Birth of a legend, the early Caterpillar D8
A true classic tractor in every sense of the word, the Caterpillar D8 has been around in various forms since 1935. This month we will...
Tag : LeTourneau
Early development of the ripper-it started with a ‘rooter’
These days, most of us do not pay much attention to the ripper fitted to a dozer, loader or motor grader, but there is quite...
Equipment Controls – the cable era
caption: Another very popular LeTourneau PCU was the front mounted Model AN8, seen here fitted to a reasonably new Caterpillar D8-1H series. The tractor also has a...
The Bottom Dump
One of the very first high-volume dirt haulers, bottom dumps were very popular for bulk haulage and are still in use today. By Richard Campbell...
Earthfill Compaction – A Brief History
Good compaction of fill is essential if you are to avoid subsidence. The Romans and Egyptians knew it and so did the so-called “primitive” tribes...
Forgotten companies: Ateco
Once the number one go-to organization for tractor rippers and a myriad of other useful attachments, the American Tractor Equipment Corporation (ATECO) enjoyed major success...
The LaPlant-Choate TS-300 motor scraper
LaPlant-Choate’s TS-300 owes its origins to a design formulated prior to World War 2. The TS-300 was LaPlant-Choate’s first motor scraper and despite being taken...
The Clark-Michigan 180 Wheel Dozer
In some countries, particularly New Zealand, wheel dozers are an under-appreciated item of machinery. The wheeled bulldozer is actually an extremely versatile piece of equipment...
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...
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...