The Classic Machinery Network

I am pretty sure this machine is JCB 3c. I drove many of them in the late 60's and early 70's when I couldn't get work elswhere. Hated them but they helped pay the bills.

I was around when Dick Hampton was sold to Cementation. He may also have sold some of the older plant to Semore plant but I couldn't say for sure. Never heard of them until now actually.

tctractors, I'm not a mechanic but do have a good memory from the good old days. The D8's that I operated in the 1970's had the fans turned to blow heat on the operator. Don't know how they did it but it sure felt good on cold days. As for D8K's the few I operated had cabs and heaters, luxury.

tctractors, I have to disagree with your comment that a D8 68a with a fan blowing heat on the operator would not be much good. It was a godsend in the old days on a machine with no cab, it worked great. In the UK it was standard practice for many companies to turn the fans and when I came to Canada ...

Used to turn the fans on Cat machines in the winter. Normally the fan would blow air through the rad away from the machine. When turned the fan would suck the warm air through the rad and blow it along the machine towards the operator. Even when the temp was below freezing it was like a summers day ...

I worked for many earthmoving contractors in the UK but mostly for Sir Alfred McAlpine (Macs as they were known). They always had a checker on the cut counting loads and we were paid a bonus based on load counts. I could get close to the high earners until I learned that every couple of loads they w...

dpan, there were 3 of them, and all should have long been in retirement but they moved dirt and at very little cost I imagine. I did eventually get the hang of changing up a gear but it took me a few days. I only stayed around for a couple of weeks and moved on to greaner pastures.

I had only heard of these beauties but never saw one until I came to Ontario in 1978 and got my first job operating one on a road widening job near Toronto. It was a shock after operating Mac's 627's in the UK with cushion hitch etc. My previous experience on D8 and box helped me not break any cable...

First loader for me was a B100 Drott in 1967. I was 18. Thought I was was the best thing since sliced bread. That is until I went on hire on a site with another B100 being operated by an "old" guy. I soon saw that I didn't know much, and couldn't do much, but I really learned what a drott ...

Also read Utlan Cowleys book, McAlpines Men. Much the same as The Men Who Built Britain with a few changes here and there.