6 thoughts on “Old Truck Tuesday

  1. That land train is a LeTourneau product. I saw some really weird parts in that place when I worked there. Pieces of the first jack up oil rig rack used for welding jigs. The “tires” of the tactical tree crusher, I wish I could have just wandered all around, peeking and poking.

    • Yeah, R.G. Le T. built some Starange Stuff – Much of it was Diesel- Electric Powered, with a Geared Motor and Reduction Hubs in each Wheel. No Transmission or Driveline to Maintain. The Overland Train was built using the Wheels/Drives from Giant Loaders, and the “Tractor” front unit had (I think 2) Gas-Turbine Generators that supplied Power to all the Trailer Wheels. It ended up being Tested in Alaska, then Sold for Scrap, as all the Frames and Bodies were Aluminum.

      • We used to wind our own motors and generators in house. I liked that shop. Very clean and neat. We used Cat diesels for the gen set. Allowed you to run at a set rpm. The truck line being built then was the last of the T2000’s and we were building the L1100 loaders. They had the new 240 ton trucks in the works…. that was the late 80’s.

        Those trucks used regenerative braking like a locomotive, and the “disk brakes” were just for holding it still. I did enjoy that job while I was in college. Fed the family and kept a roof over our heads. The old timers, like Red in the gear shop, were great men. He’d setup up gear shapers and broach gears all day, then go home and be a watch maker. Those guys never rested.

    • yup. had a 56 pickup I bought for 200 back in 72. and it was not a rusted out wreck either. sold it in 74 for 500.
      we rebuilt the engine and swapped out the clutch

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