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Michigan wheel dozer
- Thread starter Clawed Backster
- Start date
loggah
Well-Known Member
480 michigan
Claude , Back in the early 1970's R.G. Watkins and son from Amesbury Mass had a few Michigan pushers. They had a 480 that Arthur Watkins ran working on Interstate 93. You could dump DM 600 mack loads of sand or gravel tight in a line for 100 yards or so, Old A.K. would level that material out so fast he would run his windshield wipers to keep the sand from splashing on his windshield!!!!! that old 16-71 detroit was just a screaming !!!!!!
Don
Claude , Back in the early 1970's R.G. Watkins and son from Amesbury Mass had a few Michigan pushers. They had a 480 that Arthur Watkins ran working on Interstate 93. You could dump DM 600 mack loads of sand or gravel tight in a line for 100 yards or so, Old A.K. would level that material out so fast he would run his windshield wipers to keep the sand from splashing on his windshield!!!!! that old 16-71 detroit was just a screaming !!!!!!
Don
loggah
Well-Known Member
CM1995, Been Reading a lot ,hanging around,really like the old iron storys ,since i was around it. thanks for the welcome. Don
derekbroerse
Well-Known Member
I don't recall ever seeing one of these in use, the closest I can think of are the steel-wheeled units at the dump for compacting garbage....?
Clawed Backster
Senior Member
Hey Loggah, thanks for posting. I have never seen anything but pictures of 480's. Kinda neat to hear from someone who actually got to see them in action. I would LOVE to find one to tinker with, but I would bet that they were all scrapped long ago.
loggah
Well-Known Member
Clawed,I don't know what happened to the 480,but i think Jimmy Watkins, Midway construction still has a 280 and 380. i was a bit partial to Michigans as i used to own a 275B loader the were a tough machine also. Don
Clawed Backster
Senior Member
There are a couple of old promotional videos about the Michigan 675 loader on Youtube.
Really cool for anyone who enjoys old equipment.
Really cool for anyone who enjoys old equipment.
oldseabee
Senior Member
I remember helping to build a 675 24 yard bucket in the Clark engineering lab in Benton Harbor, Mi. had to lay it out across 3 set up tables. Pretty tricky rolling it over to weld, weighed 20 tons.
Clawed Backster
Senior Member
Those old 675's were amazingly large machines. Seem really under powered and slow though. I read about one that some mining outfit had. They said that it was constantly breaking down, and spent most of it's time being repaired.
Definitely on my list o' stuff to get when Bill Gates adopts me.
Definitely on my list o' stuff to get when Bill Gates adopts me.
renaud
Well-Known Member
That's a fine piece of history you own there, my buddy!!!Take good care of it and give it the respect it desserves!!!
Max.
Clawed Backster
Senior Member
Just a bump for the noobs who may not have seen this.
Still have it, still runs excellent.
Still have it, still runs excellent.
GreenMtnMan
Active Member
Nice machine, I think they were used around here in dumps to push the mountains of trash around. The Detroit sounds great, I didn't expect the machine to have air brakes.
Clawed Backster
Senior Member
I recently came across a video on YouTube of a heavy haul done in the 70's. Huge load, with several machines pulling and pushing. Some of the machines they used appear to be old straight frame Michigan wheel dozers with the blades removed. I can't tell which model they are, but they look big. Probably 380 or 480. I will see if I can link to the video.
petepilot
Senior Member
think the u tube covers a part of a tva project back then
DMiller
Senior Member
Nothing like a 318(8v71) and straight stacks!!
DMiller
Senior Member
Great vids, even the machinery in the vids, but truth is this plant never went online. 39 years later. Phipps Bend TVA.
Clawed Backster
Senior Member
MAN, THIS THREAD IS OLD!
Yeah, I still have the old thing. And yeah, it still runs great!
BTW, that little girl sitting beside me in that first video in this thread is my youngest daughter, and she is now 21 years old.
Yeah, I still have the old thing. And yeah, it still runs great!
BTW, that little girl sitting beside me in that first video in this thread is my youngest daughter, and she is now 21 years old.
Last edited:
Truck Shop
Senior Member
Clawed Backster
Senior Member
Hardly ever gets exercised, but still runs great.