Discing Low Ground with the "Swamp Angel" - Caterpillar D2

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[@benjamincresswell3713]

When I was young Dad brought home a 48 8N tractor that was awarded to my grandfather as part of his compensation for arguing on behalf of Ford Motor Co. with Ferguson over the hydraulic lift issue. It went to a farm in the family about 150 miles away but eventually they sold the farm, so Dad brought it home. That 48 8N pulled a double bottom 14" Dearborn at a depth of around 10". Depending upon the soil moisture, we had clay, I pulled that plow in 2rd gear all day long at 1/2 throttle. The owner manual said that would be about 3-1/2 mph, but it didn't seem that fast doing it. When that double 14" Dearborn plow was trimmed very carefully (adjusted under strict supervision by Dad and my 2 Uncles who all grew up in a farming community near Saginaw, Michigan) it would present the most beautiful fold over of the dirt. It turned the dirt exactly upside down and it fit into the space where it was removed from. The field looks very uniform and even, like a field full macaroni elbows all arranged perfectly. But, Dad bought a couple of "tails" that he drilled and mounted on the moldboards that broke up about the top 1 inch of the soil after it was flipped over. Without the tails the soil would have a shine to it. As a kid, I got a lot of ribbing from other guys my age who were running Johnny Popper B's. So sometimes I'd "unofficially" trim my plows back from 14" myself carefully and pull them in 3rd to get a little more speed without revving the engine up. It could be done, I did it, but everything had to be just right. If I went too fast though the dirt would leave the cavity and fly clear out over top the previous furrow. So, that was a learning process for me. Then one day an old hillbilly from Tennessee moved into the place next door to Dad's. He came to Detroit to work in an Automobile factory. He had 6 kids and a canning wife, so he wanted a big garden. He asked if "we" (my brother or me) could fit a garden for him where there had not been one my whole life. (I was about 13) That area had held a couple cows that were "pets" of the old widow who lived there. So, my brother and I took on the job. It was about 5 acres and pretty much square, which was a little larger than Dad had and the neighbors had so it was a bigger job than usual. The cows had it all trampled down so it was pretty flat and no trees, just tall weeds. To get started the guy helped us, to make sure it would work out for us, he knew we weren't experienced much doing a parcel that big. Eventually my brother took off and I was left to finish it. The guy came out and told me not to worry about revving the engine because it was a short stroke and they were meant to run at higher rpms. He basically told me to rev it up more than 1/2 throttle. As I got used to running the throttle higher I moved it even higher. Eventually I was at the full speed stop. Now I was plowing at about 3-1/2mph maybe. Anyway I got the plowing done and went over and got Dad's disc. It was a drag behind disc that you could adjust the angle of the disc axles. Most of the time we'd pull it with just a few degrees of angle to it for the first trip over a plowed field. Then make an adjustment to the angle for a little more throw and go over it again. Once I got started out onto the newly plowed field I went to pull the throttle all the way up to fast and I sort of pulled it up and out of the dashboard and it went beyond the stop. Whoa, that was something I'd never done befor and it revved the engine up even higher. I couldn't pull the disc in 3rd gear or the engine would bog down and I'd have to put it back into 2nd. So I tried it with the throttle above the normal high speed stop to give it a little more to start with, but it would always bog down. Eventually I'd have to down shift to 2nd gear anyway, so being all by my self now (the guy went in to go to bed cuz he worked midnights at Chrysler) I decided to just leave it in 2nd and disc it in 2nd gear with the throttle all the way up and just above the stop.. As I was disking away in 2nd gear with the throttle outside the normal stop at the top of the quadrant, I pulled on the throttle lever by accident and found that once it was beyond the range stop I could continue to pull it farther. Now I was going way beyond governed speed but if I just let go of the throttle it would return to just above the normal stop. It worked sort of like a gas pedal. Once I got over the whole 5 acres the first time in 2nd gear at over full throttle, I shifted into 3rd but left the disc adjustment alone and started driving all over it for the 2nd time. It could handle it easily then, and with the throttle beyond the stop whenever I thought it was going to bog down, I pulled on the throttle to give it more gas early to get up a little more speed. By the time I got his garden fitted I was a pro at abusing Dad's old 8N. I never looked back, but I never told anyone about it either. *(this is the first time I've ever revealed it) Anyway, it made for a really neat trick, and I used all the time after that. It really increased the tractor speed especially when I drove it down to the gas station. I'll bet that tractor went 20 mph, maybe even 25 but it sounded like a missile getting ready to explode. Thanks for jobbing my memory you guys. It was a fun childhood being on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan doing gardens for all my neighbors. So I enjoyed your video. ben/ michigan

[@jkuiper001]

Wow, that brings back memories. When I was about 12 years old (can't believe it nowadays) I believe it was a 1953 caterpillar D2 that was the first tractor I ran on the farm in the Apple orchard in New Jersey. Now it's 60 years ago. Wow did that bring back memories at 72 years old, I still know the sound of that machine and this one's purring right along like all good cats. Over the past 50 something years or so I ran many cats including excavators. I miss it now being retired.

[@rustyreckman2892]

When Squatch unhooked from the disc and the swamp princess just flew out of that soft spot. That was awesome

[@squatch253]

Those wide pads really work well - even when they lose traction in soft ground, they’ll still get you out so long as you don’t dig yourself down too deep before you stop 👍

[@paulforster4133]

it was a good choice to unhitch as soon as you bogged down@@squatch253

[@danielbutler578]

That's the secret with any tractor. Unfortunately, I've seen a few times when a tractor would start to spin and would sink to the axles before you could hit the clutch. We had a few places on the farm where the ground would stay soft in the winter until the ground froze. I remember one time when a trailer load of wood broke through the frozen layer and Old Emma spun both tires and sank into the ground. I ended up waiting for a hard freeze before we could jack her up enough to get her out. She was so deep that I had to dig the drawbar out first.

[@dougkubash8673]

The Swamp Angel is looking, performing and sounding great!!

[@LoggerLloyd]

Great to see the Swamp Angel out working.

[@RobertBrothersJr-dc7nr]

The Swamp Angel is working and running great. Nice to hear Sr behind the camera and narrating. Very enjoyable video Toby. Thanks

[@Ihbinder14]

Love the end of the disking where you made it look like an older video. It sounds good, you should be proud of it.

[@squatch253]

Thanks! I sometimes add little Easter eggs like that to see who actually watches all the way to the end 👍😂

[@paulsilva3346]

SQUATCHED, Yet again... 16;10...😅

[@rawbsworld6604]

Just cuz Senior calling they play by play don’t make it look old 🤔 , 😆🤣 ✌️😀

[@rawbsworld6604]

@@paulsilva3346 me too this on a phone so didn’t notice now everyone didn’t notice have to watch again 😆 more viewing mileage out of a vid 👍 ✌️

[@colin8532]

I just love those wide track pads you put on her. Beautiful

[@rustyreckman2892]

Great to see the swamp angel back in action

[@michaelbaumgardner2530]

Ahh the swamp angel a brand new crawler yet she wears the coat of an old warhorse,im so glad you did the patina,That was an awesome build.

[@BrodieBr0]

This is a beautiful sight to see this old equipment getting work done again. This era is when companies actually cared about making reliable and easy to maintain equipment for the customer. Now they care about padding shareholder pockets.

[@tomwolf9420]

Liked that he doesn’t put her on a pedestal but instead gets her into her natural environment. Nice touch with the black and white towards the end. Maybe editing a few scratches and/or sepia into the video would add to the vintage look.

[@jazzerbyte]

That disk looks like a great break-in load match. Great to see it out getting excercise!

[@montwolfman]

Haha, senior called it when Squatch came up to the soft spot.

[@manuelmaseda4875]

Good to see it running

[@SuperMAZ007]

Toby enjoying 5J1113 full time. Clearly can see the man is very happy. Soft ground is always treacherous, learned that myself that the hard way. I like the video cause it makes me feel im on the machine and kind of what people in the past would have seen when they where in the operators seat.

[@andyrecord]

I thought I was having a stroke when the video transistioned to B&W! Then when it transition to the next scene, I realized I was holding my breath, and let out a big sigh! ❤

[@squatch253]

Lol that's just another little test to see how many people actually watch all the way to the end of the episode - you passed the test! ;-)

[@ron827]

The Swamp Angel makes beautiful music and is a testament to your mechanical skills.

[@tcmits3699]

Way too wet to disc, but that D-2 was something. I pulled an eight foot disc in the '70's for my dad with an old D-2 through the orchards. One heavy duty "little" tractor 👍

[@FRRitter]

Ha, we can smell the freshly turned soil from here! Swamp Angel is looking and sounding great Toby - thank you for taking us along!

[@edkeniston4786]

It’s got to be quite a feeling having a brand new D2 under your butt! You put a lot of blood sweet and tears into the “swamp angel”, lets hope she looks after you as affectionately. Keep doing what you do, we all love it!

[@LLAHTI1]

Those wide pads look so cool on the old girl, she’s a beast, best thing for it pulling the big disc and getting the temp up. It pulled it really good.

[@alwatts3778]

Squatch in his happy place!

[@johncrockford1498]

You mean in the mud; right?

[@thirzapeevey2395]

That has got to be incredibly gratifying to be running that wreck of a machine that is now probably better than new in some ways.

[@Pamudder]

It’s treat to see the D2 doing the field work that was its principal function.

[@cdwlights]

That machine sure sounds like she’s runnin well! Squatch hasa ton Of love for that girl! Such an improvement from where squatch and senior found her! You see the contentment on his face he sits in the chair

[@wagon9082]

Love 5J1113

[@bobpaterson1845]

Now who couldn't sit and listen to the old swamp angel strutting her stuff 💪💪💪👌 great video and excellent camera work by Senior 👍👍

[@lordcaptainvonthrust3rd]

Nice one, Squatch Always good to see the Swamp Angel in action 👍 And thanks to Senior for the commentary again

[@mikehughes3533]

Love seeing the swamp angel at work. She runs really well.

[@jean-robertbourbonnais6279]

Pretty awesome to see OLD IRON justa PURRIN AWAY … Tnanks to all for sharing

[@douggilroy1188]

such a sweet engine note under load

[@markwitkop7022]

In my mind, I call your Cat "Big Foot"

[@aserta]

Man, she sound GREAT! Probably one of the best sounding D2's i've heard in a while yet. And it's not just the tone of the exhaust, but the engine sounds healthy as. Noice!

[@rusttrail3]

Looks like a lot of fun and Sr. is great at doing camera work.

[@johncrockford1498]

I love see that all the work you put into this "Parts Tractor" is paying off.

[@seastacker8582]

Those wide track pads are beauty!

[@TractorHoarders]

Pleasure meeting you and Sr! One of my childhood neighbors had a Cat D2 and I never once saw it out of the barn, so it's always cool seeing this one doing work!

[@squatch253]

It was great meeting you too Hans! Now I know exactly who Kenny was talking about every time I heard your name ;-)

[@machinistbytrade]

The Ole girl sounds great & appears to pull nice ! 👍

[@deannajoseph]

Thanks Squatch. One man and his Cat.

[@cyrilhudak4568]

That tractor looks like you just pulled it out of a barn after sitting for 40 years. Nice.

[@gallagher68]

It is great to see the Swamp Angel earning her keep! She is performing like a champ, I had reservations on her being able to slip the turns in soft ground with those wide tracks, but there are no doubts now.

[@fredporter]

I saw the rock crusher. Still looking forward to the rebuild series on it!

[@nathancarlisle2801]

Squatch, she sure sounds good and looks great with the wide track pads! Enjoyed Sr commentary

[@triptisrinivasjanardan3929]

Came for the swamp angel, stayed for the beautiful farm footage and plowing, narrated by Senior. Very nice video Squatch, just the ticket as we "plow" through the work week here lol.

[@danielbutler578]

It was good to see that old girl playing in the dirt. It was also good to see you wearing ear protection. I spent too many days sitting behind a straight pipe on the M that my father had. I haven't been able to hear silence in over 40 years.

[@charleswelch249]

That's a good choice for the wet ground. The little guy just floated across the ground like a champ.

[@johnd7288]

Swamp angle doing a great job ! Great video !

[@lifeafterourloss]

I always look forward to the plow day videos. We've got nothing like that here. Dad and I can sit and listen to these engines engines pull for hours!

[@lancelarson6710]

You know i feel like we the viewers would love to see you restore that nice disk you were pulling.

[@squatch253]

Those were Rick Bork’s discs, I was only borrowing them 👍

[@spacemanmat]

Swamp Angle really looking like the real thing!

[@rdaw33]

Love hearing these "real" tractors out there working the dirt!!!!!

[@karlfischer1011]

Thanks for sharing. That Caterpillar sounds like an MM at work 😊

[@TheChance170]

What a beautiful sound from Swamp Angel. Basically factory new! Glad you could enjoy the fruits of your labor! I would like to add I was wrong, I was wishing you would of painted her to her original glory, But she definitely wears her work cloths well! Perfect!

[@fbh31118]

Really impressed with how quite and smooth the undercarriage turned out. Also noticed how clean the exhaust was on camera too. All the work must have finally cleaned up some of that slober. Great video Squatch!

[@squatch253]

It runs nice and clean while under load, but after just 2-3 minutes of idling it starts that black slobbering again 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@TF856]

When I was younger I remember some Farmers using a 10 foot rototiller behind their farm tractor so they can go over the field once instead of several times with the other attachments to get the ground ready for planting. It also seems like it would use a lot more fuel to go over it several times instead of just once.

[@joehackett9471]

Love that D2. Sounds great!

[@janfrankena1440]

Man what a machine you have restoren there! Its run so smooth, like it came Just out the factory.

[@tomcatfoolery]

5J1113 is sounding great.

[@Steve765]

Great to see swampy out and about.

[@rickyjessome4359]

Thanks for the video Toby. It sure is nice to see the Swamp Angle putting in some work and it's sounding great. Looking forward to the next video. Cheers

[@nope4239]

Love to see 5J1113 getting a workout When she going to get her cab

[@squatch253]

I’ve got to get to the point where I’m satisfied that the engine is fully broken in first, and we’ve still got a ways left to go 👍

[@4051a]

Looks like you had fun. When I was farming, pulling my 13 foot RWA disk was my favorite thing to do. I have Cat 41 hydraulic unit and the disk was hydraulic lift. It was a little easier to get through the wet spots by raising the disk and usually pulling through. Thanks for the video.

[@matty2helpfull]

Swamp angel is purring beautifully ❤️❤️❤️ I'm kinda jealous though I wish I had a small disc like that

[@1crazynordlander]

Thanks for sharing. A very enjoyable video!

[@bok1080]

Just love the sound of old school farm diesels, the low revving torque makes me miss the old farm tractor we had, 1955(ish) Fordson Power Major, bought by my parents in the early 70's, and our only farm tractor til we sold it (regretfully) in 2000, replaced with a new Kubota with FEL and attachments. While the new tractors have all the modern conveniences, they just don't sound right, rev too high....

[@davidsmith-ee8cb]

just wondering about the Swamp Angel and here she is in action!

[@bcbloc02]

Should fab a little hydraulic pump and valve you could run off the pto so you could have hydraulics for the implements without having to add it to the tractor. That disk sure would appreciate not being turned in the ground.

[@shaneharrison4775]

Censored is the optimal word. Excellent video guys.

[@whathasxgottodowithit3919.]

Sounds good, it needed a good workout, I bet it is not blowing oil out of the exhaust now. Always carry a long chain, and do not try and get out, unhitch at first sign of trouble and use your chain. The same goes for modern wheel / four wheel drive tractors too.

[@geneguenther4325]

Thanks for the video Toby! Glad to see the swamp angel getting a workout and break in the new engine some more. Sounding good as well. Thanks again and can’t wait for the next video

[@jacobhellwig2216]

Those Deere 14aw discs dig in and pull hard. They can put a good load on a Case 970 in clay for its size.

[@rogerallen6644]

Ahhh spring in Minnesota! Mosquitoes the size of hummingbirds. Well done!

[@daleolson3506]

You think yours are big here in the up of mi. I saw a mosquito with a wood tick on it.

[@eugenecunningham491]

You as happy like a kid with a new toy my friend

[@bombardier3qtrlbpsi]

I think the angel is handling the disk no problem. 12' disc? I had the same disc 12'&15' john deere. Fixing up the land pulling the disc in the low spot. Like wet water in some. Pulling with my bombardier it was the older one which it's weight was 4500lbs with a blade on the front. Probably a little over 5000 lbs with the blade. And which we had hydraulics to lift the disc. 3/4 psi ground pressure.

[@jeffbrandon9179]

It's fun to see the Swamp Angel work with a load on it. You need to keep that disk. it works perfect with the tractor. I see there is no Hydraulic cylinder on the disc. What did you use to raise and lower it? Great Video!!

[@squatch253]

It was already flat down on the ground so I just kept dragging it around 👍

[@davewebb5737]

I think the old girl looks really good with the wide tracks

[@johngibson3837]

Hey up mate good video especially liked your trip back in time towards the end

[@johnnymorrow63]

Good to see her back out!

[@matthughes1614]

I could listen to that d3400 under load for hours man. Just singing the song of my people. Hey squatch, if a feller was gonna go to a show with antique caterpillars, when and where is best? Nothing down here in TN seems to have crawlers, so I'm wanting to make a trip this year.

[@ivoryjohnson4662]

Good to hear Sr

[@Arnthorg]

the patina really shines(lol) in the field

[@PJTVenturesInc.]

Thanks for the video, you make great content. I love ag crawlers farming.

[@notajp]

Was hoping we’d get to see the old Ford making some furrows. Curious to see how the wheel spacing change worked out.

[@jeffmc7946]

Great to see your hard work paid off and by using it as it should be! Hopefully you will have the doing the same!

[@davidtipton7234]

There is a Caterpillar D2 and Caterpillar 10 posted on marketplace in Ava Missouri for sale. He posted em yesterday. Edit. I didn't know the 10 was the smallest crawler Caterpillar built.

[@davebergin342]

Plowing green spring dirt and follow with disc? Love the machines lost with your method.

[@squatch253]

You plow, then you disc to flatten it back out. There is no method to be applied beyond that, it makes no difference what time of year you do it 👍

[@aserta]

Was wondering why there's no adjustment on the disks... checked the comments to see if anyone else asked. Figured it was ... Borked. :))

[@tomwichman77]

Good catch! I was explaining to my wife how the depth of cut was adjusted, but I didn't notice this set of disks was missing that feature😬😂🤠

[@harveydrake2324]

I wouldn't believe that wee cat could pull that disc if I didn't see it! I would want an 85 hp tractor.

[@forbes80751]

I only wish we would have gotten to see the starting footage. thats my favorite part.

[@markrepka8669]

They have what they call "Ratchet Jacks" that you can use in place of a hydraulic cylinder available. I'm sure you may be aware of them, it would be a great addition to your disk to make it easier to move around. Northern Tool and Agri Supply carry them. Happy Disking!!!

[@squatch253]

That was one of Rick Bork’s discs, I was just temporarily borrowing it 👍

[@DavidLeslie65]

I just watched the 2 part of you and senior picking up the swamp angel and curious to know if the people who had it connected to the original family and are they aware it runs

[@squatch253]

Yes, we bought this D2 from the son of the prior owner, it was sitting behind the garage where he had last parked it although he had passed away several years prior. The widow was close to moving out of that house, and that’s how it transpired that we were able to hear of it being for sale. Senior has maintained contact with the son that handled the sale, so the family is aware of everything that this little D2 has been up to 👍

[@kenore4003]

Runs really nice for a one time parts tractor.

[@Daniel_cheems]

The little beastie that could :D

[@N57RU]

Sweet!

[@haydnstevens3108]

It was good to see you at plough day I had a great time. Sorry i didn’t get to say good bye

[@squatch253]

It was great seeing you again too Hayden! Safe travels back home 👍

[@rawbsworld6604]

Plow day? I didn’t know 😢 thought there wasn’t gonna be one this yr 🤷‍♂️ 🤦‍♂️ ( nothing runs like a Deere ) unless you pay the factory / repair blackmail!!! But absolutely nothing sounds like a CAT 🐛 👍 😆😆 ✌️🤙

[@DAKOTANSHELBY]

Toby, is that the 5J1113 D2 you are using to disc your Ranch? If so, has that cylinder miss self corrected itself with more of a break in? Sorry, reading more of the comments that is the 5J1113 and you just spoke about it running better. Thank you.

[@Tad-vd2do]

I got stuck this year with my 5J and my 7 foot disk, spinning tracks in first gear 😅

[@dcal702]

How many hours will break in require? Would be cool to see the first oil change and once over. Nice to see it getting a workout after all the hard work to build it.

[@squatch253]

I don’t know how long it’ll take, every engine is different and I can tell that this one still needs quite a few more hours of heavy load yet. I actually already did the first oil change on it right before taking it out to Rick Bork’s farm this last weekend 👍