So...I bought a Motor Grader... WHY??

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simp5782

simp5782

I'm the dude, man!
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Gravel and smooth the new parking lot for storing the city impound cars! Gotta factor in the cost of that for their contract
 
NDT

NDT

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Familiar looking injection pump. This stuff is like a stray kitten, can't just turn it away, have to find a home for it.
 
papabear

papabear

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NDT said:
Familiar looking injection pump. This stuff is like a stray kitten, can't just turn it away, have to find a home for it.
Click to expand...
You're right Sir, but there's a little more to this story so here goes....(as best I can remember it).:roll:

SO.... Around 12 years ago I saw this puppy sitting in Kudzu vines about covering it completely but I could make out the basic lines. It belonged to a friend of mine that actually used it about 30 years ago and after some time it just wasn't needed anymore and was backed into a corner and forgotten.

At the time I "re-discovered it" in my friend's compound we had our little CAMO Military Museum and I thought the grader would make a good companion for my 1947 Marine Trencher (we called the "digger thingy) so I arranged to bring the grader to the Museum where we got the rotten tires to hold air (with new tubes) and proceeded to sandblast the beast and then paint it WWII OD Green.:goodjob: It was quite well received by all who saw it but we never spent any time trying to get it running/operating.

About 18 months later, we lost our lease on the truck shop housing our little museum and the trucking company that was leasing the adjoining lot moved out and I leased the entire compound to move my wrecker service to. My friend asked me to bring the grader back to his compound as he had just hired an "old school" diesel mechanic and he wanted to try and get the grader running....so back it went.

THEN...unfortunately my friend (more like a Brother), Korea and Vietnam Veteran passed away from agent orange related cancer.

The grader sat in a different corner and was again taken over by weeds/kudzu.aua

Tuesday of this week the son of my friend called and asked what I would charge him to haul the grader to the scrapper who was going to pay him 500 bucks.

I said well, let's do this...it would normally cost about 200 bucks to haul it to the scrapper so how about I pick it up and give you 300 bucks....he agreed and thanked me...he just needed the space for the business.

So....that gives you all the short version of how we got to where we are. Now I just have to figure out how to get where we need to be!!+:papabear:

Found this video of an early 1950's unit that looks like mine...but mine has the root rake forward of the blade:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6hV1ICmlzs
 
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K

Karl kostman

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Papabear we ALL KNOW WHY its just a little hard to explain to some folks who are not like all of us! I think it looks great!!!!
 
C

cucvmule

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Palm buster, I can remember about 25 years ago when the last time I used one. I will say that it sure beats the Western Wheel horse drawn grader that I have.
 
C

cucvmule

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Not to many hands know how to use road graders. Kind of a lost art form. The last grader I seen working was a Cat 14G that was GPS operated. A very complex machine that in capable hands can accomplish many tasks.
 
papabear

papabear

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One thing I forgot to mention. If you look closely at the right rear (pic # 2) you can see a military style marker light housing on the side of the grill. The lense is missing but there is one on both sides. There is also a data plate riveted to the frame on the right side of the frame but it is unreadable except "45-577" which I believe is the model # (45) and the serial # (577).
 

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marchplumber

marchplumber

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Weelllll, that could keep the Commander busy for awhile, if you go that route. =) I guess I'm not the only one who does weird stuff that can be difficult to explain to "normal" people. Thanks for the pics PB!! and back story........................
 
dmetalmiki

dmetalmiki

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>Circa<, "(Crap Game)"......???,, "WHY NOT"!

And my 'steel soldier of the month', Award for saving a served, friends, (Well worth preserving in memory), Huge, useful, And suitably 'Ugly thing' for posterity.
 
fasttruck

fasttruck

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In an earlier life I had a Caterpillar Model 12 motor grader that had been built for the Corps of Engineers in 1957. It has a Model 318 Cat diesel engine with a pony motor starter, 24 volt electricals. and an enclosed cab. It is believed it spent some time in Ft. Devens, MA at which time the scarfer was removed and a right side cable operated wing plow installed. Has a military 24 volt slave receptible and 2ea 6tl batteries to operate the starter on the 2 cylinder pony motor. 42 grease points ahead of the windshield. Not a machine for the faint of heart. Used it for several years to plow snow. My downfall was I had a trailer on which to move it.dsc_0118_0115.jpgdsc_0123_0120.jpg
 
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