Old Cats at rest

[argie]

Took these years ago at the old Butterley Bricks quarry in Buckley, North Wales.
Fox (Owmby) had the contract to tidy the pit up for closure/re-instatement. Robin Jones now own it and have recently been quarrying it again.

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Paul

[nick lamb]

Top pics Paul,Blackwells have 2 of those D9L's.They are big beasts.
Robin Jones.....wouldn't do work for that chap.Would wan't money up front and even then I wouldn't want to work for them.Same as JPS and DW plant.There must be something in the water down there

[argie]

Apparently Robin Jones' workforce is made up of mainly Eastern Europeans these days!

[komatsu d475-1]

Hi ,
Came across this hi drive resting on the net,woulld this be a d10n? and happy new year to all.
Mervyn

[RichardJW~]

After reading this and other posts on the site here I can imagine that some of you folks must have some sleepness nights at times!!!.......its one thing to wait to receive ONE salary at the end of the week/month but multiply it by 10 blokes, throw in maintenance and fuel costs for 10 units, machinery repayments and ....well you know better than me what else....and THEN wait/hope you get your money on a regular basis must be to say the least stressful......and reading and hearing about the number of firms that have gone down the pan because of it must leave a lot of bitter people about.

[Nick Drew]

After reading this and other posts on the site here I can imagine that some of you folks must have some sleepness nights at times!!!.......its one thing to wait to receive ONE salary at the end of the week/month but multiply it by 10 blokes, throw in maintenance and fuel costs for 10 units, machinery repayments and ....well you know better than me what else....and THEN wait/hope you get your money on a regular basis must be to say the least stressful......and reading and hearing about the number of firms that have gone down the pan because of it must leave a lot of bitter people about.

What a good summary Richard!

Sadly I must confirm that it is so true The problem with our industry is that for some reason it attracts a lot of "Scrotes" who don't care about anyone but themselves and as such getting paid up on time and regulary is almost out of the question!!

There are many who have very little business knowledge if any at all and simply wing it along with no idea what they are doing

At the end of the day I don't think it is worth the hassle and I can see a time coming when all this work will be done by a handful of big companys who have the massive financial backing, then perhaps we will see an end to the little tin pot outfits that cause so many other people to go under !

When I lost all my stuff in 2001 through a bad debtor I was a nervous wreck for months and it took me sometime to get over it, worrying about blokes wages, bankcruptcy etc etc

Made me realise very quickly that it is a lot of hassle and for what? a little bit of social status at the golf club!! All quite sad really!!

Sorry to be off topic.. rant over!!

Nick

[nick lamb]

I agree with the above coments.When I was starting up 20 years ago I worked for a few dodgy outfits and got away with it.Some couldn't pay and some wouldn't pay you.There are very few outfits that I will hire machines to these days as I can afford to let them stand rusting in the yard due to the fact that they are not my frontline business.I sort of 'retired' from muckshifting in 2001 after starting officially in 1989.Ironically I finished my last big job with the same company I startred with back in 1989(D.Morgan Plant,Ellesmere Port)They also had one of the D9G's on the same job in 2001 as they had on the job I started with them in 1989.Since then I have hired my remaining 2 tractors to them eversince as they are such a good company to work for(Money comes EVERY month without fail. ).These days my tractors just do small,quiet little jobs away from the madding crowds! but I never say never.In fact at the end of a big profitable job with Morgans in 2001 I sold what I thought would be my last D8 and 463 box to Cliff Daly'That's the last D8 Cliff,there will be no more'......'Why Nicky?' he asked....'Because I've had enough of them mate,I am too old for D8's and so are you!'.I actually told him that before he paid me for the machine but he still bought it any way.So here I am in Jan 2009 with another D8 .Like Nick Drew,my mind must still be puddled with all the stress and worrey but I just cn't seem to leave this business alone!.I still rubberneck a lowloader when I see one and still get butterflies in my gut when I turn up on a new site with the tractors untill I know what the muck's going to be like!

[nick lamb]

By the way Merv,I think the pic is a D8L.I know the paint job is of a newer R series machine or N series but it looks like an 8L or a 9L.It's just something about that fueltank and the trackframe were longer on the N series tractors.that back idler seems short to me.Happy new year to you too.

[Nick Drew]

I agree Nicky !!

I still love this mad game of ours and am as mad about machines now as I was when I started mucking about with them at 8 yrs old ! In fact I am probably getting worse!! Well according to Lorna anyway!!

I always say its not the machines that are at fault its the bloody people you have to deal with that makes our life tough!! Grrrr

Nick

[komatsu d475-1]

By the way Merv,I think the pic is a D8L.I know the paint job is of a newer R series machine or N series but it looks like an 8L or a 9L.It's just something about that fueltank and the trackframe were longer on the N series tractors.that back idler seems short to me.Happy new year to you too.

Cheers Nicky for that and il tell. Plantman u were asking about him as hes coming over On sat morning with Neil