Thanks for watching and re-watching the old shovel. I'm happy with the video and the experience. Time was, when I was paid to shoot video, I'd go out with a cameraman, sound person, lighting expert, possibly a director and production assistant or two (depending on budget), and after lots of preparation we'd be ready to shoot something.
Now I just take my phone out of my pocket and hit "record."
For the Bucyrus-Erie, here is what I recall from my conversations with the operator:
It's a CAT engine with pony motor for starting. Engine is original to the machine.
Operator is self-taught, having read many books on the machines, operator's manuals, lots of literature. He didn't have a dad or some other mentor who worked these machines.
For keeping the machine in place while digging, the tracks have a kind of "parking brake" mechanism that locks them. Machine might still move if there's a lot of force, but it will not roll.
Operators back in the day would make adjustments to the pedal "action" to get the feel they wanted. They'd do this back where the big machinery is and for the life of me I don't know how exactly they did it. You could make it so the pedals went all the way to the floor, or were effective somewhere else in the pedal travel. I liken this to a musician picking up an instrument and tuning/adjusting it to the way they like it.
This machine had a 3/4 yard bucket, meaning that the operator was responsible for much of the oiling, maintenance, and adjusting of the mechanical linkages. One cubic yard or bigger, and you had a dedicated "oiler" who would go around the machine while it was being operated and keep things greased up.
Watch that BUCKET! Let it swing too far back, and you risk hitting the boom. This is to be avoided.
If a cable broke, the operator and other workers could often replace it out in the field.
Even a fully-restored machine that is allowed to sit will have problems when you go to use it. The levers and pedals will be very stiff, hard to operate. Will take some time to loosen them up and get everything moving the way it should.
Music: I stand by my original choice for the other video. Even though it's not what I listen to, it had an industrial feel and was a kind of "glue" that ran through the video, holding it together. Especially good for viewers who may not be interested in the subject, but might keep watching in the hopes that the music will get better LOL.
Unit shovel: Someone commented about a Unit that they remember working way back when. I shot a brief 30 second video of the Unit at this place, and especially like it because you can see the boom of the Bucyrus-Erie swinging in the background. Also, I like the name "Unit." I'll post the Unit video when I have a few minutes. Again--only 30 seconds or so. My battery was dying.
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Today's Featured Article - Listening to Your Tractor - by Curtis Von Fange. Years ago there was a TV show about a talking car. Unless you are from another planet, physically or otherwise, I don’t think our internal combustion buddies will talk and tell us their problems. But, on the other hand, there is a secret language that our mechanical companions readily do speak. It is an interesting form of communication that involves all the senses of the listener. In this series we are going to investigate and learn the basic rudimentary skills of understanding this lingo.
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