Scrapping an Iron Giant #2: Caterpillar Time Capsule Treasures Found & Knuckle Buster Box Explained!

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[@nedfoley]

"... crazy simple but absolutely genius setup" is a succinct and perfect description of the knuckle buster box. Thanks for doing so wonderful job.

[@davidb8872]

That knuckle buster box……a work of art

[@bearbon2]

The word I remember in some instructions about operating gears with clutch dogs was "Shift With Determination".

[@mathuetax]

Always awesome to listen to the dialogue and hear the word 'roof' being said properly. Whether on the east coast or west coast people always stare at me, 'Ruff'? I smile and say 'You betcha'!

[@altheliterate]

I'm not a mechanic, I'm not mechanically inclined at all. But I watch you channel because the way you explain how those old machines worked, it's fascinating and I love it. Thanks for taking the time to show us.

[@mikewigim2864]

Excellent demonstration of the knuckle buster box. I never knew for sure why the control box was such a knuckle buster. Your explanation cleared up a lot of questions. Thanks Squatch!

[@AWDJRforYouTube]

Great monent of suspense when you were cleaning 70+ years of grime from the floor pan tag...and yurica...GOLD!

[@robertschemonia5617]

The gearing in that knucklebuster box is pretty much exactly how a lower unit in an outboard motor works to give you forward and reverse on the prop. A lot of people don't know that. Like you said, super simple, but also super effective.

[@chrissinclair526]

looking forward to the restoration of the auto patrol, thank you for keeping the old iron alive.

[@boe4448]

Thank you Squatch,, I have a much better understanding how that cool technology worked and the label. "Knuckle Buster" Boe 👍

[@johnsaccoccio7373]

Crazy simple mechanical wizardry - what's there not to love! Bushings and gears are in Incredibly good condition inside that knuckle buster box.

[@andrewjoyce7789]

The brass shift instructions placard was a real suprise, nice for the rebuild!

[@larryallen8523]

My Dad was a grader operator for Taylor County in West Texas. As a kid all I wanted to do was hangout with him on the grader. I remember his first Cat #12 with the knuckle busters. After a few years of operating those old Cats he had a grip that would put down a man twice his size and half his age. All my friends were afraid to try and out grip him. He was the "da man" when it came to grading. He had a laser level eye and could cut grade better than anyone. He was also a bit of a hot rod. He would come flying into our house to park for the night. As he rounded the 90 degree corner he would lean the front wheels and never slow down. The rear end of that old grader would bounce and skid like a 57 Chevy. I can still see it in my head.

[@mikes1345]

I knew nothing about graders and now you taught me enough to make me want to crawl around on one just to see it. Those gears were absolutely cool to see and watch them interact. Thanks for the show! Well worth my time watching what you are tinkering on.

[@waynep343]

The scrap roof as an awning over the evental big shop walk thru door after some straightening.

[@TheJstewart2010]

That really is a brilliant design. As soon as it was opened and I saw the front and back bevel gears, I knew that's how they got motion in both directions. Incredibly clever.

[@LeewardStudios]

Love seeing the way things used to run before hydro-pneumatic solenoid driven electronics.

[@JasperFromMS]

That's knuckle buster is SO cool. Glad you were able to show it.

[@markbehr88]

Love how ingeniously simple that is.

[@paulmanson253]

You know,for a guy who spent years chasing flat rate at a Ford dealership,the level of calm patience you displayed pulling that cab assembly apart was interesting to me. Mebbe being back on the farm is not such a bad thing for you. Pick your projects,pick your pace,and have at it. And if you ever decide to revisit X231,well here is my vote. All the best.

[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

I been waiting to see that project revisited too. Now that youtube IS Toby's full time job, I am sure we will eventually get the master-class level of attention on old X.

[@claysmagicalland9097]

The inside of that knuckle buster is so neat!

[@glennstasse5698]

I appreciate the in-depth look at the “Knuckle Buster Box”. It is simple genius as you said. And it was SO clean inside! Hope you get some useful parts from it. The whole thing looked like junk to me when you started but I can see now how there are useful parts for a restoration, such as those sheet metal panels. Lotsa storage and tagging work ahead…

[@michaelbaumgardner2530]

The knuckle buster box was quite interesting,that's how they did it before hydraulics ...no wonder they called it knuckle buster.

[@mikehughes3533]

What a great lesson on how those graders work, thanks!

[@steveschumacher5470]

My favorite part of being a mechanic has always been tearing things apart to see how they work, glad to see I'm not the only one. sometimes I buy things I have no use for just to figure out how they were made

[@jonathonteal5928]

That knuckle buster gearbox works just like an outboard motor gear case, I just thought it was pretty cool when I was watching.

[@N57RU]

I wonder if sometimes you think, "Do they really watch and understand these Videos". Just a Humorous (In my mind) note. I saw what you did with the nut from the Knuckle Buster Yoke. At first you removed the yoke and screwed the nut on. In a shot shortly after, you had the lock washer behind the nut. When I do things like that, (Which I do), I call myself Hemorrhoidal. I don't miss much. LoL... 😁 Thanks for another Great video. I for one appreciate all your work in putting these together for us to learn and enjoy sir!

[@76RSLT]

Before you said it came from the Range, I thought maybe that thing was operated by the guy who put all the washboards in the road I grew up on!! THANK YOU for the knucklebuster box brrakdown. I've always wondered what went on inside.

[@EricaMTB]

There's always a condition worse than worn out or broken. That's broken and pieces missing, or outright missing. There's usually a demand for all irreplaceable parts.

[@keithmatthews1673]

These forensic disassembly videos are maybe even more interesting than restorations!

[@RuralTowner]

Time capsules... Those old time capsules of a bygone era can always be interesting even if they are merely remnants in an old battery tray. Have an old 56 Dodge 100 that the folks & dad's dad moved to the property with in 81...the truck sat since then though (will run with a little work) it got moved a couple times via dragging it. About 10 years ago was poking around in the cab which still had piles of dried out old newspaper & sun//heat rotted clothes, etc. Door windows on the truck were left down so some things had gotten damp from who knows how many monsoon rains from the times when we still had such things. But buried under the pile were letters my dad (still alive at the time) had written his folks while he was in the Army Reserve beginning with a couple from when he was in Basic. Signs of some water staining but otherwise very good shape. Keep those safe in an old ammo can.

[@RuralTowner]

@@squatch253 After that find do kinda regret not digging around some of the older vehicles that used to be parked in back. Had to have them hauled back in 08 for reasons related to a neighbor. Would've been nice I think to have kept that old late 60s push-button shift Valiant that was among them. I enjoy watching your vids. Have my own '40-41 CAT D2 5J that needs some work & what you've done on yours has helped give some insight.

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

Wow! That sure is a lot of work Squatch! Great job saving some of them pieces! I think those gears look pretty good and maybe saved for future repairs on another grader! I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more video updates on this one!👌😎👍

[@jmailbell]

If the old auto patrol could talk, what stories it could tell. Great video as always!!

[@pinwizz69]

That my friends concludes Cat antique motorgrader deconstruction and how the nuckle buster worked 101. Definitely one seriously episode this one. Those old guys who operated them had to have wieghtlifter biceps.

[@ronchappel4812]

I've never seen inside a knuckle buster box so that was super interesting. I'm shocked how little wear there is on the dogs! Especially for an old machine.They obviously overbuilt them 😃

[@jazzerbyte]

Great explanation of the knuckle buster! I'm surprised that mice didn't shred and otherwise destroy everything in the old battery box. Surely they cut out that strategic piece of the Chevrolet sign knowing that someone would find it some day!

[@knas5289]

I like to watch these type of videos. Just get to know the thought process of each item, what you decide to save and what to scrap. Also how these machines are built and how they were abused.

[@alanharney5278]

Thanks Squatch, fascinating machine. I'm amazed that a simple Briggs engine could drive the knuckle buster.

[@garymorisoli3562]

Hi Toby, I like how you save anything you may be able to use again. I have a set of Caterpillar Service Magazines from the late 30's to early 50's. I think you would appreciate them. How can I get them to you? Gary

[@daletedder2047]

Your knowledge of the old equipment is amazing. The amount of thought and care you put into your work shows how much you enjoy what you do. Keep up the good work and we'll all be watching for future projects.

[@MidasImperius]

Thanks for that indepth explanation of how the power transfer in the knucklebuster works. I've always wondered about that, as these kinds of graders were a bit before my time. That was really cool to see.

[@93Martin]

I'm officially super excited to see you start the restoration of one of these beasts! I guess I'll just be waiting a few years. I'm sure you'll get to it eventually as long as KZbin continues to pay the bills :)

[@harryward2309]

Thank you for the demo/explanation of the knuckle buster power lift system, I experienced that a life time ago, did not understand how simple the system worked. Very amazed how good of shape the gears and dog's were considering the rest of the machine, only over built by a factor of ten.

[@johnquinn3899]

Finding that brass tag was worth watching the entire video !!

[@larrydavidson3402]

That knuckle buster box is pretty darn amazing. Always wondered how they worked.

[@ron827]

Loved the excellent explanation of the knuckle buster box. Genius design!

[@apulbroo]

I’m really enjoying the grader content. I’m looking forward to the day you start the restoration.

[@neilshep50]

Excellent explanation of the knucklebuster box! You didn't say if inside it was the carnage you expected. Looked pretty OK to me, but what do I know?

[@kevinbooth2063]

Squatch, saw the old Cat 50 last night. Quite the machine we were talking if only these machines could talk. What a story they would have to tell.

[@wemedeeres4105]

Interesting to say the least, I knew those knuckle busters were simple but I didn't think they were that simple!

[@ironman3406]

Dude! So jealous of your weather (I’ll text you a pic of what it’s like here) at first glance those three centre dogs look pretty fair the ramps are not rounded off really bad which should give a good engagement for the function, I am willing to bet that the two outside ones show much worse wear though?? I think you have some salvageable parts in that gear box regardless, and it’s very difficult finding replacement parts for those. Nice work - enjoy that weather while you can my friend.

[@clydeschwartz2167]

awesome video them old machines are truly a time capsule. The knuckle buster box is a true work of art it's really neat how the engineers figured out the power flow transfer from the bevel gears. were the number 9 auto patrol available with gas and diesel engines or just diesel engine. The rat rod grader looks really out of place next to the other ones hopefully you remove the car body parts from that one for scrap or parts picking too.Keep up the great videos Toby

[@clydeschwartz2167]

@@squatch253 I was not sure what years they were built thanks for the insight

[@whotknots]

What a thing of beauty the mechanism for function selection in a knuckle buster control box is! And apart from a bit of bruising on the top edge of some of the dogs there seems to be so little wear despite the amount of use that must have occurred!👍

[@donaldknobloch7243]

I'm looking forward to when you do the restoration on the auto patrol!!!!

[@jeremycherny2041]

Thanks for showing the knuckle busters insides.

[@koerttijdens1234]

That knuckle box is interesting. Thanks for showing

[@ts7113]

Interesting how similar the insides of that knuckle buster box are to the insides of the DoAll Milling Machine Gearbox Steve Summers is putting back together on his Y-tube channel. Ah the power of gears!

[@pnwRC.]

I really appreciated the explanation of the knuckle buster box. Thanks!

[@christophermiller833]

Like dissembling an Erector Set creation when you were a kid!

[@MC-re2ry]

Always amazed at your CAT knowledge. While I was reading Superman comics you must have been reading CAT shop manuals. Cool

[@billrey8221]

You know, I don't know why they changed to hydraulics. This shaft drive system seemed to work just fine. I have seen some other guys chase down and replace bad hydraulic lines in some of the worst places for hydraulic system lines. What can't be done with a drive shaft and some U-joints? Hell, go back to cable drive systems......now the achilleas heel is COMPUTERS!! I'm glad I am old. Thanks for all of the great videos....sometimes I laugh....sometimes I cry.

[@rickyjessome4359]

Great video squatch253! Thanks for explaining the knuckle buster box. That was super cool. Cheers

[@snocrushr]

Interesting inside the gearbox, exactly the same as an outboard lower unit except only one output shaft.🇨🇦

[@asbjrnkvisle5831]

I asked you before how that worked. Perfect explanation 👍

[@waltermattson1730]

This was fun to watch again. I was surprised how nice the gears and bushings were.

[@anttiroppola4414]

That was a great insight into some ingenuity! Much appreciated.

[@fsj197811]

Simple simple which is why some of those machines are still up and running. Thanks for sharing.

[@iangaston1490]

Great explanation about the knuckle buster box. Thank you

[@randyclyde4939]

Thanks for another amazing video! Your ease with us (your audience) is excellent, that's why I've kept my subscription! Very enjoyable. Stay well, stay safe!

[@TheMilwaukieDan]

Over the years I’ve restored three Model A Fords. Buying pieces, parts and partial cars. The combined efforts reminds me of how you are doing the very same thing. Those technologies were so straight forward, must anyone could figure it out. Like I always told my son.. a human designed it… other humans made it AND used it. Other humans used tge bits and remains to a point of ruin. Then a human bein decided to remake and restore it ‘for future generations to learn from the past and ‘simpler times’.

[@mandolinman2006]

Everytime I watch a scrap video, my late grandmother comes out through me. She was born in 1916, so remembered the Depression. She'd save ketchup packets and put in her bottle. So, when you'd say it was going to scrap, I was saying that it could be used for something.

[@ericpaul4575]

The gears and other stuff in the knuckle buster box looked really good compared to the wear on the levers. Seems like you could easily reuse any of those in your rebuild.

[@billhayward955]

Why can I see you building some kind of crane out of that grader frame for lifting your crusher and whatnot to work on and move things? Maybe make it hook to the back of your RD6 somehow? you could make it a short trailer type unit. Too bad you don't have a winch to put on the RD6 for using as a lift.

[@bobbtodd6302]

nothin like a little mid blizzard torching to get your holidays going right.

[@TheRealMercDave]

Well, now I know where Carl Kiekhaefer got the idea for the Mercury Marine lower unit design.

[@ericcorse]

Some cool discoveries with IMO the shift tag tops and the Chevy sign second. I bet it wouldn't many times to get whacked in the knuckles to learn proper engagement.

[@Michael-he7xn]

Elegant system of gears!

[@seniorelectrician6831]

Great video, those machines were pretty basic and simple.Heaters were no good back in those days cause it was so cold that you would have to wait until spring for the heater to thaw out so you could get heat. 🤣

[@trevor7918]

Still amazed how you keep those white tee's clean. 🤔

[@markthompson8656]

Lot of cool stuff there. Love the knuckle buster box too.

[@rdaw33]

Interesting to picture back in the day when they were building these machines, cutting, drilling, bolting it together! Do you know what a new one cost when new, and about how much the people would have made an hour for putting it together?

[@Satellite-Man_521]

Its kinda neat to actually hear your thoughts on parts if they are save able, or why they are scrap, i must admit watching the start of the video it would have been kind of neat in my mind if you actually made it a rat rod and tossed in a motor, and front axle/rear axle from something else and used it to cruise around as a cab/frame haha

[@mikeszachewicz5685]

Clean up the inside of the knuckle buster put some LED lights and clear covers and it would look pretty cool slowly spinning on a wall somewhere. Almost like clear gaming computer cases that are lit up inside.

[@acewrench]

Awesome knucklebuster box overview. Thanks.

[@s.m.aggies7220]

😃 Thank you, great detail nice project that I will be here to view. Your work encourages some many to fallow your foot steps..... :)

[@poprawa]

Briggs and stratton between legs sounds like offense when out of context

[@eugenecunningham491]

It's pleasure to watch your channel you don't cuss about everything you're parents brought you up well I can't say that about Rick

[@bobpaterson1845]

Am sure Cat never intended for a grader to. Be powered by a Briggs and Stratton 🙄😳😂👌

[@paulfazekas7475]

Thanks for explaining the operation of the knuckle Buster Box really enjoyed that rat rod you have looks like that should have been in the melt Gibson movie the road Warrior Thank you for the great videos

[@buttheadsmith7012]

Love the box description. Love the video. Thanks

[@dscott130]

I definitely enjoyed it! 💕

[@rawbsworld6604]

🤗😂 lmao 🤷‍♂️ that rat rod just cracks me up! 🤦‍♂️ guess wasn’t paying attention didn’t notice it in the last patrol vid! 😝 ✌️🤙

[@FURST420]

I wish I had even just half of your energy, Toby

[@whotknots]

Stories worn parts imply are fascinating!

[@michaelsimmons6722]

Im glad to see those graders again

[@shaneharrison4775]

Love it and thanks for that informational bit on the knuckle buster box

[@GrandsonofKong]

Very informative. Thanks for the "knuk-knuk box" demo!

[@williambrown1031]

Thank you for a wonderfully informational video!

[@waywoofy]

My hands still hurt 😬 but nice to watch

[@mabmachine]

It would be cool to know how many thousands of hours this machine had on it. Reminds me of my grandfathers late 1954 AC WD-45 which is a project I continue to work on. He purchased it new in the spring of 1955. I have the dealer sales order and the canceled check for the deposit. It worked as the primary HP on the farm for years. Sometime early on the motor came apart and a dealer installed a complete new motor. It ran until 1969 when a dealer did a complete motor rebuild and it continued as the primary HP until 1973 and continued on with lighter duties until the 1980s. It had so much wear on the foot clutch and brakes that the pedals rubbed the frame rails. The steering bushings and shafts were the same way.