A brief history of Holes in the Ground.

Man has always scratched the ground, fascinated by his origins, driven by an urge for food, an unhealthy desire for untold wealth, or intent on shifting large quantities of the planet with a view to getting about more easily.

“Work is of two kinds: first, altering the position of matter at or near the earth’s surface, relative to other such matter; second, telling other people to do so. The first is unpleasant and ill paid, the second is pleasant and highly paid”
Bertrand Russell.

It was 1880, in Bucyrus, Ohio, that Daniel P Eells, with his friends and family, formed the Bucyrus Foundry and Manufacturing Company. In 1882 the first Bucyrus Excavating Steam Shovel left the Foundry for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company. [See: Once Upon a Time in the West, director Sergio Leone]



In 1930 Bucyrus-Erie [as it was then known, after a breathtaking merger with the Erie Steam Shovel Company] merged with Ruston & Hornsby of the UK to form Ruston Bucyrus.



Specification of the Lorenz L8600 Earthmover:
Capacity, Heaped: 8 cubic yards
Width of Cut: 84"
Overall Width: 8' 6"
Depth of Cut: 8"
Depth of Spread: 0" to 14.5"
Ground Clearance: 12"
Overall Raised Height: 6' 5"
Push-Off Cylinder: 4" x 36"
Front Gate Cylinders: 3" x 10"
Tank Lift Cylinders: 3.5" x 16"
Sequential Front Gate and Push-Off: Standard
Rear Tires & Tubes: 14.9" x 24" 6 Ply, 12 Ply Optional
Front Tires & Tubes: 15" x 22.5" 12 Ply
Weight: 7000 lbs.
Tongue Jack: Standard
Heavy-Duty Reversible Cutting Edges: Standard
Replaceable Side Bits: Standard
Hydraulic Spool Required: Dual Spool, Dual acting
Horse Power Required: 150-225 HP
Hydraulic Supply Hoses & Tips: Standard

remember: DON’T MESS WITH TUNNELLING MEN



Next week: Aveling Barford, steam rollers and the desire for flatness