Forestry Memories

Dozer track repair at Craigvinean Forest

The photograph is courtesy of Ian Cameron, Ballater, who has provided the following comment:

‘This is Norman Sutherland’s Fowler Challenger 33 in distress high up on Craigvinean Forest at Dunkeld. The Challenger’s track sprockets were unsupported with an outer bearing on an extended track frame like the Caterpillar tractors. The result in rough, rocky ground was the actual track chain riding off the sprocket.

The Challenger was a heavy tractor and sorting things out took time and people. In this case Bill McLaren and Sandy Smith were at hand. If you look carefully you will see that the Tractair has a chain or rope attached to the Challenger’s track and Sandy Smith is pulling it back into position while Norman is crouched down guiding the track chain as best he can. Bill McLaren in the middle is watching carefully and guiding the pulling operations with hand signals.

Note the air powered drill sharpening grinder bolted on the side of the Tractair’s engine. When we found agates in Glen Devon we used to grind off the outer layers on these grinders to find what was inside. ‘Tractair’ was the trade name for of the Fordson Diesel Major equipped out with a Holman compressor, air tanks, hammers and drills. The compressor was fitted on the back and driven by the PTO while the air was directed to two under slung pressure tanks sited inside the main wheels parallel with the ground (can just be seen in photograph in front of rear wheel). Note also the massive ripper mounted on the crawler which gave endless problems breaking the shanks and shearing bolts.

There is still snow on the ground that morning and with reference to my old timesheets, would date it as early 1964’.

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Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, Other Vehicles and Machines, Road and Bridge Engineers and Works

Group: Other Vehicles and Machines - 628 pictures

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