The Great Bulldozer Wreck

[@squatch253]

Thanks for getting this on video! Years ago on one of the Caterpillar chat forums someone posted a picture of this machine but it was taken from pretty far away, so it was impossible to tell exactly what it was. I appreciate you taking us right down to it and identifying the make and model, plus sharing some of the backstory of how it came to rest where it is. Great stuff! 👍

[@jknarfal69]

Thank you! Great to hear from the youtube CAT legend! If you ever make it out this way, let me know I'll take yea out there.

[@Joeschmo776]

Hay I watch your channel 😂

[@phlodel]

Matt from Deisel Creek will get it running.

[@TJAkin]

Great story. Thanks for researching this. If we don’t capture these stories, they are lost to time. And then it’s just a tractor in a river with no one knowing why. Sounds like there were some hard feelings after this incident. Operator was lucky to escape with his life I’m sure!

[@markroe8229]

Yes, what an amazing story...a bulldozer rolled into a river. So interesting. The many twists and turns, then the surprise ending no one expected!

[@guest6423]

The story is already lost, apparently. What happened? Dunno. WHat's at the top of the hill? Doesn't matter, I guess.

[@phlodel]

If it was a Cat, it would be right side up.

[@garymeyer1162]

😂

[@dergthefarmer]

😂😂😂

[@nervouswreck392]

FACTZ BRUH‼️ YA✔️... Read more

[@jimmyj2563]

Boom tish

[@philthycat1408]

Land on its feet 😂

[@timmcooper294]

A friend of mine had this model and I helped him rebuild the steering clutches 30 some odd years ago. Fun machine with that screamin' Jimmy power, cable blade and all !

[@bill45colt]

i didnt think it had a gmc engine,,,i thought it was caterpillar

[@maxhiltin1133]

Thanks for the story and video, love hearing the history behind this stuff.

[@CycolacFan]

Interesting, thanks for putting in so much detail and getting right up close. So many videos are filming from 20 metres away and full of incorrect speculations, great to have some background info. Shake hands with danger… 😉

[@bobmahnamahknob]

I had to watch that gem in my OSHA course. I have shared it with others since then.

[@lustylusty1238]

Marty T would run this up with an injecter bleed and a new battery in half a day, and drive right on out of there on it!!

[@scratchbuiltdozer]

Thanks for sharing this story with us. I had all kinds of questions and two seconds later you answered them. Super interesting

[@PJTVenturesInc.]

Great episode. The verbal history of these old stories is so cool and important. Thanks for your effort. Keep the content coming.

[@JB-D8Ktv]

Cool video and interesting story. Enjoy stories like this and hearing the history of how it got there. Thanks for doing this. Stay safe

[@georgecothran4760]

Was that the Happy Valley road bridge you walked across? If so I used to go swimming their on the east side upstream from the bridge about an 8th of a mile, and there was a large square boulder I used to dive off of into a nice size deep pool. Across from there was a buldozer on the other side of the river that was there as long as I can remember, from at least 73 into the 80s.

[@LoriCrisp-c2u]

That is an awesome find and so beautiful. Thank you for sharing 😊

[@zackmoore147]

That is some high quality steel..

[@volvowagon70]

Boy for as destroyed as it is, it doesn’t look to have been that old when it was destroyed. The castings and tracks still look crisp and not badly corroded or worn out.

[@ElementofKindness]

By the condition of that drive sprocket, it looks like it served a long life.

[@tttco]

So cool! What a neat find. Thanks for sharing with us! Definitely something i will remember about..

[@kevingrant2326]

I've lived in El Dorado county for a few years , I used to go out to Happy Valley every chance I got . Really like that area .

[@andysaunders3708]

As is, where is. Was running when parked, Serious offers only.

[@kerrybradbury8768]

And water in fuel filter

[@LuvBorderCollies]

It'll run great after you dump several years and $20,000 into it.

[@FordBaFalcon]

Rumour has it the Detroit is still running.

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

Wow! What a beautiful place! Man that looks like it has been there for a very long time! Hope whom ever went over the cliff survived!

[@fredscheerle7592]

Probably a Forest Dept Employee, Jumped off while it was still flat and ran!

[@elpatudo3670]

​@@fredscheerle7592like you would've done

[@WBBCCrisp]

This is awesome. I’ll have to go look for it his one day. Maybe in summer though, I don’t want to go swimming.😂

[@charleswelch249]

Thanks for sharing the adventure and the story.

[@Speedy2222]

Amazing history. Thanks for sharing. That hill is ridiculously steep on camera

[@ldnwholesale8552]

Those steel castings must have been good. Abandoned there forever yet they are still shiny. We had a TL14D loader, great hydraulics, lousy brakes and loust engines.After it died for the third time it got a 4 cyl Perkins.

[@phlodel]

"Chuck Norris lives in this area." He punched that bulldozer, and it flew off the mountain.

[@FordBaFalcon]

Definately not a Cat. Cats land on their feet.

[@chrisgroves9829]

Very funny my friend

[@DilynHorton]

It has rock guards on it, but I guess they’re defective. Didn’t block these rocks.

[@89vette89]

This type of thing is so strange and cool to see, history preserved exactly how it was 70 years ago

[@Ro6entX]

The dozer wasn’t wrecked; it’s hiding from Chuck Norris.

[@lowlife5142]

The dozer picked a fight with Chuck Norris

[@snydedon9636]

Really cool story. Thanks for the video. Only thing I might have done differently is bring some worms and my fishing rod.

[@shanew.williams]

Wow...i love very very old crash sights like this. That is some tough winch, just look at the impact damage(s) @12:40 and appears to be still together (cable & all).

[@robertpost8247]

@dieselcreek will it start?

[@Lex1uth3r]

Gotta run your video through image stabilization so it doesn't look like your camera has Parkinson's.

[@rawbsworld6604]

Hahaha lmfao 🤦‍♂️ what a 🥸bafoonus statement , wasn’t unwatchable considering the terrain he was working in

[@zubenelgenubi]

Reminds me of the D9 Caterpillar that vanished from the top of the Teton Dam disaster above Rexburg, ID when that dam failed back in 1976! The dam washed out, killed only 11 people among the many thousands below who lost farms, businesses, homes etc. as a result, but that D9 never was found, yet!! There's a video of the Cat sinking into the hole created by the failing dam as the operator scrambled to safety!! Actually heard his wife describe how close he came to going with it!! Jay Calderwood was the operator. Search for his description.

[@jknarfal69]

That's interesting. Sounds like it was a scary deal. Water is no joke. It always wins. Thanks for sharing that. I love to hear these interesting stories

[@Virginianative1968]

Ain't got no gas! Thanks for sharing this cool story!

[@robertmintz63]

Proves you should never work alone on mountainous terrain !

[@larryhawkins8311]

Waiting for someone to say, Hey! You can’t park there!

[@79terrafirma]

Looks like a good gold creek.

[@Roybwatchin]

FB Marketplace Ad: Low hour Allis Bulldozer, was running when parked, has nice rock guards on track rails, heavy duty winch on back, blade does not come with it, bring trailer, asking $7500 obo, no low ballers, I know what I got.

[@LukeLong-oi4uc]

😂

[@bill3641]

Great opportunity for a "Will it start" video............

[@mikeblough942]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@carlachambers3771]

The winch would be worth salvaging

[@phlodel]

Do you want to carry it out?

[@RandThompson-dd3sk]

Ran when parked Price firm No low balls I know what i got!

[@gaskan666]

Will it start and run 1500 mile back home?

[@johngibson3837]

Cool video mate thanks for sharing

[@jayjones6904]

Ty sir new subscriber here old retired owner operator

[@biknjak]

Step aside, guys. My buddy will hook onto it with his RZR Trail and yard it out with his Harbor Freight winch....😅👍

[@skyvidznz3544]

I was so looking forward to a ............... ""Will It Start"" video 😂 a rather interesting perspective on how this became jammed in there ! Greetings from New Zealand .

[@RayHogarth]

RIP old girl never forgotten 🪦

[@Richard-t2b]

Perfect condition. Hardly used..Little fuel, battery, fire right up… 😊

[@Wasatch95]

I never thought I'd consider someone lucky for getting tossed off of a moving bulldozer but given the alternative in this case...

[@Dianeh12]

They need a sign on that swimming hole: WATCH FOR FALLING BULLDOZERS . Good story John.

[@randellgribben9772]

looks like a nice trout stream

[@beaud4474]

that thing was ran to death before it got there . rollers are wore almost all the way through

[@SgtE5]

Pshh

[@r7kelley553]

Imagine how that sounded falling down the cliff. I bet that was intense.

[@jknarfal69]

@@r7kelley553 ole Detroit just screaming all the way down.

[@brian56]

It could have cracked that boulder that is now ready to fall

[@coldblue9mm]

HeavyDSparks could fire that dozer right up. lol

[@chevyblazer944]

Or get out out of there , he is the man when it comes to heavy recovery sum body should show that video to him !!;

[@chevyblazer944]

@heavydsparks @dieselDave #heavydsparks #deiseldave They should go recover this and all the parts or of the river , I hope they at least watch this video and maybe discuss getting it out running the river back up

[@SgtE5]

Lol

[@89vette89]

@@chevyblazer944stuff like this shouldn’t be touched, this is an artifact of human history

[@davidmassey9171]

Will it start?

[@LukeLong-oi4uc]

Although it was a complete loss, and probably hurt the party’s financially, I think the man was very fortunate to escape that incident with his life. From looking at the pictures the undercarriage looks to have been worn smooth out at the time of crash. Those sprockets were shot hence how sharp they are. That machine must of had quite a few hours on it before the accident. But, I’m also aware that logging crawlers can wear out undercarriages faster working on slopes. I also was thinking it looked like parts had been scavenged off the old girl from the pictures. Interesting story.

[@chriscash4118]

That old guy had a long walk out of there when he got off that thing . Do you think he will ever return and get it out ? Shows you what air bags will do and wearing your seat belt .

[@djc7039]

The story is that Chuck Norris was a partner on the Moralas Ranch. It's an 1800 acre cattle ranch between the N Fork and Middle fork of the Consumnes, it's about 10 or 15 miles downstream of where I think you are

[@jknarfal69]

@@djc7039 i know he used to come around this area a bunch. My uncle talked to him at the county fair in plymouth many years back.

[@thebreadedcrab4252]

Its not a cat or it would have landed on its feet

[@HubertofLiege]

That Detroit would start with a little ether

[@TrailTorchOff-Road]

They have tunnel you can swim through there. Place was fun as a teenager

[@AlexLindley-u5f]

surprising how its been scoured with gravel to no rust hardly

[@JohnDoesItAll]

Amazing how little rust on the bare steel.

[@martysmith8657]

High quality steel

[@randellgribben9772]

full time bath in fresh water will slow down the rust

[@brian56]

Also that's old iron and a lot better than today's crap that flake rots immediately

[@coldblue9mm]

That old dozer gets sand blasted every winter. He said back in January the water was up high enough only the winch was above water. Constant sand blasting (sand in the water) keeps it nice and shiny.

[@ytwhite5930]

Refreshing video...

[@marktype1with2]

Should make a will it start video.

[@3634bever]

This video makes me sad. Failure and/or tragedy a long time ago remains in truth. Even if memories or pain have long faded away.

[@akbychoice]

I operated a cable TD-18 and a newer TD-25 in the 70’s.

[@kenzodrow9604]

i really enjoy these kinds of videos new sub for sure

[@criticalevent]

That must have been one hell of a flood.

[@MUCKFOOT399]

try starting it?

[@Valco458]

The Sierra Club is crying in their granola watching this video 😂. They’ll remove it as soon as they pay off Harris’s 20 million dollar debt 😂

[@randellgribben9772]

wow!!!!!! you are so witty... did that take you all to think up? and if you got aa paper cut would you blame biden or harris for it?

[@Dobberjones]

@@randellgribben9772Now we who you voted for 😅

[@randellgribben9772]

@@Dobberjones whom did i vote for a lier, a cheater on all his wifes.. the person whom called all my brothers in arm,, suckers and losers?my Father a US Marine,, served 3 tours in Vietnam..i served 3 tours in Iraq, and 2 tours in Afghanistan.. and you orange god.. a fuc*in 4 time draft dodger. i person whom bankrupted 2 casinos.. remember trump airlines? bankrupted.. trump university.. not worth the paper is was written on..shal i keep going.. oh, yes.. a convicted sexual offender. yes your orange god is a saint. better than your lord god, him self. the smartest person in the world. .how many bankruptcy's.. has he have 15? 20?

[@Colt45603]

Get over it

[@SgtE5]

​@randellgribben9772 lighten up snowflake, Trump is now your president.

[@garymeyer1162]

What were they doing with it that it fell off the hill

[@docholliday3150]

did you even watch the video?

[@brucemcgrath173]

There’s a cat in the surf at pismo state beach. There’s another one in the surf north of ragged point California

[@jknarfal69]

@@brucemcgrath173 really? Is it completely submerged? I'd love to check that out

[@brucemcgrath173]

@ the one at pismo was swallowed up by the sand in less than a year the Big Sur one was there about 15 years ago last time I saw it it belonged to Madonna construction company

[@jknarfal69]

Very cool. I know there is a old shovel on the beach up north. I'll try to make it up that way and get some video.

[@justynanderson70]

For sale. Ran when parked.

[@registromalplena2514]

Please look into camera stabilization in software or maybe get a ring next time cuz normally doesn't bother me but I was getting seasick watching this.

[@jknarfal69]

@@registromalplena2514 when youtube pays for it. I will upgrade my camera

[@tonydunfordtd]

Well I wood love to watch this but hell i'm getting seasick

[@danielcarroll5667]

Amazing , thanks Man...

[@stevenlitvinchyk]

where is this? A crack head ran off with and scrapped the blade!

[@TheCowboylogic]

Wonderful patina........

[@lukearcher886]

The blade probably went straight down under the rocks....

[@Railrider-l1p]

Final drive sprockets worn out. Probably done intentionally! 🤔

[@Crodmog83]

El dorado county?

[@JasonMyers-c6z]

That would be interesting. The logging history over there and over here in Calaveras County, is big.

[@299charles]

It’s a Allis Chaaaamers

[@michaelhaiden6718]

It took a long time for those boulders to get worn smooth there is a way to get the dozer out using trolly cable system but even for scrap not worth it the winch would only fetch 1500

[@brian56]

It's probably all fractured from the impact

[@pattonm4753]

must have gotten into a fist fight with Chuck Norris up on that ledge

[@Jdigger4130]

NEAT!!!! She looks like she was WELL used! Gov Cat? I dunno where Happy Valley is but guessing by terrain that yer in the Sierras? Gyppo logger I feel would have tried to get his iron back! LOL I say that as I would assume only Gov could leave it in the water? Cheers from Santa Cruz CA

[@jknarfal69]

@@Jdigger4130 it was a local logger. The family is still doing logging in the county. This one I can tell people where it is. It's south of plesent valley CA. On happy valley road.

[@Jdigger4130]

@@jknarfal69 10-4! What a neat find! Looks like she def earned it! She looks like she had a few hours on er before they tried "skydiving" Really dig this adventure and seeing American steel! COOL COOL

[@johnsteffen2248]

By the looks of the track drive sprockets, it sure didn't have a lot of hours on it

[@chiefhobbyist3203]

Watch one of these KZbinrs drag it out, hook up some batteries and start squirting ether and try to start it

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

lol 😂

[@WyoCaterpillar]

Where is this at? I would like to do this hike.

[@DalePotter-v7c]

Great project for the will it run again guys!! jump in !! LoL 🤨😵‍💫😝

[@tomdillard9558]

some body from the epa will see this and demand it be removed and it will turn into a multi million dollar project.

[@redmorphius]

FJB

[@dasgoofinhiemer5039]

It's better for the environment to leave it. Only steel is left.

[@elpatudo3670]

​@@redmorphiusMaga STILL = CORRUPT DESPICABLE TRAITORS

[@scottjohnson8146]

Your momma raised a pussy.😂​@@elpatudo3670

[@larrygro]

That thing actually had a spring suspension? Very unusual especially at that time.

[@flyfshjimsinclair3981]

explain yourself. How do you think tracks work?

[@larrygro]

@ Look at 13:00 through 13:16 on the bottom front. I could very well be wrong and tell me if I am that’s fine but doesn’t that look like a stack of leaf springs? What else is it?

[@flyfshjimsinclair3981]

@@larrygro I am talking about the use of leaf springs. What makes you think heavy equipment didn't have suspension system in the 40s and 50s? Leaf springs were invented in the 1600s.

[@larrygro]

@@flyfshjimsinclair3981 I have just never seen them on a dozer or a tractor. To this day I haven’t seen it. Can you tell me a manufacturer that puts them on a dozer? Maybe that’s not even what they are but it looks like it

[@bill45colt]

springs were on them before1940

[@bushelfoot]

The borders makes it look small.

[@busher69]

I'll bet that was quit a show and made a heck of a racket.

[@kevinhale-j6i]

Did I hear happy valley idaho?

[@larryburns4605]

Were is it at ?

[@bigedslobotomy]

At 3:35.

[@bigedslobotomy]

Did you mean loacation? State etc?

[@larryburns4605]

@bigedslobotomy yes what state

[@rawbsworld6604]

@@bigedslobotomy

[@brassmonkey7566]

Down here in Florida the meth fueled scrappers would have made short work out of that chunk of prime steel.....😮.......😅

[@jknarfal69]

@@brassmonkey7566 it happens here too. Years ago there was a abandoned RD7 with leterneau blade out in the forrest. I heard it went out piece by piece in pickups. Too bad too it would have made a good video

[@jimbenton7191]

Was this a fatality?

[@leejohnson6173]

You literally didn't watch the video then..because he tells exactly what happened.

[@joek511]

I could get lost in a place like that. Beautiful, get me a fishing pole, goggles and a water proof camera. Bloop in I go

[@DanielTibbetts-bk5dj]

What happened did the boulders fall on it