I am a historian, of military vehicles mainly, but I have some interest in heavy equipment, especially LeTourneaus. I'm also a truck driver, and wherever I go I always watch out for old iron sitting abandoned by the side of the road, in people's yards, at the back of industrial plants, and so on, and mark down what I find. I've seen tons of Caterpillars, Euclids, Cases, Internationals, Americans, Lorains, and a bunch of other oddball stuff, but I've never come across a LeTourneau. I am big into the preservation of old machines, it's the primary reason I started driving a truck rather than staying a full-time historian, to make enough money to buy and preserve what I want to save. My interest in LeTourneaus is partly because of how strange they are, and partly because many of them have some relation to military use. I've been looking to save a Tournacrane in the future when I am able, and I came across one for sale on Facebook at a good price. I messaged the seller about it, only to find out the engine and cab had already been taken, leaving the rest of it essentially worthless. It was this that spurred me to make this thread, to try and find out just how many of these monsters still exist. Below I have listed all the surviving LeTourneaus that I know about, I assume there are more, and I would be grateful to hear about what other you know of. Model B-70 Tournacrane A restored Air Force MB-1A Tournacrane is on display at the Overloon War Museum in the Netherlands. Spoiler A Navy Model B-70 Tournacrane is owned by McCahill Enterprises, an earthmoving company in California, and is still in use. Spoiler Another Navy B-70 is owned by the International Artillery Museum in St. Jo, Texas. It is not part of their display and they are (were) looking to get rid of it. I tried contacting them several times but never heard back. Spoiler The Flight Test Historical Foundation acquired a Model B-70 Tournacrane for the Air Force Flight Test Museum at Edwards Air Force Base a few years ago, but it may not be on display yet. Spoiler A fifth Model B-70 Tournacrane has appeared in a pair of youtube videos, but with no further information. Model C Tournatractor The Historical Construction Equipment Association in Bowling Green, Ohio, has two Model C Tournatractors, one from 1956 and one from around 1950. The 1956 model runs. Spoiler This Model C Tournatractor occasionally appears at the Western New York Gas & Steam Engine Association. I could not find a photo showing the board which presumably states who the owner is. Spoiler There is also this individual, which I found a photo of on this article: https://contractormag.co.nz/classic-machines/the-letourneau-tournatractor/ Its owner or location is not mentioned. Spoiler Two additional unlocated Tournatractors. The latter can be assumed to be in Pennsylvania or a nearby state, as it was posted by someone who photographs machines in that area. Spoiler Model C Tournacrane A Model C Tournacrane was listed for sale in Carbon, Indiana by someone named AJ Taylor. When I inquired about it, I learned the engine and controls had been sold and cut out. I fear this was the last of its kind, and I would like to be proved wrong. Spoiler Super C Tournapull A 1947 Super C Tournapull, serial number C3T 4037 C1-G is restored and in running condition at the National Pike Steam Gas & Horse Association in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. Spoiler The heart of a Super C Tournapull lives on in this b*****d vehicle, a bulldozer built out of an M3 Stuart light tank. Seen at an event held at the Wheatlands Agricultural Museum in Warracknabeal, Australia. Spoiler Super C Tournacrane A 1944 Navy model Super C Tournacrane is owned by Ken McCrary and Chris Baldo and located at the Roots of Motive Power museum in Willits, California. Spoiler Super C Tournadozer Super C Tournadozer serial number 3246 is at the National Pike Steam Gas & Horse Association in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. It is a veteran of the US Army Corps of Engineers. It does not normally run, but seems to be in "able to be made to run" condition. Spoiler A running Super C Tournadozer was sold at auction in 2022 in Ohio. Previously owned by Don Martin. Spoiler C Pull A C Pull with Tournarocker body was restored by Goodman Contractors Limited in Waikanae, New Zealand. Spoiler This C Pull (I think it's a C Pull), serial number GP50178CPTK, with a 6,000 gallon Klein water tanker body was sold at auction in 2021 in Washington. Spoiler
Model D4 Tournapull This entry is left purposefully incomplete. D4 Tournapulls are probably the most numerous surviving LeTourneau. They're easy to preserve because they're small enough to fit in a garage. A WW2-era D4 is owned by the Historical Construction Equipment Association in Bowling Green, Ohio. Spoiler A restored 1947 civilian model D4 is owned by the youtuber DieselCreek in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. Spoiler Model D Tournapull Roadster A 1952 Model D Roadster is located at the Historical Construction Equipment Association in Bowling Green, Ohio. Spoiler D Pull This restored D Pull occasionally appears at the local HCEA event held at the Simcoe County Museum in Ontario, Canada. Spoiler Another D Pull was recently restored from scrap by Goodman Contractors Limited in Waikanae, New Zealand. Spoiler This D Pull was posted on this forum HeavyEquipmentForums Presumably in Canada. Spoiler Tournatractor Crawler Prototype This unidentified/unnamed Tournatractor prototype is at the Earthmoving Legacy Center in Elkader, Iowa. The person who posted the photos of this machine said they also have a prototype Model D Tournatractor, but there are no photos of that one. Spoiler LW16 There is an LW16 that was restored by Goodman Contractors Limited in Waikanae, New Zealand. Spoiler This LW16 was sold at auction in 2022 in Australia. Despite the rough condition, there is a youtube video of it running. Spoiler Another LW16 also spotted on youtube. No further information. This restored 1955 LW16 was seen at an event held at the Wheatlands Agricultural Museum in Warracknabeal, Australia. Spoiler Log Stacker Two different models of LeTourneau Log Stacker are on display at the BC Forest Discovery Centre in Duncan, Canada. Spoiler Series T Log Transporter There is a Series T also at the at the BC Forest Discovery Centre in Duncan, Canada, along with the two Log Stackers. Spoiler G-175 Tree Crusher The G-175 is on display in essentially original condition in Mackenzie, Canada. Spoiler LCC-1 Sno-Train The LCC-1 is preserved along with three of its cars at the Yukon Transportation Museum in Whitehorse, Canada. Spoiler VC-22 Sno-Freighter The VC-22 and three of its cars are located at a tourist attraction called Gold Daughters in Fairbanks, Alaska. It is not cared for and is being overtaken by the wilderness (this is an older photo). Spoiler TC-497 Overland Train The locomotive of the TC-497 is on display at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. It is on a military base and is not accessible to the public. The interior has been recently restored. Spoiler
There are dozens of log stackers working at sawmills and export yards all over the Pacific Northwest. I know where a D pull along with a Tournarocker body are hiding in the blackberries but I don't think the owners want it publicized. They also have a D4 scraper and a smaller pull scraper, maybe 5 yards or so. Not very helpful but just lets you know that they're out there.
yes the stackers are so common in the yards here. There is one at the Foremark yard, along with wheel loader stackers. I read your thread title differently, like they were trying to kill you and you survived.
My grandpa ran a LeTourneau log stacker. The way he talked it wasn't a very good machine. Got a picture somewhere of him running it, unloading one of the first loads my dad hauled 30+ years ago when he bought his first truck.
See what I mean? Grumble mumble out to kill ya grumble.
They won't try to take your life, but they want nothing more than to destroy your eardrums.
Like most of huge machines, there is lots setting around for the fact the price of scrap is so low. Unless it's all formed steel constructed, not heavy cast pieces, the cost in scrapping voids the value by the pound. So large equipment of all brands & types will set collecting rust. I know of a pile/piles of old logging arches, yarders and so on just collecting rust and creating habitat for rodents, probably be where there're at 30 years from now.
The Alaska Railroad was using a pair of 2682SS Container Handlers at the Anchorage yard until they got replaced with a new Toyota. The biggest gripe with the Letourneau was parts availability.
Beats me why Komatsu isn't making Le Tourneau equipment especially scrapers. If Goodmans can run and make money from 50yr old machines that are faster than new scrapers then to my mind(such as it is) then it's a no brainer.
The 10' tall tires for I think Bigfoot 4 were found in a junkyard and came off a LeTourneau machine. I think Firestone made the tires specifically for Le Tourneau. At Leduc West in Alberta there a couple LeTourneau scrapers in excellent running condition as well as previously shown one sitting outside. Two different Super C's with different engines or at least air cleaners. I think the one outside might have a 6-110 Detroit but is seized or something. I remember one of the machines along the tree row didn't run and read somewhere it had a DD 6-110. Graham Brothers owned a couple of them since new I believe. You can see the Graham Bros. sticker on one of them. Bill Graham has an extensive collection of vintage equipment including a Euclid TC12. It's in running condition but one of the transmissions has a bad leak and nobody wants to crawl in to fix it. LoL He also has a collection of Cletrac crawlers.
I don't have any survivors to contribute, as I'm in Scotland, but years ago I came across the boss of an oil services company who worked for Le Tourneau Technologies in the 60's and 70's. Interesting guy to deal with. He was based in Texas close to where the Le Tourneau factory was, IIRC.
And Komatsu uses electric wheels on the mining trucks as well....
And after years and years of bagging Le Tourneau's electric drive systems Caterpillar woke up to the advantages .
I'm just waiting for them to bring back the LeTourneau name for when we start mining on the moon. No air up there so everything's got to be electric!
Komatsu uses G.E. now Wabtec wheels, the competitor to LeTourneau.
I think it was the release of the 300 ton truck, the mechanical drive could not be economically scaled up. Nige would know better than me.
You're also forgetting their foray into electric drive dozers.
I didn't forget anything, I'm not the historian. I'm only relating the items that i know personally, very personally. Shall I start picking your posting's apart for accuracy & completeness?
Relax, nobodies picking your posts apart. He was only pointing out Cat had electric dozers as well.
New video I came across while looking for a picture of one of those. It's an LeTourneau M2 Guided Missile Erector, distantly related to the Tournapull. These were used by the Army to transport the Corporal nuclear missile. Prior to this I didn't know of any to still exist. It came from somewhere in northern Nevada where they wanted to use it as a pole planter, and now it's gone to a LeTourneau collector in Alabama.
I'm surprised that RG would build such a machine ^^^^ with his background.
80% of Nevada is government owned land lot of Military depots & testing. Lot of open land to trespass on don't check the map. One open spot locals know about but stayed away from was a WWll surplus cruiser turret north of Las Vegas that was planted there in 1957 to protect camera equipment from the fallout of those missiles. The area is still hot but it became a tourist must see & idiots 4 wheeling the gov had to fence it off.
I had to look that up.
It is a bit of a contradiction, but what can you do. LeTourneau was a major producer of artillery shells during WW2. Most of his military vehicles were engineering focused, but there were a couple of combat vehicles. The "Land Battleship" from 1943 was meant to transport 155mm and 8-inch artillery pieces. It was made out of two Model A-6 Tournapulls put together. The Army didn't want it because of how enormous and ungainly it was. They tried again in 1957 with a design called the Wheeled Weapons Locomotor, which was for the same purpose and was similar in design to the Series T Transporter, but that one wasn't built.