The largest production twin engined motor scraper to be offered by any earthmoving equipment manufacturer, the Caterpillar model 666, was introduced in 1962 along with a raft of other ‘600 series’ motor scrapers that Caterpillar had been developing. Boasting a whopping 54 cubic-yard-heaped bowl, the 666 was also offered as a single engined scraper, which…
Talk about a stranded bulldozer had been circulating in the Taihape District for years. One day Finn Wallis set out to find the machine… Find it he did, perched precariously on the edge of 250 metre bluff, more than a kilometre from the nearest walking track. This clip shows the recovery operation that ensued. The…
Grant Rinkhoff from the US enjoyed our Classic Machine article on the Oliver OC-18 so much he sent us his own story of an Oliver rebuild organised by his father Ed. This Oliver OC-18 was bought new in 1956 with a 12 foot angle dozer blade, a double cable winch, 24 volt battery starter and…
IN THE APRIL issue we featured the making of Auckland International Airport, which opened in January 1966. THE AIRPORT WAS FIRST mooted back in 1929 but it was 1959 before a decision on the Mangere site was made and approved and the Ministry of Works started building the new airport. At the height of construction…
Readers will recall news of Euro Auctions in Northern Ireland selling over 100 classic tractors with many historically important models from the 1940s, 50s and 60s in a one-day auction this past Easter. Most of the collection had been amassed by John Flynn over the past four decades, with many of the tractors having been…
Everyone has a favorite something. It may not be the world’s most attractive item but you like it because it performed well or felt good or you liked the look of it, just struck a chord, or all of the above. Take the Supermarine Spitfire as an example. It may not have shot down the…
By Richard Campbell Ever notice how old ideas come around in a new format ? Earthmoving is a classic window into “what was old is new again”. Take the humble towed scraper. It began life in Fresno, California in the 1880s, pulled by a horse or mule and steered by some poor fellow who had to look at…
