How to destroy a scraper engine...or two

In 1967 I had to do with the 657 scrapers of the first series . These were equipped with a semi automatic transmission . You had to shift 3 speeds and every speed had 3 more speeds , in total 9 speeds . Downshifting was ONLY ALLOWED when the indicator was in DOWNSHIFT . One day a loaded 657 entered at full speed the fill area and started bouncing while the operator used the shiftlever as an armrest . He put the lever from third (=9) into first . At that moment the two exhausts gave some fire and it was all over . result : engines overspeeded .
My photo shows the machine at the place where it came to a stop . The 2 engines had to be removed and after a week it was running again . The cable in the front is from a dragkine that is going to lift out the engines .
Am I the only one on this planet to have seen it ? Come on with your stories !!
The Netherlands , johan7 .

Several years ago I was driving a follow car (truck) with a spare machine driver in the truck with me while we were transporting a Terex scraper forget the model but it was a fair size unit. This was over the highway a trip of about 175 miles. As we were running along at about 35 mph leaving a city about 1/2 way it passed over a relatively smooth rail crossing. Well smooth if you are in a car with nice suspension! When the front wheels hit the tracks there was a loud screech of tires and the thing bounced about three times and driver pulled over on shoulder. We got out of the follow car and asked the scraper driver what the heck he did. He said "NOTHING". Well as the only mechanic on the scene I decided to see what damage there was. To my surprise could not see any problems, no parts sticing out of the side of engine, no gears on the ground. Then tried to start it back up. It was dead no power. Took cover off battery box and found one of the battery cables was falling of it's terminal. Cleaned up the connection and reconnected and checked all the others and then hit the starter. Started riot up and seemed to work just fine. Seems this thing had an electric shift Allison in it and when the battery terminal came off then fell back on it shifted itself back to 1st gear at full speed. Long story short it ran fine the second half of the trip and for a couple years after that you could still see the skid marks on the highway by those tracks.

Best story regarding scrapers was many years ago while on a project in the UK to reinstate and landscape and old coal mine waste dump. The complication was that the area to which the waste was being hauled was on the opposite side of a main railway line from London to the North - 4 tracks. So the scrapers went over a Bailey bridge controlled by traffic lights giving priority to loaded units, and somehow hooked into the railway signalling system so that both lights went red when there was a train coming just as a safety precaution.

Well there we are one day, loaded 657 hauling it towards the bridge, lights green, full rack, big heaps of black smoke. Just as he gets on the bridge the quill shaft for the steering pump drive lets go. No option but to hit the big yellow brake.... The thing was that the roadway was made out of old railway sleepers fixed together with steel spikes. Of course the cutting edge got underneath them and they were flying like matchsticks in all directions. Some of course landed on the railway tracks. Result ...... main rail line shut for about 4 hours while it was all cleaned up.

68/69 we were running Cat 660 belly dumps building a tailings pond running 3 shifts on midnight shift we would loose at least one tractor a week with the cam followers broken out in the heads. What would happen the down shift light would flash when the transmission was down shifting from 9 to 8 the operator? would be half a sleep and little flash would wake him up and he would down shift to 2 range break the cam followers out of the head. You couldn't see the light flash in day light This was along haul and everyone ran flat out.

It didn't blow an engine, but in the late 70s I ran a 252 Wabco that would occasionally shift the front trans to reverse on a 3rd gear upshift. It was traced eventually to a bad gooseneck harness. Very exciting the first time it happened. I also got to run early 657s, I TOTALLY despised that transmission setup. Front and rear could never cooperate IMO.

RZucker said:

It didn't blow an engine, but in the late 70s I ran a 252 Wabco that would occasionally shift the front trans to reverse on a 3rd gear upshift. It was traced eventually to a bad gooseneck harness. Very exciting the first time it happened. I also got to run early 657s, I TOTALLY despised that transmission setup. Front and rear could never cooperate IMO.

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rz,i heard most wabco twins after changing to third the reverse would kick in and back up to see if it had picked up a load,kerry

New 657s at rest and at play.

terexkerry said:

rz,i heard most wabco twins after changing to third the reverse would kick in and back up to see if it had picked up a load,kerry

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Haha, I like that one. You kind of knew you were loaded when the dirt ran down the front of the elevator though. I must be a bit different, I equally enjoyed Wabco twins and TS-24s.

RZucker said:

Haha, I like that one. You kind of knew you were loaded when the dirt ran down the front of the elevator though. I must be a bit different, I equally enjoyed Wabco twins and TS-24s.

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so did I mate,just love winding the wabco guys up,kerry

BDFT said:

New 657s at rest and at play.
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Black cab 57,s, who is the owner of these in BC?

Arthon-Belvedere was using these scrapers building a tailings containment dam.

That's what I do to the Cat guys, Kerry