Pictured here in 1951 is a Link-Belt K 365 model cable shovel at work preparing a site for a subway station in Toronto.
Work had commenced the previous year on the underground aspects of TTC subway construction.
The Link-Belt K 365 shovel was rated at 1.53 cubic metres and was powered by either a Caterpillar, Cummins or GM diesel engine in the 135 kW range and was equipped with a torque converter. It could be converted from shovel front to boom for hoisting, dragline, clam and backhoe.
Link-Belt started out developing a chain drive system primarily for agricultural equipment in the 1880s. By 1922 they were manufacturing crawler cranes and a decade later had introduced hydraulic controls.
During this era the Speeder Machinery Corp. became part of Link-Belt, hence the Link-Belt Speeder name.
Eventually, Link-Belt built a plant in Woodstock, Ontario which operated into the 1980s to service the growing Canadian market. The plant built various sizes of truck cranes, as well as LS 4000 and LS 5000 hydraulic excavators. HCEA Canada has a 1950 Link-Belt K 360 on boom, which was donated by McNally Construction Ltd. of Hamilton, Ontario.
RELATED: Dundas Street construction in 1926
The Historical Construction Equipment Association’s (HCEA Canada) 2023 event the ‘Last Blast’ takes place Oct. 14 at the Simcoe County Museum, near Barrie, Ontario. To see more than 60 pieces of vintage construction equipment in action be sure to attend. HCEA Canada is a proud Heritage Partner of the Simcoe County Museum. Visit hceacanada.org for more information.
Read the full article here
