[AT] OT: Flashback - Early Farmers Building County Roads

[Dean VP]

Larry/Dudley:

Due to the lack of a loader tractor here several years ago I purchased a new
3 point reversible scoop made by Lienback out of North Carolina. I got it at
Whiskey Jim's place West of Marysville but it had a Meridian Equipment
(Lynden, WA) Tag on it. I don't remember now if it is a 5 or 10 cubic foot
version. But I have used it a lot hooked onto my JD 750 compact tractor.
I've probably moved over 100 yards of material over the years. Huge Rocks
first, then bark, then top soil, then dirt of all sorts, then round wash
rock for my drainage ditches, then almost anything that needed to be moved.
It still is in pretty good shape and I've abused it some but it sure isn't
worn out.  I use it backwards almost all the time. I have tried to use it in
the forward position and it just doesn't work that good that way in our
rocky soil. I haven't figured out the right formula I guess. 

When I was moving the big rocks I could get rocks in it that were more than
the 750 could lift or where I could keep the front end down. I have a pretty
heavy blade on the front of the 750 too. What I found out is I could try to
lift the loaded bucket enough to take most of the weight up and then it
would skid to where I wanted to unload the rock. Some of these rocks weighed
several hundred pounds. The scoop handled it fine but the 750 just couldn't
handle the load all that well. The three point hydraulics on the 750 aren't
quite as strong as I would like.  I have used the scoop on my 60 and 620
three points and those hydraulics are strong enough to hurt the scoop. But
it is still in good shape. 

I now have a loader tractor but the scoop is so handy it gets used first
before the loader. In addition to the Lienback scoop I also purchased a new
HD boom, also made by Lienback. I got this also before I had a loader.  That
is when I fully realized the hydraulics on the 750 were pretty weak.  A boom
really takes hydraulic power. Now, the boom gets put on to the 620 with
front frame weights and there isn't much around here I can't lift. Plows,
implements, rear tractor tires on rims, etc. 

I kind of laught at myself a bit for buying the HD version of the boom. The
750 couldn't even get close lifting more than the light duty boom could
handle but the 620 is an animal and therefore it is probably good that I
have the heavy duty version. I've had the front end off the ground with it
and there is 350 lbs of weight on the front of it.

We also built a new house on our farm in 1948 in NW Iowa and I remember
using a slip scoop digging the basement too. As I recall it was pulled
behind a horse with Dad running it. Like was said, it took three hands or
more. I also recall using a plow to loosen up the soil.  But a loader &
tractor was used as well. I suspect the slip scoop was used with the horse
because it was easier to scoot around in a tight place. As I recall the slip
scoop generated quite a few more swear words than did the loader. :-)  

The odd implement though that I remember the most was an old two axle road
grader on four steel wheels that originally was designed to be pulled by two
to four horses. It had been converted to be tractor drawn and we would
police all our driveways and roads in the area with it. It had two big
vertical adjustment wheels on it and a platform where Dad stood to operate
it. He really new how to operate that sucker as he had worked for the Iowa
State Highway Commission during the depression. He would spin those big
wheels, one way or the other as the terrain changed or needed to be changed.
I took the place of the horses, driving the tractor. The horses though
probably understood the voice commands better than I did.  :-) It really
wasn't all that heavy but the blade had just the right cant to it that it
would really do the job. I don't think a back blade on any three point today
would do nearly as good a job. The blade centered between the two widely
separated axles really helped a lot for leveling things out. Maybe a Farmall
Cub with belly blade would get close but it doesn't have near the wheel base
that is required. 

You guys are really bringing up old memories.  My mother must have told me
about this. I'm not old enough to remember this stuff!  :-) The 40's seem
like they are prehistoric times lately. My God, that is before TV!  :-) Is
that BC or AD? 

Dean A. Van Peursem
Snohomish, WA 98290

Forbidden fruits create many jams!

www.deerelegacy.com

http://members.cox.net/classicweb/email.htm



-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of Dudley Rupert
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2006 12:31 AM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: RE: [AT] OT: Flashback - Early Farmers Building County Roads

Larry,

I have one of the 3-pt scoops that I believe you are talking about

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