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Posted by Franz© on Friday, June 19, 2009 at 13:47:30 :
In Reply to: Re: Progress on Bucyrus Erie 14B posted by Galen on Friday, June 19, 2009 at 07:37:52 :
Northwest was basackwards, and learning on one definitely made for an interesting transition to other manufacturers. NY State had one they used for administering crane license tests in Batavia. The machine ran about 1 day every 6 months, and NOBODY ever greased the damn thing. I tested on that machine around 63 and got there a couple hours ahead of the test administrator. Since nothing on it wanted to move I backed my truck up to the house and greased the machine. I also poured a couple gallons of used oil on the cable. The tester arrived and after seeing what I'd done walked me over to the shed where the 20 gal drum of greece and air greaser sat and told me to take them because nobody was ever going to use them. He signed off on my license after 15 minutes of running the machine. I didn't even make a pick, and I think we were both a littel nervous making a pick or running the boom on that machine might snap a cable. On the way back to the house I stopped by Braton's place to show him my ticket. The Ol Buzzard owned a Lorane with both crane and backhoe booms, and he just grinned when I told him about greasing the machine. He was the one who warned me she was close to locked up.
The man who first let me on a machine and taught me to run cable machines retired tot he State Pen abut 10 years later. The cops claimed Spike buried a lot of things he wasn't supposed to bury for some bunch called the mob. He always treated me good, and paid me fair when I worked for him. I got my picture taken at Spike's funeral.
The real fun machines to run were Bantams. If you ever got to run a Link Belt you thought you had died and gone to heaven with the upholstered seat.