VOLCANIC BROWN'S BIG CATERPILLAR D8/D9 TRACTORS!

The type of machines that I have earned my living with since I was 16.
(50 yrs and counting.) Operating heavy Caterpillar Earthmoving equipment. The other side of me, that you don't normally see.

[@m00nscaping76]

Excellent Vid’ ….. It took me back to 1965, I was working in a Brick Yard quarry in Derbyshire on a BTD6 Drott & JCB 3C and we had a Cat D9 come in to doze the top off the quarry face to expose more clay. When done, around the middle of the week, (as he was blading the spoil away from the face again and then levelling it out in the waste area at the side) .. he let me have a stint at operating it. It was of course cable operated back then with the lever over your shoulder. What really impressed me and stuck with me as a 17yr old was hand cranking the Donkey Engine/Pony Motor which to me looked like a car engine as a starter motor. Now at 76, it has always stuck with me. As I reached 21 though, I decided to leave PLANT and go the Class1 heavy goods route. ...... Thanx for the memory!!

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@m00nscaping76 Your very welcome!

[@coochb945]

Love the video. I started on D4s when I was 12 on family farm. Now I work in New Zealand's largest gold mine with latest D10s and 360 ton diggers and trucks. None of which will still be going in 40 years. Credit to you and everyone who looks after your gear

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@coochb945 A lifetime with heavy plant, I wouldn't have changed that for any other profession! Everything I own or ever will own, is down to Caterpillar. Biggest we run is a D9L. All the best from the UK.

[@nounoufriend1442]

Interesting video from you as they always are , I'm retired but use to drive and repair 3'300 hp machines that also ran on tracks but not tracks like your D8 , keep up the good work

[@tedcase9175]

Wow brought back memories, served my apprenticeship on cats, d9/8, drotts, fiat fl14 n 12, hymacs, building the m62, and other various things, the d8 n 9 had a two cylinder donkey engine in them days, then there were the toy stuff jcb etc thanks for that from an old retired plant fitter

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@tedcase9175 Hi Ted! We used to make the sign of the cross before pressing the starter button for the Donkey engine! Those days are thankfully long gone now! When I started at 16, it was all International TD 18's and 20's, Cat D8H's 68A's and 22A's (direct drive). D9 19A's with the diesel torque convertor. Hymack 580B's were about the biggest we had back then, unless we were on the coal sites then you would come across 110RB's Started off on B100 drotts but soon went onto the big iron! Enjoy your retirement Ted, we only get one!

[@0scartheCat]

@@Volcanicbrown1878my dad had a Bristol Drot, he had to get parts from a bloke called Nelson who had an airfield in Lincolnshire..

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@@0scartheCat Yeah, Nelson Green, He is long dead but his son Sephen is running it now.

[@mikederrick6062]

My late dad used to drive a D8 he was the last machine out of Wimbleball Dam Exeter he was driving it out the dam as it was filling 👍

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@mikederrick6062 A bit of history in the making!

[@simongilbert2704]

all very familiar to me ; spraying the machines yellow and the cabs red , and re- building the engines ;;

[@56Model30]

Thanks VB, this brought back memories of when I was at University in London in the 1970’s. My mother used to send food parcels down with a family friend who was a train driver on the Leeds to Kings Cross line. On one occasion he showed me round the engine room of the Deltic and allowed me to rev the engine. Marvellous. I just love big engines…built to last!

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@56Model30 Can't beat a big diesel working hard....When the unstoppable meets the immoveable!

[@AlexLindley-u5f]

Great Job Great D8K Great Video Sterling Gent ! Proper CAT Man !! Cant fault Ya !!! Subscribed to hear more of what yur on with !!

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@user-es6jt6eb7t Thanks! Everything I own or have ever owned, is down to Caterpillar! Many thanks for the sub!

[@54macdog]

Wow, that is a change of pace! Proper WORKING class!

[@dezmondwhitney1208]

Thanks for showing us this. You work hard. Thanks for posting all the biking videos too.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@dezmondwhitney1208 My pleasure!!

[@simonchilli2088]

I enjoyed that the first time around and this time. With the new government's plans to build houses for everyone you shouldn't be out of work for the foreseeable future that's for sure!

[@johnimmins7302]

Very interesting video of your job and what it involves. The hours you have to work reminded me of my long hours and shifts before I retired

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@johnimmins7302 The clients won't let me retire!

[@timmcvittie436]

Really interesting. Thank you 👍

[@simonbealing]

Lovely machinery. Obviously built to last, thanks for the insight:)

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@simonbealing The thing about old Cats is that they are infinitely rebuildable!

[@jonathanmellish4439]

Interesting film. My job used to be a safety inspector of excavators, cranes, tractors etc for an insurance company.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@jonathanmellish4439 Interesting job!

[@murffff]

proper machine great stuff

[@kevbaldwin9552]

Great video VB spent my life around big machinery in heavy industry boats trucks ect steel works oil 12:42 refinerys ect .

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@kevbaldwin9552 There is a certain something about big kit!

[@Trev350]

Glad you put this one back up. I enjoy stuff like this

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@Trev350 Glad you enjoy it!

[@bobbyblueace]

I had been wondering what you do for a living. Interesting. Thanks.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@bobbyblueace I bet it was'n't what you expected!

[@bobbyblueace]

@Volcanicbrown1878 Indeed. I figured you were not a pen pusher, but.........🤣

[@andrewshields5322]

My father worked at the Caterpillar factory at Birtley (Newcastle) From the 1950s till 1990s. I remember rows of newly built machines standing outside waiting for shipment. Alas like so much of our industry it is no more. There's a chance that the machine you are using could have been built there.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@andrewshields5322 All the D8's were built at Uddington in Scotland up at the Caterpillar factory there. Birtley were famous for Cat Bulldozer blades, Towed scrapers and I think later on Dump trucks. Shame all our heavy manufacturing has gone now.

[@markwoodward7195]

If that's a caterpillar what are the size of the birds that feed on it. Oh that's where you come in haha. Really interesting for us chair drivers.😮

[@Peter234100]

Glad you have re posted this video 😊

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@Peter234100 Your welcome Peter!

[@camillebourbonnais1925]

Hello Volcanic Brown. You have had a good work life I think. I'm a retired Bechtel engineer if that means anything to you. So I know what a construction site is like. And places like that have challenges but are fine places. I've watched many of your videos and think your Royal Enfield Classic Chrome 500 is probably your favorite. Its a most beautiful motorcycle, balanced, and you say its very good too. Not available to me in Canada I own a RE Interceptor 650 and love REs. But I keep loving looking at that 500 with the bar end mirrors. Anyway, again love that 500.😀

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@camillebourbonnais1925 Yes Bechtel are truly global. They were overseeing the UK to France Channel tunnel construction. If there is a bike I want that was never available over here, I just import one! It's a very simple process! My 1970 Enfield Interceptor 750 came from Montreal as nearly all the production was exported.

[@scoothome]

Awesome

[@kevinchapman4408]

Hi VB. Pleased that you reloaded this video, I missed it first time around! Interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing. Kc.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@kevinchapman4408 Just something radically different to bikes!

[@mickwalker8813]

Thanks vb, nice to see the day job! Proper work. Have you watched Diesel Creek on YT? Some good old CATs on there!

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@mickwalker8813 Yes I have! Interesting channel!

[@The_Incredible_Bulk1962]

I just realised..not a cable in sight..all hydraulic!!...that's progress!!

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@The_Incredible_Bulk1962 I still run one cable scraper behind a D6. But with 1/2inch wire rope costing £1.90 per foot, it makes no sense!

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

🤠 Time to get on some Real horse power! 😊

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@DANTHETUBEMAN Yep, proper Shire horsepower there, not this Metric pony stuff!

[@0scartheCat]

A lot of ex forces guys go in to driving Blades ..

[@thewanderin_rider]

You must have seen and been a part of a heck of a lot of changes in the landscape over the years. When I was sixteen I had a very brief job as a chainboy , working for Tarmac construction on the Tatling end / Denham stretch of the M25. That would’ve been 1982 / 1983. One of those fill in sort of things before I went on to a different calling. Farming actually. But I remember well all this kit rumbling up and down. Did you ever play a part in the M25?

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@Wanderin_Rider I have done so many road construction jobs, I can't remember them all. I was on the M25 down near Reigate for a spell. That was around the time that Bob Geldof was on a motor scraper!

[@zedcharlie]

Put that engine in the enfield. Should get 100 then 😂

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@zedcharlie And the Enfield engine in the Cat? The Caterpillar transmission would never survive!!

[@ruahinesrider]

Maintain it well & it will last & if it a runner use it.I worked in a Roading crew started at 16 as lollipop sign holder stop go.Then worked my way upto tractor 🚜 with road sweeper then 2 axle dump truck 🚚.Tractor with mower for Council mowing edges of roads,farms.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@ruahinesrider At 16, I blagged my way into a job at a plant hire firm, didn't take more than a day for them to find out I didn't know anything but I showed willing and they kept me on and trained me up!

[@ruahinesrider]

@Volcanicbrown1878 Got a start somewhere.

[@patrickgreenman8248]

Very interesting video, that D8 is a serious bit of kit,and built to last,do Caterpillar build their own engines? or do they use someone like Cummins to power their units.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@patrickgreenman8248 Caterpillar have always built their own engines, however, some of the smaller cat dozers, built abroad have Mitsubishi engines. Caterpillar bought out Perkins Diesel's and I think some of those have been fitted to Cat fork trucks and possibly some of the smaller Cat excavators. The big Iron always has Cat's own engines.

[@stewy62]

I didn’t get a notification for this video, I mentioned this the other day to a (Japanese) blogger who reloaded some videos due to alleged copyright infringement for which I also received no notifications, and he reckoned that re-released videos aren’t notified. I’m not sure if he’s right but the evidence in front of me suggests that he is correct. Anyway I re-watched this video because why not !

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@stewy62 Well this video keeps getting recommended on my home feed, So I don't know!

[@rodneygunn788]

The one I operated was still on cables

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@rodneygunn788 Spent nearly all my time on cable scrapers, Thank God they are all on Hydraulic now!

[@markh7200]

KZbin asked me to 'Rate this video' after I watched it the first time it was posted it. Gave it 5 stars 😂

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@markh7200 Thankyou!