UK preservation question

Gudday and Welcome dunno about D 9 G's or H in the UK but I wouldnt think there would be to many in preservation anywhere as these bigger machines are a lot harder to work on shift store ect

Paul

S E Davis , Russell Saywell ,Carl Boston ,to name a few 😖mile:

http://www.thelinkcaterpillarclub.co.uk/events.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhAhcmOL_lU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOIbkAoEO3s

http://www.sedavis.co.uk/gallery/?level=album&id=10

Must admit I did know of Terry Barnsley's one as I went to the muck shifting event in Leics last weekend and it got me thinking on how many were about? There are at least three for sale in the uk at present which is quite a lot relatively speaking. Having come from a rail preservation background I'm more than fully aware of what's reasonably possible....Hmmm!!

Hello , the D9 looks good ,bruce
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYyMdhJhk6E

[quote="bruce oz"]Hello , the D9 looks good ,bruce
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYyMdhJhk6E[/quote]

It certainly is a beautifully presented and restored machine, like all of the Cat's were on that event and a credit to the owners within the Caterpillar Link club.

A few years back I tried to consolidate what I had experienced through heavy locomotive preservation in the uk (English Electric motive power) and attempt to get a few heavy Cat enthusiasts together and buy a D9 within a consortium /group of about 4-5 people who share costs and responsibilities equally. I never got any interest, but the desire of ownership never goes away - rekindled further when you see them up close and personal.

Part ownership of course brings it's own politics and problems (), but can equally work in the right scenario. It happens in Aviation, Marine and Rail preservation, so why not Caterpillar / heavier plant is the question I've always posed....??? These things weigh less than half of what a Class 37 does, yet when like minds come together it's surprising what's possible..

I sometimes wonder why transport is often cited as a problem to owning a larger machine when transport can be just as much a problem for a small one eg., a D2 - unless of course you have your own truck/float arrangement and even then, the cost of purchasing and owning a small truck capable of transporting a D2 is quite significant.

I have a D2 and a D7 and have paid a carrier to transport each and over distance and the difference in dollars per mile was not that much. In the case of the D2 the tranporter basically charged me for a full load anyway (opportunity cost of @ 9 tons) and the d7 was @ 15 tons on a float that was rated at 25 tons or thereabouts. The D7 (and presumably a D9) require a flag marshall to warn on-coming traffic albeit we could have done away with that for the 7 if the blade was taken off or the machine was better loaded in the first palce to reduce the hazard to on-coming traffic - something the transporter got nervous about after a few close calls with idiot on-coming drivers😊

D9 owners here in Tassie (and there were very many D9s in this State at one time) originally carried the blade separately due to weight and transport restrictions (bridge loads etc) which was PIA but in recent times and with improvements to roads and bridge capacity and truck/float design etc, they carry the whole machine usually with a flag marshall in front.

I would not hesitate to buy a D9 for restoration provided if I could find one at a reasonable price and not totally trashed - as they usually are here😞

D9 tractors in the U.K. are still about with 1 owner having around the 60+ D9G/H units,I can think of around 14 other D9G/H's that are best described as "Snoozing" but still capable of getting a good days work from, within the U.K. moving something like a D9 is a very simple task even with the blade still on the front, its now possible to transport 2 D9's on 1 trailer as 1 load from point A to point B in 1 hit, so this might come in handy for the more robust CAT Fan, I also had a great time at the working event even managing to get mounted up on Paul Badgers D8H push loading anything that came near me, sadly I did not get the offer of the D9G + Box seat as I can Tab on some mounted up on these chariots, lets hope it all happens again next year.

tctractors

[quote="tctractors"]D9 tractors in the U.K. are still about with 1 owner having around the 60+ D9G/H units,I can think of around 14 other D9G/H's that are best described as "Snoozing" but still capable of getting a good days work from, within the U.K. moving something like a D9 is a very simple task even with the blade still on the front, its now possible to transport 2 D9's on 1 trailer as 1 load from point A to point B in 1 hit, so this might come in handy for the more robust CAT Fan, I also had a great time at the working event even managing to get mounted up on Paul Badgers D8H push loading anything that came near me, sadly I did not get the offer of the D9G + Box seat as I can Tab on some mounted up on these chariots, lets hope it all happens again next year.

tctractors[/quote]

Hi tctractors - yes it was an excellent event and as I only reside 3 miles away I was staggered at how lucky I was to have it right on my doorstep.

The D9 thing with me is just a pipe dream, but a few years back I tried to get a few people together and buy one. Oh well perhaps one day!?! For now, a friend and I are about to start restoring a 1966 Track Marshall 55 we bought for just 400 quid. Whilst obviously inferior to Cat's it's something to get our teeth into meantime.

Cheers,

Stuart. ☺

Ps: when you said 60+ D9 units above I assume you meant serial numbers and not actual physical units??

Stuart, my postings do sometimes take some understanding (I am told?) but 60 + D9G/H tractors means he has more than 60 (Sixty) he also has something like 200 D8H/K tractors, its sometimes a shock to find out what kit is around and who owns it, some years ago I was re stringing some 463 Scraper Box's with a man that looked like a Tramp, it turned out he was the Boss of the out fit and worth a mint, so I have tried to look like a Tramp ever since but the money thing is proving tricky.

tctractors

p.s. if you get stuck for owt' on the TM ask me as there is loads of knackers around my patch.