VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 "The Thing"!!

heavyhands: Glad that "The Thing" was able to take you down memory lane. Cool! I really enjoyed your story and because of "The Thing" I can identify with your story as well. "The Whoopee" sounds great and it could be the sister to "The Thing". Do you have any photos that you could post of "The Whoopee"?

Nope, "The Thing" is not used for dredging lakes or ponds but with the right attachments it probably could be. Keep guessing!

The largest pitcher of beer can be found at Antonio's in Eagle Point, Oregon and it is only $10!

Skidd: You are absolutely right.....I'm having a blast with this especially since "The Thing" is so unique and you won't see one anywhere else. It looks great on display in my yard along with my 1930 Chevrolet Corvair! (That's another story).

As you have noticed "The Thing" has front wheel drive and there is an early Chevrolet transmission right behind the engine. The output shaft is connected both to a chain drive transfer case and also a short drive line that is connected to another transmission in the back that drives the Chevrolet rear axle winch assembly. Through two sprockets, the chain drive transfer assembly is connected to the third transmission that is backwards in the frame and that transmission drives the front differential which is a Pontiac rear end that is also turned backwards and upside down. Thus the front wheel drive. And, since the differential is turned upside down there is three speeds forward instead of three speeds in reverse.

In my first post I said the following: "The third wheel in the back handles all of the steering requirements through a Chevrolet drag link and third arm." Let me explain that further: On the steering linkage, check out the third photo and you will see the home made drag link assembly that turns the third wheel. It is the rod that is shown hanging down below the frame. The drag link is the remains of an early Chevrolet drag link, cut in two and welded to the rod, and that, in turn, is connected to the upside down steering box via the pitman arm on the front, and part of an early Chevrolet front axle "I" beam on the back. The Chevrolet front axle piece is welded to the frame and a Chevrolet third arm is connected to the short piece of front axle and a homemade spindle assembly is attached to this mess. A long heavy bolt mounted vertically through the cross member is used as a pivot thus allowing the third wheel to turn. This is about as "Mickey Mouse" as you can get but "The Thing" steers like a dream!

By the way, thanks for getting things back on topic.

Junkyard,

This is my final guess. Back in the early 1920's years a young man moved into town to set up a business. His name was Dr. Hack. He built this (thing) machine to power his new invention for repairing cavities for the local townsfolk's teeth and he called it a dentist drill. It had three forward gears to enable him to increase the speed of his drill. First gear was for kids and the weak of heart. Second was for cleaning out the wax in some peoples ears and to rev up the sound to scare those that wanted to pay their bill in chickens and veggies. Third gear was definitiely not for the weak heart, spirt or those that were not already under the influence of novicane. Third gear was for wide open tooth destruction and for those needing or not caring if the rest of their lives would be in the company of Polident. The 2nd transmission was to run the newly invented A/C unit, first known to mankind and was appreciated by the office staff. When Dr. Hack retired (he was way ahead of his time), the office was closed (and became a shed), the machine was park outside near the shed and remained there until a fine gentleman calling himself Junkyard Dog came along and wondered to himself, "what the hell is that thing." The rest, as they say, is history. I am sure I am right this time!

May I order the first cold pitcher,

Jerry

JYD......If you ever get tired of the "THING" why don't you sell it to WAWUZIT (Steve) He needs another project.

He has asked every question, Twice, that could ever be thought of about his 38 Coupe.

If he had the "Thing" he would have enough questions to last him for years.

And BTW... just imagine how the "THING" would look 100%
Chrome Plated.......ED

Jerry,

That confirms it. You are no doubt on the same giggle juice as that damn sign writer up Gippsland way in Victoria.

Substance abuse is now spreading to vintage car fanatics, and now I have the 2 of you to worry about.

Next thing the pair of you will be telling me pigs do actually fly.

I expect to see both of you at the Betty Ford Clinic

Regards

Concerned Ray

heavyhands: Wow! This old dirty dog would have dragged that dentist drill thingy home too if it was all rusted up and sitting by a shed. However, what you described is not "The Thing". Nope, it wasn't a dentist drill.

Sure, you can order the first pitcher and the mutt will be very happy to drink it for you. Thanks for the kind offer!

ED1938: You are correct......if WAWUZIT had "The Thing" he could spend a major fortune getting everything chromed and then the machine would be called "The Chrome Thing".

1928isgreat,
With all the chemicals you folks down-under pour, dab,trowel, soak, spray and brush and blow on to your old Chevrolets, Holdens and all the others, you don't need any giggle juice or wacky weed to keep you floating a couple feet above the floor!

I still don't know what kind of upsey-downsey gravity force you have that keeps you from floating right off the planet! :aust:

HANG ON TIGHT!! WE need all of you semi-sober blokes that we can find!!!, since we appear to be on a melt-down mode here in the land of the free and the home of the brave!!!!!, we'll be flowing down and under and join you before anybody realizes we are gone....

OOPS, Skipper did I get a bit off topic? ...again?

Yes you did....again.

Since the dog has offered free beer I'm throwing in my two bobs worth, anything for a free beer.
1. It was obviously used in steep country as why else would you need 3 gearboxes in tandem. I actually found a 28 Chev with two gearboxes in tandem, it was used at a place called Jenolan Caves in NSW Aus.which is only good for mountain goats, hence the two gear boxes.
2. The pivoting rear was used to get round sharp corners when going up the mountain easily when going to their favorite fishing spot in the nearby mountains.
3. The rear gear was used for pumping beer from a barrel they took with them when the fish weren't biting.
Hey dog when can you come down and give me my free beer?
Chris

Okay...I like number 3!! That will work but that ain't what "The Thing" was used for either. No beer for you!

See Guyd,

It takes Chris, a fellow Aussie to give the most sensible answer so far. Mind you the pubs may not be open up his way yet.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie

Ps. We are all born with gravity suckers on our 12 toed feet, in a similar fashion to you guys over there buying shirts with 2 necks.

Now where does Chris want you to send the beer to.

Cheers

Ray

I can't remember what the name of the device was, but it moved up and down the drag line in the tember harvest. The device rode up and down the line and picked up the logs that were then pulled to the top of the hill to the loading yard. The device was controlled by the operator at the top of the hill. Signals were given by horn by the logger on the ground, as to the lifting and movement of the logs.

Raymundo, you are so close! You almost nailed what "The Thing" actually does!

Could be used to operate a log "snigger" line?.The snigger being the device,probably using grappling hooks to hold the log/s,the endless line being wound forward & backwards by the "THING".

Maybe if I would have said "snakeing" logs up a hill, rather than across a river or stream?

What if it were a recreational device , like a home made snow skier pull, to get those snow bunnies up to the top of them there hills In Oregon.

Jack39,

Exactly, and that is where the Austrailian dentist Dr. Hack lived during off-season and his patients used "the thing" as a ski lift to climb the mountains, which held their keg of giggle juice, which was a requirement for ice fishing in Oregon (for logs). In the summer (two weeks in August), they skidded logs and if they had a 1928 early model 1 ton or earlier they skidded something else somewhere else (Them's the breaks thread), and, and, and........................

Ok, I'm still buying the beer,
Jerry

I'm still laughing over


Good run JYD. You've got blokes from around the world hooked on your thing... and yes, I wouldn't mind seeing it as the "Chrome Thing" either!!

--bb

My "two bob's" worth. Is The Thing what was used to pull irrigation spray units??? Whatever, it is a great item to have.
Stationary.

Given Oregon’s status as a logging state both way back when and today, and the assurances of a friend that in Maine Model A Fords can still be found working in the logging industry, log skidder was my guess too.

-Dave

Sounds like a good use for F**** for me

Run em into the ground in the bush, and walk away and leave them to rot.

A perfect ending.

Cheers

Ray

CJP'S 29 and David_Conwill are both pretty much exactly dead on as to what "The Thing" does. MrMack was pretty darned close too. Good going guys!!

Actually, from what history tells us "The Thing" was used for pole skidding......and probably some small logs too. For now we will have to go with that scenario, based on what the previous two owners of this cool rusty yard ornament have said. However, in checking out "The Thing" a little closer over the past few days, there are still some questions regarding the pole skidding and if that is what this piece of machinery really did as history dictates. For example, even though the front drums are free wheeling for the winch cable, the assembly does have a shaft that is attached to the neck of the two drums and the shaft runs parallel across the front of "The Thing". And, it appears that were was something attached to that shaft and it also appears that this shaft might have been used to drive something else as well.

Another question in mind is that even though the rear axle is definitely a drive winch, the two drums do not allow for much cable to be wound onto the drums, therefore, the line pull couldn't have been very long. Also, the shiv on the right side of the frame is stationary even though the winch cable went through the shiv. One would think that the back and forth motion of the cable in the shiv would either wear out the cable or the shiv since the shiv doesn't turn.

And yet another question is how could "The Thing" use the winch to pull lots of weight, such as a big log for example, without tipping on its nose due to the torque of the winch since the rear end is so light in weight?

These and other questions still are unanswered making the use of "The Thing" still questionable. But, for now we will have to go with the explanation that was told by the two previous owners until a better answer is found. Who knows.......maybe "The Thing" actually had another use and its real function could remain a mystery for many years to come!

That seems awfully harsh. But then, you should hear what they say about Chevys! (“Chevrolet 490: Four days on the road; ninety days in the shop”)

Nobody seems to hate Dodge Brothers or Plymouth that way.

I like 'em all.

-Dave

Hi Dave,

We are on a dedicated Chev site, however in my case its a healthy stirring of what is seen as the opposition rather than a dislike. Lets face it GM and Ford were poles apart, which was played upon by not only the fans of the individual brands, but the marketing men in grey suits, and still is more than ever.

I was going to by an A model 38 years ago, but things took a different direction. In OZ the majority of us were brought up in either a Ford or Holden (GM) environment. Sort of a triabl thing.

So yes, on a dedicated Chev site, I will take the piss out of the Ford boys, but I respect their cars and the passion they have for their Vintage car. So my comments should not be taken too seriously.

You are right though, Dodges and Plymouths seem to escape such comments.

Could it be they are not as popular??

Good to hear from you.

Ray

One way to find out - get 'er going and give it a go!

Frank

That's easier said than done. Many of the parts on "The Thing" are frozen solid due to rust, including the engine, since this relic has sat out in the rain and snow exposed to the weather for at least 50 years.

You had a good thought however, and it would be cool if "The Thing" was back working again doing whatever it does best.