Working to preserve the history of the construction equipment that shaped our world . . .
The Historical Construction Equipment Association (HCEA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving for public education the history of the construction, dredging and surface mining equipment industries.
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THE 2016 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION AND OLD EQUIPMENT EXPOSITION IS COMING! September 16th-18th, National Construction Equipment Museum, Bowling Green, Ohio! Click here for more information! |
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NEW BUILDING CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCED  
The HCEA is
prou d to announce a new 2 0,000 square foot home for its National Construction Equipment Museum. Click here for the full story on this very important project and what you can do to help make it a reality.
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New to the site? Please read the Instructions and Orientation to see what's here. If you are an HCEA Member, you already have an account or profile. You don't have to create one; in fact, we insist that you don't, because if you create your own you end up with two memberships. If you don't have a password, please click on [Forgot Password] in the Login window at the bottom of the menu at left. The software that runs the site will e-mail you a link that will let you choose a password. Please be advised that we need to have your e-mail address on file in order for you to access your profile. You can email it to us at info@hcea.net, and we will set you up. |
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Welcome to our new and expanded website! You can learn about our organization and its activities, including our International Conventions and Old Equipment Expositions and the National Construction Equipment Museum and Archives. Our Forums offer venues for the buying and selling of equipment and parts, exchange of information and general discussion. You can also peruse Photo Galleries and hundreds of Links to websites pertaining to construction, mining and dredging history.
Thanks to our Corporate Members and Media Partners!
Corporate Members are businesses that have committed to support the HCEA through dues of $500 per year. Learn more about them and visit their websites on our Corporate Members page. Information on becoming a Corporate Member is available here.
Media Partners are publishers and publications in the industry trade press who have committed to help publicize the HCEA through such means as donated advertising space, running press releases, and linking us to their websites. Learn more about them and visit their websites on our Media Partners page. To participate in this program, contact us.
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Membership and Chapters
HCEA Members enjoy a subscription to Equipment Echoes, our quarterly magazine covering the construction, dredging and surface mining equipment industries. Our Chapters form the backbone our our organization and serve to unite members locally.
The HCEA’s 30th Annual International Convention and Old Equipment Exposition was held at the Rock River Thresheree near Edgerton, Wisconsin, September 4th through 7th, 2015. Approximately 200 construction machines were documented, including several exceedingly rare or unique pieces, and the show was well attended. Special recognition goes out to Bob and Lisa Stewart for hosting a superb banquet. Full coverage of the show was published in the Winter 2015 issue of our magazine, Equipment Echoes.
Speaking of shows, the DVD for the 2014 Convention is available. You can order it from our online store. Welcome to our newest Corporate Members! Fisher Contracting Company was established in 1957 and is a heavy/highway civil contractor headquartered in Midland, Michigan, and Franklin, Kentucky. It performs site development, landfills, underground utilities, road construction/reconstruction, demolition, and environmental remediation for a variety of federal, state, municipal and private clients in Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, and other surrounding states. Fisher Contracting is a proud member of the Fisher Companies, which is comprised of eight separate Fisher Family-owned companies. Welcome, Fisher Contracting, and thank you for your support! Visit our Corporate Membership page for more information on this program!
The HCEA has launched a new line of custom scale models of historic construction equipment, and our first is as historic as they come: A 1/10 scale model of the Otis Steam Shovel, the machine that started it all in 1835. This is a limited-edition model, with only 70 being produced. It is available with manual operation by cranks for $4,500. (Please note that the air-powered, electronic servo drive option has been discontinued.) See our online store for details and ordering information.
The HCEA is continuing to solicit applications for our engineering and construction management scholarships. Click here for more information and an application. | More Machines Donated Donations continue to stream into the National Construction Equipment Museum!
The Museum has received from volunteer Bob Young what may be the oldest pull grader in its collection. Unfortunately, there is no way of positively dating it within reasonable cost, but it’s a Western Wheeled Scraper Standard that is known to have been in production in the early 1910s. It’s complete and in need of restoration. Thanks, Bob! John S. Buckley has donated two more machines, a Hough HA industrial wheel loader of unknown age and a restored, very old Marlow diaphragm pump. View an updated Museum equipment list, and images of the machines in our collection. Equipment World Magazine launches Model Mania Equipment World Magazine, a Media Partner of the HCEA, has launched a web page dedicated to collectors of construction toys and models. it's called Model Mania; have a look at it! New Tractor Website Launched! Roger Amato has launched a new website devoted to all types of older crawlers and dozers at www.classicdozers.com. The website with a banner picture of two dozers at the 2009 HCEA International Convention and Old Equipment Exposition, contains photo galleries with hundreds of pictures of crawlers, dozers, wheel dozers, and tracked loaders of all American manufacturers. Read more!
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Cleveland Crane & Shovel of Bedford, Ohio, has donated a fully operable 1942 Manitowoc 3500 crawler crane to the Museum. It was built for the U. S. Navy and was derated from 60 to 50 tons. Besides being our first real Crane, as National Director Don Frantz describes it, it is also a very significant historical piece in that it represents the first use of a torque converter in an excavator, a concept that Manitowoc introduced shortly before this example was built. The 3500 was also the basis for the very successful 3900, which used a larger circle, wider crawler base and larger crawlers. Along with the crane, the donor provided transportation, which involved the trucker very impressively snaking an over-length I-beam trailer and jeep dollies around the tight curve off the road and over our bridge. Thanks to Bill Aurelius and 
Thanks, John, and thanks to National Director Dave Geis for hauling them to the Museum!