- Joined
- Jul 2, 2014
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- 7,594
We also had a D8H with a pony motor and no cab. Of course, this was in Sacramento... That machine ran and ran and ran, rarely needed parts or repair, and was liked by the road crew. That crew also had two Link Belt Speeder drag line cranes with International engines that started on gas and ran on diesel. Not a pony motor, the base engine started on gasoline (distributor, carburetor), warmed things up a bit, then switched to diesel using a Johnson bar creating a bunch of smoke until it really got going. The auxiliary gasoline/air mix combustion chamber extension was closed off which increased the compression for the diesel to catch and run as the injectors started delivering diesel fuel. Those drag lines were dirt simple, heavily built, and bullet proof reliable.Years back I worked at a local landfill where we had an old D8H, circa 1963. It had pony motor start and we could get it running anytime of year, no matter how cold as long as the fuel wasn't gelled. It sat outside most of the time and had no cab, but I loved operating that machine. The newer dozers were easier to run, but there was just something about the old iron that made them special.
Cathead, I forgot to mention, you can get button head fittings through McMaster-Carr for about $20 each, but that's the easy way out. LOL