Cat 641A/651A/657A Scrapers

[Dug Overburden]

These have been Extinct here in Southern California for a while. I have not see a complete spread of these in years. I know E.L. Yeager held on to their's well into the mid 1990's. I have heard the 90 degree V-8 is about impossible to get parts for, especially the bearings.

Some of the last ones were converted to Water Wagons. I have seen these go for as little as $2000.00 at the Ritchie Bros Perris Ca sales many times. These are for sale frequently in trader magazines and they are adverstised for years on end with no takers. Lets hope all these don't end up in the scrap yard.

Lets hear some love/hate stories about these machines.

Dug

 

[alan627b]

http://www.machinerytrader.com/list...6366221&GUID=20F861F822CD42CFABCAF7A402894912
http://www.machinerytrader.com/list...x=exact&GUID=20F861F822CD42CFABCAF7A402894912
http://www.machinerytrader.com/list...6699523&GUID=20F861F822CD42CFABCAF7A402894912
There's a few left....
alan627b

 

[JTL]

I ran an old 651 for Western Construction out of Boise,ID a few years back. It wasnt marked as a B model, but it did have a cushion hitch. It was a good old buggy, but slow! We had 5 of them old girls, and about 10 631E's running. We were always 20 loads a day behind the 31's. The one I was running wouldnt shift from 2nd to 3rd. Linkage was all messed up. Still, it was a nice ride, and would haul some muck!
As the story goes, they came from Kiewit, when the finished the dikes around Lewiston. They were the first 51's with cushion hitches. Kind of a prototype, I quess. When Western bought them, they sent 5 guys, and 2 mechanics to DRIVE them from Lewiston to Boise. They put old grader tires in between the apron and cutting edge to protect the asphalt if the brakes failed and the operator would have to slam the can to stop!!
That would have been one hell of ride, espesially down White Bird grade. One ol' boy said it took them 3 days to get em there! Lost an engine in one, and blew a few tires. Good times!!
Jason

 

[surfer-joe]

They did a lot of work, but I hated the engines and the transmissions. There was always something wrong with them both, usually at the same time. A mechanics nightmare! The engines were weak on top and on the bottom, a decent overspeed would ruin both very quickly. If the trans shift linkage wasn't spot on, the damn things wouldn't shift for squat. The newer 60 degree D346's and 8-speeds were a godsend, though still not perfect. I'd love to run a 651B with the 3506 engine transplant just to feel the difference.

 

[Dug Overburden]

transmissions

Surfer-Joe, does this bring back nightmares? I bet you just about feel the heat of the 90 degree V-8 from the top photo!!

Dug

They did a lot of work, but I hated the engines and the transmissions. There was always something wrong with them both, usually at the same time. A mechanics nightmare! The engines were weak on top and on the bottom, a decent overspeed would ruin both very quickly. If the trans shift linkage wasn't spot on, the damn things wouldn't shift for squat. The newer 60 degree D346's and 8-speeds were a godsend, though still not perfect. I'd love to run a 651B with the 3506 engine transplant just to feel the difference.

 

[surfer-joe]

Yeah, that top photo is the 90 degree D346 with the 9 speed. The bottom pic is the shift quadrant for an 8-speed. It's aluminum and you can see the notches are worn pretty good in the lower gears. I've melted the soles off many a pair of engineer boots and burned major portions of my anatomy trying to work on these beasts. They roasted your hiny too when running one. Used to drink gallons of water every shift on these old bustards.

The upper pic also shows part of an early ROPS structure. These old frames usually quickly wore out the rubber inserts and then they banged like a naval cannon in your ear all day. And my wife wonders why I don't hear very well.

In spite of all that, I probably wouldn't mind running an old 651A right now. Beats sitting on the bench watching the roses grow.....

 

[Dug Overburden]

651A/with new style "b" bowl

Surfer-Joe, a guy in Santa Maria Ca named Will Adam has about 7 of the older 651A's for sale. These are the only ones I have ever seen with cushion hitch & the 8 speed transmission older with the 90 degree V-8.

Do you know Ed Taylor? I believe he has had them listed for years.

 

[Dug Overburden]

651A/with new style "b" bowl

Surfer-Joe, a guy in Santa Maria Ca named Will Adam has about 7 of the older 651A's for sale. These are the only ones I have ever seen with cushion hitch & the 8 speed transmission with the older 90 degree V-8.

Do you know Ed Taylor? I believe he has had them listed for years.

 

[alan627b]

Couldn't a guy at least put the plate back in? or are these things open all the time? I've run 627's where sombody lost the access plate, but not for long.
The heat fries you right out of there, and the fan blast sucks too. I usually get a roll of that foil insulation form Lowes, and glue a layer around the shift tower, and cover the firewall. Or spend my time with a red spot burned into my right leg!
And we chose to run this stuff? Must be nuts...

 

[JTL]

When I first started running that 51 of Westerns, it had a piece of cardboad bungie corded to the hood, for heat protection. It lasted about 2 hours! I didnt mind at the time, not having anything there as it was January and butt cold out side. Come March when the weather started to warm up, it would cook you! The mechanic and I had become drinking buddies, so he hooked me up with a metal plate to protect me a bit.
In May, when the job was done, and I left, I was thankfull the job was over!!
Jason

 

[992G]

I know E.L. Yeager held on to their's well into the mid 1990's. Dug

Dug,
Do you know why E.L. Yeager sold out? Do you know how big of a fleet they had? Had read about them back in the mid eighties, through Highway and Heavy Equipment magazine articles. It was different seeing a 992C with just an open red ROPS.

 

[JTL]

Dug,
Do you know why E.L. Yeager sold out? Do you know how big of a fleet they had? Had read about them back in the mid eighties, through Highway and Heavy Equipment magazine articles. It was different seeing a 992C with just an open red ROPS.

They sold out to Skanska. Why I dont know. When I was working down there they were operating under Skanska/Yeager. Now they are just Skanska from what Ive read and seen.
I thought it was odd to see a 992C with an open ROPS too! I never went and looked at it, but they were working on the road going to Fort Irwin and had a 988F with an open ROPS on that project. I thought mabey the windows had had gotten broke out. I stopped and had a look at it. Seems it was born without a cab. I couldnt imagine running a loader without a cab. All the dust from your bucket blowing back into your face after a dump! It didnt even have a windshield! Seemed strange to me, but then again, so was So Cal!
No offence guys!!:drinkup
Jason

 

[Dug Overburden]

E.L. Yeager Const Co/Skanska

Hi 992G,

I don't know if this belongs in this thread. From what I have Gathered, at one time E.L. Yeager was family owned & they were going to sell the company to key employees. I don't know what kind of a deal they made with Skanska. I gather it was a way for them to expand buying out an existing company. After the sale a lot of key employees moved on.

Ernest L. Yeager founded the former E.L.Yeager Construction Company in 1919. His sons, Jacques and Gene Yeager, later operated it and built it into one of California's largest civil engineering firms. In 1995, a group of senior managers, including james Moore, Doug Aadland Jim Crews, Jacques Yeager Jr. and company president Carl Boyer purchased the company from Jacques and Gene Yeager. Skanska, a multi-billion dollar Swedish firm, acquired E. L. Yeager Construction Company, in September 2002 from the ownership group.

As for E.L. Yeagers size, they had one of the larger fleets in the state of California. Probably close to 1000 pieces of equipment at one time. They did every phase of Construction except concrete paving. This is what really impressed me; I read that they built every mile of I-40 between Barstow Ca & Needles Ca. They also built major portions of I-15 between San Bernadino Ca and Nevada state line, including the famous Cajon pass in a J/V with Gordon Ball & Matich Corp.

This is how much work I recall Yeager doing, just about every year since 1984 I take a trip from San Diego to Las Vegas & untill last year (2008) I never made a trip with out seeing Yeager working alongside I-15!!

Heres what I remember them owing; scrapers 657E,657B,651E,651B,641,639D,637D,633D,633C,623E,623B,613B & C. Dozers D10R,D10N,D9N,D9L,D9H,D9G,D8L,D8N,D8K,D6H,D6D,D4H,D4C,D3. Loaders 992C,988F,988B,980F,980C,966G,966F,966E,966D,950G,950F,950B,938,936. Rock Trucks, 775D, 773D,773B,773A,769C,769B, 769C w/ athey bottom duump. Holland Belt loader. Motor Graders 16G,14H,14G,140H.140G,12G. Wheel dozers 834B.834A,824C,824B, Water wagons, 651B,651A,641A,639D,623B Excavators 245B,245,235C,235B,375L,350L,330L. Paving equipment, Stationary & portable hot plants, crushing equipment, pavers,rollers,brooms,skiploaders,oil spreaders, dump trucks, double bottom dumps,water trucks ect.

Yeager did not like cabs, utill the late 90's every thing was open rops, they would remove the cabs & just put the rops on, thats why you see 992 & 988's like that. All the equipment had the red rops.

Skanska has pieced out the spread over the last 3-5 years at ritchie brothers in Perris Ca & now they have very little earthmoving equipment left, they mainly focus on structures. It's sad as they were one of the best compaines to work for (I am not a Yeager?Skanska employee)

Right now this is the only E.L. Yeager photo I could find. Rollover Pete has posted plenty of E.L. Yeager pictures. If anyone has worked for them, feel free to correct me or add what you remember or know.

Dug
[/I]

Dug,
Do you know why E.L. Yeager sold out? Do you know how big of a fleet they had? Had read about them back in the mid eighties, through Highway and Heavy Equipment magazine articles. It was different seeing a 992C with just an open red ROPS.

 

[992G]

Thanks for the info Dug, I have heard that they were sold out to a few workers before Skanska bought them. I know the red rops are now a darker shade of blue on some machines, and looks like all the new machines have cabs.

 

[DABANCENS Bruno]

Hello , I search photo color of scrapers 651 (A) and 657 (A).
Thank you
Bruno
(France)

 

[bonechip]

Yea yeager was one of the big boys, was a good company to work for.

 

[hicrop10]

Back east here in eastern PA we kept a fleet of TS-24's and 657's,some 631's pretty much busy about nine months out of the year.We stayed within a 3-4 state area around Phila PA.But as time went on we moved to the big loaders(992's) and big trucks(773's) to do the mast excavating.Then we went with the big excavators Cat 5110's.Now the only earthymoving I do is with my antique Cat tractors I collect.Back in 2004 we were involved in a major lawsuit which we did win in court but not until we spent 4 years and 5 million dollars in legal fees.At that time me and my 2 brothers decided that with the downturn in work and the price others companies were willing to work for we decided tp pack it in after 85 years and 3 generations in the business.There is nothing I would like to be doing right now than be moving dirt somewhere.That was the most fun I have ever had with or without my clothes on.Maybe when the situration changes we will get back into it,but I don't think so,with all the risk you take,the major investment you make for so little payback.No thanks,just my 2 cents worth.Mike Durkin

 

[stretch]

Back east here in eastern PA we kept a fleet of TS-24's and 657's,some 631's pretty much busy about nine months out of the year.We stayed within a 3-4 state area around Phila PA.But as time went on we moved to the big loaders(992's) and big trucks(773's) to do the mast excavating.Then we went with the big excavators Cat 5110's.Now the only earthymoving I do is with my antique Cat tractors I collect.Back in 2004 we were involved in a major lawsuit which we did win in court but not until we spent 4 years and 5 million dollars in legal fees.At that time me and my 2 brothers decided that with the downturn in work and the price others companies were willing to work for we decided tp pack it in after 85 years and 3 generations in the business.There is nothing I would like to be doing right now than be moving dirt somewhere.That was the most fun I have ever had with or without my clothes on.Maybe when the situration changes we will get back into it,but I don't think so,with all the risk you take,the major investment you make for so little payback.No thanks,just my 2 cents worth.Mike Durkin

Hi Mike, welcome to the site. You wouldn't happen to be related to the Thomas M. Durkin & Sons business, would you?

 

[hicrop10]

Stretch,yes that was a company my grandfather stated back in the 20's,then my dad and his two brothers ran it and in 1997 my dad and me and my 2 brothers left and started Donald Durkin Const.But with the cheap prices and lack of work we decided to pack it in,we had a great run of it.

 

[gd10r]

Here are some photos of several that auctioned at RB here in Denver a few years back. Took them for the ROPS, had them built for the Blackrat 1:50 Model just need to assemble and paint.
JTL note the service decal !!! Could this be one of your girls??
Graham