ever have one split in half?

first loader i bought....was a 544A deere. exactly what i could afford, not much. had it couple of weeks, thought it a little loose in the articulation...loading trucks, down it went. thank God, i had a good welder friend that could straighten things out and weld up/line bore.

A Komatsu WA600 with log forks on Prince of Wales Island. I don’t remember who the owner was. John C. Probably remembers. They got abused like crazy lifting Sealaska export bundles. Sometimes use another loader to hold the counterweight down.

Does this qualify.? This is my favourite photo of a Letourneau loader. L1400, Radomiro Tomic copper mine, Chile. Around about the 2000 time-frame IIRC. I just happened to be on site the day it fell apart and have a load of close-up photos that explain exactly why it happened.

Nige said: Does this qualify.? This is my favourite photo of a Letourneau loader. L1400, Radomiro Tomic copper mine, Chile. Around about the 2000 time-frame IIRC. I just happened to be on site the day it fell apart and have a load of close-up photos that explain exactly why it happened. View attachment 366107 Click to expand... More pictures please!

I have no pictures. In the 1980s a local excavator/logger had a big crew, many machines. He'd buy several machines at a time. One logging crew broke a near new skidder in half. Boss never skipped a beat, had it dismantled for spare parts. Better story; He had numerous John Deere 350 logging dozers. I don't know how many in total, he bought ten in one purchase. Out of state landowner favored selective cuts. They had logged 10 years earlier, it was time for another cut. He sent a truck to deliver skidder & dozer. Driver radioed: "What do you want me to do with the one already here?" It had been forgotten, brush growing up through it.

I have driven a few of the tiny Waldon loaders, (yes I can stuff my fat XXX in one but tight fit all around) they seem to be popular around here. Most were very used & abused, much slop in the steering etc. I was told the Waldon is the only loader, if the hinge breaks, the operator will be crushed.... 5100 Waldon Compact Loader • Waldon Equipment A compact loader with lots of power. Designed for heavy duty & industry materials handling. A great addition to landscaping & construction teams. waldonequipment.com

Coaldust said: A Komatsu WA600 with log forks on Prince of Wales Island. I don’t remember who the owner was. John C. Probably remembers. They got abused like crazy lifting Sealaska export bundles. Sometimes use another loader to hold the counterweight down. Click to expand... I remember that machine. The frame broke just behind and on the left side of the hitch. Were you the guy who welded all those cutting edges across the break to get it on a barge? Factory boys said the machine was abused and it was the owners problem. I crawled up into the break found lots of welding flux, scrap metal and little round lugs that were threaded in the middle that were used for bolting wiring harness clamps to. It was all defect in workmanship. Fit up was poor and someone just packed crap in the gap and welded over the junk. I made a video of the problem and gave a copy to the factory rep. Factory paid for the tear down and repairs on the machine and shipped it back to Alaska as far as I remember. The machine was one of the first that were built in the US and it started a campaign to run sonic tests on all the machines that came from that US factory. As I recall three more machines were found. Somewhere in my archives I think I still have that video.

tiny Waldon loaders Cute little thing. Joe H

Joe H said: tiny Waldon loaders Cute little thing. Joe H Click to expand... The fenders....are solid 1" thick plate....I found that with my shins.....

John C. said: I remember that machine. The frame broke just behind and on the left side of the hitch. Were you the guy who welded all those cutting edges across the break to get it on a barge? Factory boys said the machine was abused and it was the owners problem. I crawled up into the break found lots of welding flux, scrap metal and little round lugs that were threaded in the middle that were used for bolting wiring harness clamps to. It was all defect in workmanship. Fit up was poor and someone just packed crap in the gap and welded over the junk. I made a video of the problem and gave a copy to the factory rep. Factory paid for the tear down and repairs on the machine and shipped it back to Alaska as far as I remember. The machine was one of the first that were built in the US and it started a campaign to run sonic tests on all the machines that came from that US factory. As I recall three more machines were found. Somewhere in my archives I think I still have that video. Click to expand... Thanks for chiming in. After all these years, the details are fuzzy. No, that wasn’t me, I just remember passing by on my way to a nearby project. I want to say it was Phoenix Logging.

You are correct on the company. I went through their camp a couple of times but I can't remember for the life of me where that was other than on Prince of Wales.