D7 4T

[Fowler VF]

Just fired up the old faithfull. Not just a toy, this one is off to do a job tomorrow. Ignore the homemade "ROPS" this machine is otherwise absolutely straight and original apart from an early retro fit of the Birtley 12' hydraulic blade. 1944 US Army issue, still olive green under the Cat yellow. Have decided that the construction site I am managing as my day job is in need of another Dozer on site and I can't see that this one is not capable of earning a living, even at 65 years of age! Lets see. Will post more when she starts next week pushing out a new lagoon.

[IANOZ]

Hi Nick , nice old d7 . No reason why the old girl can't go and do an honest days work .Only trouble you could have would be non conforming ROPS frame .Have you managed to get back a little closer to home on this site?. I asked a couple of questions on my fowler VF thread, Did you see them? Seems the earth swallow up all the fowler experts that where so helpfull at the start of the thread. ian.

[John Gaunt]

Hi Nick, Nice looking machine, and I would expect it to be up to the job !
Herewith a couple of pictures of my D7 7M Agric spec machine.

[martyn williams]

Nice machine there John
Nick, looking forward to the photos of your D7 when you work it.
Martyn

[Fowler VF]

Rain stopped play this week. Not really much point in stripping top soil and turning into slurry. I did escape from the office when the beast arrived on the lorry. (my driver wasn't around and no-one else really fancied it). Some skinned knuckles and swearing later I got it started and had a gentle push around the tip site, she is definitly performing well. Other dozer on site is a D6M, I reckon on a good long straight push my old timer would give it a run for its money, but finger tip controls etc definitely give the edge on turn round as opposed to heaving yard long levers!

As I was on the machine myself I didn't get to take any more photos. Attached is one from earlier in the year elsewhere on site. Plus an interesting little job involving 4 very large brewing tanks being shipped into site.

Will post more when the D7 starts work in anger (probably week after next).

[tctractors]

I would like to think those tanks are for the Bulmers vimto making site, this week I have been working on a Cider press myself, a Bucher 3000 just the other side of the Malvern Hills to yourself VF, and I have a D7 3t with winch and Box.

tctractors

[Fowler VF]

TC

Right and wrong. You definitely know where it is but don't ever go near the place and say it is Bulmers, it definitely ain't, although some of the apples might belong to them!

The site is supposedly now the largest in Europe, they certainly have rather a lot of Bucher kit.

Nice to know that someone else collects up the old iron. I have got a box for the 7, but the winches are still on the other machine (i have one with a cracked block and haven't yet had the heart to strat robbing it). My one regret is that this other machine had the original cable blade and up and over gear with it when I bought it a few years back and I just didn' t have the cash to pay for yet another low loader to fetch it. Long gone now.

Nick

[d4c24a]

i have been told recently of a shed that is falling down and is full of new boxed cat parts ,many for a D7
i have been offered the chance to veiw with maybe a chance to purchase some or all of the parts
as i get more info i will let you know
cheers graham

[tctractors]

This old Banger of a D7 is making me sit down and think??? (sometimes I just think!) as I am sure I have done a few things to this old Bird, it would have been from the Stratford area poss, owned by a chap they call the Goat, and sold a few years ago at Welland show? must run the "hooded Claw is comming"

tctractors

[Fowler VF]

TC

It is a small world. I don't know much of the history but I did buy it off a man who bought it at Welland. "Ginger" used it on a few jobs and knew that I was a likely candidate for this type of iron and sold it on. It has been sat for the last year or two on my cousins farm near Tenbury Wells pushing out a lake before I brought it back home and then on to afore mentioned "fizzy pop" site.

Sounds like you know more of this one than I do. Front idlers are a bit sloppy, need shimming up now as she tends to drop one of her shoes in reverse if you hit a ridge. other than that runs well. Had a nasty moment with the donkey, mag had been off and warmed up in the Rayburn, not tightened up as tight as it might have been and next time we swung it the timing had slipped. Bit my driver real hard and he wouldn't go near it for a week. Bit me too; when I relayed the tale to my cousin he showed me a thumping great bruise on his hand in exactly the same spot as mine!