You know, I just love you guys... As soon as ask a simple question 'BLAMMO!' You start piling in with fantastic stuff! (Stop in BLB you're gushing...) Anyroadup I'm most grateful to Ed Burrows who has sent me these pictures: "Hi Brian, thought you'd appreciate a few more LeTourneau images. And by the way, Eric Orlemann has just had new book out - although it's mostly on heavy plant/earthmovers, which of course is fair do's: LeT load carrying vehicles were few and far between. That said, the biggest was the best and the biggest wheeled vehicle cable of free movement there has ever been, or ever will be. Bold statement, but unchallengeable."
Ed continues: "I mean, would you want to argue with the US Army's 13-unit electric hub motor all-wheel-drive Overland Train MkII, built for the US Army Transportation Research and Development Command? A 'mere' 382 tonnes GCW and 'small' 137 tonnes payload! Okay, ALE - and indeed the lumbering South African Pacifics you are so obsessed with - could probably beat that, most days of the week. But the 382 tonnes of the Overland Train MII moved off-road, at up to 20 mph. And we're talking 1962, which was a very happening year indeed, on many fronts. So it was not at all untoward for LeT engineers - who thought under a big Texas sky - to decide to power their behemoth by four 873 kW gas turbine generator sets!" And click through here for more...
"And here's one really amazing thing," says Ed..."The tracking was so perfect that when driven over sand, even around a curve, the whole 54-wheel outfit left the tread impressions of only two tyre tracks. The tyres? At 10ft diameter, we're talking Texan tall. And yes, that's a radar scanner on the roof. Satnav? Stick that. They didn't go in for gimmicks for folk who didn't know where they were going - and the satnav lady would be lost on the trackless wastes the MkII was designed for. The front control car of the Overland Train MkII is on exhibit at the US Army Yuma Proving Ground Heritage Centre as you see here below"
![MkII__2-7_US_Army,_Yuma[1].JPG](http://www.roadtransport.com/blogs/big-lorry-blog/MkII__2-7_US_Army%2C_Yuma%5B1%5D.JPG)
"Best regards, Ed - and I've got more on LeT wheeled load carriers - a brochure even - but for that you'll have to wait a day or few!" I can't wait Ed... Ooh the hairs on the back of my arms are sticking up already! And that LeT wheeled load carrier would have probably supplied the atomic cannon... Another bee in BLB's bonnet!
Great stuff Ed - can't wait to see that brochure!
What an astonishing machine! And Ed has a brochure? Don't tell me that Richard the Brochure King has one as well??
I used to work for a company that serviced a couple Letourneau log stackers; odd machines.
Here are few points about the two machines I've laid my hands on:
The darn things didn't use hydraulics; everywhere you'd expect a hydraulic cylinder, there'd be an electric motor driving a rack-and-pinion gear arrangement.
The motors themselves didn't have full enclosures; just sheetmetal drip covers. I thought it was funny considering that they were located on an oceanside property in a wet climate. When you were washing them down you had to make sure not to turn the pressure washer or fire hose on the exposed windings.
They used a special grease especially for the exposed gears that would find its way onto other parts of the machine and was very tough to remove compared to other greases.
I just did weekend clean-up and sadly never managed to see one in action.