And you thought a D8H is some sort of Camera!
As a very young man my Dad taught me how to run heavy equipment. An old Caterpillar D8H just like this one is what I trained on. Believe me I was very young driving this “Cat” that at the time was a huge piece of equipment. No hydraulics just cables that lifted the big blade. No torque converter! A direct drive transmission with a clutch, individual track clutch releases, and individual track brakes. I remember well, standing by Dad, on the Cat watching his operating prowess with my heart beating faster than I had ever experienced. Scared out of my mind not because of the huge piece of equipment but rather that I did not want to let my Dad down. We were in a huge field that we had recently put in a sewer line. The objective for me was to bury the trenches so that we could then jet the trenches. Without driving the Cat into the open trench. Dad was not a micro manager. He stood next to me as I backed up and pushed a little bit of dirt. I remember his voice raised a few times as I slipped the clutch ( a no no). He grabbed the controls a few times and saved us both from disaster. Before long I was watching my Dad drive away in the old yellow chevrolet truck. Leaving me with one of his biggest investments and lunch. I was king for a day. I don’t know how long I ran the Cat. It was almost dark when Dad came back. It seemed like only a few minutes. What I do remember the very most that day…Dad saying
“Great job son!”
And my life as a ditch digger started. Taught by my hero. My DAD!
