A most useful piece of equipment

When we ask our Contractor readers what they never miss in the magazine- it is the historical projects and Classic Machines which is written by Richard Campbell. So we have commissioned Richard, the country’s machinery guru, especially to write an extended article on the WHEEL LOADER. This 18 page special WHEEL LOADER edition an article…

On the trail of heritage machines

Clark-Michigan rolled out it’s twin-engined scraper- the 110HT, in 1970. The machine was a reasonable success for C-M and over 1000 were produced. A small number trickled into NZ, although no-one is sure exactly how many arrived, or where they ended up working. In 2009 Richard Campbell wrote about the NZ imports in a Classic…

Best in Show- a sneak preview

This beautifully restored International-Harvester PH95 PayHauler was photographed by an alert member of the public at Ports of Auckland this weekend. The truck, owned by C&R Developments(formerly Baker Construction) in Cambridge, is bound for Wheels at Wanaka 2019, in several stages. C&R has also imported a Euclid TC-12 from the States, and this is being…

Classic Caterpillar scrapers: The Cat 619 scraper

The 619 motorscraper introduced a number of firsts for Caterpillar scrapers, including planetary final drives, two-cylinder hydraulic steering and semi-modular construction for easier maintenance. The clip we are sharing was made from images published in Contractor magazine in 2006. If you would like to read the article in it’s original layout you can read the…

NEW YouTube clip: Caterpillar’s 666 scraper

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…

The legendary missing bulldozer of Taihape

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…

Classic Machine story from the US

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…

Old scrapers in action

 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…