Simple question

[digger242j]

And for the real story - BUT only if you can handle the truth, go here:

Thanks to Google Earth, and the bit of flying that I've done, this isn't a new concept for me. It does take a bit of mental flexibility though, to realize that the geography is where it is, regardless of which direction you're looking from.

 

[Deas Plant]

On Geography being the same.

Hi, Digger242j.
What you have just mentioned about the direction you are looking at it from has been the cause of a good many people getting lost. They have trouble recognising landmarks or landscape when they are looking at it from the other side as they try to make their way back again. For this reason, it is a good idea when bushwalking, especially in unfamiliar territory, and even more so if you plan on coming out the way you went in, to regularly look behind you so that you gain an idea fo what it will look like on the return journey.

Now will somebody please explain to me how we got from a 'Simple Question' to talking about bushwalking?

Several years ago on either ACMOC or ACME, there were a series of posts with photos posted by a member known as Mike Mc. In these posts, he detailed his conversion of a Cat D4 7U series orchard crawler to a rigid frame rig with an inside-mounted PAT blade. He did a great job of it and took it to Tulare that year.

Here are some of those photos, with thanks to Mike Mc.. He had to remove the equaliser spring and replace it with a solid cross member to give him something on which to mount the push points and blade lift ram mounts for the inside-mounted PAT blade.

 

[Lashlander]

Nice pics, Thats pretty cool!

 

[Deas Plant]

More pics.

Hi, Folks.
Here are some more photos, 1 of the completed job and 2 of the original Cat D4 7U orchard crawler that was the starting point.

As you can see, the original machine only had a 4-roller track frame which was extended to 5 rollers in the modified machine. The original rear seat was removed and replaced with a normal tank seat and the original fuel tank behind the engine bay was removed and replaced with the firewall and air cleaner from a standard D4 7U. The original orchard control deck was replaced with the standard control deck and fenders. The original pilot motor was removed and replaced with batteries and direct electric start.

Then there are all the modifications that were done to the frame, the building of the blade and the installation of hydraulics.

Some job.

 

[iceberg210]

That 6 way blade is awesome. Do you know where you could purchase the parts to put a 6 way on an old D4?

 

[Deas Plant]

Parts to mount 6-way blade on old D4.

Hi, Iceberg210.
I don't know of any kits or after-market suppliers that do what you are asking. The machine in these photos was remodelled from what you see being unloaded off the truck to what you see grading the parade track at Tulare. It was all done by hand, piece by piece, by the owner, over many months.

I seem to remember that he had the seat made by a specialist seat manufacturer because the original orchard crawler seat was totally different from the standard D4 7U seat. I can't remember if he built the actual blade himself or if he 'acquired' it somewhere but I'm pretty sure that he built just about everything else himself. Quite a project and a truly remarkable end result.