Letters to the Editor

washed out near Quinter, Kan. A road bridge had washed out, and
there were some large, like-new bridge timbers they wanted to
salvage. The tractor operator (the unit’s owner) was going to move
dirt from the far side of a large timber, and then push the timber
out of its original location so it could be retrieved.

The soil on the far side, however, turned out to be silt that
had washed in, and would not support the tractor. Attempts to drive
it out just mired it deeper. With the tractor mired and helpless,
the boss was going to send a winch tractor to help retrieve the
stuck unit. The engine was still running, and it would have taken
much help to pull the machine out. The winch tractor didn’t come,
however, so around midnight, I shut down the stuck tractor’s engine
and went to the motel. Before I left, I placed a can over the
exhaust pipe, just in case it rained.

During the night there was heavy rain upstream, causing a rise
in the river’s level. These pictures are what I saw when I arrived
on the scene the next morning. The water level had dropped a foot
by the time I snapped the pictures.

With the help of a Caterpillar D-8 on a long cable, and a
Caterpillar D-6 winch machine, we were able to retrieve the stuck
machine. It took every bit of the power of both machines to move
the dead tractor out of the silt. It was a real experience,
cleaning up that tractor. Dirty water and silt had entered
everything except the fuel system. All gear cases and the engine
crankcase were flushed with diesel fuel, and the oil was replaced.
By pull starting, the diesel engine came easily to life. The
starting engine was a different story. The carburetor and magneto
had to come off for cleaning. A few days later, the tractor was
back on the job.

Ralph R. Look
8006 Watson
Wichita, KS 67207