Bill Deutsch has what could be the only one of its kind left, a 1930s prototype of the Trackson Traxcavator attachment on an International I-30 tractor, called the International TracTracTor.

Bill Deutsch uses a lot of the machines in his operations as the owner of Deutsch Excavating in Northfield, Minnesota. That includes 1950s-era cable Cat dozers, scrapers and motor grader.

Using the vintage Cats came about from a need for bigger equipment during the Great Recession, when he didn’t have enough money to buy new or even operable used ones.

Since then, he’s grown to love the pre-hydraulics machines, appreciating their history, unique feel and simplicity.

“It's old-fashioned mechanics,” he says. “It's a joy to work with because it's virgin steel. There's no garbage in it like we have today.”

“It is the simplicity of it,” he adds. “If it doesn't work, it's because there's literally something broken, not because there's a broken wire or sensor.”

About eight years ago, Deutsche saw a photo of the TracTracTor prototype with the Trackson Traxcavator on an online equipment chatroom. He didn’t know anything about the owner other than the town where he lived. So he drove around the town trying to find the building in the photo.

“And that's how I found the guy and pulled in the driveway and knocked on a door and asked him questions, and we were right,” Deutsche says. “I’ve had some pretty good luck doing that kind of thing.”

Turns out the owner had bought the prototype tractor by accident. He thought he was bidding on a different one at auction but mistakenly bought the tractor next to it.

“It didn't fit his collection. He's a John Deere guy,” Deutsch says. “He was willing to sell it to me because I have a better Trackson collection.”

The three prototypes were sent to iron mines in northern Minnesota to be tested. International eventually sent a truck to pick up the prototypes, but only two of the prototypes fit on the truck. So one stayed at the mine and over time went to auction, then ended up with Deutsch. 

 Bill Deutsch built this 50-year-old D6C using parts from two of the vintage dozers, which he still runs for Deutsche Excavating, along with 1950s Cat pull-type scrapers.

Deutsch’s hobby of finding and restoring vintage equipment became a necessity during the Great Recession when his excavating company – of which he is the sole owner, operator and employee – fell on hard times.

He had formed the company in 2000 and was doing well. But in 2007-2008, like most of the construction industry, things took a drastic turn for the worse.

“I needed some bigger machinery, and I didn't have a ton of money to spend,” he recalls.

He uses his Cat No. 12 motor grader to plow snow each year for a nearby town.

“It is the main piece of my winter income – from 1958,” he says and chuckles.

“People don't know how old it is. They know it's older because a lot of my stuff is older. But they don't have a clue that it's almost 70-some-odd years old. It still looks nice.”

https://www.equipmentworld.com/collectors-corner/article/15684159/contractor-saves-rare-traxcavators-runs-vintage-cat-equipment