Rescuing an old Dragline Abandoned in the woods 20+ years. 

This was my husbands grandfathers old machine. His parents owned that land for many years and the lake was drained and used as a peat moss bog. As far as he remembers as a teen it was always stuck out there. Probably close to 35-40 years! I always wondering if it would stay there:) Glad it’s going to a good home !

Thanks Matt and thank you Mr Dean for giving the dragline to Matt. I see a running Jeep at the end of today's video! To the ones crying that Matt is a sell out because he took a sponsor. GROW UP! Matt certainly puts a LOT of time and effort into these videos and he most definitely deserves to be compensated and make a living!

Matt, I am an Australian some 83 years old, spent my earlier years in countryside New Zealand. Many of the experiences you have with older machines brings back some great memories to me - we didn't have much in the way of tools and access to hydraulic jacks etc but we did keep old machines running and doing the job they were built for. World War 2 was just over and In many cases spare parts were just wishful thinking - if there was a problem you just had to fix it with what you had, could make up or could scavenge. Neighbours were the second point of assistance if all else failed. I was driving a tractor from 9 years old and the farm truck at 11 (couldn't reach the pedals before that!) I joined the Army at 16 and was in the Transport Corps for about 5 years and by 18 had my licenses to drive every thing from Jimmys (GMCs) to Scammel tank transporters; no fancy power steering or hydraulics etc, when going uphill the windscreen wipers stopped working, and gear box braking was second nature! I do have one personal comment to make - you must have the most understanding wife on this earth! I just hope I'm still around to see the great home you build for her on the farm.

Blue Hardhat guy is one hell of a good friend to have. He had all the good tools in his service truck.

Big thanks to Mr.Dean for gifting the Bantam to Matt. It's found a good home. Also a huge shout out to the guys helping Matt make it possible to get it out of there. Thoroughly enjoyed watching this video, keep them coming.😀

I'd just like to say having watched the likes of Andrew Camarta, Marty T and Vice grip garage for years, i'm very happy to have recently added your channel to my rusty collection. I've been binge watching most of your video's in recent weeks whilst i've been stuck on the late shift at work with no company when i get home, and you've given me some good laughs and thorough entertainment. I only wish i had your "can do" attitude and patience when it came to working on my own projects. Keep it up man, cheers from the UK 👍

Thank you Mr. Dean for gifting Matt the dragline.

Thanks so much to MR. Dean for letting you have and SAVE this nice machine. IT is SUPER. I am 84 and maybe even saw one of those old machines during the first part of my life in East Tennessee. 1.30.24 k

Not all dinosaurs are extinct thanks to Matt and his friends. Having ran similar cranes in the Scottish Steelworks, it warms my heart to see these machines being preserved. When I changed the engine oil in my NCK Rapier 1405B I poured the old oil over my drive chains to keep them supple. I noticed the lattice boom has a few bent spars which will need to be replaced to restore rigidity. With some TLC this machine will serve well once more. Love , health and respect from Scotland UK

Thanks Mr. Dean for giving Matt the Bantam Dragline. I know he'll put it to good use and all his followers will enjoy watching him bring it back into operating condition and putting it to work.

Big shout out to Mr Dean for gifting the big chicken to Matt we all know it’s gone to good hands and he’ll most definitely fix her up good as new!!! Also all the guys that helped Matt with the big move and road clearing! Be safe out there

If this one don't get you the You Tube Academy Award nothing will. This was your best rescue yet.❤🐘🇺🇸

Thanks to Mr. Dean for donating this piece of history. Thanks to Matt for saving it and sharing its recovery. Thanks to all that participated in this very worthwhile effort.

Thanks to Mr. Dean for his generosity and to all Matt's buddies who assist in bringing back some history...

My grandfather had a Bantam just like that. My uncle inherited it and used it for several years. He sold it to a guy that mounted it on a barge. It still sits on the St. Mary's River in Barbeau Michigan.

What would be a really handy thing to do with this dragline is to shorten the boom and convert it to a crane. Could be very useful around a place like yours. I'm a trucker that delivers steel and I saw a 7.5t excavator the other day that was converted to a small crane at a crane hire yard that I was delivering to. I thought I've never wanted something so badly as that small crane. As soon as I saw this I thought of that crane! Imagine all the things you could do with it.

This goes to show with a little determination and hard work you can move a drag line to sit in one wooded area to another. Great video Matt

Thanks to Native Deodorant, Matt's content doesn't stink! To imagine that old Bantam participated in creating or at least sculpting that lake into what we saw is just amazing. I'm curious what the material was and what it was used for. Was it a sand or gravel pit or an old swamp someone wanted to improve. The property looks ready for development into a campsite.

I'm amazed at how little of a fight this one put up got it running and driving on its own in a few hours we'll youtube wise over the course of a week. Glad to see old iron being saved they don't make anymore.

Next time you do a move like that. Try a mixture of brake fluid and ATF. Soak the chain when you first start moving it. It'll work in and loosen the rusty chain up. You may have to soak it several times throughout the process. But it will free up those drive chains

So great to see her alive and moving. Also it's wonderful to see someone under 60 that knows how to operate her! But Matt, back in the 70s when I was running equipment, if you stalled a crane or dozer, you could be fired! Really!

Just a big thank you to everyone involved in saving this piece of history. Great job. Thank you Mr. Dean👍

Please give that the same treatment that the grader had. It'll be great to see it restored.

Years ago there was a drainage ditch behind my folks barn every couple of years, they would send a dragline through to clean out the bottom. As a kid it was super cool to watch the operator send the bucket out then like someone fishing there would be a splash and clang then he would pull it back and up water would be squirting out the sides as he spun around and dumped it behind him. They would spend the next couple of years hauling the spoil out. Then one year a newer model excavator showed up it just wasn't quit the same. Congrats on saving the old girl!!

It's insane how cool this old equipment is. Good job saving this suff Matt. Editing to say thanks to Mr Dean for making this possible

As a bona fide dyed in the wool safety manager - it's not an OSHA violation unless someone is an employee of someone else. :D OSHA has no jurisdiction when you're out salvaging stuff in the woods and no one is actually getting paid by a company. Be safe but don't fear the OSHA guy! Great content as always Matt.

Thank you Mr Dean and the entire crew for making a great endeavor come together

Enjoyed the shout out to Wes at Watch Wes Work, another great RU-vid channel!

People have no Idea how big and heavy everything on machinery is, I'm glad you showed the chain link while in your hand, not your standard bicycle chain! Great video!

A BIG BIG shout out of THANK YOU and a full 10 THUMBS UP to MR Dean and all those who helped Matt to rescue this machine ( nicknamed now the BOC ???, BIG ORANGE CHICKEN) Awesome team work from everyone. BOC BOC !!!!!!!!!!

Thank you Mr. Dean for gifting this old rooster to Matt. I sure do look forward to seeing more of him in the future. Many blessing to yall.

Hey Matt, gives me goosebumps to hear an old Detroit come back to life!! Thanks for the adventure. Love what you do for machine's that made this country!

Thank you Mr Dean! Love seeing Matt rescue old iron. Can't wait for the next installment on this machine. These things were made so well back in the day that they want to live on forever! Thanks to Matt, they very may well do just that! Thank you to all that helped with this rescue!

Thank you. It is so nice to be able to watch your videos with my grandchildren without worrying about foul language. They enjoy the content as much as I do.

Mr Dean what a great thing to do gifting this machine to Matt. Just goes to show not everyone in the world is driven by how much coin they they make. I’m glad it’s in the good hands of DC :)

Great to see it saved. Thanks to Mr. Dean!. Somehow anticlimatic in that there was no beating and banging to fix Christine the Second. Sounded like the more it ran the better it ran. Grease it up and just put some time on it; bet things free up.

Another great video Matt. and of course a Big thank you to Mr Dean for the gift. And I would like to add my thank you to Mario for clearing the area for you. That alone looked a difficult task. I would like to add a very big thank you to you Matt for providing us with these videos. I am still amazed how you and your friends seemed to be able to bring back to life machines which haven't started for decades. Keep up the good work.

Impressive how much the exhaust cleaned up as you were tracking that round! Doesn’t look like it’s burning any oil in spite of its age and the time it spent sat. I like the approach you’ve taken to sponsors, a brief slot at the start of the video is pretty unobtrusive and hopefully goes some way to funding your excellent content. Long may it continue! 😁😁😁

All together now: THANK YOU MISTER DEAN!!!

Pretty cool of Mr. Dean to let Matt have that unit and not send it to the scrap yard (or let it sit there until it returns to it's base elements, which was more likely)! I have no doubt Matt will enjoy getting the old girl sorted out!

I hope to see a lot more on this! Teach us how the clutches work and show us the cool engineering from this era!

Nothing like a good diesel creek video in the morning

Thank you Mr. Dean for gifting the big chicken to Matt, we all know it’s gone to good hands!

What a great machine! Put a new return line on my four stroke weed wacker power head this morning. Tested it with the brush cutter attachment. It doesn't spit gasoline at me anymore! Fresh spark plug for my backpack blower. Started in three rather than eight. If I play with the gap I bet I can get it down to two pulls. Echo seems to use strong coils and magnetos. 29:35 to 30:00 that's a friend indeed! Thanks, Matt for another fun video!

I’m so glad you were able to bring her home. That’s awesome 😎

Been waiting on this one. Really excited to see how this goes.

It's amazing how Matt and company can bring these old, abandoned machines back from the dead. So many tens of thousands nationwide (and maybe millions worldwide?) that deserve this and not scrapping or further abandonment.

Thanks Mr Dean for the gift of the big chicken and to everyone who helped my buddy Matt!!❤️ GREAT VIDEO!

Big thanks to Mr Dean for having the vision to get this out and working again.

Thanks to Mr Dean for the "donation" and to Matt for the video. Good to see old iron being put back to work.

It's been a long time since I watched a dragline operate, but early in my career, they were indispensable. It a treat watching a skilled operator send the dragline bucket flying into an excavation area / stream and scoop up yards of dirt or silt and open up a waterway. Now you have a crane to help build your shop. A dragline is almost a relic these days. Thanks.

Good evening! Boy did I have a great laugh when Matt busted into the sponsorship spot on the video. Not a grease company, not a tool company, but a deodorant company. Guess we all need it right. Fantastic production as always sir. Thank you!

Another great video Matt! Hats off to Mr. Dean for making this resurrection possible, as it probably would have been easier just to chop it up for scrap. And Thanks Matt for putting in the effort to not only do things like this but taking the time to bring us along! Side note, that was an impressive lowboy rig!

I am proud of you Matt, you saved that grand old machine from the scrap yard. Bravo! I am looking forward to a plethora of restoration videos for the "Old Rooster".

Thanks Mr. Dean, all the very best!

I’m totally impressed Matt. I really thought it would be more difficult to reconnect that chain. But didn’t you hear me shouting that the tracks were getting caught.🤣 look forward to more Diesel Creek. 👍🔧🇬🇧

Dear Matt James, It’s almost unbelievable that such an abandoned and old crane is running for such a long distance all by herself and that most of her functions still work properly. You’ve done a great job with this. We wish you lots of success with all your ongoing projects and wish you, Eva Marie, your cute little son and the rest of your family all the happiness of the world plus we send you love from the Netherlands. Best regards, Willeke and Dick de Graaff

That's impressive. It operates pretty well for something that has been sitting in the bush that long.

I can’t believe how much i look forward to your videos. My husband and I never miss one.

Thank you, Mr. Dean for gifting the crane to Matt. also to whoever did all the clearing and road building. That appears to have been quite the project and a good bit of work and expense for somebody. I really enjoyed the video I don't care one way or the other about the advertisements I like the way you did it as opposed to breaks in the video for "commercials "

Thanks for everyone's help and support ! It's great watching you fix something if I had $ I would help but I will Pray for everyone's support because I can't sorry

Thanks Dean and Mario and thank you Matt Matt for saving old machines and I'll catch ya on the next one.

Draglines and deodorant. Two things I never thought I’d see in a video lol

Mr Dean you are so kind to let matt save old iron instead of just scraping history!

Great to see the chicken has came home to roost. Big thank you out to the donar and the road crew....

incredible what you have done to the area, also blows me away so many things still work, this machine must of been buried in the snow every winter. also surprised how small the bucket was, must have took forever to make that lake.

Matt, to lube-up the track and chains, you should get a pressurized garden sprayer with a mixute of oil and diesel fuel. Much quicker and better coverage than using aerosol cans! Keep up the good work saving there old irons!

I just finished saying how good it is to have the air chisel when you explained your buddy told you to get it. Totally made light work of those links

Yep big thanks to Mr Dean you Matt and all the helpers ! An epic episode had all the family gathering round , just a good happy feeling that another classic gem has been saved ! Really impressive thanks !

Mr. Dean, Thank You VERY MUCH for helping to save another well preserved (obviously) machine from being destroyed! Matt, will definetly put the crane back in working order and use it! Mario, When I saw the clearing in the intro, I was amazed at the great work you did clearing the area and especially the access road through the woods! Excellent work everyone!

Definite thank you to Mr. Dean! And high fives to your support team. Great teamwork. I remember a couple years back Jonathan W on his YT channel rescued an old dragline and had a similar long trek through thick NC woods to where a lowboy could pick it up. He regularly uses it on his Cameron NC property to move and set up old steam engines he rescues. You and he are Kindred Spirits! Right on, Matt!😉👍👍

That was fun to see the dragline walk out on its own. Thanks for getting it done, and letting us watch the process. Thanks to Mr. Dean.

I love watching when you save old iron from the scrap heap. I love how those old Detriot diesel sound. You get the impression that the machine has power. Cannot wait to see how you restore her. It is a shame you had to cut the rope, but most likely, the ropes need to be replaced after 20 years of neglect.

Ah, nothing like a Saturday morning with diesel Creek! Thanks Matt, love the vids!

Thanks to Mr Dean, with all sincerity-and applause to yourself Matt! Used to see the odd Bantam crane/drag line and other makes of same around here about 20-25yrs ago parked up. Always thought it was a shame and so cool to see one 'living and breathing' again. Good video!

Good job Matt! Thanks to Mr. Dave. I own a c450a hydraulic upper mechanical lower. Was watching going oh man I hope he doesn't break a drive link. Glad it was towards the end off the journey. Let me know if you need parts manual or breakdowns. I can copy my originals. Good luck on the rebuild. I love old iron, it should never go to a scrap yard! It built this country! Mr Dean, I mean

Saving the rusty dead is an addiction ( and we hope we never get better) bringing any unwanted derelicts back from the grave sends endorphins of excitement threw our brains even watching someone else succeed. Be it car/truck/ motorcycle/ or any machinery makes the unwanted wanted again... Enjoy your vids immensely Matt.

Thanks to all the team involved in helping free up the "Big Chicken" and getting it to the farm and to Mr. Dean for the gift. Was a great effort and fun video!

Well done on the recovery Matt! Great to see you get this machine out of the woods and - back into the woods? Anyway, it’s great that you have it running and back home. I’m literally on my way at the moment to look at a 1955 Caterpillar 12 motor grader here in Australia. It’s about a 1000km drive for me to get there and I’m hoping that the machine is as good as the seller is claiming. Your project with Christine was in part responsible for me even considering buying this machine, so thank you for sharing your journey fixing her up (I’m hoping that this one isn’t cursed like Christine (was)!

Thank you Matt for saving it and thank you Mr Dean for giving it to him and a big thanks to the dozer operator. I know where one of them is sitting inside a quonset friend of mine dad owned it he dug a lot of reuse pits with it and ponds on ranches so they can water the cows. He hauled it around with a heister low boy and a b model Mack.

A ton of clearing to open up the road and area. Good job to all the crew. Now you have two drag lines although one has a bent lattice boom. I went back looking for video and couldn't find it but boom appears to be laying on the ground where this one is parked. Good job, thanks all.

I love when machines are saved, clearly it still works and doesnt want to give up

This video brought back some memories for me. Back in about 1980 my family owned a dirt hauling business. We were hauling dirt that was being removed by a dragline that I think was building fish ponds. The grizzled old guy running it (speedily, I might add) was smoking a cigarette while chewing tobacco and drinking a beer. I had never seen a dragline operate before and I was impressed with its ability to move dirt. I can’t remember if that dragline had a Detroit, but I enjoyed listening to the Detroit in this one.

The old rooster gets around better than some of the 60+-year-olds I know, like my dad! XD Great work by all involved, and thanks to Dan for gifting instead of scrapping!

Amazing that all this old iron fires up after years of abandonment. Good on you for rescuing it.

Ah yes, the dragline content we've all been waiting for.

My Dad who is now gone used to run that kind of equipment. It was great to see you getting it going again.

I don't know much about the mechanical aspects of working on machines like this, although I do most all of my own work on my truck. But when he gets through with fixing all the mechanical issues the machine has, I hope he brings it back to its former glory, I'd make new body panels for it and repaint the machine along with the boom as well.

What a thrill to see this machine come alive again. A privilege to see!

Mr Dean thank you so much for letting Matt take ownership of this wonderful old digger. I know Matt will bring it back to life just like he has with other Plant Machinery he now owns. Matt, you will do a great job on it; I KNOW you will mate. :)

Thanks Mr. Dean. Hopefully by the time Matt gets through loving the drag line you want recognize your gift to him and all his viewers.

It's compelling to watch Diesel Creek 's Matt Stelar pull another construction antique from the jaws of death

You guys that can fix anything are amazing. My dad was like that and I have to admire all of you heavy equipment wrenches for your skill and tenacity under adverse conditions. Way to go man!

Thanks to all that participated in getting that old rooster. It was fun to watch. Looking forward to seeing Matt take it for a dig!!!!!

Thanks Dean and Mario!!

I love it....@14:20 "I have faith"!!!!!!

Thanks to all who helped save another piece of good, but negelected equipment! Thanks Matt, Mr Dean, Mario, the whole team!

It's nice to have help that know what they're doing!

Thanks Mr. Dean, also thanks to the roadies and the truck driver... We've seen him deliver you before... Thanks all. Love the vids. I'd still like to see you, Wes, and jc Smith salvage something together. One can only imagine. Blessings all.

Matt I don't know how you do it but it's our good fortune that you do. You have some great buddies, an essential component in these mind-blowingly ambitious projects so thanks also to them; and thank you Mr. Dean for your wonderful generosity.