Hi tc,
Thanks for your input. Have always had great respect for what you do as an independent servicemen in the field. I don't recall the negative script but I am a little surprised that a "tough ol bird" like you would let one detractor have such influence. I suppose it was the combination of script and the Chapter 2 fiasco. Would look forward to having you back on a "Forum only" format if we can get that arranged.

The loss of Chapter 2 was a major screw up by the Board and I was very sorry to see so many good men and women, real Financial Members of ACMOC treated in such a shabby way, the fact that smart men were unable to structure a compromise that respected the needs and wishes of some 300 folks living on another continent was a lack of respect for those living outside the USA.

I remember being sent 4 copies of Chapter 2's "Link Magazine" by John Gaunt around the time of their banning and was so impressed with the quality and content in those magazines I forwarded them onto about 10 other Aussies to read and they all agreed it was far superior to the ACMOC magazine, and still is, because it was full from cover to cover with Caterpillar related stories. This is not a attack on the ACMOC Magazine Committee because I see them constantly pleading for stories and suggestions for articles, they can only work with what they are given by us, but does anyone notice in this Forum the past few years hardly no one from England, Ireland or Scotland ever says a word, ever, and that those 300 former Financial Members of Chapter 2 have given us the flick too, and gone on to create something probably bigger and better than they had before, and we, the remaining ACMOC Financial Members are far worse off as a result, as a supposedly international Club.

What is obvious is that there are 14,000 Forum Members, of which only about 300 ever visit the Forum regularly, and of those, only 35 actually post anything regularly, and of those 35 who actually post anything regularly, there are just 7 or 8 who appear to be trying to save this Club by being involved in these ongoing discussions and running Committees or the Board, and talking about new ideas for fund raising, or saving a few bucks. The first thing I would do right now is go through that Forum Member list of 14,000 folks and close the accounts of everyone who has not visited in the past 12 months, because I'm pretty confident Ol "Billy Bob", or "Jack Hi" who joined the Forum say back on August 3rd, 2007 and have never come back, they are not a real ACMOC Forum Member, they are simply ghosts.

I think any new member who joins this Forum must, as part of being accepted, display as a minimum, the State, or County, and Country they live in, and, must introduce themselves within 4 weeks to the other Members by posting at least one thread, if they do not, their Forum membership will be suspended until they do post a introductory thread. We have 13,972 Forum Members who have joined the past 15 years who have never even said hello once, who have never once offered help to the members of this Forum, and more importantly have never once offered to help pay towards keeping the ACMOC Club alive. Well, in my humble opinion it is time to clean house and cut out the dead wood, let's just see how many Forum Members we really have, and send a email to everyone of those 14,000 members saying something like "Dear Billy Bob, we notice you joined the ACMOC Forum on August 3rd, 2007, but only revisited once on January 16th, 2008, we believe your membership rights have lapsed and your account will be closed within 30 days if you do not respond to this email, oh, and don't let the door slam on your backside on the way out of our Club House", or words to that effect. Let's see how much wheat we have in the old Holt combine, and how much chaff, because I think we are kidding ourselves with those Forum Member numbers, I think you will find we only have around 1,000 active members, maximum.

I think the United Kingdom has sufficient Caterpillar collectors, including former Chapter 2 members, to warrant having their own Director on the ACMOC Board full time right now, just as Australia and New Zealand combined should have a full time Director on the ACMOC Board, because we have enough collectors here to justify it, one day hopefully Africa, South America, Asia and Europe might have enough members to warrant the same courtesy. What happened to Chapter 2 was simply a case of failure to communicate, the inability of Americans and the English to understand each other apparently while trying to achieve the same goal, and I like what I keep hearing hearing from our current Directors Peter, Bruce, Willy and Erik, to name the most vocal ones here, because I reckon if one of those guys was given a round trip plane ticket from the States to the UK by the ACMOC Club to attend an official Link Club function, such as their AGM, while carrying a olive branch in one hand and a ACMOC Membership Renewal Card in the other, you might be surprised at the welcome you receive, and the potential return of former Chapter 2 members into our Club. We need them, and I think they would appreciate being given back their due respect, because what we did as a international family to Chapter 2 was wrong, and it's time to right that wrong.
Sincerely
Mike

Garlic Pete, Well said, it sure seems to me there are a certain few who love to pick and instigate deliberately trying to cause serious disruptions between our members and our BOD. All because there heroes chose to deliberately have themselves permanently removed from this club as a result of their repeated actions of over three years ago. We don't have to let this happen, its not hard to see who is behind this! Don't let them upset you! They go to their heroes forum Daily and laugh at the turmoil they are causing here. Heroes will trash talk our BOD claim our club is about done, we are on poor terms with Cat Inc members are want to be collectors with mostly crap. Only thing I cant figure out, if our club is so bad why does at least one hero try so hard to get back in!!!

Well said Mike,
I was sort of saving the fractionated membership for a later discussion but now that it's open, quite frankly I can see the Aussie, NZ, etc. contingency doing the same thing. They are more than capable of launching their own organization. In fact I can invision the ACMOC club centered there. Eventually they will get fed up with ACMOC and venture off on their own unless significant changes are made.
There needs to be more examples of compatability if this organization is to achieve any significant international status.

Hi chumduffy,
I hope it is not me you are referring to, but I don't think it is.
If it is directed to the post a few above, it is well known who makes the rounds of the splinter groups and stirs the pot. No credibility there whatsoever and belongs with those groups.

I started off with the same reaction and censored my own post but it is to significant to just let it go by.

Is anybody interested in putting tech tips back in the mag? I'm fixing to rebuild the steering clutch booster on a d6 9u. and willing to record the process in pics and and step by step process and specs for future use by others.

Since this thread opened up, I have joined as a member. I find the info I have received since purchasing my 14A D-8 a few months ago is priceless. Old Magnet and a few others have really stepped up to the plate to help answer my questions. In the for sale/wanted area, Gemdozer responded to a request of mine for a carburetor for my 14A. I bought it and it works well. I have tried to help others with some knowledge on 7U D-4's because I have owned one for many years. I hope the issues get resolved and this site continues to stay in existence.

jwwelty,
It's been some time since a steering booster rebuild has been discussed and it would make a good topic for a magazine tech article. Especially about the pin removal to get the internal seal holders out of their bores which is not covered in any service manual or bulletin that I am aware of.
If you post it here first we'd be able to get any bugs out before being ready to publish.

Garlic Pete,
If your going to be the deligated spokesmen for the club I would suggest you adjust your current request for directorship to running for President as it appears your the only one with the communication skills to address the membership. You got my vote.

A small amount of CAT collectors/lovers within the U.K. still subscribe to ACMOC as members, to the most part it would seem this is in order to recieve the U.S. mag' for the detail and contact numbers of "things they need" Ex U.S.A. and not for any loyalty or desire to still be in the "Club", their is a small band of CAT Die-Hards that are doing their best to try and restore things to as before the "Boot and the Backside" moment, time and space was willingly allowed at our own Club A.G.M. for these Fellows to speak up and say their bit, I cannot speak for other Link Club Members only myself but any need or desire from the general membership of the U.K. to Re-Link with ACMOC would probably be as a Connected To not as a re-group to ACMOC as it would be against the "British Way" to put our Backsides in "Jepardy" for a second time, besides our Hobby Club is run well and improving constantly with young new members comming forward and getting mixed in with the Old Boys.

tctractors