Old Backhoe?

[MuckSavage]

About 10 years ago, I remember happening upon an old backhoe/steamshovel. While cruising my Jeep thru what we used to call "Log Road" (it was a short trail with logs laid to stabilize the swampy ground) I remember that it's east of 206, south of Atsion. Does anyone know the history as to how this got here?

 

[WAMBA]

you're not talking about the swamp monster are you? that seems to fit your description with the log road in and everything; i was just there last week. it's at the edge of the great swamp. i don't know if you'd be able to actually get a jeep onto that log road now, but 10 yrs ago who knows?

 

[Teegate]

Since it was brought back up again, I did some reasearch on the Swamp Monster and posted it before. Here it is again for those of you who want to know.



The Swamp Monster was manufactured by the "Unit" Crane and Shovel
Corporation of Waukesha (Milwaukee) Wisconsin, with offices or
manufacturing plants in other cities. They produced several different
models with different attachments on each one. Some were shovels, some
were cranes, and there is an attachment with a magnet to move around
scrap metal. So which particular model is ours?

In order to find that out, I took a photo of the serial number on a
recent visit there, and started asking questions. Here is what I have found.

Up until 1946, Unit used a common number system for all of their
equipment, with the last piece made that year being serial number 2663.

In 1947 they started using the last two digits of the year of completion
as the serial number prefix, which then would be followed by the
quantity number of the piece made to date. Here is the serial number of
the Monster:

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/teegate/main.php/download/1778-1/SerialNumber.JPG

So given that number is 51802, we now know that it was produced in 1951.
I also learned that more than likely, it was built in November or
December of that year because the 802 is slightly less than the machines
built that year. I have not found out how many were actually built that
year.

I also learned that the two model numbers were the 514 and the 614, but
I have not learned as of yet how that is determined. But from the
photo's I have of it there is a clear consensus that it is a 614 which
has a capacity of 5/8 of a yard. I would then assume that the 514 was
the smaller one, with a capacity of 1/2 yards, and the size determines
the model.

Most of these units had the cab set a few feet above the deck gear hood
which made for good visibility.

But why was it left there and when? If anyone knows that I would be
interested in that information. One would think that if it was new
machine, the owners would not have left it there, and would have had it
repaired if it had broke down. I have found out that this machine was
made at least until 1960, so there would have most likely been parts for
it available. Could it have been left there in the 60's?


Guy

 

[grendel]

broken gps

wamba,I was looking at your swamp monster pics and noticed that you have a Magellan sport track pro. I have one which crapped out on a kayaking trip in Alaska.it was out of warranty by then and the company said they would repair it for $100. Is it worth it? Or should I spend a little more and get something new?

 

[Ben Ruset]

Incidentally, the swamp monster still has diesel fuel in it.

 

[BigRedEye]

Two of the posts mention a log road in that area. If there was a logging operation there it might have been loading out the logs, or they were using it's drums to winch the logs out of a hard to access area. The attachments are interchangable on those old cable machines, it could have been equipped as a crane, hoe or a shovel.

 

[Teegate]

One of the posts mentioned a log road in that area. If there was a logging operation there it might have been loading out the logs, or they were using it's drums to winch the logs out of a hard to access area. The attachments are interchangable on those old cable machines, it could have been equipped as a crane, hoe or a shovel.

It was most certainly used for logging since the area around it is all cut cedar.

Guy

 

[Ben Ruset]

It was most certainly used for logging since the area around it is all cut cedar.

Guy

Presumably that would make it pre-Wharton State Forest since I don't picture the state letting people log back there.

So that would have to make it's abandonment sometime before 1955 (I think that's when the State bought the Wharton Tract.)

 

[Teegate]

Presumably that would make it pre-Wharton State Forest since I don't picture the state letting people log back there.

So that would have to make it's abandonment sometime before 1955 (I think that's when the State bought the Wharton Tract.)

The land where the Monster is was the second purchase ( Purchase B ) of Wharton. Your date is good.

Guy

 

[WAMBA]

wamba,I was looking at your swamp monster pics and noticed that you have a Magellan sport track pro. I have one which crapped out on a kayaking trip in Alaska.it was out of warranty by then and the company said they would repair it for $100. Is it worth it? Or should I spend a little more and get something new?

personally i think i'd get something new just cause the sporttrak has been around for a while and $100 is half of what it cost me new in 2003. i think my next gps purchase will be one of the color screen garmins, they're really nice. i guess it really depends on what you want to spend. another gps with the same memory capactiy and features will probably still be more expensive than $100, so the question is whether its worth it to you.

if you end up junking your sporttrak i'll buy the battery case screw/lanyard from you for a few dollars. the wire attaching the lanyard broke off of mine a long time ago and the screw got stripped or something, so now i have to unscrew the screw all the way and use pliers to pull out the battery compartment every time i need to change the batteries, not the easiest thing to do in the middle of a swamp or in a kayak. the design of the battery compartment/lanyard in these things is really quite poor, which is another reason why i'd just get a new one. i've been waiting for an excuse to get a new one for the longest time, but as long as the one i have still works i just can't justify the purchase.

 

[MuckSavage]

Our Swamp Monster's Cousin?

Last week I went fishing in Fortesque. Sitting at the sling/ launch area of Higbees Marina was a UNIT shovel very similar to our Swamp Monster. This unit appeared to be in working order. I had a car full of people who gave me a hard time when I said I wanted to stop for pictures. Has anyone been there & seen it?

Next time I'm down that way, I'll surely take some pics.

 

[Teegate]

Last week I went fishing in Fortesque. Sitting at the sling/ launch area of Higbees Marina was a UNIT shovel very similar to our Swamp Monster. This unit appeared to be in working order. I had a car full of people who gave me a hard time when I said I wanted to stop for pictures. Has anyone been there & seen it?

Next time I'm down that way, I'll surely take some pics.

I would love to see them. Tell you passengers the next time........well I won't say

Guy

 

[MuckSavage]

Hmmmm. I couldn't

I would've Guy.....but my wife was one of the passengers.:jeffd:

 

[davensj]

Last week I went fishing in Fortesque. Sitting at the sling/ launch area of Higbees Marina was a UNIT shovel very similar to our Swamp Monster. This unit appeared to be in working order. I had a car full of people who gave me a hard time when I said I wanted to stop for pictures. Has anyone been there & seen it?

Next time I'm down that way, I'll surely take some pics.

I was there today, It`s gone.

 

[Teegate]

I was there today, It`s gone.

Guy

 

[PineBarransJeepster]

That reminds me of the huge dredge they used to have out in Sarco/Heritage Mills/ Cyrstal Lake. Anyone remember that? Also that brings up one thing I hate about the pines. Every group of people that I get to know or come across seem to call the area of the Pines by a different name. It gets very confusing.

 

[Teegate]

That reminds me of the huge dredge they used to have out in Sarco/Heritage Mills/ Cyrstal Lake. Anyone remember that? Also that brings up one thing I hate about the pines. Every group of people that I get to know or come across seem to call the area of the Pines by a different name. It gets very confusing.

Call what area different names? Are you talking about Heritage Mills or just different area's of the pines in general?

Guy

 

[PineBarransJeepster]

Seems about every area in the Pines has multiple names depending on what group you listen to.

 

[BEHR655]

I once went up to Spring Hilll with Ken Dawg and we met two guys there cooking dinner over a campfire. While talking to them we learned they had been coming to the Pines for years. The called the place we were at "The Dinner Place" and they called Quaker Bridge Rd. "Seven Mile Cut". There were a couple other odd names but I don't recall them. They also said that they never used maps and just learned the Pines by exploring. They were smoking a big fatty too, so maybe that's why the had wierd names for everything.

Steve

 

[Teegate]

That is how names for places change over the years. Just like my friend and I have always called the bridge at Lower Forge the "Unbridge". All of my mentions of it in my personal records call it that.

Guy