Caterpillar D8 with Vickers Onion cable scraper

[@A50S2D]

In the summer of 1970 I was working on a big farm in South Central Idaho and ran a "pre-war" D8 pulling a LeTourneau can scraper building beds for irrigation ditches. The D8 would lug down to the point of blowing smoke rings. Good to see one in action again.

[@ironman3406]

It’s always enjoyable seeing those perfect smoke rings coming out the stack - thanks for watching

[@rudycarlson8245]

@@ironman3406 what year is your D8?

[@ironman3406]

@@rudycarlson8245 1952

[@geneguenther4325]

That’s a pretty cool scraper!

[@ironman3406]

Thanks gene - not to many around this part of the world

[@geneguenther4325]

@@ironman3406 I can honestly say I’ve never seen either one of them but I’m not really in the construction equipment much either other than what you and Toby post

[@graderman140m]

Awesome video absolutely love watching old iron work love the sound that 8 makes also very cool to see the modern scrapers working there also thanks for sharing this with us.

[@ironman3406]

Hey pal!! I am glad you enjoyed watching this old beauty do what she was built for !!

[@johnc.wunscheljr2873]

I ran a 2u for years . brings back old times

[@ironman3406]

Thanks for watching John! I had a lot of fun that day

[@richardson8275]

Thanks for the video. Some really good content here. It's always enjoyable to go back in time and see how our countries infrastructure was built "back in the day"

[@ironman3406]

I appreciate you stopping by to watch the video and checking out the channel. I am glad you enjoyed it, thanks!

[@GosselinFarmsEdGosselin]

Does the same job as the new stuff, sometimes better!! Just don't have the convenience of power shift. Thanks for showing us how it works 👍😎

[@ironman3406]

Howdy Ed!! Power shifts and torque converters just waste power/energy - I’ll take a direct drive all day! Thanks for checking it out!!

[@GosselinFarmsEdGosselin]

@@ironman3406 agreed! Torque converter takes 20% off the top.. Power shifts are nice in hills!! Don't have to stop to shift.. but direct drive is always steady👍😎

[@ironman3406]

@@GosselinFarmsEdGosselin amen brother

[@grahammould8308]

Cut my teeth on those old girls years ago, it's good to see them still working GRAHAM MOULD SOUTH AUSTRALIA

[@annoyingbstard9407]

My dad spent a good few years repairing these in the sixties. They were used a lot in road building in Britain back then but the kingpins were prone to breaking off if they hit a bit of heavy clay.

[@ironman3406]

That does look like one of the week spots in the design for sure! Thanks for watching

[@terrycannon570]

Thanks for bringing us along

[@ironman3406]

Thanks for watching

[@HODGEPODGEDODGEGARAGE]

Great video Nathan! 😀👍 It's sooo cool to see that machine at work. That *CAT* is a beauty! 🔧

[@ironman3406]

Hey Zane thanks man!! It’s been about 3.5 years of work to get the pair all back to this condition, but let me say it was worry every cut and bruise that came with it. Not only did I have a blast but the joy I seen on my grandpas face while he was up on the platform doing what he did over 50 years ago when he started the business was pure awesome! Thanks for for always stopping by bud I appreciate it.

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

Totally agree! Nice equipment!

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

Always nice to see the old equipment put to work! Fairly new subscriber and have a bit of catch up work to do!

[@ironman3406]

Well thanks for subscribing i really appreciate that! Hope you’ll enjoy things in the future here. Thanks for watching

[@GosselinFarmsEdGosselin]

Fires up nicely 👍😎

[@mog5858]

great video thanks for sharing.

[@ironman3406]

Thanks good buddy!

[@dougkubash8673]

Great video!! You did a great job with camera placement! The D8 was sounding good, it was definitely getting a workout. The was some tough dirt!! The Wabco was doing a great job also. You probably couldn't get more 180 degrees apart with the slow turning Cat and the fast turning Detroit! haha

[@ironman3406]

Thanks for watching Doug - glad you enjoyed the video

[@ExploringCanadaInfo]

Great vid of the scraper and explanation of how it works!

[@ironman3406]

Thanks I’m glad you enjoyed it!!

[@meier259]

What returns the ejector back to its starting position​@@ironman3406

[@bigcal36]

Neat project, I would love to have a scraper myself. I have the D8 competitor from 52' and I am an Allis Chalmers crawler guy. One thing I have always heard is turn of the gas and let pony use it up. The down draft cabs can dilute the pony engine oil if left with gas in or on. Looks great!

[@ironman3406]

Thanks for watching! I know that too but have a hard time convincing gramps to shut the pony down that way. What model of Allis would be the competitor to a D8?

[@bigcal36]

@@ironman3406 HD20 just finished the overhaul on my channel. Hope to have some work videos up soon.

[@ronphillips1437]

Nice old equipment

[@michaelblickenstaff4459]

On the pool PAN, we used to take a dozer and pick the The back of the Pand on a hard Graham. To get it, start to cut and then if we get a good 😅

[@nickhill3362]

I owned the same grader in the UK that worked with a Fowler challenger 33 👍

[@davidbell7091]

looks more like a letourneau painted blue.. tractor sounds excellent.

[@ironman3406]

The do look similar but when you get up close and personal I assure you it’s no letourneau - thanks for watching

[@apatchofheavenfarm2814]

Nice equipment

[@ironman3406]

Thank you I appreciate that!

[@jefflewis6331]

I want to come play in your sand box!

[@mariotorres6287]

Love seeing how the dirt "boils" into a scraper's bowl. Very nice and well-done video. Question: although that pull pan is British, was it license-built for LeTourneau? Although I like motor scrapers of the two-axle overhang design or three-axle design, there's just something interesting about a crawler tractor/pull pan combo. Thanks for posting this fine video.

[@ironman3406]

Thanks for watching glad your enjoyed - there is no relation to LeTourneau other than they look similar. When you get close to them they are quite different.

[@jamesdiehl8690]

Why would anyone want to scrape onions with that? 😆 🤣 😂

[@ironman3406]

Haha thanks for watching lol

[@shadovanish7435]

Great video of the old scraper & Caterpillar D-8 in operation! I would like to study the cable mechanism that moves the ejector plate forward as the bowl apron is raised; I imagine the cable mechanism arrangement is a very clever design. On another KZbin video with an old cable operated scraper, the scraper operator(?) explained that the ejector plate is withdrawn back to the rear of the bowl by spring tension. Is that how the ejector is withdrawn on your scraper?

[@ironman3406]

Hello there - thanks for watching and for the great comment. When the apron hits the full open spot, the same cable spool then pulls the ejector ahead, and then when the cable is relaxed in the other direction 4 large springs pull the ejector back then once it’s back the apron can come back down. I hope that makes sense? Hard to explain without visuals.

[@shadovanish7435]

@@ironman3406 Thanks! Yes, it would be interesting & helpful to see a maintenance manual diagram of the cable arrangement, & view the cable arrangement on the scraper bowl, both while the scraper is not in operation, & while it is in operation. I imagine the cable arrangement uses pulleys to increase mechanical advantage to pull the ejector plate to the front of the bowl, against the force of the springs that pull the ejector plate to the rear of the bowl. The cable arrangement must be clever that allows the apron to raise before pulling the ejector plate forward.

[@djhilman9767]

The 2U I operated had the steering clutch levers coming up through the floor boards like a 14A. Did Cat build different versions of the 2U?

[@ironman3406]

This was an upgrade kit that you could put on to give the steering clutches a hydraulic assist - rather than having to pull the old levers all day

[@LarsDcCase]

Wow. No electric starter motor for the pup motor. Wonder how difficult that pup motor is to start that way in the winter.

[@ironman3406]

Hi thanks for watching - most of the early gas starting engines didn’t have electric start, that was an option added many years later. And as long as you run a oil viscosity in the starting engine that is suitable for cold weather, your making good spark, and you have a carb in good condition it usually fires on the second crank. On really cold days to get the diesel heated up enough to fire up you can burn through a couple tanks of gasoline. Gas starting engines should never have gone away, they precondition the diesel perfectly before ever adding fuel.

[@jeffsnider3588]

Good looking equipment, did this D8 have an oil clutch? So the ejector cannot be powered back, it is pushed back by the dirt?

[@ironman3406]

Hi Jeff thanks for watching. No this D8 is still old enough to have a dry clutch. The ejectors on these cable rigs never had a “power” return for the ejector, there’s a large set of springs that pull it back when the cable is slacked. Our springs are just getting weak so it only goes so far back and we need to use dirt to get it the rest of the way back. Hope that makes sense and answers your questions.

[@rossgray3070]

@@ironman3406 I have pulled 6/8 and 8/11 yd Onions scrapers behind IH TD 15 B & C for many years in NZ and yep the ejector return springs get tired and don't return it properly. Tis a good way to move dirt in the right conditions. Also spent time on TD 25 B and Cat 80 and 463 G, good times, still operating full-time at 72yrs, a lot different now, power shift, diffsteer and GPS with auto blade control on a D 7R2, its magic.

[@oldamericaniron5767]

Very nice video. Did Vickers Onion build them under license from LeTourneau as it looks very similar to a LeTourneau. I’m in the process of getting my LeTourneau scraper functional, it will be my first attempt at operating a cable scraper. I’ll say it again, great video, you have some good shots of the rolling action. 👍

[@ironman3406]

Thanks for viewing! No Vickers was their own company, they look similar to a LeTourneau but they are very different. This was my first crack at running a cable scraper, I hope you have fun getting yours in the dirt for the first time!!

[@lukestrasser]

I sure appreciate you getting some footage of the WABCO with the 4-71 Jimmy! The D8 was ok too. Did Rick ever send you my number?

[@ironman3406]

Yah that 471 sounds great!! Thanks for watching man - no he never did

[@grahamstretch6863]

What happened to grandpa’s sun shade at about 6 minutes! Haha, I just noticed it comes and goes! 😂😂

[@ironman3406]

I got clips mixed up is all between when he had it down and when he had it up.

[@azizchkour6106]

👍👍👍

[@ramamohanaraogoddanti2092]

Toed Scraper.Attached to D814A Dozer.

[@ironman3406]

A towed scraper yes but hitched to a 2U D8 not a 14A

[@tyfrank3427]

Were you at the Wetaskiwin show in 2005? Those D-13000s run nice,. My dad has a power unit he used on his sawmill. I know someone who had an onion scraper he pulled with a D7E. An 80 scraper would be quite a load for a 2U. Are those scrapers easy to upset? They remind me a bit of a LeTourneau. I've only ran Cat cable scrapers. You have to watch you don't bottom out or you break a cable... They're easy to run but it takes practice. That scraper seems to be hard to load. As engineering improved, the scrapers got easier to load. A Cat 463 scraper is easier to load than an 80. The 2U and scraper sill does it. How many D8Ts and 627Hs will be running when they are 70 years old?

[@ironman3406]

Thanks for watching Ty - I was at the show in 2005 yes. The Vickers are very similar to a letourneau from a far but up close they are very different. It was really hard packed clay so she was hard loading. Thanks again for watching

[@tyfrank3427]

@@ironman3406 I was there too. I ran the D8H and 80 scraper... last day the front axle broke on the scraper... grrr.

[@ironman3406]

@@tyfrank3427 I remember seeing that ouch!

[@tyfrank3427]

@@ironman3406 We don't own that Cat nor that scraper anymore... We sold them both. We do have other D-8s and scrapers however. I still run cable scrapers.

[@tyfrank3427]

@@ironman3406 Yes that dry, hard clay can be hard to load for sure. I thought with the stinger it would help a bit, although I never run drop centres. That 80 we had in Wetaskiwin was harder to load.

[@4051a]

Did you find the blue paint on the scraper when you restored it? Looks like you had a lot of fun. Stay safe

[@ironman3406]

Hey pal yes we did find blue paint when we started working on it. Someone had painted it yellow, but after doing some research we found that they were blue originally so we went with the blue when we painted it. Thanks for watching

[@4051a]

@@ironman3406 Thanks for the reply Nathan

[@ColtonLloyd]

Is she a diesel?

[@ironman3406]

Yes sir a D13000 Caterpillar diesel.

[@richardporter4281]

any one heard of a Birkley Dozer blade