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)...
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...
The iconic Caterpillar D7 has been in continuous production in various versions since 1935. They have fought in three major conflicts – WWII, Korea & Vietnam - and are a strong testament to a product that really was “built for it” By RICHARD CAMPBELL
The D7 owes it’s origins to the Caterpillar Diesel Fifty which was...
The Bucyrus-Erie Company was world famous for it’s range of face shovels, draglines, cranes and other mining and quarry equipment. However, it also made a wide range of tractor equipment that was popular through the 1930s to the middle 1950s which is now largely forgotten. By RICHARD CAMPBELL.
The Bucyrus Foundry Company of Bucyrus,...
Although it was not an original Allis-Chalmers design, the model TS-200 motorscraper paved the way for a far more successful machine in Allis’ product line, the TS-260. By RICHARD CAMPBELL.
We first took a look at the Allis-Chalmers TS-200 way back in 2003, and for the benefit of our newer subscribers and those who may have missed the...
Back in time when the track type tractor was still considered a new tool for earthmoving, there were dozens of companies offering attachments to outfit these machines for work. Isaacson were one of them. By RICHARD CAMPBELL.
With the end of the great depression in the early 1930s, those tractor manufacturers who had survived the...
For over 30 years, Caterpillars towed scrapers were a mainstay of most contractors' earthmoving fleets. As a one man tool, they could cut spread and compact without the need for extra equipment. By RICHARD CAMPBELL
During 1944, Caterpillar faced a big challenge.
Following a major disagreement with LeTourneau regarding the...
Allis-Chalmers was always an innovator when it came to construction equipment although not all of its products were instant successes, its TS-460 motor scraper being a very good case in point. By RICHARD CAMPBELL.
Allis-Chalmers entered the motor scraper market with the acquisition of Cedar Rapids, Iowa manufacturer, LaPlant-Choate in...
Born of necessity, the Caterpillar DW21, the great granddaddy of all Caterpillar 2-axle scrapers, went on to become a very successful scraper for Cat and also laid the groundwork for the later two-axle 600 series machines. By RICHARD CAMPBELL.
We originally had a look at the Caterpillar DW21 back in May 2004. As with some of those...
A true classic tractor in every sense of the word, the Caterpillar D8 has been around in various forms since 1935. BY RICHARD CAMPBELL
This segment of the Caterpillar D8 story will deal only with the conventional drive tractors, that is, non hi-drive machines (RD8 thru D8K).
The early D8s
Developed from their successful model...
