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Thread: Something Strange Followed Me Home Recently

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
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    Something Strange Followed Me Home Recently

    Ever hear of a Trackson Swing Crane?

    https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/201...t-is-very.html

    As you can see from the link above, they were mounted on crawlers but in their second lives, sometimes on trucks.

    I was offered one mounted on an old truck by way of a cousin of mine from a third party (his Foreman wanted it gone) for no money or barter. Just make it go away!

    The truck is a story unto itself, a 54’ GMC 350 (its a ton and a half). We got it running. From the factory it came with a GMC 248, but it might have a 270 in it now. We had to split the carb and get the needle valve unstuck but the old girl had spark from the get go!

    So with the PTO engaged, we ran the boom hoist up and down and also the lift line, but we could not get the swing to work!

    So we started to take the forward and reverse box off the common drive but we ran into conflict.

    Next we had to take the whole unit off with the three F&R boxes out to get clearance. Now we thought we were getting somewhere! No dice, the boxes have to come off from the lowest unit and middle unit and then the highest or top unit last, the one we needed to free up!

    So we get inside and one bearing has grenaded, another had to be cut out.

    All the bearings are rusty and I go “shopping”!

    Well my naturally wavy hair gets straightened OUT because these bearing houses are getting carried away!

    I would need keys to the Denver Mint to play ball on some of these double row ball bearings! Two of these bearings (70mm x 125mm x 39.36 mm) with a snap ring groove ...... that’s the kicker, the groove, are five months out and $200 each before freight! Another bearing house found two in different cities (I presume) for over $2xx for one and $3xx for the other of the above bearing.

    So I get on the internet and watch some vids about fighting rust. They are talking this store bought stuff vs this vs another. Another guy is talking white vinegar and a ultra sonic cleaner. Well I have one of those and my wife provided the vinegar!

    I ran a number of runs with water and the green and simple stuff first!

    Then I got down to brass tax with 2/3 vinegar and 1/3 water! Man what a job! I am impressed!

    My other option was to buy those larger bearings for $78 each and then ground freight from Portland Ore. and see if a local machine shop could grind the snap ring grooves with a tool post grinder and some skinny wheels.

    My third option would be to ditch those gear boxes or the worst one and replace them with hydraulic orbit motors.

    As it stands now I am inclined to buy the lost bearings and replace the seals and mix up a good old batch of gear oil and Lucas oil stabilizer. If and when it grenades, go hydraulic!

    The running of this crane is going to be pretty infrequent and short runs. I think I have dodged a big money bullet and still saved a useful tool from becoming Chinese shrapnel!

    Who says an “old dog” can’t learn a new trick!

    Three44s
    Last edited by Three44s; 11-29-2021 at 02:11 AM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bret4207

    “There is more to this than dumping lead in a hole.”

  2. #2
    Boolit Master armoredman's Avatar
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    Now you know why it was free! Nifty find - any pics you'd like to post? I had to look what a Trackson Swing Crane was!

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    I can get something stirred up picture wise but you know, old dogs can not learn too fast!

    The name Trackson and associated company was also applied to “Trackscavators”. They worked with Caterpillar Co. putting loader frames onto new Cat dozers, turning them into track loaders until 1951.

    Cat then bought out the Trackson outfit (Superior Mfg.) then and the crawler loaders were all built in house after that.

    We think of Caterpillar as always “Cat” but it was not. Fore runner companies forged some of the paths that lead to the giant that exists today. Best and Holt comes to mind!

    Three44s
    Quote Originally Posted by Bret4207

    “There is more to this than dumping lead in a hole.”

  4. #4
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    makes boosting cars easy. pop one engine out of a camaro and its paid for

  5. #5
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    What do you plan to use it for?

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by smithnframe View Post
    What do you plan to use it for?
    Good question!

    I farm and ranch with a bad back and we have more than our “fair share” of heavy equipment. At a 5000 pound rating and that’s on a dozer (truck mounted means less rating yet) it’s not a veritable sky hook but it sure will lift a lot of stuff beyond my frail body’s limits. We have a back hoe and an excavator but as older hydraulic machines, they tend to leak down.

    If you want to hold something steady, old cable equipment is better than old hydraulic machines.

    So to sum up why I took on this project, I see it as a fairly portable out door shop crane. Things break down out doors away from the shop. Other things need a lift on a semi-regular basis and what really sold me was the swing feature. I would have turned it down if it had been just a red neck A Frame.

    Three44s
    Last edited by Three44s; 11-29-2021 at 11:51 AM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bret4207

    “There is more to this than dumping lead in a hole.”

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check