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Reference Section: 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-Operated Crawler/Dozer

In 2010 my Grandfather fell ill and had to move into an assisted-living facility. We were left to clean up his old 3-acre farm that was just jam-packed with all kinds of junk...there were also dozens and dozens of old plows and implements, 17 old cars & trucks, several old tractors and Caterpillar crawlers, and tons and tons of garbage as well as scrap metal. I took charge of the cleanup and sales of vehicles and equipment, which took almost a year; I also had to make 1100-mile roundtrips twice a month during this period with my truck & trailer in order to get all of this accomplished. It was incredibly difficult, expensive, and time-consuming, but we got it done and the property sold to cash buyers during Christmas 2011.

This is my Grandfather's old 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T. It does not have hydraulics, but instead operates all of its attached/towed implements via a Cable Control Unit (CCU) made by LeTourneau, and is shown here mounted to the rear of the old Cat. Many of the implements towed/utilized by this crawler were heavy enough to let gravity work with the CCU, by allowing the weight of the item to lower each implement piece (such as dozer blades, rippers, scraper blades, and so on). The engine is a Caterpillar diesel, but is started by a "pony motor." The pony motor then engages the main diesel motor via a clutch lever, sort of like a primitive starter. The old coffee can is placed inverted over the exhaust stack in order to keep rain water out of the diesel engine cylinders.

Some views are before I cleaned around the old crawler; she had been sitting there for more than 30 years and plenty of debris and weeds have gathered up around her. She was originally parked there when a head unit on the engine was damaged during a period of over-revving. Grandpa had a replacement head unit stored nearby in an old pickup, but never got around to installing it. Other views show later efforts to recover her by her new owner, Daron Dustin of California City, CA (helped by his friend Peter Bloom).

Left side view, as she sat for several decades, slowly being covered by wind-blown dirt and junk
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
It was quite a lot of work just to get this far, there was so much junk and thick weeds to negotiate before even being able to access the D7
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
This poor beast has sat neglected for far too long...it almost appears as if trees are sprouting from it
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
I finally managed to cut back the weeds and tree limbs, remove junk and garbage, and dig away some of the dirt trying to swallow the tracks and undercarriage
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer

There is still a lot of junk to remove, but at least now we can access the D7 without becoming lost ourselves
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
The old beast is starting to look fairly respectable, and in better condition than she first appeared.<br>The tree branches on the extreme right are actually from a rogue weed growing through an old trailer
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
A nice rear view showing LeTourneau Cable Control Unit, used to raise and lower the bulldozer blade.  You can also see the stud boss for the blade on the right lower track cover
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
Rear drawbar hitch with pin...the lower part of the hitch yoke is worn down pretty significantly
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer

Another shot of the CCU, showing the years of built-up grease residue and the birds-nest that the cable has been trying to become
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
Left rear view of CCU, which is driven by a PTO shaft from rear of tractor
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
Right side, looking forward. The rusty tube running alongside the seat and engine is a housing that the cable is supposed to be housed within, to protect it
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
Sheaves and blocks that attach to the dozer blade, attached to radiator top
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer

Looking down on the CCU
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
The remains of the operators seat and controls...moss has almost entirely replaced the seat
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
Decades of oil leaks have built up a thick coating of crud on the right side of the engine, and what is not covered with crud seems to be coated with moss
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
Left side of engine, showing pony motor
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer

Left view of engine. If you look closely, you can see that the intake filter for the pony motor is missing.<br>One wonders how much moisture and dirt has collected inside the pony motor from decades of exposure
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
Left rear drive sprocket
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
Well-worn track and rollers
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
Left front idler wheel
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer

Left side stud boss for mounting dozer blade
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
On the operators seat is what appears to be the magneto and the pony motor intake filter assembly, along with some piping and other parts.<br>At top of photo you can see that I have removed the rogue weeds and am able to disc the ground to keep weeds away
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
A look at the air intake filter and operators control levers
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer
Another view of air filter and operators control levers. Note the dry-rotted hose coming off of the air filter housing
1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Cable-operated Crawler/Dozer

The dozer blade, sitting upright on an old World War 2 ammunition trailer chassis
Dozer Blade for 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Crawler/Dozer
The dozer blade, almost consumed by the weeds.  Behind it you can see the old cable-operated ripper unit
Dozer Blade For 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T Crawler/Dozer
A better view of the cable-operated ripper unit, towed behind the D7 and operated via the CCU on the back of the D7
Cable-Operated Ripper Unit For 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
The ripper unit rides on solid steel wheels, so at least we do not have to worry about replacing flat tires
Cable-Operated Ripper Unit For 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T

The front of the ripper unit
Cable-Operated Ripper Unit For 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
Pete brought his cable-operated D7 dozer to try to help Daron break the D7-3T free from the dirt, but are not having much luck.<br>The D7-3T is being dragged with unresponsive tracks
Attempted Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
Pete's D7 is older than the D7-3T and lighter, so all it is managing to do is to bury itself in the soft soil.<br>The D7-3T has been dragged and turned a little bit, but only after a great effort
Attempted Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
Pete and his D7 are giving a great effort, but the D7-3T refuses to cooperate
Attempted Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T

Pete disconnects from the dogbone drawbar before his D7 gets sucked into the rest of the junk and debris surrounding it
Attempted Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
Pete now tries to rotate and turn the D7-3T in an effort to break it free
Attempted Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
Daron calls for an end to the frustration...the D7-3T wins for now.  Pete and Daron will be back in a few months to try again
Attempted Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
She sits and awaits the return of Pete and Daron.  You can see how much junk, debris, and weeds I have removed to this point.<br>It has been a monumental effort and we are nowhere near being finished yet
Forlorn 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T

Front view of D7-3T.  You can see the heavy use and damage to the sheave and block assemblies,<br>as well as a missing idler wheel between the cable piping and the top sheave
Forlorn 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
A better view of the D7, minus the junk, debris, and weeds that were earlier trying to take it over.  Next to the D7 sits an antique car chassis that had been converted to an air compressor.<br>Pete asked for it due to its honeycomb design radiator.  After all of his help, I was happy to oblige him
Forlorn 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
In early August, Pete and Daron returned with Pete's truck and a borrowed D6C turbocharged dozer
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
The D6C is hooked up to the D7-3T via a dogbone towbar
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T

The D6C is hooked up to the D7-3T via a dogbone towbar
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
Daron is not having any luck getting the D7-3T to budge, not even with the increased power of the turbodiesel D6C
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
Pete gets Daron to push on the top of the D7-3T track, in an attempt to get it to break free and move
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
Success is realized, as the stuck tracks are now broken free.  Turns out that the tracks were excessively rusty, and not due to siezed components
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T

The dogbone is reattached, and Daron takes the D7-3T out for a few laps around the property to shake the rust off
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
Daron returns with a D7-3T that rolls freely now
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
The dozer blade is lowered from its vertical position
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
The dozer blade being chained to the D6C
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T

Moving the dozer blade into position for reinstallation on to the D7-3T
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
Pete guides the dozer arms onto the stud bosses on D7-3T
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
Once the blade arms are re-attached to the stud bosses, Pete assesses the best way to reconnect the front of the blade to the cable sheaves
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
The sheaves were too damaged to reconnect easily, so the blade was chained in the raised position to facilitate loading and transport
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T

Daron attaches the dogbone once again and backs the D7-3T into position for loading onto Pete's lowboy trailer
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
After positioning close to the lowboy trailer, Daron disconnects the dogbone and pushes with the D6C blade
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
Smooth loading, almost done
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
Ready to be chained down for her ride to her new home in California City
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T

All ready to go
Successful Recovery of 1950 Caterpillar D7-3T
After departing with the D7-3T, Pete allowed me to use the D6C until he returned to recover it
Caterpillar D6C Dozer with PowerShift Transmission
The D6C made quick work of the remaining junk and debris, greatly speeding up our cleanup time on the property
Caterpillar D6C Dozer with PowerShift Transmission
My Grandfather's old LeTourneau Carryall scraper, which Pete also purchased
1950s LeTourneau Carryall Cable-Operated Scraper

Right rear view of my Grandfather's old LeTourneau Carryall towed scraper, which unbeknownst to all of us, he had lengthened with parts from another Carryall,<br>in order to increase its capacity by more than one-third.  You can see some of the welded-in sections on the upper cable arm
1950s LeTourneau Carryall Cable-Operated Scraper
Looking back on the right front of the bowl.  On the left side of the photo you can just barely see the welded-in sections that increased its carrying capacity
1950s LeTourneau Carryall Cable-Operated Scraper
Daron is getting ready to hook onto the scraper, to load onto Pete's lowboy trailer
Recovery of 1950s LeTourneau Carryall Cable-Operated Scraper
Pete pulling the scraper away from its resting place with the D6C
Recovery of 1950s LeTourneau Carryall Cable-Operated Scraper

Pete tows the scraper through a path I cleared in the junk...there are even vehicles hidden beneath the junk piles,<br>and I cleaned out every last piece of junk and debris from the entire property
Recovery of 1950s LeTourneau Carryall Cable-Operated Scraper
Getting ready to negotiate another turn before reaching the main road, where his lowboy trailer is parked
Recovery of 1950s LeTourneau Carryall Cable-Operated Scraper
Pete at the controls of the D6C
Recovery of 1950s LeTourneau Carryall Cable-Operated Scraper
Pete is almost at the end of the dirt drive
Recovery of 1950s LeTourneau Carryall Cable-Operated Scraper

Trying to negotiate a tight turn around an old telephone pole post
Recovery of 1950s LeTourneau Carryall Cable-Operated Scraper
Just about around the old post
Recovery of 1950s LeTourneau Carryall Cable-Operated Scraper
Pete skillfully backs the scraper to his lowboy trailer
Recovery of 1950s LeTourneau Carryall Cable-Operated Scraper
Pete successfully and skillfully backed the scraper onto his lowboy trailer
Recovery of 1950s LeTourneau Carryall Cable-Operated Scraper

Loaded and secured, it is time to reattach the removable gooseneck to the lowboy trailer and hit the road
Recovery of 1950s LeTourneau Carryall Cable-Operated Scraper
The weather took a nasty turn when it came time to recover and load the cable-operated ripper unit.  Daron is operating the D6C while Pete guides him from the ground
Recovery of Cable-Operated Ripper Unit
Pete checks final connections of the cable ripper unit to the D6C
Recovery of Cable-Operated Ripper Unit
Mike McWilliams brought his Kenworth tractor and lowboy trailer to help transport vehicles and equipment.<br>The weather was turning nasty and it was getting dark that evening, sorry for the poor quality of photo
Recovery of Old Ford GTB with Gin Poles (aka "Burma Jeep") and D6C Dozer

The LeTourneau cable-operated scraper at the 2011 Best Harvest Spectacular show in Woodland, CA.<br>You can see the welded-in lengthened sections towards the rear on the side of the scraper
1950s LeTourneau Carryall Cable-Operated Scraper at 2011 Best Harvest Spectacular
Daron operating Pete's D7 cable dozer, towing and operating the rippers during the 2011 Best Harvest Spectacular show in Woodland, CA
Cable-Operated Ripper Unit in action at 2011 Best Harvest Spectacular
Pete's fantastic D7 cable dozer towing my Grandfather's former cable-operated ripper unit, at the Best Harvest Spectacular show in Woodland, CA
Cable-Operated Ripper Unit in action at 2011 Best Harvest Spectacular
Daron operating Pete's D7 cable dozer, towing and operating the rippers during the 2011 Best Harvest Spectacular show in Woodland, CA
Cable-Operated Ripper Unit in action at 2011 Best Harvest Spectacular

Daron operating Pete's D7 cable dozer, towing and operating the rippers during the 2011 Best Harvest Spectacular show in Woodland, CA
Cable-Operated Ripper Unit in action at 2011 Best Harvest Spectacular
Daron operating Pete's D7 cable dozer, towing and operating the rippers during the 2011 Best Harvest Spectacular show in Woodland, CA.<br>Two rows behind Daron, slightly to the right in the photo, you can see Mike McWilliams High-Output D8 dozer, a rare unit
Cable-Operated Ripper Unit in action at 2011 Best Harvest Spectacular
   
 

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