#1

Member
SE NH
(This post was last modified: 01-10-2019, 01:05 PM by PhilNH5.)
In NJ there is a construction themed amusement park.

https://www.diggerlandusa.com/

Never been and not affiliated in any way.
And it seems to be more than "themed" as the rides are actual tractors, earthmovers, UTVs, etc.

Heck forget the sentiments in my title - if I lived near there I would go as an adult. Big Grin

Edit: They do let adults play!!!!
https://diggerlandxl.com/
#2

Member
SE NH
This is a map of the site. Not amusement rides per say but Actual equipment!!!!

[Image: fviKwfu.jpg]
#3

Member
Central Maine
Phil, I was laid off from my regular job for 2 months and bumped back to the woodyard at the same facility, where I got to operate a front end loader and a Cat' D9 dozer with an oversize blade. Yeah, it was fun! I also found out that I was some sort of prodigy with the dozer. I amazed the co-driver on "my" shift by being able to fix the grade after the previous shift screwed it up, and he didn't need to go after me and fix what I had done. To give an idea of how large this machine is, one had to climb up into the cab using a built in ladder and sat maybe 20' in the air, and it would burn 250 gallons of fuel in a shift. We used it to feed wood chips into a hopper to ultimately make paper. I almost hated giving that job up. Almost.

Ours had a much larger blade and no scarifier on the back. Interestingly, the "gas" pedal worked in reverse.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=...3404817390

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Brian. Lover of SE razors.
#4

Member
gone to Carolina in my mind
The "come on" is that they are offering a $1,000,000 prize for the first person to find Jimmy Hoffa's body.  Confused   Rolleyes
Technique Trumps Tools
Skin Care Trumps Skin Repair

Be Cool, be Kind, and be Well
--  Mike --
#5

Member
SE NH
(01-10-2019, 02:33 PM)ShadowsDad Wrote: Phil, I was laid off from my regular job for 2 months and bumped back to the woodyard at the same facility, where I got to operate a front end loader and a Cat' D9 dozer with an oversize blade. Yeah, it was fun! I also found out that I was some sort of prodigy with the dozer. I amazed the co-driver on "my" shift by being able to fix the grade after the previous shift screwed it up, and he didn't need to go after me and fix what I had done. To give an idea of how large this machine is, one had to climb up into the cab using a built in ladder and sat maybe 20' in the air, and it would burn 250 gallons of fuel in a shift. We used it to feed wood chips into a hopper to ultimately make paper. I almost hated giving that job up. Almost.

Ours had a much larger blade and no scarifier on the back. Interestingly, the "gas" pedal worked in reverse.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=...3404817390


Man that must have been fun. D9 on your Wiki link  listed as 474 hp. Amazing.

Roughly 30 gallons an hour? Wow. I put 5 gallons of diesel in my 33 hp Kupota and it lasts most of the winter. Smile
#6

Member
SE NH
(01-10-2019, 03:14 PM)HighSpeed Wrote: The "come on" is that they are offering a $1,000,000 prize for the first person to find Jimmy Hoffa's body.  Confused   Rolleyes

LOL.
Jimmy disappeared in Michigan but was meeting with some Jersey mob members.
DiggerlandUSA is in south Jersey. Philly mob used South Jersey to dump bodies. Jersey mob used North Jersey for this. So I don't think Jimmy is down there.

I grew up in the suburbs of Philly. Next to the Tinicum swamp. In the 70s it was the last surviving freshwater tidal marsh in the area.
There where discussions about it being developed once Route I-95 was completed. (Yes, I'm old enough to have watched them complete that highway Cool )

Wags said they could NOT develop the marsh - where would the mob hide the bodies?  Smile
Some truth in that as hunters seemed to be always finding remains.

The feds stepped in and it is now known as the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. The locals? We still refer to it as the swamp.

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#7

Member
gone to Carolina in my mind
(01-10-2019, 04:34 PM)PhilNH5 Wrote:
(01-10-2019, 03:14 PM)HighSpeed Wrote: The "come on" is that they are offering a $1,000,000 prize for the first person to find Jimmy Hoffa's body.  Confused   Rolleyes

LOL.
Jimmy disappeared in Michigan but was meeting with some Jersey mob members.
DiggerlandUSA is in south Jersey. Philly mob used South Jersey to dump bodies. Jersey mob used North Jersey for this. So I don't think Jimmy is down there.

I grew up in the suburbs of Philly. Next to the Tinicum swamp. In the 70s it was the last surviving freshwater tidal marsh in the area.
There where discussions about it being developed once Route I-95 was completed. (Yes, I'm old enough to have watched them complete that highway Cool )

Wags said they could NOT develop the marsh - where would the mob hide the bodies?  Smile
Some truth in that as hunters seemed to be always finding remains.

The feds stepped in and it is now known as the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. The locals? We still refer to it as the swamp.

There was a time when I lived and went to college in South Jersey (commuted between Willingboro and Rutgers-Camden).  In my neck of the woods, people regarded The Pine Barrens - which is fairly thick forest, and much of which is swampy - as the generally considered Mafia burial grounds.  It is very easy to get lost there.   A local joke was that in an effort to bolster tourism, the Mafia allowed dead bodies from other states to be buried there, so I guess Hoffa could have gotten it.  Winking  In any case, over a million acres of the Pine Barrens is set aside as the Pinelands National Reserve, and I do not believe the rest has been developed.  All that aside though, I can see why the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge would make a convenient and effective spot.

... choices, choices, choices ...

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Technique Trumps Tools
Skin Care Trumps Skin Repair

Be Cool, be Kind, and be Well
--  Mike --
#8

Administrator
Philadelphia, PA
(01-10-2019, 04:34 PM)PhilNH5 Wrote:
(01-10-2019, 03:14 PM)HighSpeed Wrote: The "come on" is that they are offering a $1,000,000 prize for the first person to find Jimmy Hoffa's body.  Confused   Rolleyes

LOL.
Jimmy disappeared in Michigan but was meeting with some Jersey mob members.
DiggerlandUSA is in south Jersey. Philly mob used South Jersey to dump bodies. Jersey mob used North Jersey for this. So I don't think Jimmy is down there.

I grew up in the suburbs of Philly. Next to the Tinicum swamp. In the 70s it was the last surviving freshwater tidal marsh in the area.
There where discussions about it being developed once Route I-95 was completed. (Yes, I'm old enough to have watched them complete that highway Cool )

Wags said they could NOT develop the marsh - where would the mob hide the bodies?  Smile
Some truth in that as hunters seemed to be always finding remains.

The feds stepped in and it is now known as the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. The locals? We still refer to it as the swamp.

I'm a swamp rat for life. Tongue

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#9

Member
Central Maine
(01-10-2019, 04:24 PM)PhilNH5 Wrote: Roughly 30 gallons an hour? Wow. I put 5 gallons of diesel in my 33 hp Kupota and it lasts most of the winter. Smile

Sorry, I left out critical info... it was a 12 hour shift so more like 20 gallons/hour. I'm still glad I wasn't paying the bill Big Grin . We refueled all of the heavy equip' after every shift. Maybe there was a way to minimize fuel useage, but if so I was never taught it or learned it. W were pushing massive loads of wood chips with each push, think 5-10 cords, and that simply takes energy to do it. The blade was massive and not meant for the D9, but we were pushing loose chips and not earth and rocks. It took me a few days to learn to load the blade fully.

The thing was a beast. It was also enjoyable. Heated cab, filtered air, radio for tunes, radio for talking to others, no supervisors; they knew from the levels in the massive hoppers if you were or weren't doing the work. Push chips like a madman for awhile then take an in the cab break. The control room operator would let you know chip levels. I loved playing with my new massive toy and the other operator had to like having me drive opposite him on the same shift because for me it was play time and I didn't take many "listen to the tunes" breaks but there were times that I had to. That meant he could take a break and let the levels go down a bit. I have no idea how many gallons he pumped per shift and didn't care.

One night I thought I knew where I was on the massive chip pile. They could cover acres and be at least 100' high or more. But clearly I didn't know where I was. A little voice told me to stop the backward progress of the D9 and i looked down and saw space beneath me. I was on a concrete wall at least 30' in the air. I gingerly raised the oversize blade (thank GOD for that heavy blade!) and barely let off on the throttle (giving more fuel- the throttle was reversed) and crawled fully back up onto the chip pile. I came very close to soiling my pants on that one. Otherwise it was enjoyable. Luckily no one else saw it; I figured the portal crane operator might have but I heard nothing over the radio.

Another time I was knocking down a pile of chips that had been collecting for quite some time. The chips were blown onto the pile. This pile was higher than the cab and on one of the passes the pile decided now was the time to collapse and it blew in one of the windows as it covered the 'dozer. I was OK, and they had spares on hand. It wasn't unusual but it sure did surprise me. It was still an enjoyable 2 months and just part of the learning curve.

I'd like to have the use of that machine for a few days with a properly sized earth moving blade.

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Brian. Lover of SE razors.
#10

Member
SE NH
(01-10-2019, 07:24 PM)HighSpeed Wrote: ... choices, choices, choices ...

That made me laugh out loud.

We did some Pine Barrens camping in Boy Scouts.

Lots of tales of the Jersey Devil - a colonial era myth that exists today. But nowadays it is for amusement.

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