Tanks into Heavy Equipment

[maddawg308]

Found this pics online - they were from a gentleman who worked at the LeTourneau plant back in 1961-2, and took these nice color pictures (along with dozens of others from the plant) but I thought these were interesting. Shows old Sherman tanks, and other tracked vehicles, that had been turned into custom-made heavy equipment for use in the construction or logging fields.

It's a shame to see these old WWII vets melted down or cut up and turned into this stuff, but back in the early 60s, these Shermans and WWII tanks were WORTHLESS. Tank development had made these tracks grossly obsolete so that even most other countries wouldn't want them, and there were almost no collectors of MVs yet. Nowadays we wouldn't think of doing this, but those were the breaks then....

Pic 1 shows the steel mill at LeTourneau, a few Shermans in the right rear of the pic.

Pic 2 are the sacrificial tanks.

The rest are the amalgamations that the battle vets have become....

 

[mdlbldrmatt135]

"Ax Men" has some Shermans converted into logging yarders. (don;t have time to look for a pic stupid meetings at work LOL)

 

[Bighurt]

It breaks your heart but at the same time, what makes America great is the innovation our people have.

Like our hobby, they are making something that could easily be pure scrap, and giving them another life.

 

[paradeduty]

Cool older pictures - Thanks.

Better than the demolition torch.

Some of the guys with the heavy track layers are probably wiping off their keyboards about now - sort of like us ordinary folks seeing some nos crated engines or perfect tires!!

Dave.

 

[mdlbldrmatt135]

Sherman based yarder you can search for Madill Yarder to find more.

 

[Danger Ranger]

Here is a pic of the yarder from the Phil logging company....there are actually two.

The second and third pics are of a yarder located in New Zealand. I saw them on Google.

 

[KsM715]

Thanks Mike. Thats exactly what I was hoping to find when I heard about a tank some farmer converted to pull a plow.

Instead of tracks I found this:

 

[A/C Cages]

At least they made some use out of them instead of paying another country to cut them up for scrap unlike the ships in another thread.

 

[R Racing]

Found this pics online - they were from a gentleman who worked at the LeTourneau plant back in 1961-2, and took these nice color pictures (along with dozens of others from the plant) but I thought these were interesting. Shows old Sherman tanks, and other tracked vehicles, that had been turned into custom-made heavy equipment for use in the construction or logging fields.

It's a shame to see these old WWII vets melted down or cut up and turned into this stuff, but back in the early 60s, these Shermans and WWII tanks were WORTHLESS. Tank development had made these tracks grossly obsolete so that even most other countries wouldn't want them, and there were almost no collectors of MVs yet. Nowadays we wouldn't think of doing this, but those were the breaks then....

Pic 1 shows the steel mill at LeTourneau, a few Shermans in the right rear of the pic.


Pic 2 are the sacrificial tanks.

The rest are the amalgamations that the battle vets have become....

Boy Mike ! That last pic looks like a beast !!

 

[98taco3]

although quite a few of em were cut up for these purposes, the "business" of converting some of these tracked vehicles also helped preserve them in a way. There is some restored armor that was brought back to this country to be converted but were never cut.

 

[maddawg308]

I recently got the book "R.G LeTourneau Heavy Equipment, the Electric Drive Era 1953-1970.", by Eric Orlemann. Very good book and pictoral reference of all the interesting things Mr. LeTourneau created in the later years. Anyways, inside the book were some of the pics I provided earlier, but with CAPTIONS to explain what they were, and a little insight. Here's some addl. info:

THIS VEHICLE:

Caption: Most of the military surplus tank chassis utilized by R.G. LeTourneau were scoured from M4A3 Sherman donor tanks. But a small number of experimental equipment designs utilized the chassis from the U.S. Army 38-ton M6 High Speed Tractor originally built by Allis-Chalmers, such as this dozer prototype from May 1962. Photo by Larry and Lloyd Smith

 

[maddawg308]

THIS VEHICLE:

Caption: The "Tank Backhoe" (S/N 6091) shown here was the second excavator of this type built by the company, and featured a bulldozing blade at one end of the unit. Equipped with tank chassis No. 26 out of the company's inventory, it featured the undercarraige of a U.S. Army 38-ton M6 High Speed Tractor. Image taken at the Waco Dam project site in October 1962. Photo by Larry and Lloyd Smith

 

[maddawg308]

THIS VEHICLE:

Caption: The Electric Revolving Crane mounted on a military surplus Sherman tank chassis was originally built in September 1959 to work in the metal scrap yard of the company's steel mill at the Longview plant. The crane's generator set was powered by a single 190-hp Detroit Diesel 6-71 engine. Maximum rated capacity of this special crane model was 30 tons. Only one example of this specialized tracked crane was ever produced. Image taken in May 1962. Photo: Larry and Lloyd Smith

 

[maddawg308]

THIS VEHICLE:

Caption: In the Spring of 1959, R.G. LeTourneau was able to purchase a number of decommissioned obsolete tanks as U.S. military surplus. Working with M4A3 (76mm) HVSS (prototype M4A3E Sherman tank chassis as a starting point, the company was able to create a number of specialized "Crusher-Tenders". Equipped with various attachments, such as bulldozers, cranes, winches and stingers, the Crusher-Tenders were able to assist the larger Tree Crushers in the field in heavy repair work, or to free a crusher if one was to get itself mired down and stuck. Image taken in April 1960.

 

[maddawg308]

THIS VEHICLE:

Caption: The original drivetrain was removed from the "donor" tank chassis and replaced with a diesel-electric setup instead, consisting of an engine (Buda or Detroit Diesel), a generator, and a DC electric motor attached to the original tank transmission. In 1961 the company made an additional military surplus acquisition consisting of approximately 61 U.S. Army 38-ton M6 High Speed Tractors. Most were scrapped in the steel mill, but at least three were modified and tested. One was equipped with a front mounted cowdozer, one utilized a front-mounted bulldozing blade, and one featured a backhoe and bulldozer combination. As many as 40 tank chassis were converted by the company (Sherman and M6 tractor types), but only 18 were issued serial numbers and shipped into service. The rest were either modified and worked around the plants, or were simply cut up for scrap for the company's steel mill. The last unit shipped from the factory in June 1966 (S/N 679 utilizing tank chassis No. 40. Pictured in April 1960 is a Sherman tank chassis based Crusher-Tender equipped with a huge rear-mounted, rack and pinion operated tree stinger.

 

[maddawg308]

Last one:

Caption: Another survivor in service at the Vicksburg facilities today is this Tree Crusher Tender (also referred to as a Crusher-Tender). According to company documents, it was the No. 4 unit built (S/N 5743) and was destined for the Tournata complex in Liberia, but was held in Vicksburg in November 1958 for reasons not stated. Image date is November 11, 2006. Photo: Dale Hardy.

 

[AaronW]

I have a buddy that converts old yarders into mobile high lines for dredging gravel pits. Plenty of Sherman based yarders out here. I have another buddy who owns several Sherman based yarders that are used on logging sides every day.

 

[73m819]

Bet being the OPERATOR of these machines WAS a THRILLING job

Thanks for posting

 

[Danger Ranger]

I don't want to rain on your parade, but I believe these were posted before. DOn't get me wrong, they are awesome! It is always great to see old machines recycled and used again.

 

[fireball]

I thought there was a article in popular mechanics back in the 50's that was about the disposal of about 500 shermans stored at Rock Island Arsenal and what they all went for