# Crawler Cab



## chrisb (Jan 3, 2008)

In a old film that showed scenes of logging in Ontario in the mid forties, some of the crawlers that pulled the log sleds
had been fitted with cabs. Its hard to make out detail in the film. Were these cabs made of wood or steel? Would plywood have been used then?
Or were they likely steel? Wisconsin Historical Society has bunch of crawler photos but not many with cabs. Any crawler experts out there?


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

I'm no expert, but that hasn't stopped me before...

























This is all I have. They look like steel frames and either sheet metal or canvas.

John


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## up9018 (Jan 4, 2008)

The steel arched cab that is in John's first photo is the most popular design of that era. Next, would have came the full "tree cab" which had supports that went fully forward. That can be seen on the D6 in the second photo. With this type of cab, the cables that ran the blade went over the cab, versus under the machine as in the first photo. Unless someone tried to fab one on the cheap for shade purposes only, they would have been made entirely of steel. 

Hope this helps. 
Chris


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## Cougar Rock Rail (Jan 2, 2008)

It depends.... 

Cabs are for either for protection from rollover (r.o.p.s), from debris (logging) or from freezing your a$$ off. They didn't have real rop's yet, so most light steel cages would be for deflecting logging debris, and they'd be steel. But many built light steel frames with wood infill or you used sidecloths to keep warm, and you'd reverse the fan blades to blow the heat back towards you in winter. On the wartime D7's that I learned on, the winch was rear mounted and we moved the blade winch line from an overhead system to one where a tube ran along the floorboard so that there would be nothing overhead so we could back under the gravel crushers which had front conveyors you had to get under. We only had canvas umbrellas on those dozers. Since we never did any logging with them, we also had one that we built a steel cab for but it was not for roll over protection...just from the weather. I got caught in a hail storm in it once where the hail was the size of golf balls. It was so friggin loud in the cab I jumped out and hid under the machine until it was over.


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)




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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)




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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

http://myconstructionphotos.smugmug...is-chalmers-dozer8151/177779264_tcQAd-D-1.jpg 

http://myconstructionphotos.smugmug...ut/tractor-grader1057/177063618_tboDP-D-3.jpg 

http://myconstructionphotos.smugmug...-Cut/oliver-dozer8143/177779233_fSqzj-D-1.jpg


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## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

Here is one of my favorite cab covers. I can just see a load of gangsters in it doing a very slow drive by shooting in the twenties. Although I think this style would only help to combat rain. 









I was playing around with some cardboard on mine to get some ideas for a more permanent version.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

I found some more pictures that are too nice to horde!
























I like how work stops and everybody faces the cameras...









Do you suppose this one was staged with 4 drags arriving at once?









I'm guessing that the chain broke while lifting the 3rd log onto the pile, knocking the other two logs off the train and they rolled up on the arch.








Linn Tractor trucks. They have dumpers on back. Thought you might like a look.

John


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## CapeCodSteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Some of these pictures are incredible, I can see why some people are fascinated by them, as I am trains.


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## tj-lee (Jan 2, 2008)

Awesome pictures! 

best, 
TJ


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

Sure are.... Glad you posted that....cause I couldn't express my admiration. "Awesome pictures!" says it all...


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## chrisb (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks for all the response. I think the one i was looking for is the Wood cab on the sixty. More of a cold weather cab rather than over head or roll over protection. Thanks for all the great photos.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

I found some more...














































Th.. That's All Folks.

John


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## chrisb (Jan 3, 2008)

Would plywood have been used much as a construction material during the 1940's? To make a cab now the logical choice would bw a steel frame with play wood or sheet metal. I'm guesing that plywood didn't see much used until the late 50's. Any one older than me remmember?


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Well they made those PT boats from plywood, so the concept was known. 

But I think a cabinet maker would be called, double walls. 


John


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

Well even thought the contest to select the winning PT boat design was called the Plywood Derby...WWII PT boats were not built from plywood as we know it. Nobody made 4x8 sheets of plywood...or 5x9 or any size to build a boat. They were simply a laminated wooden boat...and the Brits made laminated wooden airplanes too (the Mosquito). The PT boats were made with long, thin wooden strips that were glued together AND nailed...which is like plywood cept for the nails. And it's made ON THE BOAT...not in a factory. The Mosquito was quite famous for it's wooden design...and may have had the first monocoque (or however it's spelled...means NO ribs inside) fuselage...and it was STRONG. That plane had TWO Merlin engines...the same kind of engine that was on the P51 Mustang. It was a fast bugger.


So...I don't think the roofs of these tractors could have been made of plywood as we know it...but lots of boats in those days had laminated hulls, the know-how was available...so roofs could have been laminated up for each tractor.


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