Shop Time w/T.W. Friends

Well, the save the iron crusade continues -- on the road at 6am, ripped across eastern NY to Connecticut, just got back to the garage. 2 Wisconsins for one money, as an added value the pallet was included.

 

Sheesh! How do you find such precious metal

 

Search & drive my friend, I like to drive.

 

Well, looks like we are horizontally challenged... Root around for my handy chain.

And aided by the latest in 75 year old hydraulic technology we are safe and sound and on the ground.

Yellow: 1964
Blue: 1965

Damn, I just made some space here yesterday...

 

1/2 came with the new engine, poor picture, it is difficult to hold the phone, tape and see the screen all at once.

 

They’re incredible pieces of equipment, and I’d love to have one. I think they are just slower than people would like lol.

 

That pallet is probably worth more



Just kidding. Love your "save the iron" adventures. Will tune in every time!

 

Is that an old Clark?

 

Thank you!

 

1946 Towmotor LT-40, 4 cylinder gasoline Continental Flathead powered with a 2 speed manual transmission.

Towmotor started out making tow-motors, small tractors used to pull carts and then around 1933 pioneered the hydraulic forklift, which they called "the one man gang". Prior to forklifts, boxcars were unloaded by gangs of men package by package. One Towmotor could do the work of 30 men was a popular sales pitch, sales actually increased during the Depression.

At one time the Towmotor name was synonymous with forklift to many people, when I started out in industry older truck drivers would tell you "go get a Towmotor". Caterpillar purchased Towmotor, by then a world wide company around 1965 and by the early 70's or so had squashed the name.

 

I still call them a towmotor, or forklift. I can't call it a Powered Industrial Truck...

 

I usually call them "old girl".

At my old job I managed to "appropriate" an extra forklift from another plant, we had 3 plants. Naturally they sent us the the one they didn't like and hadn't been cared for in years. It was an ancient Clark C500, at least 40 years old and weighing in around 12,000 pounds. The kid who worked for me named her "Big Sheila". Our next largest truck weighed 6,000.

Naturally nobody wanted to use it because it was like driving a balky Peterbuilt indoors, so I ended up with my own personal forklift, it and I got along just fine. That old truck is about the only part of my job I miss.

 

The first forklift I drove regularly was a 40 yo Clark. It had lift and tilt, used oil, dripped oil, brakes didn't work well (long story) and was loud. But, man, was it fun!

 

They're all the rage on the YouTube machining channels.

 

Morning friends, make it a productive day.

Nice find Rusty

 

Good morning crew. I went to bed extra early for a good 8.5 hour recharge.

 

Thanks, part of my summer save the iron crusade.

Getting so much iron in the garage the compasses won't work near by -- hikers getting lost, planes can't fly over...

 

The tilt on the old LT-40 is different than more modern trucks. Usually the tilt cylinders are dual action, hydraulic both ways and mounted horizontally near the operators feet.

On the old Towmotor the mast pivots near the axle as normal, there are extensions going under the floorboards and the cylinders are mounted vertically under the seat pushing down on the extensions. They are single action cylinders, push only.

There are big springs to assist in retracting the cylinders along with the weight of the load. When I got it the tilt was frozen, grease and exercising it lifting the back of an old truck got it to work.

 

That's nuts how they made do with what they could.

 

They designed very simple, rugged systems. With a single action cylinder only 1 hose is required to operate and a simple valve. Still going 75 years later!