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Oldest Forklift

Mebfab

Diamond
Joined
Jun 7, 2003
Location
Mebane North Carolina USA
Doing a survey on who owns the oldest RUNNING forklift. I just bought an old "Towmotor" with a 4 cylinder flathead "Continental". Cant find a model or serial # on the lift.
 
I have pretty old Baker I keep at my house with Continental gas engine. So old it's before they came with overhead guards. Looks like one of the vehicles in Mad Max.
 
I'm guessing 50's?

I have an upper rack for it out behind the other building. It attatches to the mast and moves along with the tilt. LOL! It was in the road one day. It slips right off, the posts are still on it, als you'd have to do is slide ot back on... Don't know if it was stock that way, or someone added it.

It is also a Towmotor and also has a 4 banger Continental, but most of them had Continentals in them back then. Nothing odd.

This is such a nice machine it is unbelieveable! I would like to have one just like it about half again bigger!

It had the forks that slide on the shaft with one brooken fork when I got it. Made my own rack to fit 4' modern forks and it has been a gem!

http://www.snowest.com/fusetalk/attachments//ForkTruckSledDeck1%2Ejpg

http://www.snowest.com/fusetalk/attachments//ForkTruckSledDeck2%2Ejpg


Think Snow Eh!
Ox
 
D, you got a good machine there. I like the Continentals. I suppose you got hold of the guys in New York I sent you to when you were looking for a book or manual?

I also have a lift that originally didn't have an overhead guard. I did get one on it though, fabricated out of 2" pipe. It's a Hyster 15,000 lb, originally an Air Force machine built low to go into the belly of C130. My father told me "Hey, Richard! I say "your" forklift on the Discovery Channel! It was specially made for unloading cargo on a C130, and they showed it for a split second commenting on its peculiar look." Leave it to me............
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I used it just today, and will tomorrow to come in and out of a low door I've got to get through. It's got a GMC 305 V6 (no, not v8) that has MASSIVE amounts of torque. It's a '66 model, and I have super brakes on it now. I'm really big on brakes on my lifts.
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I forgot, there's a pic of it on the 60-66 GMC club website. Here's a link

http://www.6066gmctrucks.org/V6powered.htm

Richard

[This message has been edited by Richard Rogers (edited 11-06-2003).]
 
i dont own a forklift, but i will some day...

id pick between 3 (or maybe own all 3), a clark clipper, a mid sized modern toyota (5-7k), and an 11k cap pneumatic tired diesel hyster. the reasons" i LOVE the clarks compact and cuteness, the toyotas look, run, and handle nice, and the hyster is a FAST powerful roll over anything machine...

moving on... my 4 cyl continental y112 came from a 1962 clark clipper (solid tire, 2000lb cap).. it was beat to hell and abandoned, but the motor was solid and only needed a little freshening up. i pulled the engine my self.. and the lift seems very solidly built (if hard to work on)...

http://www.fiu.edu/~mburr002/generator

theres a bit of a writeup on the continental, and a few pictures of the lift...

i cant say enough about the simplicity and durability of the continental flatheads.. what a well built engine.. even if it does leak a bit... from everywhere

-merritt
 
Mebfab:your old towmotor, if it is a solid tire measure the distance from front wheel hubcap or axle centerline to the center of the steer wheel hubcap with the wheels straight and add LT and that will be the model, lt 40, 44, or 48, that then determines the capacity. there should be a large number stamped on the frame on top roll of right or left side. also is the gear shift on the floor or on the column?
 
mburrus wrote:

i cant say enough about the simplicity and durability of the continental flatheads.. what a well built engine.. even if it does leak a bit... from everywhere

That's precisely how I feel about the Detroit Diesel, which is in one of our other forklifts. Too bad that 2 stroke engine isn't still made. Unbeatable in off road applications like forklifts and construction equipment. I like to hear them run the same way a biker type likes to hear a Harley Davidson engine run.

Richard
 
I don't know the mfg. date on the flaming forklift, but it was cionverted from gas to propane in 64. So it is pretty old.
 
I use the brontosaurus previously owned by Fred Flintstone. He died and left it to Pebbles, who gave it to her father-in-law, Barney, who missed his good ol' pal Fred so much he couldn't bear to drive it, and sold it to me.
 
I have an ancient Pettibone Mercury 3 wheel
forklift at home. I have saved my back and
a small fortune lowering machines into my basement shop. Local riggers charge a minimum of $600 in my area. I paid for the forklift in one move. The only problem is that I am the brunt of "redneck jokes".
 
I have a contender!
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Probably not a winner
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I have a "Ross Lift-Truck" made by the Ross Carrier Company Benton Harbor, Michigan

"Northwest Caster & Equipment was originally known as Ross Carrier Company/ Michigan Power & Shovel, established in Seattle, Washington in the 1920's. The company primarily distributed Ross lumber carriers and excavating equipment such as steam shovels. Their product lines also included casters and material handling equipment.

In the 1940's, the war effort fueled the company's growth in caster and material handling equipment sales.

In 1958, Mr. Drake and longtime friend Ted Hagen purchased the company. The name was changed to Drake & Hagen Company, and a small building was purchased on Market Street in Seattle's Ballard district."

Northwest Caster

I also found references that Ross Carrier Co. was part of a lawsuit in Washington State in 1938-40

And information to Clark-Ross equipment advertisment in Sept. 1953, and Clark-Michigan equipment leading me to believe the Clark may have purchased the equipment business in the early 50's.

It has a 4 cyl Continental. It had just received the bright yellow "Krylon Rebuild" before I bought it. The motor when I purchased had frozen and a crack ran from top of the oil pan across the head stopping just above the oil pan on the other side. But it still ran on all four, just couldn't hold water.
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So it would run about 15 minutes before it would load up and stop. Wait 30 and it would be ready to do another 15 minutes. Reminded me of a welders duty cycle. I found a portable air compressor with a good motor and bad compressor which I swapped and cut the air compressor hood up for a more stylish engine cover.

Ross Tag

Ross Lift-Truck

Ray
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Ox, I thought it was too cold there for outside toilets?

timekiller, my neighbor has an old Clark-Ross (20,000#). It's rough as a night in jail but stout. We use it to make the time chang every spring and fall, just move the earth over one hour.
 
Allfoden doesn't have to lower the machines into his basement anymore! He built himself a brand new house with a higher basement! Now startin' the old gear drive forktruck on those cool mornings when the battery just won't do it isn't such a big deal anymore.

redneckhighrise%2Ejpg
 
Ox,
Love the "redneck highrise". I was going to build a ten (10) car garage and machine shop behind my house for my own use. Ground level no more basement. I thought it best to do it the right way and go before the Zoning Board to get permission. My next door neighbors had no objection but the folks a block away came to the meeting and objected. DENIED. I should have said I was building a big rec room, which did not require Zoning, and in six (6) months blow out the side and add a garage door. It doesn't pay to be 100% honest.
 
Alright OX in that fist pic looks like several bundles of material to the left, what-cha making out of it. Raw material on the floor, I can't think of nothing better looking!!!!
 
Raw material on the floor, I can't think of nothing better looking!!!!

Well, I'd like to dissagree with that! Skids of bulk or boxed parts on the truck heading out is MUCH better looking!!!

Material sitting out there could be used for making Clevis Ends for motion control and stacking pins for scaffolding on the CNC Lathes, or hydraulic fittings on the screw machine. The fittings work may be gone to China now tho. I have 20K# of stock waiting on an order tho.
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--------

Good grief allfoden, you weren't planning on setting up a cold heading shop, heavy stamping, or vibratory finishing were you?
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Some folks just like to fuss and that's all you can say aboot that!

Think Snow Eh!
Ox
 








 
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