Flopped Iron Mule, Broke my neck

[kshansen]

Good to see it standing on its own feet again with no real damage!

 

[old-iron-habit]

Nice job! I don't see the guy with the collar in any pics.

The guy with the collar took the pictures. All he did was sit on the seat and pull the winch lever after the boys had it all connected. The guys walked it in and out of the woods. I was safer there then at home. No snow there where it is all glare ice in my driveway at home from the last wet snow. Should be melted out by the end of today as it stayed above freezing overnight.

 

[old-iron-habit]

Heres the video. I thought I just sat in the seat but the video shows a bit otherwise. After a lifetime of working its hard to do nothing. Did not do much though.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HLef3O9b1ys

 

[Blueboy]

You guys make it look easy. Job well done!

 

[John C.]

Real nice work. Professional looking recovery.

 

[RonG]

Gracious,I haven't seen a peavey for years,of course I have not been around anyone who would be using one either but it was fun watching the recovery,well thought out and executed.Back in Maine before I left one of the contractors had an old Mack flatbed,about a 1947 maybe and a D2 like yours and that was just about all the equipment he had and he was always busy.This would have been in the '50s,I just loved to see that old D2 working.A D2 was a big dozer in those days,we were used to the OC3 Olivers and the Cletracs doing the work a team of horses used to do but old Oscar Jordan and his D2 was my hero in those days.
When I quit school I worked for a dollar a day and my dinner helping load a truck with pulpwood and unloading it at the mill.Those were the days.Ron G

 

[old-iron-habit]

S

Gracious,I haven't seen a peavey for years,of course I have not been around anyone who would be using one either but it was fun watching the recovery,well thought out and executed.Back in Maine before I left one of the contractors had an old Mack flatbed,about a 1947 maybe and a D2 like yours and that was just about all the equipment he had and he was always busy.This would have been in the '50s,I just loved to see that old D2 working.A D2 was a big dozer in those days,we were used to the OC3 Olivers and the Cletracs doing the work a team of horses used to do but old Oscar Jordan and his D2 was my hero in those days.

When I quit school I worked for a dollar a day and my dinner helping load a truck with pulpwood and unloading it at the mill.Those were the days.Ron G

I hear what you are saying Ron. When I was 14, my oldest brother 16, and my next younger brother 12, would take the 1947 Ford 2 ton truck and go out to the woods after school each day and hand load 3.5 cords of green aspen(popple) on it so dad could take it to work with him the next morning. We installed a 100 HP flathead V8 in the 47 instead of the 87 HP it came with. WE thought it was one powerful beast. LOL. On the weekend we would cut and skid enough wood to the landing to be able to haul the next week. It was a great day when Dad bought a JD 50 with a Johnson Workhorse loader to take over the lifting duties when loading the truck. Thats where it all started. I have always logged since, always cutting a few hundred cords a year on weekends while when I worked construction for +44 years. There is nothing better than being out in the timber and smell the forrest. Once it is in the blood it stays I guess.

 

[RonG]

Yup,that 100 hp was the 8BA block,seen a bunch of 'em over the years.LOL.Ron G

 

[kshansen]

Hate to be anal but don't think that was a peavey! I believe it was a cant hook.

Or at least that is what my dad called it and he spent his teenage years cutting pulp wood in Minn. with his dad back in the 30's and early 40's. I was told a peavey had a spike on the end where the cant hook had a blunt end. I still use my cant hook to position logs when cutting firewood in the back yard, very handy tool!

Anywho! That was a slick job by some guys who probably had some previous experience doing that kind of work!

And RonG, have a package ready for the post office this morning for you!

 

[RonG]

I agree,the peavey had a spike and the cant dog had a claw and a short handle I think.We never discussed a price Ken if you want to email me first.Thanks,Ron G

 

[old-iron-habit]

I agree,the peavey had a spike and the cant dog had a claw and a short handle I think.We never discussed a price Ken if you want to email me first.Thanks,Ron G

This one was a cant hook. The cant hook had the blunt end. The peavy had the spike end, and the pike pole was longer, about 10 ft and had both a spike and a hook like a pick-a-roon.

 

[RonG]

Yup,that 100 hp was the 8BA block,seen a bunch of 'em over the years.LOL.Ron G

Gotta tell you what I remember about that engine,among other things.It was first used in 1949 and the belt drives,fan,water pumps,generator etc had the wide belts and the 1950 model year had the narrow pullies so if you went to a bone yard for a waterpump you had to know which one you had.Don't ask me how I knew,my first car was a '50 Ford coupe.Ron G

 

[old-iron-habit]

Today we went out to the woods where the Iron Mule is resting quitely on her feet. We continued checking things out in preparation of starting the engine. The water, fuel, hydaulic oil and battery were all adequate and nothing had leaked other than about 1/2 cup of hydro oil from the tank vent into the cab. The engine oil was down near the add mark. I tried to hand turn the engine over but after moving a bit it would get hard and roll back upon my letting off from my torque. We pulled the injectors and then was able to turn the engine with a 12 inch cresent wrench via the front shaft. Oil blew out of all the injector holes. After turning the engine numerous times by hand I cranked it a bunch by the starter. As the return rubber lines from the injectors were brittle and one broke when removing them we decided to reinstall the injectors to keep things clean and called it a day, returning home to make new fuel return lines. Will go back tomorrow and see if we can start it and drive it out of the woods.

 

[kshansen]

Glad you thought to hand crank that engine over! I'm sure you saved it from major damage. Sometime people get in a big hurry and cause themselves way more money and headaches. I bet it does smoke a bit when fist started!

 

[old-iron-habit]

Today we returned to the Iron Mule. I pulled the injectors and again hand cranked the engine. Turned easily and no oil blew out the injector holes. I used a air nozzle to blow into each of the injector holes and got no oil out. We installed the injectors and the new injector return lines. With the air intake open and a board ready in case it ran away I bumped the starter with the manual shutoff engaged. It cranked like normal. After a few revolutions it started to show a wisp of smoke. I pushed in the shutoff. It fired on one, then two cylinders then started to purr. Light smoke for about a minute or less and that was that. After I added a bit more oil and checking things over I loaded up my spilled load of logs and crept out of the woods nice as could be. I am a happy camper tonight. YAHOO.

 

[lantraxco]

:drinkup

 

[Blueboy]

Get back on that horse and ride baby ride!:usa

I'm out of commission for a few weeks, had my shoulder surgery today. It was worse than he thought.

Glad you got your machine home, and with the load of wood you had before this mishap.

 

[caterpillar13]

glad to hear its a live and well. now take of your neck so you can enjoy running it again.

 

[RonG]

I need to clear the air a little bit here,my family were always involved in harvesting and processing wood,one of my uncles had three sawmills in New Hampshire and another had two at least in Maine where I grew up and one of them was on our farm (325 acres) for several years so I had the opportunity to see first hand how things were done.There was also another mill in town where I worked occasionally.I was too young to work in uncle Stans mill in our pasture.So,when we talk about peaveys and cant dogs etc I can only relate my experiences as they applied to me.Ron G

 

[old-iron-habit]

I need to clear the air a little bit here,my family were always involved in harvesting and processing wood,one of my uncles had three sawmills in New Hampshire and another had two at least in Maine where I grew up and one of them was on our farm (325 acres) for several years so I had the opportunity to see first hand how things were done.There was also another mill in town where I worked occasionally.I was too young to work in uncle Stans mill in our pasture.So,when we talk about peaveys and cant dogs etc I can only relate my experiences as they applied to me.Ron G

It's all good Ron. I had to think a bit myself of which was which. Jeepers, That was the first one I seen used in 30 years. Working in a mill or the woods was a good way to grow up. When we wanted money for something we worked to earn it. Holding out our hand was never even thought of. I'm betting it was the same with you and with most of our generation.