Will it START? Bucyrus Erie 15B Shovel

Cat powered 15b shovel. Been sitting a while and pony motor gave me some fits bit i was able to limp it along enough to fire the diesel side up.

[@keithwarkentin]

I really like the heavy duty track guides on that old girl man I can’t express it enough I love that old iron those were the days when not just anyone could climb into a machine and run it you had to have operators blood in your veins! Keep that old iron running 😀🇨🇦

[@73DiamondReo]

thanks make sure you check out the videos of it digging also

[@gleanerk]

I’m glad they invented bigger starters ! Pony motors could make it a long day of nothing getting done! Thanks for sharing!

[@73DiamondReo]

thats what it was starting to feel like. had to pull the governor apart to free it up and then the fuel tank issues. i didn't want to have to dig into the carb yet so i bet it was running mostly on starting fluid rather than the fuel pump and gas can haha

[@nickslistm246]

Man i love the sound of the old Caterpillar power pack starting up. Can't wait to see work begin on this one. Hope you have a great year.

[@73DiamondReo]

Thanks, you too!

[@rw3dog]

Amazing! That old girl sounds great, like she hasn’t missed a beat since being put to sleep.

[@73DiamondReo]

surprised me the diesel side came to life so easy

[@cranerigging3604]

That's a great idea at 4:48 with the gas can and electric fuel pump ! What I like about it is it could also be used as a diagnostic tool on other engines buy passing fuel tank's suction lines and mechanical fuel pump on a starting issue . I'd like to build a setup with 5 gallon can , electric pump ran off a cordless battery with a pressure and return lines on the fuel can . The 15-B sounds good and glad to hear you got it bought . Happy New Year Diamond !

[@73DiamondReo]

yes they are helpful. it was my fuel tank on the lima all year long haha. I need to drop the counterweight and pull the old fuel tank out.

[@HODGEPODGEDODGEGARAGE]

What a *beauty* 😀👍 Like you said, the sheet metal is in nice shape! That Cat sounds good and didn't appear to smoke at all. Nice find 👍

[@73DiamondReo]

thanks looking forward to getting it home and moving some dirt

[@michaelguinn5736]

About time dude!! You threw me for a second when you mentioned checking the points...then you mentioned pony motor...wow, I am surprised how well that Cat motor runs...someone has taken pretty good care of that machine, also the mechanism on the bucket is extremely well engineered, looking forward to more video's! Stay safe, God Bless!!

[@73DiamondReo]

Thanks. this is my first Cat diesel so im not well versed in it. I did my research before i went down so i wasn't completely clueless. Engine was only showing 600 some hours on it but maybe its 10600 or it was rebuilt? IT has a few oil leaks ill have to address also but i think i got a fairly straight machine and im looking forward to throwing some dirt around with it! thanks for watching.

[@michaelguinn5736]

@@73DiamondReo well from my experience they run well as long as everything is ok, keep the oil & filters changed you won't have any issue's, also good grade fuel help's too.

[@jdjeep46]

Amazing machine.

[@keepontruckinoutlawlife1248]

Very nice thanks for sharing and saving the old gal

[@73DiamondReo]

Thanks for watching

[@rustygoldworkshop4672]

As always great video keep it up love the machine

[@73DiamondReo]

Thanks! Will do!

[@geofham8332]

Hi, thanks. Can't wait for more, love to see the old girl working.

[@73DiamondReo]

hopefully after winter ill get her home and can ill get some videos of it digging

[@Digginok]

Sound great! Nice work

[@73DiamondReo]

Thanks Frank

[@ferdinandocappelletti6740]

Happy New Year. Bedautiful work, my compliment

[@73DiamondReo]

happy new year to you as well. thanks for watching

[@dopeynightlifetv6859]

6:12 SHE'S ALIVEEEEEEE!!!!!!! 💪

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Looks like a winner to me. Seems like you have the live boom and it's on planetary's. You'll get the dog working and the rust off the drums and bands set. It'll be good. A 22 was my 1st OD Green one and then one with an IH-UD power plant out of a TD-14 I think. A BEAST for power. And then one with a 4-71. A 22 was a popular size here. The Lorain had the Cat like that one. If you can crank an old Harley you can crank a pony motor. I found no difference. It'll make you a FINE machine. It'd make a fine dragline. I never fooled with a 15. All were 22's and a 30. A-PLUS!

[@73DiamondReo]

i didn't notice the boom ratchet wasn't hooked up until i was leaving when i saw the rod. there a linkbelt near me with Ih UD engine in it.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

@@73DiamondReo Just sounds like the brake band is a little loose and that 22 with the UD would pull the bucket through mud like a mole through the yard.

[@SteamCrane]

Definitely one of the few cases where "was running when parked" was truthful. You done good! I have a pony like that on a D2 that the previous owner oversped. The pencil thin mag shaft broke, and the gear broke off 2 teeth that went down the gear train. Apparently a fairly common problem. It's really hard to pull start a crane! What about the crane in front of it?

[@73DiamondReo]

i hear they like to break the mag gear like that when the crank has a lot of endplay. i put a new crank bearing on mine and a new seal because it was leaking pretty good. that's a cat powered koehring 205 in front of it. its for sale also

[@somerandomguy3868]

All it really needs is a job to do, and a decent starting motor

[@73DiamondReo]

little bit of tinkering and the pony side will be ok.

[@Ezrider359]

cool 👍seemed like the big engine fired right up once you got the starting engine to run more than a couple seconds.

[@73DiamondReo]

yeah i thought i was going to have to bleed injectors or something for the big engine. kicked off with no ether. ill have to dig into the carb on the pony just didn't want to do that at the end of the day and luckily it ran long enough to kick the diesel off

[@barrettbeeson1533]

Cool

[@hfdzl]

That sounds like a Cat1 You will have fun with this one also! Are you coming back for the crane? Herb

[@73DiamondReo]

i did not buy the koehring. hopefully moving the 15b in a few months

[@oldamericaniron5767]

When did you acquire this machine? Is it a D311 or D315, they look a lot alike to me. My Insley has a D311, first time I started it was after it sat 16 years. 1 1/2 hrs to get pony going and diesel started like it was started yesterday. Pony is generally the biggest problem due to people not running carb dry. I still haven’t fixed problematic carb on Insley, it’s so hard to access. The top of the house is only about 6 inches above carb. I had to use quart oil bottle on it’s side just to fill gas tank. I relocated gas tank to near radiator to make it easier to fill. I’ve taken top off carb to clean but hole carb needs to come off. One nice feature is pony controls are located near radiator so it can be started from there. The 22B I learned on had a D318 with a rope start only pony and always started within 2 or 3 pulls even when I started it in about 2000 after sitting about 15 years but the gas tank and carb were dry. It has Catwalks on either side and large counterweight so it’s easier to access everything being able to walk around house without climbing up and down. I really should try to buy it back some day. Did I see an Austin-Wester road grader in the background, I have one of those too with a UD14 which hasn’t run in at least 15 years. I really should get that running again and get it back home. And remember what I said last year, once you get more parked around the Lima it won’t stick out like a sore thumb.😀

[@73DiamondReo]

D315. made deal on it a few months ago and it took me a few months to even go look at it. Fuel pressure and oil pressure gauges are over behind the operator station so you have to walk around to check them out once the pony is cranking. kind of a pain.

[@chrishunter5041]

Looks like the next project after the Bucyrus was parked in front of it !

[@73DiamondReo]

lol Its available. Cat diesel 205 Koehring. i passed on it. if it was a shovel or pull shovel i would grab it.

[@saul5009]

Great to see the 15 B getting revived Wat type and brand is the other Dragline? Looks like a koehring Have a fun year

[@73DiamondReo]

good eye it is a koehring 205.

[@saul5009]

@@73DiamondReo Dos it still got a engine in it? In the 205

[@screwsnutsandbolts]

Awesome. Is the Bucyrus company still in existence today ?

[@73DiamondReo]

caterpillar bought them out

[@screwsnutsandbolts]

@@73DiamondReo Ahh. Thank you

[@rp1645]

Show one of when you get Home and get use to Her. Of you showing the Levers. You said BE Levers where Different. Is that foot pedal, foot rest easy to find, or make.Thank you for wanting to make her run again.

[@73DiamondReo]

Yes the controls on Be machine push to engage plus the layout of what does each function can vary between brands and even models. The foot pedal for the brake was laying on the floor in the other side of the machine. the bucket trip lever is missing and the crowd lever is bent. There will be more videos and hopefully ill be moving this with the autocar and a lowboy in 2021

[@rp1645]

@@73DiamondReo Happy new year. Thank you very much for video. I have a 1978 Dynahoe-190 2 wheel Drive and a 1971 Seagraves Engine Both have Detroits in them 8-71 Engine 3-53 Backhoe Over 8000 hours on hoe She just has a little blow by Had to have seals done on just about all cylinders, Leakers Slow starts, then gets more Kind of like cutting yourself and not tending to bleeding. The Machines talk to you if you know what I mean.

[@UnitCrane514]

Watch the boom hoist on those 15B's man they are dangerous

[@73DiamondReo]

part of it I was the problem. the latch on the hand lever was also seized up so it could move back and forth some. ill get her all straightened out!

[@99snubby]

do you have an old service truck to go with these cool toys?

[@73DiamondReo]

No, but it would help! I load everything i think i might need in the pickup and head wherever the next machine takes me. You always forget something and nothing beats working on stuff at home. Maybe one day ill be able to say shop when i have a building this stuff will fit in.

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

Was watching another KZbinr about Cat starting engines. He said the fuel should be shut off to kill the pony motor so fuel doesn't flood the crankcase during operation. I suppose you already knew that. I know in this case, you're not working the machine.

[@73DiamondReo]

yes im aware. mag switch is disconnected and no fuel tank hooked up so no chance of that happening.

[@ligurian728]

I've been watching several (many) of your videos and I've some questions. The Insley, Lima, Autocar: is there a first video that covers where you found them, why you like them, what you intend to do with them? Are you a long-time heavy equipment operator or have you always just wanted to buy shovels/earth movers? How did you become interested in this hobby? I've inferred that you want the Autocar/Diamond REO as tow vehicles to haul your shovels (you make a cast-off comment that the Giant will take a low-boy). I guess if you could make a sort of policy statement about what you hope to achieve with your channel would help. I came to your channel watching Wes work on the Insley. BTW, your wife (girl friend?) is a peach. What a wonderful voice. Her comments when you brought the Insley home were very charming.

[@73DiamondReo]

Ive always been into equipment and trucks just go along with it. I went to a show in NY and i was impressed with how fast this Bay City shovel was so i started to look into them more. it took me a while but i eventually found the insley by a reply to a wanted ad i had on craigslist. it was 3.5 hours away but i was interested and it took a while to make everything come together. ive made some local friends that are into this stuff as well. Im just trying to save a few old machines from the scrapyard and have some fun fixing them up and eventually moving some dirt. long term goal is to haul them to a few shows here and there with the autocar or diamond reo. if you go way back in my videos i started with garden tractors and keep working my way up to bigger machines

[@ligurian728]

@@73DiamondReo Thanks for your reply. I recommend copying this reply to your 'about' section. I see you attend Cabin Fever, Rough and Tumble etc. so you're an eastern PA guy and maybe I'll see you there. I'm into antique cars (Stanley Steamer and Mopar). Thanks so much.

[@73DiamondReo]

@@ligurian728 yup not far from Cabelas. you're welcome to come by if you're close

[@johncole1917]

ALL RIGHT ALL READY IT HAS BEEN ALMOST A MONTH. WE NEED TO SEE PARTS ON THE FLOOR, OLD GREASE FLYING, NEW CABLES AND BEARINGS. SPRING STARTS IN 175 DAYS.

[@73DiamondReo]

haha i would love to but my focus has been on the Autocar. ill get around to going back to the machine in a couple months. check out the insley and lima videos in the mean time and the other old cable machines ive come across in my travels

[@jonka1]

Beautiful machine, looks like a bastard to operate. Start working out now to prepare.

[@73DiamondReo]

i have a few other machines like this. not bad to operate if everything is well lubed and adjusted. check out the insley K shovel and Lima 34

[@rudycarlson8245]

How long have it been sitting?

[@73DiamondReo]

12-13 years i believe

[@rudycarlson8245]

@@73DiamondReo nothing like a caterpillar diesel! Or a Detroit diesel!

[@vw4x4]

anyone check the oil?

[@73DiamondReo]

yup both engines. Topped off the pony and diesel side was fine. opened both oil drains looking for water in the oil and neither had any.

[@vw4x4]

@@73DiamondReo One of the other things I would do is lube every joint in that machine. Take a bucket of used motor oil and cover all those rusty levers, gears, pivot points, the tracks, pulleys, hinges, even the cables. I like seeing this old machine come back to life, but a good mechanic, seeing rusty mechanical parts working is like drilling teeth.

[@73DiamondReo]

@@vw4x4 all pivots for the functions i was using were lubed. the boom hoist i didn't plan on using. track drive chains were sprayed down with atf/acetone mix. rollers for the clutches were rotated and lubed to make sure they were free. all clevis pins on the controls were spun and lubed to make sure they were free. I dont lube tracks. This was only a short trip to see if the engines would run and freeing up the clutches from the drum. I just needed to assess the machine and prepare myself for what i would need the next time so the machine is ready to load on a trailer. Once its home it will get power washed, all fluids will be changed and all pivots disassembled cleaned, then put back together.