This year’s Philadelphia Construction Expo IV on March 11 and 12 not only will be filled to the brim with many of the latest models of equipment, but it also will have something for the seasoned industry veterans.

The Historical Construction Equipment Association (HCEA) will once again be attending the “Greatest Show in Dirt.”

Founded in 1986 in Cleveland, OH, HCEA has approximately 4,000 members worldwide, including members in Canada, England, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand and Australia.

The HCEA is a nonprofit organization founded to foster the preservation of and the education about all types of construction, surface mining and dredging equipment and their history. Areas of interest include equipment manufacturer’s literature, memorabilia, watch fobs, collecting or building construction-type models and toys and other related items as well as the collection and restoration of the machines themselves. Members also include those who operate equipment and are involved with project planning.

One of HCEA’s members, John Donkersloot III, of John Donkersloot and Son, Clifton, NJ, a 100-year-old sand and gravel company, will be bringing his vintage 1930 Beyers Bearcat Jr. excavator to the show. The Bearcat has a four-cylinder Buda gas engine and 3/8 of a cu. yd. bucket.

“I bought that out near Lancaster, PA, at a show, and I restored it over the course of two years. Everything works in it!” said Donkersloot III.

At the expo, the HCEA also will be showcasing a Caterpillar crawler tractor model 10 (circa 1930) and an International Harvester TD-6 crawler tractor (circa 1951) with the dozer blade on it.

The HCEA is the only organization designated by the Construction Industry Manufacturers Association (CIMA) as an official archive for the construction equipment industry.

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