His business allowed him the flexibility to take care of her, but those dozers made it possible. If she had to go to the doctor, he would take her. He would get her up in the mornings and get her set for the day. "Caterpillar is an important part of our family's story because all through the years, my dad took care of Mom. She wore a C-collar and was in a wheelchair because she'd had both legs amputated due to the disease. But her fingers were very contorted from the arthritis. She was always upbeat and positive - an eternal optimist. If you had spoken to her on the phone, you wouldn't have known there was anything wrong with her. Kent Nichols, Kenny and Willadean's son, explained, "You see, my mother developed severe Rheumatoid arthritis when she was just 27. But it's the Nichols family's love for each other and their Cat dozers that makes the story special. Throughout the years, the Nichols family fared well, supported by Nichols's extraordinary operator skills and passion for operating a dozer. And lakes - big lakes! It would take me a lot of time to tell you about all the jobs I've worked on," he said. "I've dug so many new house basements around Salem, Missouri, - more than were dug with backhoes. If you're going to use heavy equipment, just get Cat - they're dependable. When asked why he chooses Cat machines, Nichols replied, "I wouldn't have anything else. Over the years, he's owned only Cat machines and currently owns a D6C, a D6D and a Cat backhoe. From clearing land for buildings and roads, to moving dirt for stock ponds and lakes - you name it, and he has probably done it using a Cat dozer. Through the years, he has worked on every type of job imaginable. So, Nichols began using his own dozer and working for himself. He bought a brand-new D6C and offered to sell me his old one," he said. It belonged to a man I was working for at the time. "The first dozer I bought was a Cat D6C in 1971. But he preferred to work for companies that owned Cat machines.Įventually, Nichols purchased his own machine. Over the next few years, Nichols built a strong reputation as a skillful operator known for his integrity and passion for high-quality work. Upon the young soldier's homecoming in 1953 he picked up where he'd left off - working as a dozer operator. "I got to run them a lot over there." Homecoming The operators were tired and didn't want to run them, so I said, ‘I'll do it.'" Nichols said. It wasn't in my MOS code, but we had the equipment over there to dig trenches. During his service in Korea, Nichols ran a Caterpillar dozer. Leaving his young bride at home on her parent's Missouri farm, Nichols served his country abroad for 13 months.īut not everything about being away from home was without joy. In 1951, Nichols married the love of his life, Willadean Stephens. He and his brothers continued working to help support the family. Little boys grow up, and Nichols did, too. That brief encounter began Nichols's lifelong love for Cat dozers. "And he let me drive it about a half a mile."
Old bulldozers working driver#
The driver stopped to give me a ride," Nichols said. They were bringing it up the road from Cedar Grove to work on some hills near the Palmer Banks. One particular day, some 84 years ago, seven-year-old Nichols was on an errand, walking a county dirt road in rural Missouri, when a man driving a Caterpillar Ten crawler came down the way. It meant long days and back-breaking work with few rewards. His dad passed away in 1934, when Nichols was four years old, leaving the youngster, his mother and older siblings to eke out a living from the land during the Great Depression. As a young boy, Kenny Nichols was no stranger to hard work.