by Nick Drew | Wed 29 Jun 2022
Classic Kit Turns Out for Vintage Working Day in Germany
But first, regular readers of this blog will recall Dirk’s recent post about a Hymac 580D that he was trying to save from the gas axe. Sadly, we have to report that his friend was unable to buy it personally, because he doesn’t have a suitable workshop to conduct a long-term restoration.
Dirk said, “Unfortunately at this time, I do not know the fate that has befallen the machine, but I fear it will inevitably end up as raw material for new Chinese excavators!”.
Anyway, last weekend Dirk had a more uplifting experience, as he attended a meeting of vintage trucks and machinery. The privately organized event took place at a gravel pit close to the City of Bamberg.
During this event, the work normally conducted by modern machines is undertaken by the vintage examples with enthusiasts and owners taking to the controls.
One of the stars of the event was the French built Poclain LC 80 which was a rare model in face shovel configuration. Those who recall these machines will remember the classic “piano” style control levers, which to be fair take a lot of mastering to operate effectively.
Dirk spent most of the day operating a German built O&K RH 6 LC, “I was struggling with the control pattern on this machine, as its completely the reverse to the SAE pattern everyone knows these days!
On the O&K the dipper stick comes in when you push the lever forward, and in addition, you have to use the swing foot brake as the upper structure continues turns freely if the lever is in neutral position, so you have to keep that in mind all the time!” said Dirk.
It was a very hot summers day with temperatures reaching 34 degrees centigrade, so it was sweaty work for the operators, and equally tough on the old machines too.
Two German built HANOMAG wheeled loaders were brought along the 55 D and an impressive 77 D which was the biggest of the range back in the day.
No German construction site would have been complete back in the day without a Mercedes or a Magirus Deutz truck, they were among the most popular wagons with transport companies.
However, the rare KRUPP with the V8 Cummins engine where not such a common sight.
We thank Dirk for sharing these great images with us here on the Digger Man Blog.