by Nick Drew | Tue 06 Aug 2013
International “Drott” 100B gets a new lease of life
Having recently re-joined the MJL Group as a sub-contract operator, it reminded me of some photos Managing Director, Matthew Lugg, gave me last year, which depict the progress they made on a restoration project of a 100B crawler loader.
I don’t have much background on this machine, with details being sketchy, but I think the machine was initially bought to do some work at the Lugg family home. In this photo, we see Mr Lugg senior at the controls of the as purchased machine moving a bit of topsoil.
At some point a decision was made to fully restore the machine back to showroom quality, and so many man hours of work lay ahead, as the machine was stripped down and shot blasted, in addition, to a whole host of mechanical works being performed on the major components.
I personally have never had any experience with International machines from an operating perspective, but I used to see many of them around when I was a youngster. By all accounts, the B100B Series 2 was one of the best models available. By this time in the 100’s history, the loader arms had been completely redesigned, and had been moved further forward to allow greater access to the cab area. In addition, the cab interior was now a lot more operator friendly than many previous models.
The machine was re-sprayed in International yellow, before the finishing touches were added, including all new switches, decals, and a fully re-upholstered seat, as seen in this view from the rear of the cab.
With most of the work now completed, the cab was now fitted with glass all round and I think you will agree, it certainly looked like a job well done!
Here is a scan of an International sales brochure relating to the 100B Series 2 machine. I can actually recall having one of these brochures on my bedroom wall when I was a youngster.
I think the machine was eventually sold to a collector somewhere in the Channel Islands. It would be interesting to know if it is still based there and what the new owner actually does with the machine.