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...
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)...
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...
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...
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...
In a successful attempt to keep up with the competition, Wabco finally incorporated full hydraulic controls into the Model C Tournapull. By Richard Campbell.
Starting way back in 1939 with the original Model C Tournapull, LeTourneau (later LeTourneau-Westinghouse and finally Wabco) had traditionally used cable control systems on its...
Le Tourneau was a visionary machine designer. His innovative electric wheel, developed for the L-series Pacemaker motorscraper, is now used in most mining trucks. Only one Pacemaker motorscraper made it to New Zealand – H Allan Mills & Son’s Texas Rose. BY RICHARD CAMPBELL.
When RG Le Tourneau sold his earthmoving equipment...
