Happy New Year

I know a picture is worth a thousand words but I sure would like to hear the rest of the story.

Hey PackRat,

What model Cat Dozer is stuck? Tell me about it. glen

[quote="7upuller"]Hey PackRat,

What model Cat Dozer is stuck? Tell me about it. glen[/quote]

Glen,

We'll see how he answers but my bet is it is a 14A.

By the way, when I used to build ponds, I'd do it in dry weather or pump out the water. I never had anything as big as an 8 which could wade and work at the same time. Roger's right, there's more to the story.

Jan

Yes, you are right, there's more than meets the eye. First, it's a 15a but I can't remember the s/n right now but it's a 1955 which was the first year of the torque converter. I love running the old girl. The afternoon before this deal I was digging another segment of my pond and there was no water to be seen. I came upon another boulder, about a 5'er, and I was going to pop it out and put it with the rest of them that I've been accumulating. I learned that under about 2' of topsoil and 2' of subsoil I hit a lot of gravel that gets kind of wet. Well, I had the boulder all loosened up and it was ready to pop her out. I got down in there and the gravel got wet quick and the track spun. I tried to back it out but it was too late, she laid right down on the belly pan and it was all over. It was starting to get dark by then so I said I'd deal with it tomorrow. What I didn't know was that it was going to rain 2" that night. By the next morning the first picture tells the story. With the engine underwater there was no starting it and trying tricks. Thank my lucky stars for my good farmer buddy, his big Deere's, a snatch block, and a long 1 1/8 cable. One tractor wouldn't budge it so we went and got another and that did the trick. So, from now on I'm going to use my drag line to do this phase. (1954 Link Belt K-365 with a D13000 Cat). Oh well, live and learn!
Packrat

I wanna see drag line photos too ..
Including the engine. ......

[quote="Andrew"]I wanna see drag line photos too ..
Including the engine. ......[/quote]

Me to. Look forward to pictures. Get stuck and end a drought. HMMMMMMMMMM, Think it will work other places.

Packrat - when was that picture taken and was it in Byron? Looks too warm for this time of year?

Hi, Packrat.
Interesting photos and story. Thanks for sharing.

Like Jan, I used to sink ponds or farm dams for a crust in another 'incarnation'. For what it's worth, if the means had been at hand at the time, I would have tried to get it out that same day. That gravel layer with the seepage just by itself would not have made the extraction any easier for being left overnight but then YOU hafta go and compound the issue by pretty much guaranteeing that it would rain heaps overnight 'cos you left the machine where THAT would hurt.

Another complicating factor is that those older D8s were all nose-heavy anyway. A D7 from the same era may well have walked out of there. I never could figure out why Cat made those D8s with so much overhang in front of the idlers - ONE roller more in the track frame is all it would have needed, like they did when they brought in the 7-roller track frame in the D8Hs.

Just my 0.02.

Deas, the 14A and 15A have 7 roller track frames. It seems like when you get that much weight down in the mud you will need a lot of additional horsepower with traction to get you out, and then the suction factor plays a part too. Packrat, I'm glad you saw the humor in that situation...probably not until you were safely out and without damage to the tractor. What type of air cleaner do you have on the 15A? It looks different than stock.