The Towmotor co est 1919 were the inventors of forklifts, their early models didn’t have forks and would just tow carts from place to place 👍🍻

The small forklift getting lifted by the bigger one is like a mother cat bringing her kittens back😂😂😂

"Got a screwdriver..., woop yeah things are angry down here...., the lights really did dim, heh heh heh!" That gave me a hearty chuckle as well, especially since you called it beforehand.

That started single handily carried this entire video. These are always great to watch cause I like looking at old machines run

You should know by now, if a forklift (or in this case a Towmotor) is not leaking, there's nothing left to leak!

Don't give up on the Towmotor just yet Matt. At work we have a mid 70's 15,000lb capacity Towmotor with a Continental flat 6 that had a similar lost spark issue. Our company purchased the machine from a salvage yard where it lived outdoors exposed to the elements for many years. It took some digging, but my friend (who's name is also Matt) found the problem. There are bakelight/plastic pieces that isolate the points assembly/parts from the breaker plate and distributor body. The bakelight/plastic pieces had disintegrated and were causing the engine to randomly lose spark. My friend found some non-conductive material at our shop and made new isolators for the distributor. That solved the problem and the Towmotor has run fine ever since. The distributor in that machine was rusty like the one on your machine due to being stored outside for a long time. My friend thinks that's what caused the isolator pieces to become brittle and fail. It's worth checking out.. Distributor refurb kits are still available as are new/used distributor assemblies. Those old Towmotors are great machines once they're sorted. #DieselCreek

This brought back many fond memories of the first forklift I ever operated, a 1950's Towmotor. The shop's chosen forklift mechanic knew of it's history before the shop owned it. It began life in the high rise construction industry. Back then it was raised floor by floor with a crane to move construction material around as the high rise buildings were constructed.

0:34 we can see here as the mother gently picks up her offspring. Truly a sight to behold.

That starter is a real trooper.

@Diesel Creek - Towmotor was a fairly popular brand back in the day. The company was founded in Euclid, Ohio in 1919, during the early days of forklifts, right when Hyster and Yale were getting started too. The company operated until 1965, when it became a wholly-owned subsidiary of another forklift manufacturer (Caterpillar Tractor), and production ceased sometime in the 1980s. Why share these pictures? Well, Towmotor is an interesting part of our industry history. See, the Towmotor marketing people were pretty savvy. They promoted their forklift as a "one man gang" capable of doing the work of 30 men (aka a gang) using hand trucks. That idea, of a one man gang really seemed to light up the imagination of forklift owners and operators. Soon people were referring to ALL forklifts as “towmotors” regardless of the brand. This was pretty great for Towmotor, but less so for all the other brands. It’s a classic example of a genericized trademark.

Matt these videos are getting better with each one I don’t know what I would do without your channel. Amazing!

The GM starter sell node back in the day , the contact disc could be flipped over giving you a new surface on the disk . Its been a long time back but it seams like the copper stud bolt contacts could be rotated 180 in the bakelight insulator. Thanks for making the video. 👍

Much respect for calling attention to you doing something dangerous. Which of us hasn’t been in a hurry and done something stupid only to realize it afterward? It takes a lot of integrity and humility to own and highlight it for others.

You show some video editing skillz 🤣 Nice 👍🏻 The semi supervillains on the garage door

I don't think I can recall the last time you threw the white towel into the ring, but you definitely gave it far more attention that it probably deserved. I'm sure that the outcome of this revival was not at all what you were hoping for, but this was still a great video.

I'd check the rim dimensions and see if you could transfer those pneumatic tires over to Allis (with maybe a little wheel opening trimming. Other than that, good decision Matt!

My nextdoor neighbors are both retired from Towmotor. They have one and use it as their mail box. He made a mini pallet on the forks and perched on it is the mail box. Pretty cute and a big middle finger to the P.O.A.

The sound of your Armytruck in the intro is so cool, i had to rewind to watch the intro again

My Dad worked in a pallet factory that was just across the road from our house when I was small child in the 80s. 6 year old me, would love to go and stand by the fence and watch my Dad drive around in one of these things moving large stacks of pallets. It wasn't until I was in my late teens that I knew that these were called Fork Lifts. I had always called them Stacker Trucks. Just hearing the sound of this running brings back some fond memories.

There was some comments here about not to give up on this one and not to scrap it.. But for real this forklift has so many issues as you said and maybe the worst problems you havent found yet so I do agree on scrapping this. It just doesnt seem to be worth the time and money to get it fixed & that clutch aint really a smooth one to use. Thanks for the awesome video and take care Matt ❤🇫🇮

Semi supervillains logo on the door was a nice touch

Watching these videos is like checking in with a friend who is into stuff you know nothing about. Just interesting and positive.

One of your best ones for a while mate, so satisfying when they start😊

The auto generated captions in the opening minutes are gold.

It's amazing how serviceable the older equipment is the newest stuff not so much

You should get that roof cage for the small wheel loader and as much steel as you can get from the lift stages, you can use that Also you can yank the side shift cylinder and the hydraulic valve Battery obviously, maybe keep the counterweight for a tractor weight and the cooler grill as Yard ornament, a cast that says Caterpillar is neat

Towmotor still has a lasting legacy at Cat. Before TM, Cat part numbers were the 1A-0001 format, or type A. TM brought the 123-4567, or type T, format.

That opening shot was like a mama lion carrying her cub out of danger! 😄

An air filter would help starting by causing more vaccum to suck the propane in. Similar to a choke on a gas engine

I was a machinery hauler for 38 years. There was a machinery mover/rigger in cleveland that would load/unload from time to time that had Townotor lift trucks from the 1930S/1940s that solid built they would repair rebuild as needed. These guys were old school they would drive these townotors on and off their straight trucks on blocked wood planks. They were one of the best riggers I ever worked with.

As a self trained street mechanic , I picked up about 10 old forklifts over the years . The small towmotors(precat) had many issues , but usually the same . Blown head gaskets between 2 cylinders , Worn steering joints , but joints could be adjusted for wear ( remove counterwieght for ease of access ) and very worn reverse/forward gears barely catching . Still I loved my small Towmotor lifts . They would start everytime and were extremely maneuverable in very cramped places . I had a 391 and a "LT35" plus other makes .They were very handy in a metal shop and tons of fun . Best tool ever . Enjoy your videos they bring back many fond and not so fond memories .

O’Reillys used to sell a universal drop in four-cylinder electronic ignition upgrade to replace the points on forklifts. You might check on that. I’ve worked on a few forklifts over the years and I can tell you one thing. Even with a good running engine, if the starter is hung in to the fly wheel ring gear, it takes a tremendous amount of current to turn over that engine. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen people try to start a forklift that the battery was low on. they crank the engine over just slightly, and then the starter hangs in. even with a jump pack and a charged battery they won’t crank over. There was a couple in particular that I worked on all the time and the guys never could figure out how I could get them started after they had tried multiple times. The trick was really simple. I reached in and turned the fan blade which turned the engine over until I heard that tale tell click of the starter disengaging. Then I would hop on and fire it right up. That starter needs to get the momentum going before it engages the teeth on the fly wheel in order to have the torque needed to crank even a freshly ran engine. Another thing about the propane forklifts is your usually running a two stage regulator for the propane. The first stage takes liquid propane out of the tank at high pressure and evaporates it into a gas. The second stage of the regulator takes the pressure down even more to feed into the carburetor. To prevent the first high-pressure stage from freezing up as the liquid propane evaporates into a gas the engine coolant is pumped through the body of it. So, if your antifreeze/coolant is low or not circulating properly the high pressure regulator will freeze up starving the engine for fuel. There was one that was basically worn out, but it was at a small business where I knew the guys, they had already spent a bunch of money with a forklift repair technician who replaced all kinds of stuff, then wanted to do a head job on it, etc. so they called me and asked if I could take a look at it. Like yours in the video it would barely run had no power didn’t wanna stay running. What I finally decided was somehow, the timing had changed just enough that it was firing too late on all the cylinders. So I simply moved the spark plug wires, reverse rotation of the distributor, one tower on the cap. It fired up, and then I was able to adjust the timing using the distributor adjustment. they were ecstatic. When they offered to pay me I told them don’t worry about it. Just remember that next time I need something done. They used that old machine for probably another year before it started having other issues.

I was a maintenance repairman at a metal Refinery for a very long time starting in the early 70s and we had about two dozen Tow Motor brand forklifts some dating back to the 1940s all powered by little Continental 4 cylinders. I'll tell you what, they were virtually indestructible.

I would actually be disappointed if Matt didn’t use the impact on the spark plugs 😂. Thanks man 👍

Old trick with those delco solenoids is to slacken the top contact nut. push the stud in. rotate 180 degrees and retighten and you get fresh contact for the solenoid to contact with.

So happy to see you again hope you’re doing well and your family too mate all the best

Nothing like starting the day with breakfast and a diesel creek video.

Win a few, lose a few, play a few in the rain. The video was well edited and entertaining. Thanks! 👍👍👍

I no joke just happened to start scrolling KZfaq for a good video to watch while I am doing some other work and out loud said “yes! Never mind my next hour is booked” to which my wife said why, and I showed her you had released a new video. Can’t wait.

“You called it a sparkalator….” You and Derrick have helped me so much through this tendon recovery process I’ve been working through. I a hung fan of your content . Thank you

Love the Semi-Supervillains ad placement!

TOWMOTOR CORPORATION was founded in 1919 and introduced the first forklift industrial truck in 1933. On November 10, 1965, Towmotor officially became a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Tractor Company of Peoria, Illinois

Best background action, carton of delight 😆

You have no idea how much I enjoy your videos. And I also enjoy the special relationship that you have with Sam. You two are always there for each other. Very few people would tackle some of the projects that you get involved in. I can’t wait to see the video with you replacing the engine in Big Alice with your $500 buy of a lifetime. One other thing - you deserve a medal for bringing that road grader back to life. The end result was amazing.

For those that might be wondering, the fuel gauge was designed for a gasoline engine, and the forklift was converted to propane, so the gas tank is completely empty for safety reasons.

Seeing Matt's happy face through the smoke bring a smile to my face. A wise man said; happiness is enjoying the simple things in life. 🙃

I’d love to go do stuff like this under my pole barn but back surgery has got me down but matt always got a good video to bring my morale back up thanks Matt and keep on wrenching

I enjoy watching thanks for your time putting it all together. I am retired 72 years years old in Arkansas.

The reason I enjoy your channel is you remind me of my uncle, who was heavy diesel mechanic RIP R.G.. He would buy equipment at auctions typically not running and from people who had them for decades refurbished them and sold them. People would say he turned junk into gold.

Matt’s dance whenever something fires up for the first time cracks me up ever single time. Keep up the awesome content man! 👍🏻

An idiot in a gas station did just what you did and the battery blew up, started a fire, the entire gas station burnt to the ground and my uncle who worked beside this guy in the next repair bay got 167 stitches all over his body, all thanks to that guy's negligence. Not a scratch on the idiot. It's dam serious, good that you pointed it out. Cheers.

She probably needs a new pressure regulator for proper LPG carburation. Makes them tough to start. Nice find, Matt. Good for parts. Thanks for sharing.😉

Good episode Matt. I think you are making a good decision to send it down the road, maybe parting it out to friends, reference the engine to your "Continental" friend. But you might want to think twice about the starter. That thing hung in there like a Champ. Maybe it will work in another application, ya never know 😅. Looking forward to your next adventure. 👍🇺🇲💪

Napa must smile broadly every time you walk in. Funding their kid’s college plans.

Great video Matt, I understand in a way this breaks your heart but you gave this old equipment every chance to live again.

Awww, such a cute beginning! Momma CAT picks up it's kitten by the scruff of the neck

Checking compression early on in an unknown engine like this is a good idea.

You're Amazing, really good troubleshooting experience and a good delivery of your knowledge to the viewers (you have many) .I don't have or need the heavy equipment BUT I LOVE WATCHING YOU figuring out how it works and what is the problem.

OMG! Those letters look like the stickers on the garage door! But they’re not!🤩🤩🤩🤩

I was 15 and taking automotive classes at the local trade school. We had a CAT forklift that had the exact same issues. Compression, spark, timing, fuel, firing order, etc was always good. Never did get that engine out to see if it had jumped time internally. I need to check in on it 😂

We once had a Towmotor branded forklift at a company I worked at in the 80's. It was an old one and had a learning curve but was amazingly reliable.

Matt I am so impressed on you tenacity and the old way you do things !!!👍 Thank you for the great video you are the MAN👍👍😜😎

Another good video. You are being realistic about the lack of compression. Uphill task to get it running like it used to.

I love these long videos reviving the dead even if it's just to give them their last breath. It is interesting to see these machines, fun to see you complain about them and educational to learn the procedures to follow when finding yourself in those dead ends that can blow the fuses of more than one... and in the end, it was just a weak switch making ground contact. It's good to see it reach a successful end (the start-up) even if it's not the best of results, but not to see how the towel is thrown in... so I hope to continue watching many of these videos in the future! greetings from Argentina!!

My mate stuck a 4 cylinder Toyota motor in his which he runs on gas. Magnificent little forklift. 🇦🇺😁👍🏻

Matt do more videos like this! Brings me back to when I first started watching your channel, thanks for this content ❤

Would make a great garden gnome I’m thinking

Matt, I found this information: many companies built variations, Towmotor's "one man gangs" were so popular that all industrial forklift trucks were generally referred to as "towmotors." Since they were considered essential cost-saving equipment, one Towmotor performed the work of thirty men with hand trucks...

On November 10, 1965, Towmotor officially became a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Tractor Company of Peoria, Illinois.

Matt you are a true mechanic and not just a parts changer i like the way you figured out what the problem was with that starter an repaired it TRUE MECHANIC!!!

Amazing job done

Thanks Matt for mentioning the power company being there. I was wondering where you were at on that. Hope you get your heat and stuff going soon.

Used to be able to rotate the contacts 180 degrees in the solenoid and it worked fine.

Really like your channel Matt. Good stuff. Too many comments to check if anyone else said same but I had a 4 cyl petrol car from my son years ago and managed to just get it to run in a slow, rough way. Then while it was running I pulled a lead off a plug and it ran better! If pulling plug lead causes no change then push it back on the plug and pull the next lead. Someone had seemingly numbered the leads after they got at least two switched around. I carefully swapped them until it was firing smoothly and had power finally. Rgds Alex - Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.

That starter is really the star of the show… lol

Matt, you have great skills and you regularly put them to use with outstanding results, might add your camera work is exceptional and deserves comment...thxs for doing what you do

These videos are reminding me of the old garage days!! I love it

I would have a hard time admitting defeat without learning for next time what is causing it to lose spark, seems the machine may be at the end of its rope but I'd want to figure that out. The switch could easily be failed to the point of acting as a resistor and heating up to a fail point, I've only seen it once and been laughed at for suggesting it in the past but that one time $6 saves a machine😊 as far as the oil leaking, i would let it run a bit with the new oil, not sure how the Continentals do it but i have a clapped out one thing starts dumping oil out of every seal in the engine shortly before i think an oil change is due every time and it self heals about half an hour of run time after the oil change (even with all the externals resealed). It's bizarre but not a big deal once you figure it out. Having driven forklift for several years, the transmission seems like a deal breaker more than Anything else.

Years ago when I worked on VW Diesels (pre 2,000), I would put Slick -50 into the cylinders after I jacked up the car to make the cylinders plumb. I would let the car sit over night, put the injectors back in, start the engine and let it get hot. Teflon in the Slick-50 would help seal the rings for a while to get College students through to graduation.

A respectable youtube channel

Starting that thing and getting it to consistently run and reliably idle, definitely the hardest motor I've seen you work on. Well done as that needed a lot of patience and diagnostics and it ran for one last time at least. Shame it was dumping oil but at least you can reuse the forks.

the moving video overlay on the garage door was a nice effect !

AWESOME STUFF!

Have you considered installing an Eye Wash station in your shop? Could save someone’s eyesight one day.

I worked in a couple of factories many years ago. All forklifts, forktrucks were called Towmotors, regardless of brand. Some of them were actually Towmotor brand.

And the ambiguity award for 2023...................goes to Diesel Creek's, Matt, for this beauty:- 11.51 "I've seen batteries explode and take people out, and I've tried bringing a couple back, using a welder." Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

My dad said back during the Civil War they used them to tow aircraft around in the hangers, Lee said, let's call those things "towmotors" and the name stuck. Makes sense to me@

Matt The booms may switch from one to the other. Also you may be able to swap the tires and rims giving you pumatic tyers for driving outside.

I really enjoy watching your videos. Thank you for making them.

Cat is definitely worth keeping over the allis chalmers. Many forklifts from that era are manual, very easy to run and excellent for offroad fork lifts since it can help you get unstuck, when you do. Plus its got side shift.

You need to keep that starter Matt 😂. That was a heart breaker. Suffered the same myself, went to do a will it start on a Case 1394 with the engine full of water. Got her rolling but no way would it fire. So much cranking that I carried 2 starters so I could swap out rather than waiting to cool. 3 videos, a set of rings, 1 piston and 4 exhaust valves later I got it to finally fire up. Just like that old CAT I'm looking forward to it heading for the shredder 😅😅. Somethings just don't want to be saved. Keep up the good work 👏

That starter is a must keep! With the way it held up you would be hard pressed to ever find one that tough again! Has that nice straight roll cage to maybe put on or use for something else like the wheel loader that doesn't have one. I would also keep the lift & Shift cylinders and pump if good.

I'm sure you already plan on it...but I'd salvage any components you can off of it that might be useful in the future, you know the ignition components are like new, you're already grabbing the forks, but consider the gauges/switches/hoses/valves/tires/etc especially if its just going to scrap, you'll get more value out of the parts you can reuse than you'll ever get out of the scrap side.

Congratulations on Your latest Accomplishment, enjoy Your Videos, Keep Up The Good Work !!!

I bought my first forklift back in 1983, a 1951 4K Towmotor. Still have it and it still works great. 4 of my 6 forklifts are manual trans, great for rigging and also general use. Check the oil level it might be over filled. That forklift has much use left in it.

don't forget the load center for the weight rating so a 2200 pound load rating at 12" center means you have 1100 at 24" and 550 at 36" and 275 at 4 foot which is about the length of the forks

Look at the pump on the cat and the stuff on the mass. Looked to be a really good pump to us for parts and you may be able to us and set up the side shift on the other 1

You did all the right stuff. As to loss of spark, i've known a bad earth strap to be the causation. If she were mine, i'd rip out that engine because she obviously needs rings and a regrind of the valves and i'd fit a diesel unit. If time and price is a factor in your area, then strip her for parts and scrap what's left. Nice to watch you do exactly what i would have done before making these awkward decisions. 👍

I'm an old millwright and I have made many a wedge out of damaged fork lift forks. If you have the need I would suggest keeping any old, damaged forks to do just that. Really enjoy your channel

As you are planning on using the forks off the Cat for the Allis Chalmers could you move the whole side shift frame over to it to give the Allis Chalmers a side shift?