Save or Scrap? CAT Towmotor sitting for years. Will it Run??

[@drunkdunc8738]

The Towmotor co est 1919 were the inventors of forklifts, their early models didn’t have forks and would just tow carts from place to place 👍🍻

[@ksw501]

That’s interesting. I’ve worked in the LTL freight industry and have heard fork trucks referred to as tow motors by people who’ve got many years under their belts.

[@divadyrdnal]

Ha, always heard the term “Towmotor” for “forklift”, now it makes sense! Thanks

[@fourhillsfarm]

Beat me to it. Cat bought that company and of course the rights to the name.

[@grahammctygue724]

Distributor may be turning under load ,harmonics off be blessed Matt

[@ColtonBlumhagen]

Pretty sure Clark was the first.

[@tardis454]

Don't give up on the Towmotor just yet Matt. At work we have a mid 70's 15,000lb capacity Towmotor with a Continental flat 6 that had a similar lost spark issue. Our company purchased the machine from a salvage yard where it lived outdoors exposed to the elements for many years. It took some digging, but my friend (who's name is also Matt) found the problem. There are bakelight/plastic pieces that isolate the points assembly/parts from the breaker plate and distributor body. The bakelight/plastic pieces had disintegrated and were causing the engine to randomly lose spark. My friend found some non-conductive material at our shop and made new isolators for the distributor. That solved the problem and the Towmotor has run fine ever since. The distributor in that machine was rusty like the one on your machine due to being stored outside for a long time. My friend thinks that's what caused the isolator pieces to become brittle and fail. It's worth checking out.. Distributor refurb kits are still available as are new/used distributor assemblies. Those old Towmotors are great machines once they're sorted. #DieselCreek

[@kirdot2011]

I think by the time he reads your comment it will already be a scrap metal...also...that doesnt solve the oil leaking problem

[@davidnull5590]

Gold star mark. You gave the solution to the ignition mystery problem, good work.

[@leaderz0rz]

even if he fixes the spark problem, its still dumping oil like niagara falls.

[@vaderdudenator1]

It’s also still a clutch machine

[@1978garfield]

I get it isn't worth it for him. I hope he makes an attempt to sell it before scrapping it. After all if everyone scrapped everything that was "worth more as scrap" this channel would have a lot less videos. I fully understand it isn't worth Matt's time to fix this. How ever there may be some one else who has the time and is willing to do the engine rebuild. Even if he swaps the mast and forks from the AC. It is a Cat and there are a lot of Cat collectors out there. I fear it has already been cut up but I would love for Matt to offer it for scrap +25% and find a taker. Hey, a can dream can't he?

[@TonyLing]

11:40 I had a battery once on my 1958 Landrover. It was flat, so I jump started it. The entire top part of the battery blew off. Blinded, I ran inside and rinsed the sulphuric/sulfuric acid from my face. In the morning, I found bits of the top of the battery within a 10 metre radius. How it never struck my eyes is a miracle.

[@sjgerber]

@Diesel Creek - Towmotor was a fairly popular brand back in the day. The company was founded in Euclid, Ohio in 1919, during the early days of forklifts, right when Hyster and Yale were getting started too. The company operated until 1965, when it became a wholly-owned subsidiary of another forklift manufacturer (Caterpillar Tractor), and production ceased sometime in the 1980s. Why share these pictures? Well, Towmotor is an interesting part of our industry history. See, the Towmotor marketing people were pretty savvy. They promoted their forklift as a "one man gang" capable of doing the work of 30 men (aka a gang) using hand trucks. That idea, of a one man gang really seemed to light up the imagination of forklift owners and operators. Soon people were referring to ALL forklifts as “towmotors” regardless of the brand. This was pretty great for Towmotor, but less so for all the other brands. It’s a classic example of a genericized trademark.

[@DieselCreek]

Thanks for the info!

[@seanspring8991]

I can still see the old Caterpillar Towmotor plant on Tyler Blvd. in Mentor, Ohio :)

[@nsbhagwat]

Like using the name xerox for photocopy process.

[@TheStevedie]

Ive always wondered why guys call them towmotors! I'm like its a forklift not a towmotor...the hell is a towmotor? Now that makes sense.

[@wayneblack7265]

I have always referred to forklifts as towmotors.when I worked for an industrial service we were contracted to a aluminum foundry. The main use of our forklift was towing trailers with big diesel welders on them. I would take them all over to where they were going to be needs. We had 4 welders and I also done the upkeep on all of the equipment.( Welders, forklift, man lifts and telehandler.

[@jimburgess9205]

That starter is a real trooper.

[@jimmycricket5366]

Guaranteed if it was the summer that starter would've been smokin'... And not in a good way!

[@masterbates7016]

It was in my prayers

[@alanprather8399]

I'm suprised it didn't let the magic smoke out. ok it did let magic smoke out.

[@garysprandel1817]

Starter needs to be pulled before scrapping and given a place of honor somewhere in the shop for service above and beyond.

[@Theweldingmillennial]

When your engine has no compression, your starters not working very hard 😂

[@leviwhite9]

"Got a screwdriver..., woop yeah things are angry down here...., the lights really did dim, heh heh heh!" That gave me a hearty chuckle as well, especially since you called it beforehand.

[@andrewmain3572]

You should know by now, if a forklift (or in this case a Towmotor) is not leaking, there's nothing left to leak!

[@whitesapphire5865]

If there ain't no oil under the engine, it's because there ain't no oil in the engine?!

[@mudbunny6388]

Just like old Harleys, if it ain't leaking, it's out of oil.

[@johnosborn2704]

One last thing you might do is check your muffler for being plugged

[@mountainjeff]

@@mudbunny6388 And British cars, of lore.

[@colestowing8695]

@@johnosborn2704 I thought the same. Could be packed full of rodent condos-that would maybe explain the blow-by too (backpressure)... And then if clearing it helped with backpressure it could even theoretically help with the oil leak

[@Speedycat]

The sound of your Armytruck in the intro is so cool, i had to rewind to watch the intro again

[@RobertBelt-x6d]

Drove a lot a Army miles in an old Duce like that one. The horn has a sound of it's own plus love the Turbo sound too.

[@collinlindsey3471]

That started single handily carried this entire video. These are always great to watch cause I like looking at old machines run

[@sagewolf8528]

Semi supervillains logo on the door was a nice touch

[@jas-FPV]

You show some video editing skillz 🤣 Nice 👍🏻 The semi supervillains on the garage door

[@gerry-p9x]

Epic graphic on door fix ND SELL SWap down the road

[@roush1026]

Some of my favorite episodes are when you work to get an old motor started again. I love the step-by-step diagnostic process.

[@mattnickeson9049]

Much respect for calling attention to you doing something dangerous. Which of us hasn’t been in a hurry and done something stupid only to realize it afterward? It takes a lot of integrity and humility to own and highlight it for others.

[@TjC2102]

Was thinking the same thing. Well done Matt. My grandpa always said it takes a man to admit when he's wrong. It still does.

[@nigelgrant9693]

Well done matt

[@dougyaroch3380]

Very good

[@Revilo0o]

Love the Semi-Supervillains ad placement!

[@dieseldoctor2221]

Matt you are a true mechanic and not just a parts changer i like the way you figured out what the problem was with that starter an repaired it TRUE MECHANIC!!!

[@MichaelBridges-ks2hu]

Coil and condser is. Bad

[@MichaelBridges-ks2hu]

That starter is. All start

[@mm9773]

Watching these videos is like checking in with a friend who is into stuff you know nothing about. Just interesting and positive.

[@hilham89]

Nothing like starting the day with breakfast and a diesel creek video.

[@tbddevelops]

My Dad worked in a pallet factory that was just across the road from our house when I was small child in the 80s. 6 year old me, would love to go and stand by the fence and watch my Dad drive around in one of these things moving large stacks of pallets. It wasn't until I was in my late teens that I knew that these were called Fork Lifts. I had always called them Stacker Trucks. Just hearing the sound of this running brings back some fond memories.

[@scottyb2727]

It's amazing how serviceable the older equipment is the newest stuff not so much

[@prinzeugenvansovoyen732]

You should get that roof cage for the small wheel loader and as much steel as you can get from the lift stages, you can use that Also you can yank the side shift cylinder and the hydraulic valve Battery obviously, maybe keep the counterweight for a tractor weight and the cooler grill as Yard ornament, a cast that says Caterpillar is neat

[@budlvr]

I'd check the rim dimensions and see if you could transfer those pneumatic tires over to Allis (with maybe a little wheel opening trimming. Other than that, good decision Matt!

[@MattOGormanSmith]

That'd probably screw the 5000lb load limit.

[@tarstakars]

I was a maintenance repairman at a metal Refinery for a very long time starting in the early 70s and we had about two dozen Tow Motor brand forklifts some dating back to the 1940s all powered by little Continental 4 cylinders. I'll tell you what, they were virtually indestructible.

[@MrNobodyAkaCraft]

Back when Made in America meant it was quality! Good old days!!!

[@steveskouson9620]

Those old Continental engines are pretty damn good. Doesn't Matt's Deuce (and a half) have a Continental? steve

[@royhedrick8099]

An air filter would help starting by causing more vaccum to suck the propane in. Similar to a choke on a gas engine

[@masterbates7016]

Definitely. Smaller the engine the fussier they are with air and fuel. I had a Honda spree scooter and without air filter it wouldn't run.

[@Balderoni_]

There was some comments here about not to give up on this one and not to scrap it.. But for real this forklift has so many issues as you said and maybe the worst problems you havent found yet so I do agree on scrapping this. It just doesnt seem to be worth the time and money to get it fixed & that clutch aint really a smooth one to use. Thanks for the awesome video and take care Matt ❤🇫🇮

[@Dave5843-d9m]

I used a diesel powered Lancer Boss forklift in the mid 1970s. It had large pneumatic tyres, two gears (one forward and one reverse) connected by a torque converter. The only fault was its open battery that self discharged if left wet after use in the rain.

[@jacobspence5288]

Matt’s dance whenever something fires up for the first time cracks me up ever single time. Keep up the awesome content man! 👍🏻

[@DieselCreek]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@mikechmarnakis2103]

@@DieselCreek Not dance Matt only happiness LOL

[@franksupholsteryshop]

My nextdoor neighbors are both retired from Towmotor. They have one and use it as their mail box. He made a mini pallet on the forks and perched on it is the mail box. Pretty cute and a big middle finger to the P.O.A.

[@jblob5764]

Absolutely love that

[@oddwad6290]

As a self trained street mechanic , I picked up about 10 old forklifts over the years . The small towmotors(precat) had many issues , but usually the same . Blown head gaskets between 2 cylinders , Worn steering joints , but joints could be adjusted for wear ( remove counterwieght for ease of access ) and very worn reverse/forward gears barely catching . Still I loved my small Towmotor lifts . They would start everytime and were extremely maneuverable in very cramped places . I had a 391 and a "LT35" plus other makes .They were very handy in a metal shop and tons of fun . Best tool ever . Enjoy your videos they bring back many fond and not so fond memories .

[@johnstinnett1571]

I just picked up a V30B yesterday. It will be a project.

[@Bigdaddyslasher]

The reason I enjoy your channel is you remind me of my uncle, who was heavy diesel mechanic RIP R.G.. He would buy equipment at auctions typically not running and from people who had them for decades refurbished them and sold them. People would say he turned junk into gold.

[@alanpecherer5705]

Turning junk (some would say s**t) into gold is an absolute classic and very honest way to add value = make money. I had a fabulous business doing just that with specialized computer terminals in the 80's and 90's. Nowadays there seems to be very, very few opportunities to do that, with the exception of houses and older cars. And the older cars are usually over the top Hollywood or exaggerated eg; somebody puts 1200 hours into a 1961 Ford Fairlane rustbucket wreck and they sell it for $56,000. Right, happens every day. What I'm saying is, you don't see too many people using 25++ year old anything these days.

[@Bigdaddyslasher]

@alanpecherer5705 I watched him turn junk into cash until the day he died. He had the knowledge and skills with tools to do it. He built custom bolt action rifles in his machine shop because his hobby was long-range competition shooting. He didn't have a son but a daughter, and she wanted nothing to do with his business. When he died, she got it all and sold it all the same week. She only loved the money amd still does.

[@barrytipton1179]

Bet you miss him

[@Bigdaddyslasher]

@barrytipton1179 Every day, he was my buddy, and I learned a lot from him, and we hunted together for years. He was my mom's baby brother at 6" 11" tall LOL

[@Farm_fab]

For those that might be wondering, the fuel gauge was designed for a gasoline engine, and the forklift was converted to propane, so the gas tank is completely empty for safety reasons.

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

Saw the gauge and fuel cap on the side. Probably an early conversation before duel fuel carbs?

[@toddavis8603]

Today's LOADING DOCKS are 90% no smoking areas, so fuels won't ignite as readily as say----1970's.

[@safcforme]

Watch our US friends head explode when an engine runs on GAS lol

[@codyselcamino]

I work for a forklift repair shop, I get a call once a month or so from customers that say their fuel gauge doesn't work, I have to explain this every time

[@billtefft4315]

. The name "Tow Motor" comes from the Towmotor Corporation, which was founded back in 1919. The original Towmotor machine did not have forks on the front. Rather, it was an industrial tractor that was made to push and pull carts from one point in a warehouse to another.

[@michaelmckay9827]

Matt these videos are getting better with each one I don’t know what I would do without your channel. Amazing!

[@oddvardmyrnes9040]

Seeing Matt's happy face through the smoke bring a smile to my face. A wise man said; happiness is enjoying the simple things in life. 🙃

[@briancasey4917]

I was a machinery hauler for 38 years. There was a machinery mover/rigger in cleveland that would load/unload from time to time that had Townotor lift trucks from the 1930S/1940s that solid built they would repair rebuild as needed. These guys were old school they would drive these townotors on and off their straight trucks on blocked wood planks. They were one of the best riggers I ever worked with.

[@PatsPurposefulPutzing]

Was it Norris Brothers?

[@marktye322]

@@PatsPurposefulPutzing bet it was…

[@loreneeverette1624]

​@@PatsPurposefulPutzinglol lol km km

[@Swirlybum]

Old trick with those delco solenoids is to slacken the top contact nut. push the stud in. rotate 180 degrees and retighten and you get fresh contact for the solenoid to contact with.

[@Dinggo0]

I love these long videos reviving the dead even if it's just to give them their last breath. It is interesting to see these machines, fun to see you complain about them and educational to learn the procedures to follow when finding yourself in those dead ends that can blow the fuses of more than one... and in the end, it was just a weak switch making ground contact. It's good to see it reach a successful end (the start-up) even if it's not the best of results, but not to see how the towel is thrown in... so I hope to continue watching many of these videos in the future! greetings from Argentina!!

[@inasnap7133]

On November 10, 1965, Towmotor officially became a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Tractor Company of Peoria, Illinois.

[@danh2134]

I think they closed up shop in Peoria and now in Texas

[@hydro2wheel]

This brought back many fond memories of the first forklift I ever operated, a 1950's Towmotor. The shop's chosen forklift mechanic knew of it's history before the shop owned it. It began life in the high rise construction industry. Back then it was raised floor by floor with a crane to move construction material around as the high rise buildings were constructed.

[@ez1913]

She probably needs a new pressure regulator for proper LPG carburation. Makes them tough to start. Nice find, Matt. Good for parts. Thanks for sharing.😉

[@Easterndmondbk]

TOWMOTOR CORPORATION was founded in 1919 and introduced the first forklift industrial truck in 1933. On November 10, 1965, Towmotor officially became a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Tractor Company of Peoria, Illinois

[@jasonwolfanger4181]

Also the first machine with that name was a forkless unit designed to push and pull carts in industrial settings.

[@blue68chevelle]

O’Reillys used to sell a universal drop in four-cylinder electronic ignition upgrade to replace the points on forklifts. You might check on that. I’ve worked on a few forklifts over the years and I can tell you one thing. Even with a good running engine, if the starter is hung in to the fly wheel ring gear, it takes a tremendous amount of current to turn over that engine. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen people try to start a forklift that the battery was low on. they crank the engine over just slightly, and then the starter hangs in. even with a jump pack and a charged battery they won’t crank over. There was a couple in particular that I worked on all the time and the guys never could figure out how I could get them started after they had tried multiple times. The trick was really simple. I reached in and turned the fan blade which turned the engine over until I heard that tale tell click of the starter disengaging. Then I would hop on and fire it right up. That starter needs to get the momentum going before it engages the teeth on the fly wheel in order to have the torque needed to crank even a freshly ran engine. Another thing about the propane forklifts is your usually running a two stage regulator for the propane. The first stage takes liquid propane out of the tank at high pressure and evaporates it into a gas. The second stage of the regulator takes the pressure down even more to feed into the carburetor. To prevent the first high-pressure stage from freezing up as the liquid propane evaporates into a gas the engine coolant is pumped through the body of it. So, if your antifreeze/coolant is low or not circulating properly the high pressure regulator will freeze up starving the engine for fuel. There was one that was basically worn out, but it was at a small business where I knew the guys, they had already spent a bunch of money with a forklift repair technician who replaced all kinds of stuff, then wanted to do a head job on it, etc. so they called me and asked if I could take a look at it. Like yours in the video it would barely run had no power didn’t wanna stay running. What I finally decided was somehow, the timing had changed just enough that it was firing too late on all the cylinders. So I simply moved the spark plug wires, reverse rotation of the distributor, one tower on the cap. It fired up, and then I was able to adjust the timing using the distributor adjustment. they were ecstatic. When they offered to pay me I told them don’t worry about it. Just remember that next time I need something done. They used that old machine for probably another year before it started having other issues.

[@jackbraithwaite8345]

Good episode Matt. I think you are making a good decision to send it down the road, maybe parting it out to friends, reference the engine to your "Continental" friend. But you might want to think twice about the starter. That thing hung in there like a Champ. Maybe it will work in another application, ya never know 😅. Looking forward to your next adventure. 👍🇺🇲💪

[@ypop417]

Matt The booms may switch from one to the other. Also you may be able to swap the tires and rims giving you pumatic tyers for driving outside.

[@jstar1000]

I was about to post that about the tires and wheels myself.

[@wrangler6977]

Same here I am glad that I read this before commenting, however the Cat was rated for 2200 lbs and the Allis Chalmers for 5000 lbs. You will have to be sure that you can keep the original 5000 LB rated hydraulic cylinders and that the Cat carriage can handled that load. Also I would suggest that you invest in a Depstech bore scope, you will be able to pull the spark plugs and see what kind of shape the cylinders and valves are in, along w/ many other helpful uses. I love mine, helps me see what is going on before I get started.

[@ypop417]

@@wrangler6977 I believed the ratings decrease is due to the addition of the side shift and or height increase. Both have impact on the capacity.

[@rdeanbenson2214]

Always prudent to pull spark plugs and put a couple tbl spoons of Upper Cyl Lube (Marvels) in, before trying to rotate!

[@michaelpage7691]

My mate stuck a 4 cylinder Toyota motor in his which he runs on gas. Magnificent little forklift. 🇦🇺😁👍🏻

[@tbirdracefan]

We once had a Towmotor branded forklift at a company I worked at in the 80's. It was an old one and had a learning curve but was amazingly reliable.

[@brunokhelloul4277]

One of your best ones for a while mate, so satisfying when they start😊

[@DieselCreek]

Glad you think so!

[@richardaustinaustin1890]

I would actually be disappointed if Matt didn’t use the impact on the spark plugs 😂. Thanks man 👍

[@msmith2016]

But wait, there's more! The oil plug too! Surprised he didn't try to adjust the carb with it.

[@realemonful]

I was just glad that his bragging laughs did not get him anywhere this time lol 👍

[@hmallett]

What's the correct torque setting for those spark plugs? Matt: "Yes".

[@msmith2016]

@@hmallett Obviously the goal is to hold the spark plug still and find an impact driver big enough to rotate the engine under it.

[@oliverwilson6162]

Awww, such a cute beginning! Momma CAT picks up it's kitten by the scruff of the neck

[@johnfrench428]

The original Towmotor had no forks, but was used to tow things around the plant etc.

[@MapleHillMunitions]

I was 15 and taking automotive classes at the local trade school. We had a CAT forklift that had the exact same issues. Compression, spark, timing, fuel, firing order, etc was always good. Never did get that engine out to see if it had jumped time internally. I need to check in on it 😂

[@DividedWeFall1000]

Thats what I was thinking...

[@Stevestractoradventures]

As you say can't win them all. Was curious how the power was comeing along. Hopefully by now all hooked up and good to go

[@PaganWizard]

I don't think I can recall the last time you threw the white towel into the ring, but you definitely gave it far more attention that it probably deserved. I'm sure that the outcome of this revival was not at all what you were hoping for, but this was still a great video.

[@MikeT-TheRetiredColonel]

Agreed, I can't as well, but, even with these occasions, you can still see Matt's skill shine - hell, he got it running after all, right? :) Matt, imho, scrap it

[@paulsilva3346]

1:10:46 I disagree something is not working and you need to find it. I think you should dig this forklift back into the shop and see what the reader replies have said😮

[@KE4GBW]

Thanks Matt for mentioning the power company being there. I was wondering where you were at on that. Hope you get your heat and stuff going soon.

[@davidhainline6357]

Have you considered installing an Eye Wash station in your shop? Could save someone’s eyesight one day.

[@danielparsons3995]

Why isn't he at 1m subs yet!?!?! All y'all need to let everyone you know about diesel creek and have their friends recommend him also let's get him to that 1M mark!❤

[@ecclesmilligan8712]

As you are planning on using the forks off the Cat for the Allis Chalmers could you move the whole side shift frame over to it to give the Allis Chalmers a side shift?

[@msgtdan60]

I was wondering the same thing and if the hydraulic pump could be moved as well since it seems to move a higher volume. Though the faster lift speed could be due to smaller cylinders for the lower lift capacity. But something that might be worth looking into, might not be worth the effort.

[@joelwatson3045]

Checking compression early on in an unknown engine like this is a good idea.

[@LarryYaw]

That would not make as interesting a video, lol.

[@darkwaterliquor]

Years ago when I worked on VW Diesels (pre 2,000), I would put Slick -50 into the cylinders after I jacked up the car to make the cylinders plumb. I would let the car sit over night, put the injectors back in, start the engine and let it get hot. Teflon in the Slick-50 would help seal the rings for a while to get College students through to graduation.

[@ni_wink84]

These videos are reminding me of the old garage days!! I love it

[@tomdale1313]

Matt, you have great skills and you regularly put them to use with outstanding results, might add your camera work is exceptional and deserves comment...thxs for doing what you do

[@irchrisb]

Towmotor still has a lasting legacy at Cat. Before TM, Cat part numbers were the 1A-0001 format, or type A. TM brought the 123-4567, or type T, format.

[@davidwelling9471]

Used to be able to rotate the contacts 180 degrees in the solenoid and it worked fine.

[@justinhcase830]

Look at the pump on the cat and the stuff on the mass. Looked to be a really good pump to us for parts and you may be able to us and set up the side shift on the other 1

[@Benandkateoffgrid]

I would have a hard time admitting defeat without learning for next time what is causing it to lose spark, seems the machine may be at the end of its rope but I'd want to figure that out. The switch could easily be failed to the point of acting as a resistor and heating up to a fail point, I've only seen it once and been laughed at for suggesting it in the past but that one time $6 saves a machine😊 as far as the oil leaking, i would let it run a bit with the new oil, not sure how the Continentals do it but i have a clapped out one thing starts dumping oil out of every seal in the engine shortly before i think an oil change is due every time and it self heals about half an hour of run time after the oil change (even with all the externals resealed). It's bizarre but not a big deal once you figure it out. Having driven forklift for several years, the transmission seems like a deal breaker more than Anything else.

[@fat_biker]

So, there's the forks, & maybe the side shift kit would be a fun upgrade? But also, there appear to be some panel meters that could replace the broken gauges on the old forklift? Also, I doubt it would be remotely possible, but it might be interesting to investigate doing a hub/wheel transplant :-)

[@mrfrenzy.]

All are good ideas except the wheels since they have lower capacity and would break under load. Usually the rims go before the tire.

[@jodydoakes8754]

I worked in a couple of factories many years ago. All forklifts, forktrucks were called Towmotors, regardless of brand. Some of them were actually Towmotor brand.

[@alcopower5710]

Like many people call a reciprocating saw a Sawzal (Milwaukee) regardless of manufacturer. 😂

[@MrNobodyAkaCraft]

And there was Kleenex in the office.... LOL 🤣

[@xmbobcat01x]

Cat is definitely worth keeping over the allis chalmers. Many forklifts from that era are manual, very easy to run and excellent for offroad fork lifts since it can help you get unstuck, when you do. Plus its got side shift.

[@michaelpowers5143]

Matt, I found this information: many companies built variations, Towmotor's "one man gangs" were so popular that all industrial forklift trucks were generally referred to as "towmotors." Since they were considered essential cost-saving equipment, one Towmotor performed the work of thirty men with hand trucks...

[@lanceh977]

That starter is a must keep! With the way it held up you would be hard pressed to ever find one that tough again! Has that nice straight roll cage to maybe put on or use for something else like the wheel loader that doesn't have one. I would also keep the lift & Shift cylinders and pump if good.

[@bricelamey4358]

“You called it a sparkalator….” You and Derrick have helped me so much through this tendon recovery process I’ve been working through. I a hung fan of your content . Thank you

[@scatpackdriver2535]

The GM starter sell node back in the day , the contact disc could be flipped over giving you a new surface on the disk . Its been a long time back but it seams like the copper stud bolt contacts could be rotated 180 in the bakelight insulator. Thanks for making the video. 👍

[@Edward1312]

Starting that thing and getting it to consistently run and reliably idle, definitely the hardest motor I've seen you work on. Well done as that needed a lot of patience and diagnostics and it ran for one last time at least. Shame it was dumping oil but at least you can reuse the forks.

[@tfatcher]

Matt, You made the right call...may she rest in peace. But your video was GREAT! It was better suspense than watching Monk track down the killer. You are amazing.

[@mikefavreau7658]

I really enjoy watching your videos. Thank you for making them.

[@objektivone3209]

A respectable youtube channel

[@keyman42]

I enjoy watching thanks for your time putting it all together. I am retired 72 years years old in Arkansas.

[@arcanewyrm6295]

58:05 My initial thought on this is the centrifugal advance on that old distributor might be corroded - especially with the hole in the old distributor cap, it makes me think a lot of condensation dropped down that distro shaft for a lot of years, and if it didn't make it past the o-ring, I'd expect to see a bunch of rust on the advance mechanism. If it's vacuum advance, well...

[@docclark3436]

Matt I have a tow motor that needs some throttle linkage which is missing. I would be interested in these components if you are going to scrap. I live in NW Montana and you would help me get this operational again, I do know a lot about the machine if you are interested. Love your work on D4 which I redo these having about 2 at this point. Doc

[@bluebirdpod]

the moving video overlay on the garage door was a nice effect !

[@danhard8440]

don't forget the load center for the weight rating so a 2200 pound load rating at 12" center means you have 1100 at 24" and 550 at 36" and 275 at 4 foot which is about the length of the forks

[@karlmckinney8469]

At work we had an old Lewis-Shepherd forklift which we referred to as the tow motor. We replaced with new Yale forklifts and we just naturally called them tow motors. I think we just were used to saying “where is the tow motor “

[@joerodrigues3816]

So happy to see you again hope you’re doing well and your family too mate all the best

[@Robert-S-]

I'm sure you already plan on it...but I'd salvage any components you can off of it that might be useful in the future, you know the ignition components are like new, you're already grabbing the forks, but consider the gauges/switches/hoses/valves/tires/etc especially if its just going to scrap, you'll get more value out of the parts you can reuse than you'll ever get out of the scrap side.

[@tlb84gaming5]

Caterpillar does have their Certified Rebuild Service. Someone local used it to restore the 1913 Holt tractor. Might not be worth it, but could make an interesting collaboration where you could tour the plant in Peoria, Illinois. And record how they do their rebuild process. It is expensive but they certify it as if it is fresh off the line brand new.

[@steveskouson9620]

I follow a guy who rebuilt some Holt 10 foot log hauling wheels. Steel (Cast Iron?) hubs, with (all missing except the actual steel tires) wooden spokes, felloes and other wagon wheel pieces. Guy earlier built a period-correct 20 Mule Team set of wagons. Each back wheel on the 2 wagons, and the water wagon, weighed 1050 pounds. Just those 6 wheels weighed over 3 tons. Oh, the "20 Mule Team" was incorrect. The last 2 animals, ones closest in, are horses. If you really want to get picky, mules are 1/2 jackass, and 1/2 horse. I get 11 horse, 9 donkey mix steve

[@tomrunge2016]

You have no idea how much I enjoy your videos. And I also enjoy the special relationship that you have with Sam. You two are always there for each other. Very few people would tackle some of the projects that you get involved in. I can’t wait to see the video with you replacing the engine in Big Alice with your $500 buy of a lifetime. One other thing - you deserve a medal for bringing that road grader back to life. The end result was amazing.

[@rixtrix11]

Good to hear the power company is there. Hopefully the price to hook up is much less than their original price to do it all!

[@jblob5764]

Gotta love the side shift when it works... Yeah sure you can just line up slightly better but the time savngs and potential damage reduction with side shift is huge. I spent a couple years loading trailers out of a refrigerated warehouse and side shift gives that little extra finesse to get the pallet riiiiight to the wall without sliding it along the inside of the trailer wall on the way in

[@brianglave539]

I have worked 2 warehouse jobs and I love to have side shifting forks. Saves A lot of forward and reverse to get just right on the racks. I was in heaven when I or to run one with side shift and reach.

[@steveskouson9620]

Had my posterior on too many fork-lift seats in my day. Yes, that third handle is ALWAYS a bonus. (Or, mandatory, if you want my true opinion.) steve

[@jesterr7133]

I worked at a junkyard for years. We had a lift very similar to this one with slick pneumatic tires, and we used it to move cars outdoors in all weather conditions. We used it mainly in dirt and gravel, and it would move cars with no issue, even when it was muddy outside. That type of lift is more versatile than you would think.

[@ColeDedhand]

Yes I have seen a battery explode in that exact situation.

[@timziegler9358]

I am always amazed when you get various old equipment started. Great job!

[@brucechapman1946]

Matt, pull the mast off and use it as a mezzanine lift if your building one into your shop, I have 3 of them to get into my house, and the loft inside my house and into the mezzanine inside my 2 story garage and they all run off 12v tail lift motors and remote winch controllers saves heaps of space not having stairs. Sad that the old gear has to go but recycling is still good.

[@whodatdere1]

I love the universal oil filter wrench. Will have to use one of those more often

[@jfjjjjfj]

I used one for many many years ago, just got a big slot in the filter 😂 Haven't tried that since then 🤣

[@fredgerstler]

Excellent video, I helped maintain a similar forklift when I worked in a steel mill in the early 80s, they were great trucks. Since then, I've owned several forklifts for my warehouse, so I really enjoyed this.

[@LORFCASTER]

Well... what are some tricks / qwerks of this particular model that you learnt ? :o

[@debcamp2359]

We bought an old crappy forklift cus deliveries were $150 extra 4 drop-tail. Scrap towmotor with no pwr steer worked just fine to off load. ❤ u Matt

[@wileycoyotesr8623]

Win a few, lose a few, play a few in the rain. The video was well edited and entertaining. Thanks! 👍👍👍

[@fooddude9921]

Yeh man! Upping your game and treating this channel like the job it is - nice editing Matt re: Semi-Super Villains logo going up with the door.

[@jessedotson3308]

I’d love to go do stuff like this under my pole barn but back surgery has got me down but matt always got a good video to bring my morale back up thanks Matt and keep on wrenching

[@josephcormier5974]

Well Matt like the forks maybe you can use the tires on the Chalmers also? This has been a very interesting and enjoyable video thank you for sharing this with us six stars brother

[@davidhemann1009]

I'd stick on Marketplace, as a parts unit. I worked on old lifts at a forge shop, and parts are scarce for the old lifts. The owner made us keep patching the junk back together.

[@steveskouson9620]

Gotta love the M35A2! Except for the weird shifting pattern, AND the oil dipstick... (Matt, unscrew the dipstick!) The whole engine is watertight. Some even had "fording" intake and exhaust systems

[@JETTSET]

Another great video Matt. I have an idea. Why not keep a running total of parts costs etc on each of the units. With updates as they consume money. You could make some good funnies with that.