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Offline Flyin6

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Ol’ SARGE aka BIG RED thread
« on: April 10, 2015, 10:51:51 AM »
I purchased This ugly Case 1150 a couple years ago and owning it has been quite the story. Just like battles there have been good times and bad times, and all of it cost something!

In keeping with this site, the theme here is go old school, pre electronic era and keep it simple yet effective.

Big red came into being following my purchase of some property. I wanted a place off the beaten path that was a safe haven and a place to train up my boys and enjoy family fun while practicing things I feel are critical to "Proper development" in this super safe American lifestyle. I wanted something to get everyone back to basics and practice skills that are all but forgotten by much of modern society.

So with the purchase of "the Farm" came the site surveys and initial plans. My site is very primitive and needing pretty much everything. It has a couple perennial streams that do not have running water during the hot summer months, but still pond it in places. It does have one spring fed pond some 30 feet in diameter and perhaps 3-4 feet deep. The pond along with the barn and farmhouse is in pitiful condition and needing complete overhaul.

With the condition of the road, the pond, and just about everything I needed more than what I could accomplish with a tractor mounted loader and a box scraper. I needed a heavy track machine, some real heavy equipment.

Enter "Big Red" a mis-painted, Red looking 1975 Case 1150B track loader. Weighing in at around 26,000 pounds with a 1.75 yard bucket and able to lift anything you could put in it, I purchased this heavily used Track Loader or crawler loader.

Here it is the day I bought it over in Indiana
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2015, 10:57:37 AM »
I paid a very fair price for it, but didn't know the whole story as to what it was going to cost me to put back into working condition.

When looking at it at the buyers house, the engine a 450 Cu In Case BD451 6 cyl non turbo diesel engine fired right up. It smoked some but the outside temp was in the single digits. The hydraulics functioned perfectly and I noted some small seeps at some of the cylinders and hose connections.

It hat 2 new batteries and 2 new track tension adjusting cylinders which are really big money. It came with some spare parts and drove around just fine. Behind it was a huge 5 acre pond that my machine and a excavator had dug, and that was the reason the gentleman had purchased it from the original owner.
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #2 on: April 10, 2015, 11:00:21 AM »
I also noted the sprocket teeth were worn to a point, but a quick check told me I could buy new sprockets for only $350 each. The roller pins and the track, a 3 grouser loader design was in great condition, so I thought that installing new sprockets would get the undercarriage in good condition...

I was about to get an education in heavy track construction equipment
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2015, 11:01:28 AM »
I paid a semi driver that same day to transport my machine to a nearby Case dealer to have the sprockets replaced and a complete "Fluid change."
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Offline Dawg25385

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #4 on: April 10, 2015, 11:04:56 AM »
Glad you're getting a thread up for this. I was just thinking about this the other day!
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #5 on: April 10, 2015, 11:08:24 AM »
Kyle,

You're going to see a "great expansion" on this area. Starting with this "Big Red Thread" I will be introducing a whole new area where we will build a survival site. Using a selected area, we will go from a remote site all the way to a place you can live off grid. Everyone can share and keep up with what is going on there and discuss ideas for a good off grid home.

Moving on, let's get back to this initial installment on Big Red
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #6 on: April 10, 2015, 11:12:03 AM »
Over at the shop, almost right away the tracks came off
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #7 on: April 10, 2015, 11:14:38 AM »
Right away we found the Chassis was cracked in several places. The proper repair for this is to cut out the crack with a carbon rod, then weld the area back up with the proper welding rod. Richard, the Case master mechanic did that as you see here:
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #8 on: April 10, 2015, 11:15:37 AM »
He also found several bolts missing and parts of the undercarriage worn out. One roller wheel had failed, so next we replaced all that
« Last Edit: April 10, 2015, 11:16:10 AM by Flyin6 »
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #9 on: April 10, 2015, 11:17:58 AM »
The oil change was occurring at the same time and since I wanted to insure this thing would last me all of my remaining days, I opted for Amsoil. That engine holds 4 gallons of the stuff!
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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #10 on: April 10, 2015, 11:19:35 AM »
Then we found a main hydraulic line which was cracked. As with many of the parts for this old machine, that part is no longer made, so they welded the thing up to repair it
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #11 on: April 10, 2015, 11:21:34 AM »
I pulled oil samples and sent them to the lab. I was a bit surprised once again to find I have either an injector or a injection pump problem which accounts for the high concentration of diesel fuel in the oil
« Last Edit: April 10, 2015, 11:31:32 AM by Flyin6 »
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #12 on: April 10, 2015, 11:34:35 AM »
This is the point where I really started fixing things.

The pins and bushings were so worn that I could shake the lift arms, all 1.5 tons of them around by hand, so something had to be done.

No 1150B pins exist that we could find, so we went up to a newer Case 1455 and used those pins and bushings. THat required machining and more $$$$$
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #13 on: April 10, 2015, 11:36:08 AM »
While that was going on, we were also repairing old wiring, and cables and even hydraulic hoses and rubber O rings. I was seriously eyeballing the unit for a paint job as it got healthier and healthier
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #14 on: April 10, 2015, 11:38:56 AM »
Still more teardown and repair. The 24 volt generator, yes, generator wasn't working so we pulled it and I had it rebuilt. About now we decided to replace all the rubber hoses, fan belt, and redo the air intake system with mo-better and newer stuff.

We found a squirrels nest in the intake!
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #15 on: April 10, 2015, 11:40:08 AM »
The track and undercarriage completed, on went the new sprockets and the task of reconnecting the tracks was done
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #16 on: April 10, 2015, 11:41:09 AM »
The lift arms are getting all sorts of new parts here:
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #17 on: April 10, 2015, 11:43:47 AM »
The bushings had to be heated and torched to be removed. This was a very labor intensive operation, but almost all of the worn bushings were finally replaced.

We found another old 1150B and scavenged some parts from it
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #18 on: April 10, 2015, 11:45:32 AM »
No picture of it, but we also repaired the almost 2 yard bucket which had worn pins and was cracked in several places. All of that was repaired as well.
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #19 on: April 10, 2015, 11:48:51 AM »
There was a lull in the action which allowed me to do some cleaning on the machine for which I have no pics. They own a steam pressure washer, not just a pressure washer, but it uses super hot water and detergent.

I washed this thing for nearly 2 hours. At the end I had used 30 gallons of detergent and was completely covered head to toe with blobs of grease, muck, mud, dirt, leaves, squirrel nest parts and the like, but my machine was as clean as a pin.

I then regreased it and thought even more about painting it...OD green perhaps...?
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Offline Dawg25385

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #20 on: April 10, 2015, 11:50:10 AM »
OD Green! When you said above that it was lookin like a paint job may be in the works, that's the first thing that popped into my mind.
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #21 on: April 10, 2015, 11:50:55 AM »
Knowing I was going to be pushing over a couple hundred trees, I wanted more protection so we went to the local steel yard and selected some really heavy box steel tubing and built a front section to the RPOS. I also replaced the ugly chrome stack with a proper black factory exhaust stack which now, along with the air precleaner would be protected.
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #22 on: April 10, 2015, 12:00:43 PM »
Yep...OD Green, and I have 2 gallons of it sitting on the shelf!

Well, right about now the bad thing happened. When I was driving it around I found it difficult to get into high range. THe mechanic messed with it and it was working. THen while pulling it out of the shop, it made a "Pop" sound and stopped moving!!!

To this point I had spent $9400 plus the cost of the machine on it and had not used it for 1 minute.

The news was really bad. I asked them to tear into it to see what was wrong and they found the primary shaft of the main transmission broken!

THis early Case design is not hydrostatic like all the modern stuff. Nope it has the engine coupled to a torque converter that looks like it came off the battleship Iowa. That is connected to a main transmission which simply has a high and a low range.

Then each track has it's own transmission which is shifted into either forward or reverse.

These old machines were popular for digging basements because they could turn inside themselves. THe newer Cat 953 stuff will lock a track and propel the other allowing a very tight skid turn. THe Case 1150B can run one track in forward, while one track in reverse so it can pivot as if a nail was driven through it's center.

But if the main transmixer goes, you don't!

And the really bad news was: That part is obsolete and they couldn't find it...and that was 2013

So fast forward to last week. It seems everyone in the world wants to buy the thing from me in hopes of fixing it, and that generated some effort from the case guys. Finally after nearly 2 years they found the part. $2200 and it's mine and that means I would again have a fully operational battle star.

And that's exactly what we are going to do! Fix this thing and get it down to "the farm."
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Offline wilsonphil

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #23 on: April 10, 2015, 12:24:49 PM »
Don the farm I grew up on we had this exact same base model, the engine and hydraulics are very dependable.  We had to rebuild the tracks and it was quite the job.  Parts were easy to get 30yrs ago but case is pretty good about supporting equipment.  Should be a fun project.


Offline Armalite

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #24 on: April 10, 2015, 04:18:28 PM »
Lol, the joys of owning heavy equipment...  Welcome to my world friend!  Glad they found the part.  Glad to see it coming back to life! 

Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #25 on: April 10, 2015, 06:28:31 PM »
Don the farm I grew up on we had this exact same base model, the engine and hydraulics are very dependable.  We had to rebuild the tracks and it was quite the job.  Parts were easy to get 30yrs ago but case is pretty good about supporting equipment.  Should be a fun project.



Great! We have a sorta SME on board here with us! I might be leaning on ya some via the PM route

Well good news is the undercarriage is solid, maybe 90%, so I wou't be able to wear that out.

We think everything on this old chunk has been rebuilt or replaced at least once. Since it's showing 5,000 + hours, my money says it actually has 15,000 hours. But there is a chance it is a 5K machine. If it is a 5K machine, then it has a lot of life left
If it is a 15K machine, then everything had to have been rebuilt at least once.

Take a look at the tracks. Grouser height is very good, and pins are hardly worn at all
« Last Edit: April 10, 2015, 06:30:14 PM by Flyin6 »
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #26 on: April 10, 2015, 06:36:01 PM »
I was over there today talking about how to go about fixing it this time.

We located the all important shaft which by itself will get me going.

We went over the oil lab analysis and here's what they are thinking. It is not a leaky injector. If it were the engine would have a miss and this beast sounds really healthy. So it could be an injection pump inner seal, but there is another much stronger possibility. THis engine has an old school Cummins and big block Chevy lift pump. If the diaphragm is bad in that unit, then that alone would account for the fuel in the oil at the recorded level.

So we are going to replace the fuel pump and run it and start pulling oil samples to establish a baseline or trend line

It has an old school Bosch style in line injection pump...cool...simple
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #27 on: April 10, 2015, 06:38:00 PM »
We have also made some arrangements to move it closer to the building where I can start sanding and painting it

I believe I will paint it either OD Green or back to the original Case puke yellow

It's still very clean after sitting the past 2 years
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #28 on: April 10, 2015, 06:40:11 PM »
Those boys will soon enough be operating that thing. Imagine how that will help shape their lives.
Maybe WilsonPhil (Phil??) could comment on that thought

It is needing some TLC (Read: Paint!)
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #29 on: April 10, 2015, 06:42:08 PM »
These guys made those sweeps from scratch! I think they did a pretty good job!
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #30 on: April 10, 2015, 06:43:52 PM »
It's a bit heavier than I thought

That tag says GWT is 29,700, a couple tons over what I thought it weighed
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #31 on: April 10, 2015, 06:44:49 PM »
This thing is old
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #32 on: April 10, 2015, 06:47:30 PM »
When I bought it, the engine kill, the T-thing was just a cable end with a vice grip on the end

Most of the gages did not work, and they do now

THe levers are the controls. You really do not need to use the right and left pedals to steer if you can sling the gears just right
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #33 on: April 10, 2015, 06:51:22 PM »
You can see evidence of work having been done everywhere.

All in all it's not a bad machine at all
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #34 on: April 10, 2015, 06:55:22 PM »
It's going to be fun turning back the pages of this old relic and making it productive once again
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #35 on: April 10, 2015, 07:05:06 PM »
Needin' one of these for the farm:
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Offline wilsonphil

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #36 on: April 10, 2015, 08:14:38 PM »
Don the farm I grew up on we had this exact same base model, the engine and hydraulics are very dependable.  We had to rebuild the tracks and it was quite the job.  Parts were easy to get 30yrs ago but case is pretty good about supporting equipment.  Should be a fun project.



Great! We have a sorta SME on board here with us! I might be leaning on ya some via the PM route

Well good news is the undercarriage is solid, maybe 90%, so I wou't be able to wear that out.

We think everything on this old chunk has been rebuilt or replaced at least once. Since it's showing 5,000 + hours, my money says it actually has 15,000 hours. But there is a chance it is a 5K machine. If it is a 5K machine, then it has a lot of life left
If it is a 15K machine, then everything had to have been rebuilt at least once.

Take a look at the tracks. Grouser height is very good, and pins are hardly worn at all

Yes they look really good, its was a small fortune even 30yrs ago to rebuild the tracks that's why we did it ourselves.  We made up a press fixture and used a porta-power to press the bushings in.  If I remember correctly we used  a 15lb sledge to drive the pins out and then used the porta power to put everything back together.  It took some trial and error but the first track took a week and the other side we did in a weekend.  Also all that steel is case hardened, really like how you welded the frame 100% correct!!!     

  After I left for the Military my dad stopped farming and that was one of the pieces of equipment that my dad sold off, seeing pictures of it really brings back some memories. 

Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #37 on: April 10, 2015, 10:30:58 PM »
  After I left for the Military my dad stopped farming and that was one of the pieces of equipment that my dad sold off, seeing pictures of it really brings back some memories. 

Well I can fix that

Come on down and run this one for a spell fixing the road or digging the second pond, or???
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Offline BobbyB

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #38 on: April 11, 2015, 02:36:52 AM »
And here you were thinking once you left Armor, you wouldn't have to deal with tracked vehicle maintenance anymore! For nostalgia's sake you should change a track at the farm...in the mud.....when it's raining...
So, Bobby...being the calculating trained warrior NCO that you are.  Take the appropriate action, Execute!
your standard grunt level CQB is just putting rounds and rounds on scary stuff till it stops scaring you!

Offline Dustoff35

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #39 on: April 11, 2015, 06:55:08 AM »
I don't think so Bobby,  I'd be they first one he would call if I wasn't already down there.  Learning how to change or repair a track…
         
on a hill…

in the mud…

while its raining…

at night…

No thanks.

I was in the 3D ACR for a few years but in the Aviation Squadron.  No tracked vehicle experience.  Will try to keep it that way.

Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #40 on: April 11, 2015, 08:26:12 AM »
And here you were thinking once you left Armor, you wouldn't have to deal with tracked vehicle maintenance anymore! For nostalgia's sake you should change a track at the farm...in the mud.....when it's raining...

Words cannon describe how much I hated the moment(s) when Garcia (My tank driver) threw the track on my M-60A1! GRRRRRRRR

It would go one of two ways bad and worster. to the outside: Bad. To the inside: Worstest  You see, to the inside meant it had a tank sitting on top of it, along with probably a ball of mud the size of a VW beetle.

I have some money now. That means a thrown call means a phone call which results in two things: 1. the track gets put back on
2. I lose a lot of money
or
possibly
3. I just leave it and let a patch of locust and briars grow up all around it and after some years no one knows the better.
If it throws a track in the bottom of the pond I'll dig, then if future generations ever pull some of that water out to drink, it will always have an iron rich, oily taste to it!
« Last Edit: April 11, 2015, 08:26:46 AM by Flyin6 »
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #41 on: April 11, 2015, 09:28:18 AM »
Just found this...The factory Case 1150 spec sheet from the 70's

Cool machine!
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Offline cudakidd53

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #42 on: April 11, 2015, 09:46:39 AM »
So Don-

You could go all "Huck Finn" and charge us to make childhood dreams become reality, letting us pay for an hour of tree pushing down on your farm!  ???
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Offline KensAuto

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #43 on: April 11, 2015, 10:22:46 AM »
Mike might be on to something there.
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OldKooT

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #44 on: April 11, 2015, 10:28:16 AM »
That is a cool old retro machine. Those were always great diggers if memory servos correctly.

As for the tree's.... I hope they aren't too large. Our D8 struggles to push over some of the larger stuff here. We usually use the excavator for tree removal.

Regardless, it will be a handy piece of equipment to have on a acreage. Moving dirt is a great way to spend a day...I always enjoy it.


Offline Drunksailor

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #45 on: April 11, 2015, 01:40:30 PM »
Cant wait to see the beast pick up dirt and put it back down in a slightly altered location…  ;D
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Offline BobbyB

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #46 on: April 11, 2015, 02:17:02 PM »
So ultimately it should find a home at the Farm?
So, Bobby...being the calculating trained warrior NCO that you are.  Take the appropriate action, Execute!
your standard grunt level CQB is just putting rounds and rounds on scary stuff till it stops scaring you!

Offline wilsonphil

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #47 on: April 12, 2015, 04:15:46 PM »
  After I left for the Military my dad stopped farming and that was one of the pieces of equipment that my dad sold off, seeing pictures of it really brings back some memories. 

Well I can fix that

Come on down and run this one for a spell fixing the road or digging the second pond, or???

I didn't say they were good memories'!!!  there is a reason I left for the Military as soon as humanly possible!  I do not want to farm again, I tell everybody I have been retired ever since I left the farm.  That being said if you help more than happy to give you hand if you need it.

Offline Flyin6

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #48 on: April 12, 2015, 07:34:04 PM »
So ultimately it should find a home at the Farm?
Yep, that's where it's going, likely never to ever leave again.

The mechs are trying to slip it in between the bigger projects. There's a motor going in an excavator, when that gets done, Red will be in the shed!

Parts are ordered

Norm, Yea, I want an excavator, that one pictured is for sale...but I'm not a rich guy...

Was down on the farm all weekend, just got back.

Unfortuantely Duane filmed me dropping a tree...which I notched to fall away from the house...which defied gravity...and came right down on the old form house!

I said screw it, picked up my M-4 and pumped 20 rounds into the house just to finish things. Later on we let each of the kids and Duane also perforate the old home. It's toast now...ready for pushin' in and setting fire to.

But walking the property, I am amazed at the sheer number of big cedars I own. Thousands! There are areas where the stands are maybe 14" at the base or better.
I can sell a 14" log, 8'2" long for seventy something. I could get 3-4 long of various diameters out of one tree. Make me a couple hundred...or buy myself a sawmill and start cutting the lumber up for the new farm house. Anyway an excavator would come in handy yanking those logs around
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Offline Armalite

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Re: The "Big Red" Thread
« Reply #49 on: April 13, 2015, 03:23:29 PM »
Needin' one of these for the farm:

DO NOT buy that machine..... 

 

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