded 101A at the museum, since the parade is next weekend where they drive the Cats down the street. The rest of the tractors went to Tom's house.

At Tom's we used his beautiful D4D with the cab to pull the dead Best 60 off. No problems there, it was an easy unload. Then, we jockeyed the trucks around, unloaded the little scraper and got ready to do the Diesel 70. Where we unloaded it is a slight incline descending to pretty steep drop off into a ravine. We tried to put the truck across the slope so that the tractor would pull pretty level, but it still had a little bit of an incline toward the back of the truck. Tom said that one brake worked on the 70, so he should be able to stop it without any problem.

He had me drive his D4D and gently pull the 70 to the back of the trailer. Everything worked good so far, so I eased it to the point that it would tip down the ramp. When it broke over, it rolled pretty quick toward me. I goosed the throttle to stay ahead of him. Then looked back, and he was still gaining on me.

I threw the throttle wide open and hung on. He was still gaining, so I looked around to figure if I could turn uphill. The 60 was right in the way. I looked downhill, but decided that when I turned, I would slow down, and he was only about a foot and a half behind me at that point. I briefly considered shifting into second, but there was no time.

This whole time Tom was standing up, facing backward wedging his foot on the brake as hard as he could. He got within about a foot of the back of the D4D and finally started slowing down. Everything came to a stop and the tractors hadn't quite touched.

After that, Tom had to use his D4D to pull my Suburban out, since I left it stuck on the side of the hill the previous Thursday when I tried to drive where I shouldn't have.

Mike, Daron and I ran down to the freeway and stopped at Good Ol' Burgers for a cheeseburger, then came home.

Thanks for all your help Tom, Willie, Hamer, Mike and Daron and for letting us participate and play with your toys.

Pete.

Damn Pete, I did not know that you were going to write a book. I am surprised how softly the Holt 75 came down considering how far off the deck the wheel was just before it came over. The land leveler was sure a moderating force in regulating the break over center.

Hell, we were not that close with the 70. I am sure that it appeared that way to you as 15 + tons of rolling iron was bearing down on you. I am however sure glad that you decided to get your a-- in gear and move forward with the D4D. Now you know why I use about 50 feet of chain to pull off a dead tractor so the operator has plenty of reaction time to get the hell out of the way. The old Diesel 70 rolls pretty easily considerting it had been sitting for almost 50 years and had only been moved by crane until we gave it a little tug after the BSOT to get it out of Dan's field.

Thanks for all of your help and the help of all of the guys who donated countless hours and the use of their equipment to move stuff to and from the BSOT. I am hoping Willie can get the rest out of Dan's this week and back home so we can put that chapter to bed. Maybe then Willie can get a little rest and enjoy that nice ranch of his in NOrthern California with Jackie and all of the animals.

Hi Pete,

Thanks for the pics and story. Some of my most memerable Cat time happens when stuff doesn't go the way you thought or would have liked it to. It always is interresting how one can change plans in the middle of the excitement. Thanks to all the folks who do what you do.

firpitch

Well, once I start typing, its hard to shut up!

I still don't have the pictures working like I wanted. Someone on here, or on the AMCE knows how to post so that thumbnails appear, then when you click it opens a new window and you see the big picture.

Some day I'll figure it out.

It was pretty scary watching the Holt rare up the last picture is right at the moment before it broke over, and I was afraid something was going to break when it came down, but it really is quite gentle coming over. I guess that's what happens when you have a professional operator!

I can tell you that from the seat of the D4D it looked like I was already under the tracks of that Seventy. I'm sure glad things stopped where they did. It is amazing that it works as well as it did with all the salt air it spent its life in.

I know that Mike, Daron and I have enjoyed playing with all the equipment and are looking forward to the next adventure.

No problem posting the stories and pictures, firpitch. I usually end up writing so much that it takes me a while to get it done, but I'm glad people enjoy it. I will get the picture posting figured out yet.

Pete.

"Garlic wrote:

Well, once I start typing, its hard to shut up!

I still don't have the pictures working like I wanted. Someone on here, or on the AMCE knows how to post so that thumbnails appear, then when you click it opens a new window and you see the big picture.
.

The pictures took a while to load on dialup but they fit the story real good.

I am real spooky about loading because I rolled a D2 off a truck once. When I had my d8 moved I had the guy with the truck load it on his Cozad.
The deck was only about a foot off the ground but the old 8 rared way up as he backed it on. He was not too steady oon the clutch and he had it bouncing up and down there for a bit. I could see we should have stopped and dropped the blade and we could have eased it down. At least I got to get a good look at the rollers, they are lifetime and all look to be in good shape.

Great story,

Tom

Your comment Tom reminded me of a time that I was moving my 2U. I went to get a permit while the driver loaded the Cat. When I got back, the ground was all torn up beside the trailer which had a detachable gooseneck. He had slid it off several times. There was no flat ground and the ass end of the trailer was up hill. Also frost on deck. The trailer bed had a front section with an incline that was steeper than the bed where the gooseneck attaches. When the Cat would break over the angle, away it would go. So being a smart guy, I figured tha I could put the blade down while I backed up after the break over and then lift it when I got the tracks all touching the deck. Worked good until I lifted the blade and away I went down and over the side. Next time I hooked the drum line to the end of the trailer, used low reverse and because the drum and low gears are the same speed, put the Cat all the way on the trailer. Naturally the driver wanted me to move to one side or the other and when I went to move it took off again. Luckily, I was able to get to the drum brake before we were going too fast and stopped without tearing the trailer up. That which does not kill me, makes me stronger.

firpitch