My First Crawler Loader

[Wrecker96]

Hi Guys I'm new to the forum here an have been watching this for a while now and finally decided to join! I would like to show what I have bought a month ago, I understand if you guys don't believe my age that I'm only 18 and growing up all my life around my fathers demolition company, and have been around the big yellow iron ever since I was little but enough of that!

This last month I have purchased a 1972 Cat 951C with 2,227 hours on the meter

 

[CM1995]

Welcome to the Forums Wrecker96!:drinkup

Looks like you purchased a very nice 951. What's the story on the hours? Awfully low for that age machine.

Those loaders were powerhouses in the residential grading business when I was growing up. Some had 955's but there were also many 941 and 951's around as well. What made them popular was their size in backfilling foundations. In the late 70's and early 80's there weren't any skid steers around so the only choice was a track loader or tractor and box blade. Mid to late 80's skid steers gained popularity and started to replace the loaders and tractor box blades backfilling and doing final grade.

 

[Wrecker96]

Welcome to the Forums Wrecker96!:drinkup

Looks like you purchased a very nice 951. What's the story on the hours? Awfully low for that age machine.

Those loaders were powerhouses in the residential grading business when I was growing up. Some had 955's but there were also many 941 and 951's around as well. What made them popular was their size in backfilling foundations. In the late 70's and early 80's there weren't any skid steers around so the only choice was a track loader or tractor and box blade. Mid to late 80's skid steers gained popularity and started to replace the loaders and tractor box blades backfilling and doing final grade.

Thank ya sir, the story on it was I bought from a friend of my father that works for another contractor and wanting to sell it, and I've always wanted to have my own Cat which now I have succeed, On the hours of the machine is real low for the age, I'm the 3rd owner of it now,from the last owner that had it was just only residential grading and some reason got rid of this nice machine,and it's only been in the dirt which is real great!

 

[Landclearer]

Wrecker, welcome to the forum and congrats on the trackloader. I am a big trackloader fan myself. I grew up in Ky and there was not a jobsite around that did not have a 41, 51, or 55 on it. We have a 963c but would not mind having a machine just like yours for misc loading at our stockpile area.

 

[CM1995]

I would love to have that machine too, that's a damn good looking loader.

 

[Wrecker96]

Wrecker, welcome to the forum and congrats on the trackloader. I am a big trackloader fan myself. I grew up in Ky and there was not a jobsite around that did not have a 41, 51, or 55 on it. We have a 963c but would not mind having a machine just like yours for misc loading at our stockpile area.

Thanks Landclearer I have been around a lot of track loaders, my dad has owned 955's n 933's and with the economy that went on my down just about lost everything besides the skid loader and the Mack and had to rent equipment and now with me coming threw the reins,we're starting to grow back our toys! Here some more pics of the iron we rented and some of our other iron
Here's a Cat 14x 977L that my father is in love with and which I am to!




Besides working for my fathers company I also work for a local junkyard that my dad's good friends with here some of the iron I run down there
Here is a turbine we unloaded off of a Pete 379 2x3x2 lowboy and had a 100,000 pound turbine on it with the machines we used Cat 966G,330BL(in the picture I'm running) Komatsu Wa380,PC-400Lc-5,Wa-250 and the big Exodus Mx-457

Cut 30 ton of I beams in 1 day

The first machine I started on down at the Yard

 

[Landclearer]

I don't blame you for loving the 977. It is good to see someone young interested in construction especially in older equipment(no tv screens, joysticks and computers). Thanks for posting and keep it up.

 

[Wrecker96]

Thanks Landclearer ya after I graduated this year most of my teachers thought I'd be digging ditches,well look what I'm digging ditches with now haha. But if you wanna see some operating vids here's my Youtube-http://m.youtube.com/user/DemoBoy350L

 

[CM1995]

- my dad has owned 955's n 933's and with the economy that went on my down just about lost everything besides the skid loader and the Mack and had to rent equipment and now with me coming threw the reins,we're starting to grow back our toys!

You and your Dad are part of the club, I'm also a member. The depression that hit in 2008 was devastating but we dust ourselves off, put our boots back on and go to work.

It is good to see someone young interested in construction especially in older equipment(no tv screens, joysticks and computers). Thanks for posting and keep it up.

Thanks Landclearer ya after I graduated this year most of my teachers thought I'd be digging ditches,well look what I'm digging ditches with now haha.

There is a big gap in the working trades with so many older tradesmen retiring and the youth being told you have to go to college if you want to "make it".

Reminds me of a Mike Rowe quote -

"“We are lending money we don’t have to kids who can’t pay it back to train them for jobs that no longer exist. That’s nuts.”

And it is. Keep your nose to the grindstone and learn as much as you can - there is great opportunity for the younger generation who learns a trade and exploits this gap. I'm early in my 40's and I will be taking advantage of it, you have an even greater opportunity.

 

[Wrecker96]

Thanks CM1995 I have been workin with my father an he has put me in the hot seat ever since I was 5 with running all big iron to working on them,I just can't get enough of it!

 

[CM1995]

Nothing like "baptism by fire" Wrecker96!

That's the way my Dad taught me.

 

[precision dirt]

Welcome wrecker96. Thats a real nice lookin 951. 977 looks great too. I have one and love it! Ive spent some fair amount of seat time on a 51 and it was a great machine... Incredibly strong for its size but scoot's around easier to move than a 77

 

[Wrecker96]

Welcome wrecker96. Thats a real nice lookin 951. 977 looks great too. I have one and love it! Ive spent some fair amount of seat time on a 51 and it was a great machine... Incredibly strong for its size but scoot's around easier to move than a 77

Thanks Precision Dirt! Here some more pics of the 977 an other machines on past projects!
Here's a job we're had to take an asphalt road out by a old sewer treatment plant

Same project

Using my uncles 943 to load a culvert in the back of my pick up

Here's what my truck looks like now but I wanna put a service body on it

Here's a local demo contractor that I very much admire that has 50 cat 977's H,K,L yes I said 50 and here's just a couple

 

[Wrecker96]

Well I have had a couple projects here lately with my loader,the first project was a building pad I had to do did some clearing and some demo but didn't take any photos,but this project here I have been on has been a 3 year gig but I did a lot of work with a jd 750k-850k up at my bosses farm I work at the junkyard. But today I used my loader n my uncles 53 to move good quantity of dirt for a project for him. Here were moving dirt trying to make the water drain away instead of drain into it. can't really tell but there will be more photos

 

[clintm]

you put a flat bed on the dodge

 

[CM1995]

Good to see a few loader jobs. I love my '53