Tech
Extremely Rare Thew “Scoop “Shovel” Located on Facebook (Video)
Historical construction equipment aficionados were doing double-takes when walking past George Marsh’s 1956 Lorain TL-25 crawler crane.
It wasn’t the 66-year-old crane itself, which is not so rare, but the attachment on the front of it that was catching attention at September’s Historical Construction Equipment Association’s annual convention in Bowling Green, Ohio.
(To watch George operate the Scoop Shovel, check out the video at the end of this story.)
The Scoop Shovel, as it was called, was made by the Thew Shovel Company, which built Lorain cranes. And as far as George or anyone else at the show was aware, it’s the only one known left to exist.
“I talked to a lot of people out at HCEA that knew a whole hell of a lot more than me, and none of them had ever seen one before,” he says.
George Marsh, right, and father Alan Marsh have amassed a collection of 100 vintage machines.George MarshGeorge and his father, Alan Marsh, first caught a glimpse of the Scoop Shovel about a year ago on Facebook, where it was being auctioned.
Alan Marsh operated friction cranes his entire career, performing dragline and shovel work starting in 1975. He operated a Bucyrus-Erie 22B, and in 1983, he bought a 110-ton American 975 crane, which he and his son keep running today. George is also a professional dragline operator. Between them, they have collected 100 or so vintage machines, including various friction cranes, crawler tractors and antique trucks.
So when they saw the Scoop Shovel on Facebook, they knew they had found something special.
They placed their bid but lost the auction. Later, though, they caught up with the high bidder in Zanesville, Ohio, where the crane and shovel were located. They bought it from him and brought it back home to Temple, New Hampshire, where they restored it to running condition.
“It hadn’t run in a while when we got it,” George says.
At the HCEA show, George demonstrated the Scoop Shovel by filling and dumping shovelfuls from a dirt pile. The boom and bucket moved forward with pulleys and cables, sliding horizontally into the pile of dirt. After the bucket was filled, the boom would swing out. The bucket dumped and reset using the hydraulics, which were added later. The pulleys and cables retracted the boom as the shovel readied to scoop another load.
The Scoop Shovel still needs some work to run smoother, George says. And since the show, hydraulic lines have sprung leaks, which he plans to fix. “I need to get some more things freed up on it. It’s still kind of stiff.”
He might paint it, but then again, that’s not as important.
“My thing is, I like my stuff to run 100%. Paint’s nice. But I’d rather be able to get in it and use it.”
George Marsh in the operator’s seat of his 1956 Lorain TL-25 crawler crane with Scoop Shovel at the HCEA convention in September in Bowling Green, Ohio.Equipment WorldHardly anything is known about the Scoop Shovel, such as when it was built and how many were made. The seller knew the owner, who had recently passed away and was a coal stripper. George suspects it was used in coal mines in Ohio, possibly for loading shallow cuts of coal into haulers.
Somewhere along the line, hydraulics was added by a previous owner for the dumping mechanism. As a big fan of friction cranes, Marsh believes that has made it a slower machine. He’s not exactly sure how it originally worked other than it likely had a trip bucket, in which the operator would pull the dipper trip to dump materials and then reset it.
“The way you’ve got to run it now is that you’re pretty much always waiting for the bucket to either dump or to come back, because hydraulics is just slow on it,” Marsh says.
Operating the shovel is also a little strange. It extends out to about 20 feet high and is designed for higher capacity shoveling and unloading than typical cable shovels. The shovel’s capacity is about 2 cubic yards, which is typically found on a much larger machine. A standard shovel for a crane that size would have a ¾-yard capacity or so.
The Scoop Shovel doesn’t have the digging power of a standard shovel. But it can work in spaces with low overhead, such as coal mines. Four levers are used to control the shoveling process.
“It’s tricky, because the normal cable shovel, you can really get behind your pile,” Marsh explains. “This thing, not so much. You can’t boom that down and dig a trench with it, for example.”
Despite its quirky design, Marsh can see where it had its place. “If you’re working in loose material loading trucks, I’m sure it’s great,” he says. “It’s way faster. You’re moving more material than you are with a regular shovel.”
Marsh has found a Lorain sales brochure from the 1950s, which shows the Scoop Shovel. Many of the photos show it being used in mining operations. It appears to play a similar role as a wheel loader does today.
“They put that attachment in like every operator’s book that they put out, as an option,” he says. “But I haven’t really been able to find anything with more specific details about that particular attachment.
“I have no idea when they started building them. I have no idea how many they built.
“But I know it wasn’t a lot, and not for a long time.”
A photo from a Thew Shovel Company brochure shows a Lorain TL-25 crane with a Scoop Shovel loading blast furnace slag onto a truck.George MarshRegardless of its details and history, the Scoop Shovel ranks among his favorite finds, especially since there appears to be no others around anymore.
He enjoys running and working on the old equipment and showing it. He goes to six or eight vintage equipment shows a year, where he and his father bring out some of their favorite pieces.
“Taking the stuff to shows so that people can enjoy it is really what it’s all about for me,” he says. “It’s rewarding to get stuff going again and letting people see it and enjoy it.”
Watch the Scoop Shovel in action
Check out George operating the Scoop Shovel at the HCEA show in September in the video below:
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More photos
Here are some photos from George and Alan Marsh’s collection of vintage equipment:
This 1935 Linn tractor, with its “HafTrak” design, is among George Marsh’s favorite pieces from his collection. Called the “torque monster from Morris” (N.Y.), the “HafTrak” could traverse rock, mud and hill for building roads and plowing snow.George Marsh
Another of George Marsh’s favorites is this circa 1925 American Gopher crawler crane. “I’d seen pictures of Gophers before, but I didn’t think any still existed.” Then a friend told him about one he spotted in Vermont. It had sat in the same spot for 54 years. He bought it, got it home and got it running.George Marsh
The American Gopher crane is one of the vintage machines George and Alan Marsh like to take to historical equipment shows.George Marsh
This 110-ton American 975 crawler crane that Alan Marsh bought in 1983 was the machine that made George Marsh want to be a dragline operator and collector of vintage equipment. “If my dad hadn’t bought that, there’s a good chance that none of this other stuff would be here and I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today,” George says. It also comes in handy when moving around their vintage equipment that isn’t running, like this late-1930s Link-Belt, which weighs 25 tons.George Marsh
Caterpillar is bidding farewell to its 259D3, 279D3 and 289D3 compact track loaders with the introduction of its new, next-generation 255 and 266 models.
The completely redesigned models debuted at media and customer events at Caterpillar’s Edwards, Illinois, Demonstration and Learning Center last week. The 255 and 265 offer improved engine performance, more lift height, a roomier cab and more standard technology than their predecessors.
“We kept the DNA of the D3 series while reimagining the possibilities of loader performance using voice of customer feedback to lead the way,” says Trevor Chase, product application specialist for Caterpillar. “Both next-generation models leverage the many benefits offered by the vertical lift design. The new Cat 255 replaces the 259D3, while the 265 replaces both the 279D3 and 289D3 machines.”
The CTLs are the last of Cat’s building and construction products to get the next-generation treatment and simplified nomenclature. The first number (2) represents the skid steer loader and compact track loader machine family; the middle number (5 or 6) designates the machine size; and the ending number (5) is the compact track loader identifier. Skid steers will be identified by a 0 end number. Additional new models will roll out in the coming months, the company says.
CaterpillarMore power and torque
Cat equipped the 255 with a C2.8T engine and the 265 with a C2.8TA engine, both at 74 horsepower. This gives the new machines a significant boost in torque – 13% for the 255 and 43% for the 256 – over their D3-Series predecessors. The engine and cooling package are mounted lower in the frame for added visibility out the rear window and stability while lifting heavy loads.
Customers attest that the added lift height makes truck loading easier. The 255 offers 10 feet 4 inches of lift height, while the 265 can reach 11 feet high.
“The lift height has made a big difference when loading trucks,” said Derrick Roger, owner of Coast to Coast Lawnscapes, who spent several months testing the 255. “You can get on top of that truck now and empty the bucket; whereas, before you would have to shake the bucket to try to get the material to fall out.”
The 255 delivers 36% more tilt breakout, 26% higher lift breakout force and a 24% increase in rated operating capacity (ROC). The 265 also delivers 19% higher tilt breakout force and 22% higher lift breakout force.
Standard hydraulic pressure has been increased to 3,500 psi, allowing the 255 and 265 to operate all Cat Smart Attachments with the standard auxiliary hydraulics provided.
If demanding attachments require additional hydraulic flow, customers can have their Cat dealer activate the high flow functionality on the machine or remotely via software update. This makes it possible for the CTLs to hit 30 gallons per minute of flow at the standard system pressure.
A High Flow XPS factory option increases auxiliary hydraulic system pressure to 4,061 psi for both models, while also increasing the hydraulic flow to 30 gallons per minute for the 255 and 34 gallons per minute for the 265.
The torsion suspension undercarriage delivers better operator comfort, track wear and material retention, plus the stiffer design results in smoother graded surfaces, Cat says. A new 12.6-inch bar-tread narrow track option is available on the 255.
A more spacious cab
Cat says it has increased the cab width by 2.75 inches without making the machines wider and the footwell-to-ceiling height by 1.8 inches. The larger cab gives operators an additional 1.5 inches of hip room and 1.1 inches more width between the joysticks.
A range of new mechanical and air-ride suspension seat options are available, including a ventilated and heated seat. A new automatic temperature control allows operators to set a specific temperature. Relocated vents help cool or heat the machine quickly.
The standard package includes the same 5-inch LCD monitor as the D3 Series CTLs, which offers Bluetooth connectivity and functionality for the rearview camera feed, creep, job clock, and maintenance reminders.
Customers can upgrade to a new 8-inch advanced touchscreen monitor, like the display found in Cat’s next-generation mini excavators and small loaders. It delivers advanced radio control and supports the 270-degree multicamera option. The advanced monitor pairs with the advanced joysticks for integrated control of all machine functions and adjustments.
“You can adjust the movement – or the aggressiveness or the conservativeness – of how your tracks and lift arms work through your advanced touchscreen display,” Dante Thomas, skid steer and CTL marketing manager, said. “And you can control of all of your display functions from the advanced joysticks. There are buttons with enter and select functions on those joysticks that you’re able to change any functionality that is possible.”
Cat also redesigned the entry, making the 255 and 265 easier to enter and exit. The cab door can be opened even when the lift arms are not fully lowered to the frame stops. It can be removed without tools in less than one minute.
Advanced technologies
Calling the 255 and 265 “one of the most attachment-friendly machines on the market,” Thomas says both the standard and advanced monitors can run Cat Smart Attachments, such as the dozer and grader blades and backhoe.
“It has attachment recognition that when you plug the attachment into the machine, it recognizes which attachment is connected. It adjusts your joystick pattern, so it gives you intuitive and simple control,” says Thomas.
The available Cat Product Link Elite system tracks machine hours, location, asset utilization, provides fault code details and delivers advanced monitoring and machine health, that is remotely accessible via VisionLink. In addition, Product Link Elite provides remote flash and troubleshooting capabilities and quickly enables the remote activation of the SEA High Flow feature.
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Quick Data is a snapshot of new and used wheel loader sales trends from Randall Reilly’s EDA equipment financing data, TopBid auction price service and EquipmentWatch market trend reports.
Demand for wheel loaders has softened with new and used financed wheel loader sales down year-over-year from August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2023 according to Randall Reilly’s EDA equipment financing data.
Financed new wheel loader sales dropped 10%, while used financed wheel loader sales fell by 15% compared to the same period last year.
Cat (22.4%), Deere (21.0%) and Komatsu (12.4%) held their positions year-over-year as the top three sellers of new financed wheel loaders. Top models sold included the Deere 544 P-Tier (401), Deere 624 P-Tier (380) and the Komatsu WA270-8 (364).
[Watch: “A Really Solid Machine” – Test Run of Komatsu’s WA475-10 Wheel Loader]
Cat (28.5%) and Deere (22.9%) also snagged the No. 1 and 2 positions for the highest number of financed used units sold, with Case (14.7%) claiming the third spot. On the date we examined the data, the top-selling models were the Case 321F (340), Cat 926M (164) and the Case 621G (159).
During this period, there were more buyers of new loaders in Florida (955) than in any other state. Buyers of new wheel loaders were also prevalent in Texas (893) and Illinois (665). Those states were also top buyers of used financed machines, with 712 units sold in Texas, 413 in Florida, and 412 in Illinois.
EDA data is compiled from state UCC-1 filings on financed construction equipment. EDA continually updates this data as information comes in from each state.
[Related Content: A Rundown of the Latest Wheel Loaders for 2023]
Used Wheel Loader Market
Used wheel loader prices rose 10.1% for the 12-month period from August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2023, according to Randall Reilly’s EquipmentWatch market trend data.
The average price for a used wheel loader was $137,465 in July 2022 compared to $151,367 in July 2023. The average age of used wheel loaders fell slightly during the period, dropping from 8.8 years to 8.3 years.
EquipmentWatchThe average age and price were calculated on 153,356 resale listings during the period in the EquipmentWatch database.
Over the last 12 months, prices for used wheel loaders have in general increased, with the largest gains in October 2022 (6.5%) and February 2023 (2.9%).
EquipmentWatch defines fair market value (FMV) as the monetary value of an asset that can be expected in a transaction with a single seller and single buyer, neither of whom is under any compulsion or time restriction to complete the transaction. FMV for heavy equipment is most closely associated with the private resale market, as opposed to the public auction market.
Wheel Loader Auction Prices
Caterpillar also dominated the auction charts, accounting for 18 of the top 20 wheel loaders sold in terms of price for the 12-month period of September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2023. Deere and Komatsu were the only other manufacturers to appear on the list.
The top auction price spot went to a 2021 Cat 966M with 2,188 hours. It sold for $400,000 at a Ritchie Bros. auction in Orlando, Fla., on September 21, 2022. The second-highest price paid was $315,000 for a 2019 Cat 980M with 7,836 hours at another Ritchie Bros. sale in Atlanta, on December 1, 2022. Rounding out the top three was a 2018 Deere 944K with 8,941 hours. It sold for $290,00 at a J.M. Wood Auction Co. sale in Montgomery, Ala., on March 21, 2023.
In total, there were 358 wheel loaders sold at auctions tracked by Top Bid during this time, with an average price of $99,747. (This does not include any units sold for less than $5,000.)
EDA, Top Bid and EquipmentWatch are owned by Randall Reilly, parent of Equipment World.
[Related Content: Heavy Equipment Auctions Set for Second Half of 2023]
Volvo Construction Equipment bought Terex’s off-road truck line in 2014, and six years later, it rebranded its articulated haulers under the Rokbak name.
On this episode of The Dirt, we hear from Paul Douglas, Volvo vice president of rigid haulers, who explains the differences between the old Terex line and the Rokbak trucks. He also gives a hint at some of the new things coming from Rokbak, including redesigned cabs and replacing the current trucks with new models. There’s also the possibility of a new size truck to hit the market.
Rokbak, as with other construction equipment brands, is working toward a zero-emissions future. On this episode, he explains where the articulated dump truck market is heading in terms of alternative fuel. He adds that customers will see big changes in emissions and engines in the next five years, with the ultimate goal of reaching zero emissions within 10 years.
So to learn more about Rokbak and what the brand has in store for the future, check out this episode of The Dirt.
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