Hulett Ore Unloaders

[@Bearclaw11000]

I used to work for McDowell-Wellman Engr. Co. in Cleveland in the early 70's. We had the licensing for these Huletts' and I used to have to make parts and rebuild many of the components of these monsters. The large main arm was rebuilt on one at our construction yard on the east side and came in on two pieces on 70' long flatbed railroad cars. Once rebuilt we had to use two 150-ton truck cranes to lift them back on the cars (about 264 tons). Delivery by permit load truck was not allowed because of this weight on the roads. They had to be returned to the Pittsburgh & Conneaut docks by lake barge. What a hoot that was.

[@simflyr1957]

+Bearclaw11000 My Dad retired from P&C. He ran Huletts for a long time. At one time or another he had done everything from Laborer and Pits to running the trains in the yard. He worked both on the Coal Dock and Ore Dock. What shame that that place was bought by CN and basically mothballed. The steel industry is what made this country!

[@michaelvrooman5681]

how often did those buckets have to be rebuilt ?

[@blackriflear15]

You are awesome! This is America to me.

[@bassavino]

Was that at Central Av and E71?

[@MrRichard57000]

cool story

[@adamseidel8901]

Single handedly the most awesome industrial machine I’ve ever seen. This is a testament to the way things used to be before everything was automated

[@bigredc222]

They are like prehistoric dinosaurs. Have you ever seen dragline excavators, they are pretty impressive too. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3u0dneHqdeLfrM

[@HighlanderNorth1]

Yeah, and they were in use from 1899 til between 1992-2002, meaning that they were used daily for a century!

[@queenoftheuniverse5638]

heh. That was my son's logon. Yep, watched them from the 24th floor of the Fed Bldg. Did not realize how truly huge they are/were for having all those moving parts, or that there was an operator at the loading end going into the freighter! Wow. what magnificent machines. A great video. ps - thanks for no dippy background music. The sound of the work was music enough.

[@HighlanderNorth1]

I was trying to figure out where the operator was located, but I didn't expect it to be on the bottom end of the actual bucket!

[@CGT867]

You did a great job documenting the operation of these fascinating machines! Thanks for preserving it for future generations now that the machines themselves have been lost.

[@internetpointsbank]

The machines still exist. They are being scrapped right now.

[@dogmandan79]

The sounds of the ratcheting levers plus that eerie hollow bellowing sound they make. Yesteryear was a testament to mankind’s abilities.

[@henrihunter8030]

Documentary like this is priceless.

[@jimbelanger4594]

I worked there in the 70's part time making $5.25 an hour as a shoveler. My dad was. Hewlett operator. It was a cool place to work. At times I worked on the deck of the boat shoveling the ore that spilled onto the deck. We would shovel the ore either back into the hole or onto the dock trying not get any into the water. The sound of the Hewletts really brings back memories.

[@Fir3Chi3f]

Inflation calculator says that would have been about $30/hr! Heck of work, but decent pay

[@danthemaintenanceman]

My dad worked there in the 70 s. What a place!

[@ryanslut5607]

The sound is like an elevator? Maby, not sure. Calm mechanic/electric melody?

[@1111Paiste]

Yep, that specific sound they make brings back so many memories of watching them work.

[@kylejervis3344]

It must have become tough down in the hold with the fumes of the loader.

[@MetroVick]

This is one of the most interesting videos Ive seen on KZbin. An amazing operation.

[@kenkramer6529]

Agree!

[@brianandlindafairchild1237]

Now I know.

[@ryanslut5607]

I whole heartedly agree. Absolutely amazing. Soo many thumbs up👍👍👍

[@whatdoidonext2234]

It would be neat to have any remaining Hulett operators meet and sit down and go over their experiences with the Huletts, archive it and have it available to others like NPR does, Watching these operators and those working blooming mills is amazing. The operators were one with the machine.

[@pete1729]

Awesome, and very well made. I once asked one of the operators "Did you ever..." he cut me off in a friendly way and said "anything you can imagine to do with this thing... We've done it"

[@CTK1201]

WOW!

[@pete1729]

@@CTK1201 I followed up with "But have you ever taken a bite out of the out of the bottom of an oar boat's hull?". He just gave me a look that said 'of course we have, what did I just tell you?'

[@coloradostrong8285]

10 year account and still replying.

[@Make-Asylums-Great-Again]

AMAZIN!

[@2x489]

@@Make-Asylums-Great-Again a bit of tomfoolery

[@triple6758]

We're fascinated by them because they are engineering masterpieces. Simple, efficient, elegant.

[@bassavino]

That and/or the greatest Rube Goldberg invention ever. They had their issues, notably that they could not be used in salt water ports. Ultimately, self unloading freighters made them obsolete. They did make visible the work of industry, what it took to move ore, etc. . .

[@aintit]

Got recommended this after seeing a video about their history and man are they amazing. I'm a fan of mechanical stuff and these are just absolute engineering marvels and beautiful pieces of art. Shame they aren't still up and functioning any more. I would have loved to see one operate in person.

[@mrlionel1965]

As others here have already said, this is GREAT stuff! It is amazing watching the guy in that small cab lower himself right down in there to operate that huge scoop. Amazing engineering!

[@SteveSmith-jr8ct]

I worked aboard the SS Paul H Carnahan on the Superior WI to Cleveland run. The Huletts were amazing - especially at night when they appeared to dance in the darkness. I feel lucky to have been aboard one of the last straight deckers. Sadly our last trip was to Cleveland. Hanna company execs came aboard in suits with brief cases and that was it - the Carnahan was sold for scrap. It was the mid 80's and I saw grown men shed tears not knowing what their future would be.

[@meltonin8837]

From the UK. Man, do I love these magnificent machines. So sad one hasn't (yet) been preserved. We could never build stuff like this now.

[@superrf85]

That is an awesome film and gets the action from all angles. Thank you for sharing.

[@divisioneight]

Back when America built big things.

[@ArchTeryx00]

We still do - ships, planes, many other things. We just build *different* big things now. The Huletts weren't killed off by a foreign power, after all. They were killed off by the ore boat companies discovering that self-unloading systems were *FAR* more efficient, rather like diesel engines were more efficient then steam locomotives. The comparison is more apt then you might think: Huletts dated back to pre-WWI, and their cab layouts reflected that! It is pretty sad that they went, but it was only a matter of time. That they lasted through a century of use was a miracle in itself, and a testament to how durable the technology was. (They even had one unloading garbage barges in NYC once!)

[@fmnut]

divisioneight Correct. Also changing shipping patterns. The shift in the Canadian grain trade from Europe and Russia to the Pacific Rim meant there were less boats hauling grain to the St Lawrence ports and hauling pellets back to Cleveland. The economies of loaded back hauls were what made the Hulett/straight decker viable in the era of self unloaders.

[@paulrowan1501]

That was my first thought while viewing this before reading comments: there has to be a better way!

[@fmnut]

divisioneight there is a better way now, but there wasn't 100 years ago

[@ArchTeryx00]

The better way is self-unloading boats. The ore just empties into a built-in hopper in the hold, and gets moved to an on-board conveyor, so it can unload continuously and with virtually no need for external equipment, even to get the last pellets of ore. I think I read that the self-unloaders can do in hours what Huletts took days to do.

[@BTCRAILFILMS]

9:00 Is such an amazing shot. Watching all the cranes move around with their lights on.

[@djhaloeight]

amazing footage with their lights on at twilight i agree

[@roberttuss5349]

They were like giant aliens transported here from space. Very mantis like in their appearance and their movements. When I did see the remaining two on the dock, there were a couple of people there agitating for the Hulett's preservation. Again, fantastic footage!

[@199gonzo]

Holy crap wasn’t expecting a wheel loader to be dropped in !!! And at night ? Whole new perspective! Bet those were sought after jobs . Damn cool video thanks !

[@mikekmit6045]

No, they weren't sought after, at least not at Republic Steel. The whole rest of the company thought we were nuts for working there. We were outside all year long, after the boats stopped running in the winter, we were on repair duty. It was dirty, nasty and dangerous. Personally, I loved it. I learned so much there.

[@buzzsaw5475]

I used to haul gci cranes for international chimney, so we were all kinds of plants..steel. power..i had the priveledge to ride in one of these. as my dad was a merchant marine years ago, and was fascinated by ships...the crane operator that worked for us knew one of the operators of the hulett...I got to ride.. one of the coolest experiences of my life!! god I miss working!! got hurt 6 years ago. 7 knee surgerys, so I cant get around much...great life if you don't weaken!! an old man told me that when I was 13

[@larrydunlop378]

Really neat story! Those GCI cranes were something else. Sketchy, scary are two words the operator could decribe them as.? Use to see them around a fair bit. They have long since been "retired".

[@buzzsaw5475]

@@larrydunlop378 I hauled and repaired the GCI cranes, we had 2 , but for the life of me, i cant understand how more didnt fall over!!.. but the ride in the hulett was the thrill of a lifetime!

[@larrydunlop378]

Did you actually get a ride in the bucket cab?

[@buzzsaw5475]

@@larrydunlop378 cab, more room than you think

[@larrydunlop378]

@@buzzsaw5475 WoW! That is a great gift you were given. I can see how that would be a life memorable experience. Thanks for the great story and you take care of yourself.

[@freightuk]

Wow, that was impressive, I did wonder where the operator sat and how much of the load could be removed, but then in they come with a 'toy' loader followed up with men and their brooms. If I had not seen it I would not have believed that, thanks for this highly informative video, Jim :)

[@Phantomthecat]

Wow, amazing to see these in action, great that someone had the foresight to record this before they all disappeared. 👍

[@rand49er]

Great video! So glad to see the operation from so many vantage points. Living in Michigan all my 68 years and having seen freighters all my life I can now better appreciate what occurs at the end of their journeys. Thanks!!!

[@beeble2003]

What used to occur. The last of these unloaders stopped being used in 1998, as I recall.

[@fredlanster9936]

This was awesome!!!! I have always wanted to understand how they were operated. What a piece of history.

[@bassmaster19]

The last of these were at LTV coke plant in Chicago. They last operated in 2006 before they were scrapped. It was a cool sight to see.

[@klbird]

What fantastic piece of mechanical engineering. They were built when our industries ran with real muscles.

[@bassavino]

They were the greatest Rube Goldberg machine ever, which is to say: if someone had come up with the self-unloading freighter first, these fantastic beasts would have never seen the light of day.

[@kurtiskaskowski5386]

Versus the fake muscle us humans have today

[@andrewnorris1514]

@@kurtiskaskowski5386 speak for yourself

[@bshoneyfarm]

I worked there for many years. Way too much dust. Very hard work, too bad it's all gone.

[@KnittingFits]

fmnut, You have no idea how many memories this video has brought back to me! My dad worked on the boats the whole time I was growing up and we used to visit him every time the boat came in. He usually went to Huron, OH, but many times he went to Cleveland and Conneaut also. I was in my early teens and would usually hang out with whoever had ladder watch. I love watching the Huletts.....they had such a graceful dance and I never tired of it. Thanks so much for the great video!!!!

[@WMAJ6]

Always wondered how those things worked. Amazing pieces of machinery. Thanks for posting!

[@pennsyr1]

Fascinating! I always get a big kick out of seeing the workings of heavy industry, especially the more rare and unusual examples such as this.

[@wipatriot510]

I just find it incredible the longevity of these giant machines...

[@gordonmccoy1253]

Thanks, Hovermotion.... After a career of flying airplanes, where everything (all systems) is/are as light as possible, it's REALLY a treat to watch "heavy equipment" design and in use.... A REAL TREAT!!! Thanks again- it's appreciated... Gordon.

[@melanieshub]

Terrific. I used to see these all along the lakes taking boat trips with my dad, who was a captain for US Steel, and in my home town of Conneaut Ohio where the first huletts were built. Got a ride in one in Gary Ind. when I was about 13. Really miss these machines.

[@peanutbutter2597]

Those are with out a doubt the coolest freaking machines i've ever seen wow way cool

[@kellymcg]

I'm 40 and I remember driving to Lakewood from the east side to see family on the shoreway and always seeing the huletts meant we were close. This video was awesome.

[@pauldormont4470]

I just watched a video that introduced these machines to me last night! Today, I get to see them operating. The other video showed what was left of the Huletts as a pile of scrap. Fantastic machines. I hope that there is more to come!

[@PhyllisJerry]

I can’t get over how smoothly these things operate.

[@brettfavreify]

I've seen photos of these things. Amazing to see them in action. Engineering masterpieces.

[@faerieSAALE]

GOD - Hot and Nasty work in the summer - and freezing cold during the winter - a WHOLE NEW APPRECIATION to the men who worked these jobs year in and year out. The pay must have been extraordinary.

[@CRQ5508]

There's something majestic about these beasts. For the job the accomplish, they seem to move with grace and smoothness not often associated with large machines. I think that's really neat that the bucket operator is sat right on the boom. Makes sense to me, so he can see exactly where he's going to scoop from next. I'd love to know about these.

[@sidewinder666666]

And 11 years later, KZbin finally gets around to recommending the video to me.

[@sky173]

same.... wtf...

[@FatGuyInaTruck]

Yeah, must be dusting off the old files..

[@HC_Martensson]

12...

[@davidchampagne2319]

Just watched this two times in a row, and will again by sharing it with my dad & mom + friends. What an amazing time the past was... Wish I was born before!! I am completely fascinated with man's will to get things done efficiently. Marvelous!

[@ThePilotPenguin1]

Probably the last machine to exist from the real engineering era, to come up with that in the 1890s and for it to work for 100 years, just incomprehensible

[@triple6758]

Agree. A masterpiece.

[@MultiGamerClub]

After watching a introduction video of this machine.. thank you so much for filling the black hole inside me to see it in operation

[@roberttuss5349]

Thanks for this footage. I went to see the Huletts in Cleveland around 1993 or 1994. There were only 2 standing and were slated for demo. I didn't see them in action, but thanks to your footage I can. Thanks again.

[@meesalikeu]

Robert Tuss yeah the last two were left up while they decided what to do with them. eventually they were taken apart and saved nearby. nobody knows what to do with them, but obviously the idea is to reassemble them in a park some day.

[@tippyc2]

@@meesalikeu Thanks to the youtube rabbit hole, i learned there's a couple museum plans to reassemble them in whole or in parts, but no funding for it.

[@highplainsdrifter8643]

Absolutely amazing, after seeing these from afar I always wondered where the operators were. I had no idea they were right at the working end! What a great movie, I hope you have more, longer versions you can upload ASAP? Thanks for the work it took to get this in here!!

[@bluerider0988]

Thanks for documenting this. Great to see these historic machines in action.

[@localcrew]

I currently own a 1960 Clark Michigan 35A wheel loader that started when new doing just what you see here in this video. Two of them were bought by a rock quarry in Indiana and I ended up with one. Almost thought that the loader in the video was one but these are four wheel steer and the one in the video is articulated. Great video though. Lost forever, but we can experience it here. Thanks for posting it.

[@juniyaokamura624]

Cannot stop watching. They are so fascinating. Thanks for sharing!

[@kentslocum]

Wow. Came here from a Maritime Horror video about the collision of the SS Cedarville. Had no idea these enormous machines existed, let alone how elegant and graceful they could be, while simultaneously being absolutely terrifying in their immense size and power.

[@augustopinochet2495]

Appreciate you uploading this, Fascinating watching these giant steel monsters at work.

[@computername]

Damn conveyor belts. THEY'RE TAKING OUR JOBS!

[@rogervoss4877]

Thank You It was wonderful to see these huge yet graceful machines in operation.

[@divisioneight]

Thank you fmnut! I imagine then that the hopper on the gantry frame had a operable door to hold the pellets until the "larry car" could come underneath and offload the product. I noticed that the shovel arms rotated as well - that must be a huge roller bearing at the top of that arm to accommodate those loads. Thanks again.

[@charliefischer59]

Those things move really fast for their size. Holy hell.

[@whatdoidonext2234]

PHENOMENAL footage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for posting and sharing. I would not have imagined the operator was at the clamshell and actually went down into the hold! I guess a payloader is nothing compared to the weight of the ore. While it is a job, it must be a hateful one having to sweep out the hold to get every drop of ore. again, PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!!!!!

[@fmnut]

The use of loaders to clean out the holds really began in the 1950's when mechanized rubber tired equipment for road building came into general use and was available for this application. Prior to that the cleanup was done almost entirely by hand, which took much longer and was labor intensive (more costly) than with the front end loaders. For vessels that were solely in the ore trade, the thorough cleaning of the hold was not necessary, It was only when the vessels were hauling other commodities such as coal or grain that cleaning was required. The steel company owned boats generally just hauled ore, with some coal as backhaul, while the common carrier fleets were the ones that hauled varied cargoes. Thanks for your comment

[@ResidentOfTheAbyss]

+fmnut Are these in use at all anymore, or have they been dismantled?

[@fmnut]

+The Toasted Gentleman They're all gone...read further down for more details.

[@egomaniac247]

Video was posted 14 years ago. I just don't remember video being so grainy in 2008, which doesn't seem like that long ago. Crazy how times (and our perception) have changed. Great video content though!

[@fmnut]

It's not the quality of the original video. At the time I uploaded this I was on DSL and had to "dumb down" the quality due to the lower bandwidth.

[@egomaniac247]

@@fmnut Gotcha! Thanks for uploading it!

[@hjgolfman]

@@fmnut Great content, thanks for posting! Has this since been re-uploaded at higher quality? Thank you!

[@fmnut]

@@hjgolfman not yet

[@Jalans2]

Incredible. I was remembering the unloaders on the lake front and thought I'd see what was on the web. This is a real gem. Thank you so much for posting!!!

[@RailFanRob]

Incredible footage!!

[@paulregula2679]

Thank you so much for this! I grew up seeing the Hullets on our shoreline. Watching them from Edgewater fishing as a kid. Have a soft spot for the Beast and feel they should be honored in Cleveland at some location. Really great video!!

[@benterbieten9540]

Absolutely marvelous engineering, and to operate for so many years, amazing. excellent video.

[@PhysicsBear]

This is fascinating. I wondered how the last of the ore was collected. Very cool!

[@awboat]

I guess the last load was in a dust pan

[@1jackdk]

All I can say is fantastic. Never went to see these babies in action, and now I'm kicking myself. Thanks for sharing. Jack...

[@Bmf10382]

As a young historian interested in the steel industry, all I can say is that this footage is incredible. This is the closest I'll ever get to come to seeing these machines in action. While I knew how they operated, this answers many questions I've had about the details of Hulett operations. And, I have to say it again: That cab location is ridiculous. Great operator view, but I know I'd get sick from all the motion.

[@bambambundy6]

That's just amazing! I've seen them operate at a distance, WOW! Thanks for the video!

[@cdh88]

the footage from the operator cab is fantastic, what a ride

[@Patrick-hz7cz]

Wow. Fascinating and nightmarish at the same time. Looks incredibly dangerous! Especially with the guys working in the hold, or riding the outside the cab! Different times indeed.

[@mitchdakelman4470]

I have many steel films showing these monsters, but not with the true sound! Great!

[@Wettonbunker]

Amazing engineering. Thanks for uploading this video

[@ArchTeryx00]

And interestingly enough, the base Hulett idea - a boom-mounted unloader - lives on in its descendant, the Siwetell Unloaders (which use a rotary screw and conveyor system for continuous unloading). It's too bad the Siwetell can't really handle bulk items as heavy as taconite, or we might still be using a form of Hulett on the Great Lakes.

[@rp1645]

Thank you for showing the cab and control Levers, it would be interesting to read the operator manual if there was one,

[@bsauerteig]

What a splendid job documenting this piece of American history. Really really nice! Thank you so much.

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Excellent footage, great documentation of the operation

[@MrMKH2010]

I'll say one thing. The operator always had an up and down day ;)

[@LeeKresser]

One of the best historical videos I have watched. A great window into that intermediate time between total manual unloading to full automation.

[@77gravity]

Awesome machines. I didn't really get a proper sense of the size of the grabs until they lowered the BIG bulldozer into the hold.

[@OutdoorsWithShawn]

I've seen a few videos on these, but never one so well documented. I didn't realize, until today, that the operator rode the arm down into the ship. Thanks for this!

[@louGriggs1944]

Great piece of history here. Thanks so much for getting in on film and sharing.

[@tl124]

That is just mind-blowing.... What in credible pile of iron and steel. And I can't believe the guy rides just above the bucket! Wow! And then the self-unloading systems!! Double wow!

[@IstasPumaNevada]

These are the best shots I've seen yet of these machines. Thank you.

[@slufoot733]

Used to watch the ones in Ashtabula, Ohio. Magnificent machines! And graceful too.

[@rexoliver7780]

Very good-excellent video showing closeups on how these devices work. Interesting how the operator is in a cab above the bucket. And the levers that control the device. Would think coordination is important here in using the unloaded. I am sure operators went thru a “learning curve” on these. Love the night scenes of the loaders lit up and operating! Thanks for the video! Has unshrouded the mystery of these pieces of clever equipment.

[@mikeschumacher9715]

This was really cool. Something a guy from the Midwest never gets to see. Thank you fmnut

[@scopex2749]

As an engineer this is so fascinating, I watched another short video on here but that was just still photos. It left so many question unanswered as to HOW the bucket men got inside their cabins? I think it is disgraceful that they were put as listed historical machines THEN ripped up from the dock and dumped in a yard never to work again! They should at least restore and operate one to show future generations how they worked. That means many men lost their jobs when they tore out the Huletts, the bucket man, the truck loader underneath on the rail cars, the loader driver ad the broom men........that is such a shame. Thank You for such a detailed film. I shall watch this again on my big home TV when I can! It is lucky that SOMEONE preserved a little part of our history rather than cutting it up for scrap!🤬🤬

[@thenicoletti]

I think I would love this job. I'm sure it gets boring but the idea just fascinates me. Such a cool and historical machine

[@danashay]

Woof. So those monsters unloaded one bucket at a time? Just how big is that bucket? Thank you so much, they really should be preserved. The stuff of nightmares, folks!

[@fmnut]

It held 17 tons of ore.

[@sqr2024]

I worked on ore bridges which were also rendered obsolete by the self unloading vessels. Such a glorious time to work through these hard steel times.

[@markcarey8426]

89 to 92? They look older than that, so does the film. Brilliant bit of machinery, thanks for posting.

[@120446219]

Wow!! A very out of this world video..Well done my friend..Now i know how Hollywood got their ideas for the Star Wars props. such great machines these were..and they moved so graceful too.

[@andyperman650]

Love it when the KZbin wormhole sends me to videos like this. These machines look like beasts, never seen anything like it before. Well done for preserving this history.

[@fmnut]

Glad you like them!

[@sxs4l245]

Thanks. I was actually watching an Amazon program the other day that had these machines. Didn't really get into details about them. Cool to see, so thanks again

[@fmnut]

About 12 to 14 hours for a Seaway size (26,000 tons average capacity) vessel, using 3 machines with the 4th kept in reserve. In the old days they used all 4 machines with smaller vessels, then the time was about 6 to 8 hours.

[@fmnut]

Not yet.

[@merhbass]

Like something out of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" (marching hammers?) ...huge scale, hypnotic, amazing, scary, dark and so fascinating. Thanks for posting this video of our valuable lake shipping heritage. I could watch this all day long!

[@trucker69orso]

Thankyou for such a gem. A great illustration of American industrial might in it's waning days.

[@craighanks429]

I’m in awe of these dinosaur machines, they make the guys working on them look like ants. My hat is off in total respect to anyone who worked unloading the huge laker ships. I got into the info on these because of researching the Edmund Fitzgerald sinking, like wondering how they unloaded them. Unlike the famous Arthur M. Anderson that shadowed the Fitz, the Anderson was a self-unloader. Total respect now for the guys working the lakes, getting the raw materials to where it has to go for the rest of us who don’t spend a moment thinking about it.

[@jamesbraun9842]

The Anderson was originally a straight deck self unloader was retrofitted in the 1980s.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

When I watch this, and I have a bunch of times, I always wonder what in the Sam Hill are we going to do the day the computer dies!!! Someone will say 'Do you remember way back when the Huletts were running'? Seems they were Ward-Leonard electrics. Amazing all the way. Even NOW! Maybe even MORE so now. What goes around comes around. Thanks Mr. Nut! You get the BIG A-PLUS!

[@michaelnorman9962]

Fantastic footage of these mechanical beasts.

[@HM2SGT]

All that mass in motion is astounding

[@BenAliGtor]

I've always wanted to see these behemouths in action. Thanks!