IH was joystick technology around at the time?
Kinda fascinated with the loader for the simple fact it was "before it's time" machine and I'm a track loader guy.
When you dig it’s amazing how many companies had a go, if briefly, with rear engines hystats. O&K, Poclain, JCB, Cat, Dresser (think IH were nearly there before the buy-out), Liebherr, Deere. Hough were the daddies with their rear-engines mechanical drive. Apparently Cat bought one of the first to Go on sale. Apparently. Wonder why?
I‘ve often thought something like a 100 Drott with a hystat power train would be a damn sight better small machine than any of these CTL’s. Cat managed to sell a lot of 939’s but they were close to ten tonnes at the end.
I know in some quarters it’s sacrilege to say this, but the old IH implement joysticks transformed operation, and IH were using them as far back as the 1950’s. I can’t see why anyone would prefer separate levers yet you can still spec a Cat machine with either.
Mind you, I suppose a lot of newer operators can’t understand why anyone would prefer V-drive and steering pedals over a single joystick, but I hate the joystick drives.