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Kopuku Express

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Shimmy1

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2014
Messages
4,352
Location
North Dakota
Scrub Puller said:
Yair . . . D6 Merv. It woulda be a bit scary on the seven coming down a greasy slope but in our case I can imagine it may have been pretty uneventfull. I can imagine how it happened. The erosion gullys in some of the scrub country can just a few feet wide but undermined and in places twenty odd feet deep.

Coming back to the tanker in the dark, heavy dust, iffy lights, drop blade to get through gully, string breaks, blade drops straight down into undercut, enough momentum to rock over and just land on the other side, dust clears, where's my f###ing blade . . . woops what's that there behind me. Woulda been a scream to see his face.
Cheers.
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I think I peed a little. Great stuff Scrub. This is why I wish I'd been born 30 yrs earlier.
 
D6 Merv

D6 Merv

Senior Member
Joined
May 10, 2007
Messages
653
Location
Coromandel Peninsula. New Zealand
Occupation
Self employed bulldozing contractor with a D6D D4E
Yep; Ray C facebook page; NZ road transport and contracting is a great view on facebook :notworthy; along with a heap of other interesting machinery sites; Classic earthmoving and dozers, Allis chalmers crawler tractors; and IH crawler tractors.
If a troglodyte like me can navigate my way around facebook; anyone can !
 
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rayman

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2014
Messages
71
Location
australia
I know this is a very old thread now, but I was at Kopuku when that fleet photo was taken, about oct-nov. 1958. I would have known all of the operators.Away in the back of the scraper line-up were two Hiel-Liner T75's also out of sight but around at the rubbish dump was a Vickers VR180. Alf wasn't very proud of that thing and it went down to Taupo out of the way.
 
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wayne.d7

Active Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2010
Messages
28
Location
New Zealand
rayman said:
I know this is a very old thread now, but I was at Kopuku when that fleet photo was taken, about oct-nov. 1958. I would have known all of the operators.Away in the back of the scraper line-up were two Hiel-Liner T75's also out of sight but around at the rubbish dump was a Vickers VR180. Alf wasn't very proud of that thing and it went down to Taupo out of the way.
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Hi Ray do you recall the names Wally and Val Ellison Wally was at Kopuku from day one worked on the bucket line road out to the Meremere Power station was with Stevie’s for many years Aunty Val ran the cookhouse in the camp Sadly Uncle Wally passed away earlier this year Wal went from Stevie’s to Green And Mc Cahill was involved in the earthmoving industry all his life I worked at Kopuku myself back in 1971 bought my first D7 a 17a back in 1979 still got some 7s scratching a bit of dirt here and there around the Waikato
 
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rayman

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2014
Messages
71
Location
australia
Hi ya Wayne, yep I remember Wally, roly poly good natured guy, but most of them were. Did you know the Dews boys, Wally. Archie and Brian? We are going back aways now, there was over 100 pieces of Cat gear there.Can't say that early stuff was trouble free though
 
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wayne.d7

Active Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2010
Messages
28
Location
New Zealand
Hi Ray that’s great that you knew Wally he must of been 80 when he finally chucked the work boots away was piloting wide loads for J Swap from Matamata for the last few years that he worked He could sure tell some great stories about his years in the earthmoving industry Brian Jew was at Kopuku when I was there back in 1971 remember him well he used to polish his work boots took a lot of pride in himself and his work I started my earthmoving career there on a DW21 thought that was the real deal back in those days Nice talking to you Ray Cheers Wayne
 
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RayC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2009
Messages
94
Location
New Zealand
Occupation
Roading Manager
rayman said:
I know this is a very old thread now, but I was at Kopuku when that fleet photo was taken, about oct-nov. 1958. I would have known all of the operators.Away in the back of the scraper line-up were two Hiel-Liner T75's also out of sight but around at the rubbish dump was a Vickers VR180. Alf wasn't very proud of that thing and it went down to Taupo out of the way.
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Hi Rayman.....been a few years since I logged onto this site to check response so apologies for long delay...I have collected a mass of Kopuku History and have been posting up on the Facebook Page that I have set up NZ Road Transport and Contracting-Archives.....nearing 11,000 followers so if you keen check it out and search Kopuku...or if any specific info contact through this page
 
R

RayC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2009
Messages
94
Location
New Zealand
Occupation
Roading Manager
wayne.d7 said:
Hi Ray that’s great that you knew Wally he must of been 80 when he finally chucked the work boots away was piloting wide loads for J Swap from Matamata for the last few years that he worked He could sure tell some great stories about his years in the earthmoving industry Brian Jew was at Kopuku when I was there back in 1971 remember him well he used to polish his work boots took a lot of pride in himself and his work I started my earthmoving career there on a DW21 thought that was the real deal back in those days Nice talking to you Ray Cheers Wayne
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Hi Wayne...see my previous message ref Kopuku history...regards Ray
 
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