Show your tractors

[s.varty]

66 or 68 in the pic varty?

 

jd? 7530

[mendiplogs]

I just found some photos that I thought i had lost of a contract I had in 1997.

 

The brief was to modify a tractor to launch an Inshore Rescue 21ft Rib over a steep shingle beach.

 

The tractor would have to operate in 1.25 metres of water, but may at times be immersed by breaking waves.

 

Before the customer would sign the cheque (for £30k) I had to prove the tractors ability by driving it in 2.5 metres of water on a rising tide.

 

Then I had to stop it, shut off the exhaust and snorkel valves and let the tide cover it. I then had to be able to restart it at low tide and drive it back to the beach.

 

These are the long lost pictures of the first sea trial, the tractor was moving in each picture. It was quite a unique experience.

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HI GARDEN you must be mad mate well done that there :lol:jon

[Rich2484]

Good link, thanks. Love the look of the track version running a CAT v8 power pack to run the hydraulic tracks. They can survive being abandoned in up to 9m of water till low tide.

Got to take my hat off to the blokes who go out for the rnli in all conditions to help outhers. We gave a decent donation but would have loved to see a lornch just to hear the beast fire up.

 

Just been catching up on this thread.

 

Next time you are there ask them when they train and if they are going out. Then ask if you can pop along and see the launch. They will be more than willing to show you.

 

Walmer lifeboat have a tractor on tracks, this is for pebble beaches, the trailer is also on tracks.

 

They can be submerged as its been said. And then recovered at low water. Next to the lifeboats they are the biggest expense for the RNLI.

 

Some will also have a very powerfull winch on the front to assist in pulling the lot back up the beach.

[Chris Sheppard]

Going with the boat launching theme, it seems once the Alaskans ran out of trees to fell they started using skidders to launch boats.

 

This place was tiny but they had 5 or 6 big skidders there just for launching little boats.

 

Most still had their blades on and winches too. Looked like the only real mod was a hydraulic ram attached to a drawbar on the back.

[mendiplogs]

Going with the boat launching theme, it seems once the Alaskans ran out of trees to fell they started using skidders to launch boats.

 

This place was tiny but they had 5 or 6 big skidders there just for launching little boats.

 

Most still had their blades on and winches too. Looked like the only real mod was a hydraulic ram attached to a drawbar on the back.

 

HI CHRIS now that is nice mate thanks jon

[home of wood]

Not a tractor but my mate recently converted a dumper truck into this for the local rescue boat really is amazing

[mendiplogs]

Not a tractor but my mate recently converted a dumper truck into this for the local rescue boat really is amazing [ATTACH]132772[/ATTACH]

 

HI MATE THATS nice one there mate :thumbup1:jon

[difflock]

Surprised that a weatherproof cab was apparently deemed an unnecessary luxury in balmy Alaska.

[Chris Sheppard]

Surprised that a weatherproof cab was apparently deemed an unnecessary luxury in balmy Alaska.

 

There seemed to be a lot of "make do with what you've got to hand" from what we could see.

[Gray git]

Must breed em tough in them parts!!!