Clarke scrap handler?

[Gavin Phillips]

I passed a scrapyard today while en route to pick up some wallpaper rolls (no camera on me) and spied an old rehandler sitting outside of a scrapyard. The old style, tracked, high-mount cab. The engine access compartments were all opened. The machine was either under repair, overhaul or on its way to that big scrap pile in the sky. On most machines it would appear, the rear body has the company name on it and this was a Clarke if that is correct. Never heard of them before?

Well...perhaps not quite true. I have heard of a company called Clarke before, a builder of crawler draglines. Plus there was a company called Clarke which had some kind of deal with Lima although what became of them after that, I don't know.

Does anyone have any information about this Clarke company? Hopefully I will get the chance to get a close-up look at this machine, maybe there's some serial number plate or something which will held ID it.

Best regards

Gavin

[Jeremy Rowland]

Clarke Ole Mat and Ford and Richier made a 360 machine that was never a big seller over here perhaps the machine is based on that? I'm sure IBH will know more but some pictures would also help

Jeremy

[Gavin Phillips]

Clarke Ole Mat and Ford and Richier made a 360 machine that was never a big seller over here perhaps the machine is based on that? I'm sure IBH will know more but some pictures would also help

Jeremy

I'll see what I can do about getting some pictures of it. Of course, it may well have been on its way to the scrap pile itself! We'll see. I have the yard's number and will see if I can arrange something.

Best regards

Gavin

[Gavin Phillips]

Well I finally got back to the yard today after running across town from work.

The machine as is - is surrounded by large industrial skips so taking a picture is very difficult but I'll see what I can arranged - at least it hasn't been scrapped (yet). I've been informed its actually a Sennebogen machine, on tracks with a classic high-view cab and two-piece boom for light scrap handling.

I have done a little looking around and the manufacturer seems to still make wheeled rehandlers but this is very much of the late 1970's or early 1980's style.

Best regards

Gavin

[Jeremy Rowland]

Sennebogen made material handling machines both wheeled and tracked, I can recall that J.T. Broadhurst & Sons Ltd had a number of these machines in their scrap yard at Birmingham in the mid seventies, they had a really weird design to the cab as I recall they jutted out in a sort of triangular shape.

Jeremy

[Gavin Phillips]

Sennebogen made material handling machines both wheeled and tracked, I can recall that J.T. Broadhurst & Sons Ltd had a number of these machines in their scrap yard at Birmingham in the mid seventies, they had a really weird design to the cab as I recall they jutted out in a sort of triangular shape.

Jeremy

Yes indeed, it is a fairly odd-looking design. I wonder if there was any actual benefit to having a cab front shaped like that? It was actually the cab itself that caught my eye; very different from more common machines you'd almost expect to see such as a Poclain or perhaps an Akerman.

One of the reasons I love such places is that you can never be sure what you will find. In this case, that certainly rings true.

Were tracked Sennebogen rehandlers common machines in their time? Or perhaps this is something rare?

Best regards

Gavin

[Jeremy Rowland]

Gavin Sennebogen were very rare over here and it was not until I visited J.T. Broadhursts yard that I even knew they existed, indeed I have only seen one other such machine and I have posted pictures of that somewhere here on this site and that was being used in a demolition job.
Broadhursts seamed to like them as they must of had at least ten of them in their yard, they were large scrap handlers for their time as Hymac only offered the one material handling version of their machines which was not very high at all, and Liebherr and Fuchs scrap handlers were also rare in the mid seventies.

Jeremy

[Gavin Phillips]

So it would appear that I've found something special! Or rare at least which is more than good enough for me.

As far as Hymac's go with lifting height, that's quite true. Even Poclain's don't seem to have much of a capacity for working at any height. Due to its rarity, I don't suppose any spec sheets or brochures will turn up even if I can get a model number on this machine. It will have a data plate somewhere on it maybe...

Now, amongst other things, I have to wander where the Clarke name came from.

Best regards

Gavin

[Jeremy Rowland]

Yes Gavin; seventies Sennebogen machines are like the proverbial rocking horse doo doo.
Here is a pic of the only Sennebogen that I have found, this one is probably an eighties version as it does not have the double triangle front cab, as for Clarke they do make scrap handlers but they are a USA company.

Jeremy

[Gavin Phillips]

Hi Jeremy

If I was looking for a twin of that machine that I've seen a couple of times, then that would be it! Probably the only difference was the one in the picture has a grab on it, and the one I saw didn't! The placement of the boom rams is also the same.

Clarke, as I recall, made crawler cranes and draglines at one point. There's also a company called Clark which built wheel loaders among other things.

Perhaps Clarke and Sennebogen had some history where re-badged machines were being produced?

Best regards

Gavin