My Michigan 125B

[Rolitto]

This is my 1974 Michigan 125B tractor shovel. Here's how it looked like when I imported it from Montreal, Canada.

 

[Rolitto]

And here's how it has been restored like new with OEM parts. Restoration costs reached $10,000 USD. Engine is Detroit Diesel 6V-71N65.

 

[Rolitto]

More pics...

 

[Mike Van]

Nice job! Just being nosy, what were the shipping charges?

 

[Rolitto]

$3,000 USD. The restoration price wasn't included in the 10k budget.

 

[Welder Dave]

They were good loaders in their day and very strong. I knew a guy that had a 175B and said you couldn't hurt it.

 

[Rolitto]

So true.

When I was a kid, there was a pile of BIG blocks of rocks near my house. And they were on a very inclined slope. It seemed impossible, but one Clark 125B carried each of those blocks and deposited them on big trucks. Each block was as big as a car. The front tires almost touched the ground and I thought they're going to blow up. The uphill pull by the tractor shovel was effortless. The rigidity of the chassis coupled with the Clark torque converter + engine/transmission were simply unmatchable by any other tractor shovel.

I want to buy a 175B or 275B but I'm looking to chose Michigan rather than Clark despite the fact that both share the same shape and components.

 

[kshansen]

Rolitto,
What are you going to use this machine for, I'm guessing it's not just a toy to play with in your back yard!

My first experience with a Michigan was with the 475 IIIA at the quarry I worked at starting in June of 1968. Not sure if it was due to Michigans designs or just the general technology of the day but failed orings and or hoses were very common.

One of the gravel beds the company ran did have a 125 B with the Detroit 6V-71. Can't recall exactly what it was but something about the belts on the engine were a major struggle to replace. Seems like it was the belt that drove the alternator.

 

[Rolitto]

Rolitto,
What are you going to use this machine for, I'm guessing it's not just a toy to play with in your back yard!

My first experience with a Michigan was with the 475 IIIA at the quarry I worked at starting in June of 1968. Not sure if it was due to Michigans designs or just the general technology of the day but failed orings and or hoses were very common.

One of the gravel beds the company ran did have a 125 B with the Detroit 6V-71. Can't recall exactly what it was but something about the belts on the engine were a major struggle to replace. Seems like it was the belt that drove the alternator.

Believe me, my career's path is far from that to use a tractor shovel but I love Michigans and it was like love at first sight - their design is typical tractor shovel. And the passion to love them more is growing inside of me, especially now that I'm able enough to buy and restore some models of Michigan tractor shovels and carry an archive library of Clark - Michigan at home. I plan on buying and restoring another (hopefully).

As for the defective parts on Michigans, I spoke with an old heavy equipment mechanic, he told me that most Michigans fitted with Detroit Diesel leak oil and have a common problem with hoses too.

 

[mikebramel]

Very nice job you have done on the loader. Are you into scale models of Michigan loaders also?

 

[Welder Dave]

Thought Michigan was a name Clark used for their loaders. The 175B I knew had the Cummins engine and the owner figured it was the best engine made. He had Cummins in all his trucks too. He also had a 75B and it was good loader too but not as tough as the 175B but according to his brother, who had excavators and dug pipeline, this may be because he tried to do the same work of the 175B with the 75B. I think the 4 plate loader boom was a great idea.

 

[Rolitto]

Very nice job you have done on the loader. Are you into scale models of Michigan loaders also?

Thanks. Yes I thought to have a realistic scale model of a Michigan tractor shovel. I was confused on whether to ask a craftsman to hand-build for me a one-off 1:24 scale model from resin or build myself a 3D CAD file based on factory blueprints and realistic dimensions (phase one) to be used for moulding and creating plastic scale model kits like Tamiya, AMT, Revell, etc... (phase two).

With that being said, I already built the 3D CAD files for the Clark 75B, Michigan 75B, and Clark 55B tractor shovels, so phase one is already achieved. Next step is to make a deal with a scale model manufacturer that will achieve phase two. It costs a lot though, around $50,000 USD for 1,000 units, and need the rights' permission in written from Volvo so that has become a bit complicated at the time being.

 

[Rolitto]

Thought Michigan was a name Clark used for their loaders. The 175B I knew had the Cummins engine and the owner figured it was the best engine made. He had Cummins in all his trucks too. He also had a 75B and it was good loader too but not as tough as the 175B but according to his brother, who had excavators and dug pipeline, this may be because he tried to do the same work of the 175B with the 75B. I think the 4 plate loader boom was a great idea.

Michigan is a brand that Clark used when they acquired and purchased the Michigan Power Shovel Co., then they opted to name Clark their whole products' range.
The 175B had either Cummins NT-855-C or Detroit Diesel 8V-71N65 on it. Both are good, but Detroit Diesel have more torque. Cummins are bigger in displacement. To tell you the truth, I've known hundreds of Clark and Michigan tractor shovels near my place, from 45B to 275B. They're all robust and so tough, each up to the expectations the model is built for.

 

[Ryan151]

Very nice. I want to do this to my 55b and 275b one day. If you're in the market for a 275 to restore I can provide you with several. All of them in current running condition. Obviously needing tlc

 

[Rolitto]

Very nice. I want to do this to my 55b and 275b one day. If you're in the market for a 275 to restore I can provide you with several. All of them in current running condition. Obviously needing tlc

Great to hear Ryan. Your models are Clark or Michigan? I'm asking cause I feel the Michigan livery (nameplate, blue wheel hubs, etc...) give a more retro (antique) look of what a typical tractor shovel looks like.

 

[Ryan151]

Both mine are Clarks but my 275b has the michigan name plate in the rear grill. Two of the 275a models are michigan and one 275b is a clark

 

[Rolitto]

Both mine are Clarks but my 275b has the michigan name plate in the rear grill. Two of the 275a models are michigan and one 275b is a clark

Ryan, note these hints:
If the model has the MICHIGAN nameplate in the middle of the grille (in between the red stop lights), then it's a MICHIGAN branded model. Else if the model has the CLARK nameplate on top of the engine hood (in between the white backup lamps), then it's a CLARK branded model. Moreover, the machine model and serial number plate that is bolted behind the operator's compartment also indicates if it's MICHIGAN or CLARK. These hints apply on all Clark and Michigan models.
Now some owners have painted their machines over the years and pasted MICHIGAN decals on a CLARK branded model, that doesn't make it a Michigan. And vice versa.

I'd be glad to see your machine from the back.

 

[Rolitto]

All models 275A are MICHIGAN branded. Clark Equipment decided to market their machines with the Clark brand beginning with Series B and afterwards. All machines before then were MICHIGAN branded models.

 

[thepumpguysc]

VERY NICE resto.. They do have a tendency to leak oil tho..
They are COMMONLY referred to as "drip-troits".. Lol

 

[Rolitto]

Here are rear-end pictures of both: Clark 75B and Michigan 75B. Spot the difference.