Hello from Michigan

[dirtdigger]

Hey Guys.
I'm a agricultural drainage contractor from southern michigan. I install farm drainage tile (plastic) with a Fiat-Allis HD-21 B Dozer with a Link 250 Tile plow on the back.

I also do alot of agricultural site work and soil erosion control projects like dikes and waterways. Most of my equipment, other than the 21, are small, like a JD 550G dozer, Cat 312 excavator and a JD backhoe.

I followed "Wrenchbender" over here from shopfloortalk.com

This place looks interesting!

 

[surfer-joe]

Hi dirtdigger,

Welcome to the site. I'm a former Michigander myself, still would be if I could stand the winters and the humidity. How's the fat-alice working out for you? They were a pretty good tractor and I liked running them.

 

[Steve Frazier]

Welcome to Heavy Equipment Forums!!:drinkup

Thanks for joining us!

 

[dirtdigger]

Thanks for the warm welcome.
Sufer-joe, that Allis is working pretty good. The engine has got to be getting tired, but it keeps on going. She has a few hydraulic leaks, but that's normal on something that old.

Here are a few pics of it. It came from Strattford, Ontario. The previous owner cut the frame and added about 5 feet to the frame and tracks. It weighs about 86,000 lbs. now.

I can install up to 12" diameter pipe and go 6 feet deep. Normally we are installing 4" tile, 3 feet deep. The bigger stuff is for mains.

 

[equipment fan]

welcome to the forum and nice pictures.:notworthy

 

[surfer-joe]

Yeah!......... That's pretty radical! I'm presuming that the previous owner set this thing up to run pipe, eh?....... I can see why they maybe clipped the grousers off a bit on the edges, with eleven rollers to a side that must be a real bear to turn.

You work over around St. Johns or that area? Maybe down toward Lansing?

 

[Countryboy]

Welcome to HEF dirtdigger! :drinkup

That dozer is the "MAN". :thumbsup

 

[jhill]

So you found me again Dirtdigger. Welcome to this board. Its an interesting group here.

Jerry -A fellow Michgander and Shopfloortalk member.

 

[dirtdigger]

Yeah!......... That's pretty radical! I'm presuming that the previous owner set this thing up to run pipe, eh?....... I can see why they maybe clipped the grousers off a bit on the edges, with eleven rollers to a side that must be a real bear to turn.

You work over around St. Johns or that area? Maybe down toward Lansing?

The previous owner did the same stuff I do, farm drainage. they do alot of that in ontario. He lengthened it to balance the the machine out a bit and get better traction, and also to compete with the "factory" built plows.

I'm about an hour or so, south of Lansing. I know a few drainage guys around there though. I don't go that far north to work. It does turn hard on dry ground. Turns best on frost or mud. I have some killer pictures of the track coming off last summer. We actually broke a pin putting it back on. what a PITA. I will have to post those up on the site somewhere. (do you guys have a "bad day thread"?) I also have a few "stuck in the mud" pictures too.
I think I will like it here. This heavy metal stuff is more of an affliction or illness than a job I think.

So you found me again Dirtdigger. Welcome to this board. Its an interesting group here.

Jerry -A fellow Michgander and Shopfloortalk member.

Hey Jerry, I did see you listed here. With two days of rain and STF.com being down, well, I had to find something to do. I think this place could be bad for me. I love all the pictures of the big new stuff too.

How's things up in the thumb? My buddy up there in Sebawang is tiling like crazy. they put in 32,000 ft in one day.

 

[jhill]

Farmers are starting to get sugar beets and corn planted. I am working on seeding a 20 acre campground right now. Waiting for the GC to get the topsoil spread so I can finish grade. Also doing a bunch of quotes for jobs.