Over on the right-hand side, at shoulder height, is the cable drum lever, which when engaged activates the cable to pull the blade back up off the deck.
#Specs on a d7 dozer manual#
Out of the aesthetically rounded dashboard are a few gauges, all relevant to the engine a set of steering clutches protrude from the floor, along with a big clutch lever on the left, two brake pedals (L and R) and a long-stick manual throttle sitting between your well-spread legs. The seating, although not original, is much better as it has multiple seating adjustments and comfort than its predecessor. There is no problem with vision here partial blockage through the tree canopy supports but other than that ‘it’s clear through to Burketown’. One thing is for sure, you will get severely dusted, so if you have – or intend to have – a breathing-associated illness, this is not the job for you.Įye protection is advisable but priority is ear plugs and plenty of H2O in your water bag. The open cabins of this era were just part and parcel of being an operator. All of the health issues suffered by the pioneers, both temporary and ongoing, borne out of long days and weeks of operating those old machines have been identified and mostly removed from today’s earthmoving equipment, ensuring you have a safe and comfortable workplace. If you are an aspiring young dozer operator today, you can thank the pioneers of this era for providing you with the compulsory creature comforts that befit the cabins of our new-generation dozers. I could not believe my eyes … this machine is ‘mint’: great patina paint in fantastic condition rebuilt track plates and grousers well-greased new seat cable in excellent condition and running true home-made blade complete with inbuilt root rake and workshop-designed tree pusher with a tree canopy built to suit the conditions. Wally said that the dozer was so good and reliable – and the parts so readily available – that they decided to keep the old girl, rebuild it as and when required, and have it ‘earn its keep’ in land-clearing and regrowth management.įifty years later and this beautiful Cat has been transformed into a cable blade D7 dozer a 24-volt start and still pulls the original scoop when required. Originally a Cat 17A cable-operated winch farm tractor and scoop, it was part of the original pieces of equipment purchased for the farm way back in the 1960s.
Tucked away down the bottom paddocks and chugging away without a care in the world was a fully restored 1957 Cat D7 cable blade dozer (convert). I was welcomed with open arms and, as the stories unfolded, I was invited to get in the old Toyota and have a look at some old working equipment that was to really blow my mind. Phil Sweet, his brothers and his dad Wally run a family farming operation where they grow and distribute one third of Australia’s Strawberry Runners and is located just out of Stanthorpe in southern Queensland. My introduction to a young bloke up on the New South Wales/Queensland border certainly had me hooked from the minute I stepped onto the farm. It is a chance for them to take us back to the good old days, when our beloved industry was really a tough gig, and to survive and prosper the men had to be real tough. However, what really rocks my boat is when I have the chance to meet the pioneers of our farming and earthmoving game. I am so thankful for the opportunities to get first-hand knowledge and access to the newest, most modern, technologically advanced equipment and to demonstrate the newest machinery into the country and to get to report my opinion of them to you. Many of us think that it is the machinery, either new or vintage, is the glue to holding a group of people’s interest in our history or direction, but to me it is all about the people who have made our industry so darn interesting and appealing. The feeling of meeting people at random, in those random little places and the excitement of ‘cold calling’ plays a big part in the thrill of the chase when hunting down those fair dinkum blokes that make our passion for the earthmoving or farming industry a reality. Whenever I get the opportunity to pack up the Land Cruiser and head off on another one of Ronnie’s Road Trips, it is rarely planned to any degree.
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