Goldfields Inginuity

Here are some pictures of a home made front end loader mounted on a Ford chassis. This would be a test for the best of loader operators. The only thing in common is the air conditioning, basically the bucket is tipped by a releasing a catch I have'nt worked out how they lifted the bucket and held it in place for tramming. There are obviously parts missing, I would assume that there was a brake mechanism on the diff acting as a lifting winch.
http://s1085.photobucket.com/albums/j424/PDG62/?action=view&current=035.jpg&newest=1
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s1085.photobucket.com/albums/j424/PDG62/...032.jpg%26newest%3D1 [/img]
s1085.photobucket.com/albums/j424/PDG62/...031.jpg%26newest%3D1 [/img]

1939

That bucket tripping concept was very common with small factory built loaders up until about 1960.

A long rod with a handle on it ran from the trip unit up to the operator. Pull the handle and the bucket dropped (to empty). To reset it - you drop it on the ground and it will reset its self. This was usually done while reversing back.

EG: Tip the bucket - reverse away from what ever you tipped it into - drop it down to reset it - lift it slightly ready to attack the stock pile again.

Of course - the bucket was always aligned in that fixed position - so digging, crowding, etc was not possible as is with modern gear.

Hope that makes sense?

Oldfulla

1939indiana - Yep, can't beat the ingenuity of the old fellas in the Goldfields. Seen lots of that kind of thing around the 'fields.
If you go West from Higginsville, on the track to Cave Hill, you go past an old Station, called Sunday Soak. There's a big rock there with an indentation in its shape, and a well right in the indentation, up against the rock.
Over the top of that well was a windmill made from two car chassis bolted together, with a home-made fan, crank, and gearbox to drive the jack pump. It was a real classic.
Not sure if it's still there, haven't been past that way since the mid-1980's.