Classic Machines Archives - Contractor Magazine

Classic Machines

Classic machines: The International-Harvester TD-24 revisited

The end of World War Two saw a massive increase in the demand for heavy equipment. Top of contractors' wish lists were large, high horsepower, track type tractors and Allis-Chalmers, Caterpillar and International-Harvester duked it out for top honours. By Richard Campbell. Allis-Chalmers made a bid in the large tractor stakes when in...

Classic Machines

Classic Machines: LeTourneau's Model A Tournapull

R.G LeTourneau conceived the idea of the self-propelled motor scraper while recovering from a near-fatal auto accident. He approached Caterpillar with the concept but they rejected the idea, so LeTourneau decided to go it alone. The rest, as they say, is history. By Richard Campbell One wonders how long it would have taken another...

Classic Machines

Classic Machines: International-Harvester's 495 PayScraper

A large brute of a motor scraper, the International-Harvester model 495 was the only three-axle, open bowl scraper ever offered by the Company and it played a big part in New Zealand’s early hydro-electric dam projects. By Richard Campbell We took a short look at the model 495 back in the December 2004 issue of The Contractor, but at...

Classic Machines

Classic Machines: The Terex 82-20 crawler tractor

Smallest of all the production Terex track type tractors, the 82-20 was designed to expand Terex’s market share of the crawler tractor business and take on it’s two main rivals in this class, Caterpillar and International-Harvester. By Richard Campbell Following in the footsteps of their successful C-6/82-30, 82-40 and TC-12/82-80...

Classic Machines

Classic Machines: Caterpillar's big three-axle single, the 660 scraper

With the arrival in New Zealand recently of a Caterpillar 660, the largest of Caterpillar’s single engined scrapers, it’s time we had a look at these extreme beasts in a little more detail. By Richard Campbell. Somewhat overshadowed by it’s legendary twin engined sibling, the Cat 666, it may surprise readers to know that there are...

Classic Machines

Forgotten companies: Carco

Many of the readership will identify the name Carco as being associated with logging winches and forestry equipment. However, Carco’s roots go much further back in history to the dawn of the track-type tractor. By Richard Campbell Originally founded in 1905 in Seattle, Washington, Carco (originally known as the Seattle Car Company)...

Classic Machines

Classic Machines: Euclid's Big Singles- The S-28 and S-32

Designed to compete directly with the Caterpillar 651, the Euclid S-28, and later S-32 were the largest single engined overhung scrapers that the company ever manufactured, and as it turns out, also the rarest. By RICHARD CAMPBELL During the 1960s, there was a surge of interest in really big single engined motor scrapers. Projects...

Classic Machines

Classic Machines: The Allis-Chalmers HD-19 revisited

Allis-Chalmers led the charge for a bigger, higher horsepower track type tractor following World War Two. The resulting model HD-19 was a breakthrough in many ways and was the foundation on which the later, highly successful model HD-21 was based. By RICHARD CAMPBELL We first took a look at the Allis-Chalmers HD-19 back in...

Classic Machines

Evolution of the Single Axle Scraper

Grand-daddy of all the scrapers (apart from the horse-drawn, wheel-less Fresno type), the single axle scraper has a niche in the history of earthmoving and this type of scraper has seen a resurgence within the last decade. By RICHARD CAMPBELL Developed from the early drag scrapers and designed as a utility land leveling tool, the single...

Classic machines: The Michigan 110-15 scraper