@@DieselCreek I heard the rear tires on that scraper are the same size as a Jeep tire. In case of an emergency, you could rob the rear tires off the scraper and put them on a Jeep.
It's a really interesting little unit, I agree it's a pretty neat compact little thing for touring shows etc and fairly unique being of such a limited run. Also from a really cool background, LeTourneau had a reputation for building really awesome, forward thinking and in some cases crazy designs of equipment. They worked with the US Government in the post-war period to build massive 'Overland Train' vehicles among other things. They always had a reputation for thinking outside the mould a bit.
This was my grandfather's scraper - that's my dad and brother in the video. My kids never got to see it run - until today. Thank you so much for giving this amazing piece of machinery the work it deserves, and for the privilege of finally seeing it run! Best of luck!
I love how you collect and restore these mechanised tools that helped build America. (In the middle of watching this, it reminded me that I was filling my swimming pool. I was just in time to stop it from overflowing. So you have helped prevent a disaster. Thank you Regards from Crete, Greece.)
That LeTourneau Scraper was manufactured in Longview, Tx. That company is still in existence and makes some of the largest loaders, dozers, and haulers on this planet. Additionally, LeTourneau University, a private school, is located in the same community and has a phenomenal reputation for educating great engineers.
Matt, we need to talk. Your content is always great, no complaints there but I've got an incredible set of wrenching blue balls waiting for the "Overhead Crane" episode. The crane is there...the shop's got the right mounts in place and you just need to git er done. I realize it will be a huge project, but I'm guessing most DC fans would love to see a 3-4 part series of that bad boy going up. Please give this project a green light.
My dad was a SEABEE, but after WW2, and 86 and still choochin’! I am the youngest of 3 at 57, use a wheelchair full time, and am assembling a rare Canadian Johnson “UtiliMotor” (different Johnson than the outboard motor company here) 2 stroke engine I bought at the Dublin, NH engine show last fall-days before the local fair-it was totally disassembled when I bought it! I have all the gasket-less cases cleaned on the mating surfaces to get the proper sealant and reassembly! It is in excellent shape and should well! Piston goes back in the bore and it goes together tomorrow, fair starts Wednesday! I love all things 2 stroke, and this one is a real rare gem! 👍🏻 Cheers! 😋
My brother has one, it’s still in its green. Still looking for the Clark dozer that pairs with it. Be sure to contact the registry and let them know you have it. Around 2012ish when we got ours, they said ours was the 100th located. Super cool scrapers.
@@intheshopwithcraig This previous piece of missing information now makes your first statement make sense and I definitely agree that registering the machine with LeTourneau museum would be cool. Out of curiosity do you know if the museum is a virtue/on-line one or a physical museum and if so is it open to the public. Thanks for the update and have a great day and a better tomorrow.
On the antique stuff, manuals are the measurement of happiness with a project. Without the manuals you need two projects, the first one to learn on and the second one to restore it.
FYI my dad drove them on Okinawa build runways. they laid down metal fabricated that looked like running boards that locked together. then they used the turn around to spread sand over them to level them. My dad was a sgt in the 185th engineer battalion 1944. love all the things you do.i have a pic of him on Okinawa, i ll try to send it to you. thanks
Probably Marston Mat, AKA Pierced Steel Planking, because it had more holes than metal. Even Puddin' from the Fab Shop would approve of all the die dimples.
How storied my neighbor who was a SeaBee who served in WWII they would clear the area for the runway of trees and stumps and do a rough grading with dozers and use the scaler/pan to do finish grading before laying down pierced steal planking for planes to land on. Remember this is what my neighbor told me how his unit did it when I was young’en and definitely not a definitive guide to how runways or this little scraper was used during the war
Hey Matt, don’t ever feel silly about anything you do, you are us and we are you. The reason we follow you is because you don’t do anything that we haven’t or wouldn’t and the fact that you don’t disguise that is what keeps us all loyal to you. Thanks again for another great video.
Been waiting for this video. Mr. Dale Hardy, formerly of LeTourneau, whom I hope is still with us, is probably the authority on these machines. I recall he had a list of all known surviving units. If memory serves me, these were originally designed to use a one-ton truck for power (hence the rear tire size) but grew into requiring their own power unit. Dale maintained that no WWII cargo plane was large enough to air drop them in the final configuration. There were other small airdrop items made. Clark built a small crawler, Austin-Western, a grader, and LaPlante-Choate, a pull scraper. After the war, there were many of these units still state side for sale to the civilian market. Many were modified into such as waterpulls. Some received larger engines with altered front sheet metal. LeTourneau built many two drum PCU's and a few four drums. This was the only three drum unit. It is said that R. G. LeTourneau built more construction equipment for WWII than any other manufacturer. dave
Yes, but in a way, if you dropped or crash landed that thing in a glider on to a jungle island, you would need to knock down the bushes prior to scraping the dirt, sand and sea shells. I was hoping some historian or an actual operator of one of these things would comment.
I worked for LeTourneau in the machine shop in Longview TX for ten yrs. I never worked on anything this small in my time there. Lots of good memories and great guys worked there making massive machines. Keep up the great work you're doing.
There is an older gentleman north of us that has a bunch of old machines, including 2 massive LeTourneau scrapers, diesel-electric using detroit diesels. They're some cool machines that haven't been ran in a long time.
I like having someone behind the camera and a buddy or two in the shop with you. Adds an element of comradery to the mix and makes the video much more enjoyable to watch. I've been with you since you were clearing this land in your first videos. Matt and the Semi-supervillains have come a long way. Great to see this kind of progress.
@tedvandell I guess I should have been more clear. This scraper is the smallest powered scraper I have ever seen. I have seen horse drawen scrapers from the 1800s.
I had never heard of this little Pan Machine before It makes sense what you were saying about dropping it in to get started cleaning up an area for a lsnding strip. Very cool!
Hi Matt this has got to be one of the best things you have done. Having Sam and big John helping you is a highlight I think you have outshone yourself. Regards Andy from Australia
That Turn a Pull and I was born in the same year. My father was an operator of a much larger unit and I can remember as a child riding on one while they were building roads for the State of Idaho. The larger units had a push plate in the back and a dozer would give it a push in sloppy soil. Your video has brought back some great memories of my father and myself. Thank You for this video
In the early 70's (71/72} the Union Apprentice program I attended had many pieces of LeTourneau scrapers, dozers, and compactors. All purchased from military auctions. We (as young 18,19,20 year old's had a blast watching the frustration on our Instructors faces as we, at the flick of a switch, two blocked cables and watched them break. Of course, we had to help fix the broken cables while listening to the profanity of our wonderful and learned teachers. They're all gone now, I'm sure, but God bless those guys. Respect.
As soon as I saw the NDT tires and milspec budd wheels on the rear, I knew this was a military vehicle. Airborne divisions, then and now, have their own Engineer battalions just like heavy mechanized divisions do so it makes sense they'd need a scraper they could cram into a Waco glider. Super cool machine, Matt - hope to see it in person at the next steam show maybe?
When I was a boy in Iowa in the mid 70's, we had a farmer next to us that had an entire woods full of discarded antique farm equipment. I those woods, he had a very early horse drawn combine with a model T size flathead engine that only powered the combine and the whole thing was pulled by a team of Clydesdales. It still had the drawbar!
R.G. LeTourneau made about 3/4ths the Earth Moving Equipment for the Allied Forces in World War II. ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._G._LeTourneau ) The Company eventually became Komatsu for the Earth Movers. The Off Shore Drilling Platforms he manufactured went to Marathon Oil Company in the mid 60's and became Marathon LeTorneau Co. From the beginning he only kept 10% of the income and gave the rest to Christian endeavors. He still has the record of manufacturing the longest vehicle in the world for the Army at almost 600 feet long, the TC-497 Overland Train. The VC-12 Tournatrain. And the VC-22 Sno-Freighter. "Using Diesel-Electric Transmission with an electric motor at every wheel that could travel over almost any terrain." ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overland_train ) You found a good one, Matt!
There is machinery you have because you need it for work and there is machinery you have because you love it. This baby monster is for being loved and there's nothing wrong about it.
In case you need more information on LeTourneau, I worked there for 22 years. The factory has been sold to Komatsu. You have a cable model. But the later scrappers were run with AC electric motors and gears while the wheels turned by DC electric motors. Huge generators powered by either General Motors or Cummings Engines were used for propulsion. Sometimes, Caterpillar engines were used. You need to read about all of R.G. Letouneau's inventions. Most of the modern controls on off the road equipment were invented by R.G..The huge tires also were invented by R.G.
Matt, you find the best stuff! This unit is before my time, I'm 64, but like you I have a passion for old equipment. Being an old farm boy, I had an H and C Farmall, loved your vid with the M and 400! I had some other pieces of antique farm equipment that I had fully functional as well. I'm retired now and don't have the means to do things like you do anymore, THANK YOU for the great videos! You remind me of some of the best times of my life.
Those old Continental engines will run forever. My Dad has a 1952 Massey Harris Mustang tractor with the Continental engine. It never has been overhauled and it still runs😁
Deal with "Red Seal" Continentals in a lot of industrial equipment. They are simply magnificent. Absurdly well made. Used to have a contact in Grand Rapids who was an engineer for Continental, but he has sadly passed. People forget just how absurdly well made and durable, equipment of this era was.
So….how many fellows does it take to read an operation manual? Hey, we found the bleeder and OSHA violations! Matt your channel is NEVER DULL! You have good friends and helpful at locating oil gauges while troubleshooting!
The sign says clearance to the 12' line, but the chickens were stacked to 13'9. We took that top row of chickens off slicker than the scum off a lusiana swamp. Love C W MCall's Wolf Creek Pass
I remember seeing these contraptions "working" in San Francisco as a kid, doing "trim work" next to their "big cousin"; the Caterpillar DW21 Self Propelled Scraper, midway point (1955) of the construction of the California State Hwy 101 Bypass in South San Francisco. This smaller one could "really fly" leveling/smoothing the ground surface, and the sound of the multiple Caterpillar Diesel motors (I distinctly remember a line of 6 CAT DW21 Scrappers) was etched in my mind forever.
@@Jehty_ So if its airdropped into a contested zone but doesn't shoot it's not a military vehicle? Really? And you think it shouldn't have camo? Naa you've smoked the wrong tobacco sir
Why the machine is a post-war machine and this one was built for the civilian market. That to me is sort of like a person wearing a dress military uniform on Memorial Day or Veterans Day and never has served in the military.
@@pikethree I guess you didn't watch the video? This is and always has been a civilian machine. Yes, there is a military version, but this is not one of them.
You Americans have been at war for 97% of the time your country has existed destroying small nations all over the world, there never was a post war time. Secondly, this is a machine developed to be AIRDROPPED into war zones. Thirdly, it was sold to a civilian concern doesn't mean it wasn't a military machine. Fourth, it got the hard points for the parachutes .... Or did you miss that?
I'm not sure exactly what it is, the machine, the filming method, the guest appearances, the cameraman commentary, and the funny stuff mechanics say, but this may be one of the best videos you've made. I haven't stopped smiling since the begining.
My great grandfathers farm was on the road that makes the westward turn in Frankfort Springs back on Kings creek. they sold out in 1950's Leepers were their neighbors The name is Kincaid
I have watched every single video you ever put out all the way back from the very beginning. I will never get over how even today when a motor cranks over how happy you get you’re just like a kid at Christmas time never lose that exciting. I love your videos. Keep up the good work. Tiny ( Len Price ) Houston MS
Somewhere around, there are some 8 mm film footage my grandfather shot of Letourneau's equipment making the superhighway out west. My grandfather talked about earthmovers, and how efficient they were in changing the terrain. I recall seeing them at work, building highways, and the few times, watching an operator move just the forward section on two wheels without the Earth moving attachment, that must've been operator skill I always thought. They were pretty fast to doing their work, no matter how you look at it.
My father was a Marine during WWII. He was a grunt and he fought in most of the major battles. Guam Guadalcanal, Okinawa, and others. When he was alive, he told me about equipment like this they would drop in and make Airfields and roads. It was normally the Seabees that did it.
I operated a 627f and a 627g Caterpillar scraper for a few years and they often didnt have brakes. In Colorado theres obviously big "hills" we had to work on lol. What you do when youre loaded is keep your cutting edges close to the ground. What you call a bowl Matt we called a "can". If youre going too fast just lower your can and the cutting edges will slow you down. If emergency drop your can until you stop. Just some advice if needed. :). Thanks for the videos bud.
Great video Matt. I think you need to consider building a storage barn for all of your restored equipment. Anxious about the Autocar and the overhead crane. Stay safe,
This fun video illustrates why we must subscribe and urge our friends to watch Diesel Creek. Matt is a unique collector: he finds antique heavy equipment, survivors, which are worthy of his ability to restore and save them. Not many others doing this. This scraper wasn’t in the usual condition of his discoveries, but it does need his skill and TLC to get into great shape. Another oldie saved! Nice to see Matt’s buddy Smiling Sam from Scrappy Industries pitching in with his experience on vintage equipment. Another good job of editing with new features. The more we support by watching, the more Matt will be able to give us. 👍
Scrapers are still pretty heavily used today. Modern construction companies use various techniques based on the project and soil conditions. Also Matt if your ever in the NE Iowa area you should visit The Earth Moving Legacy Center in Elkader, IA. If you ask really nicely they might even let you have a go on the CAT 660 Scraper
Back on the early 90’s they were used to put in roads and level subdivisions in Las Vegas/Henderson. That volcanic & sea bed caliche would have the Biggest Cat high track dozers run through with a single ripper tooth for multiple passes. Then the big bottom scrapers would run through being pushed from behind with those same dozers. Hard stuff. The mechanics were constantly welding on those machines.
As usual, a very entertaining video. I am originally from Costa Rica and to this day any kind of scraper it`s called a tornapul. I finally understand why. Thanks, Matt, for teaching me something else without even trying!
One of my LeTourneau books talks about those Tournapulls. They also made a D2-sized Tournapull...super cute looking. Evidently they would make snap turns if you weren't easy on the steering clutches. It's awesome...but be careful.
I have been meaning to say this for a while, and its simply thank you. Your story and track on life led me to live life similar to you. It has been a great improvment of life for me and I could not have done it without. Thanks again and keep on keepin on!
In 50 years a new direct to skull mind stream entertainer will buy Matt's farm in an estate sale auction and generate hours of content getting it all running again. The circle of life. 🦁
There are plenty of projects gathering dust in Matt's garage! The Autocar & the pickup are just a few inside the shop. Many others gather mud & rust outside in his estate. It would require more hands on deck to finish all these PROJECTS b4 his time's up! Good Luck Pal! 🌹
This is so cool I watched callum's video about the LeTourneau band Train and I've seen lots of videos about other Letourneau equipment and I love seeing this come back ❤️
Ha, that was the first thing I thought when I saw the point of view from the operators seat! Between falling over the front or falling backwards, you're goner either way if you come out of that seat!
While I was in grade school, I watched the big scrapers clearing the ground for my middle school. Awesome recess times. Also saw them making part of the interstate highways.
Congratulations Matt, I know you've been looking for the the Honus Wagner baseball card, of scrapers for quite a while, to find one already semi restored is amazing. Also thanks again for the plow parts , they've helped to keep my project moving. Lee
Watching the video on the mini scraper. So glad to see some support staff for a change. I cringe at times watching you work alone. Looking forward to more content on the scraper. Be safe PLEASE.
Heres a link to that truck! facebook.com/marketplace/item/425035143701957/?mibextid=dXMIcH
What do you guys think of this neat old scraper!??
I think everything you fix or buy is killer....
@Diesel Creek Matt don't forget to flush the coolant. :)
@@DieselCreek I heard the rear tires on that scraper are the same size as a Jeep tire. In case of an emergency, you could rob the rear tires off the scraper and put them on a Jeep.
It's a really interesting little unit, I agree it's a pretty neat compact little thing for touring shows etc and fairly unique being of such a limited run. Also from a really cool background, LeTourneau had a reputation for building really awesome, forward thinking and in some cases crazy designs of equipment. They worked with the US Government in the post-war period to build massive 'Overland Train' vehicles among other things. They always had a reputation for thinking outside the mould a bit.
Ma! Come look what the cat drug home!
This was my grandfather's scraper - that's my dad and brother in the video. My kids never got to see it run - until today. Thank you so much for giving this amazing piece of machinery the work it deserves, and for the privilege of finally seeing it run! Best of luck!
I guess it really is a small world! Matt takes good care of stuff, surely you'll all get to see it do its thing in the future.
Nice one. I enjoyed seeing the old 3/4 T Samson truck, too. Very cool and it shows how far technology has changed. Thanks for your comment.
Your Grandpa is probably watching a from heaven, glowing with delight to see it running again.
@@keithhaycraft3765 He definitely is! He was a great man who loved the most strange, obscure and random tractors, trucks and equipment.
Awesome! I hope I can make him proud! I intend to get it functioning and keep taking it to shows!
I love how you collect and restore these mechanised tools that helped build America.
(In the middle of watching this, it reminded me that I was filling my swimming pool. I was just in time to stop it from overflowing. So you have helped prevent a disaster. Thank you Regards from Crete, Greece.)
What the hell it has paint and was stored indoors. I'm so disappointed in you Matt😂😂😂😂
Where is the rust and mouse house and wasp nest!!!!
@@KentuckyAk101guyyou can still get the mice and wasps indoors
Matt don’t go getting spoiled w/ indoor storage and paint on this piece. 😆
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
First time I have seen one with the push blade!
That LeTourneau Scraper was manufactured in Longview, Tx. That company is still in existence and makes some of the largest loaders, dozers, and haulers on this planet. Additionally, LeTourneau University, a private school, is located in the same community and has a phenomenal reputation for educating great engineers.
Unfortunately it's is now owed by a foreign company and is nolonger called LeTourneau. But the engineering college is still there.
Komatsu Mining Corp
Komatsu is a good company and they have respected the LeTorneau history.
What they should do for youth.
Matt, we need to talk. Your content is always great, no complaints there but I've got an incredible set of wrenching blue balls waiting for the "Overhead Crane" episode. The crane is there...the shop's got the right mounts in place and you just need to git er done. I realize it will be a huge project, but I'm guessing most DC fans would love to see a 3-4 part series of that bad boy going up. Please give this project a green light.
It’s coming! Just gotta get more ducks in a row first! 😂
@@DieselCreek Yay! 🎉🎊🥇
@@DieselCreek I'm looking forward to a few "duck!!" outcries during that overhead work!
@@DieselCreekNow your using Ducks…Those old Army Ducks 🤩😜😝🤪
@@DieselCreek Yup, Matt, that crane's gotta get up there somehow. Betcha Sam can help it happen, too.
My uncle was a SEABEE in WWII and he mentioned these machines, it was really great seeing this one. Thank you for sharing
My grandfather was as well built airstrips Island hopping.
My dad was a SEABEE, but after WW2, and 86 and still choochin’! I am the youngest of 3 at 57, use a wheelchair full time, and am assembling a rare Canadian Johnson “UtiliMotor” (different Johnson than the outboard motor company here) 2 stroke engine I bought at the Dublin, NH engine show last fall-days before the local fair-it was totally disassembled when I bought it! I have all the gasket-less cases cleaned on the mating surfaces to get the proper sealant and reassembly! It is in excellent shape and should well! Piston goes back in the bore and it goes together tomorrow, fair starts Wednesday! I love all things 2 stroke, and this one is a real rare gem! 👍🏻 Cheers! 😋
Anytime scrappy industries appears in a DC video you know it’s going to be a good one!
Ha! Matt and Sam hang around each other more than their own families. 😜
Scrappy Industries is a GOOD LOOK at DC's website! That foul-mouthed Lord Muck is NOT.
9:18 The tow bar tells me that might have hooked a land grader on for more leveling in one pass.
I love it mate.
My brother has one, it’s still in its green. Still looking for the Clark dozer that pairs with it. Be sure to contact the registry and let them know you have it. Around 2012ish when we got ours, they said ours was the 100th located. Super cool scrapers.
290 and 830 models
What registry?
@@gullreefclub there is a LeTourneau museum that keeps a list of them.
@@gullreefclub yah where’s this registry?
@@intheshopwithcraig This previous piece of missing information now makes your first statement make sense and I definitely agree that registering the machine with LeTourneau museum would be cool. Out of curiosity do you know if the museum is a virtue/on-line one or a physical museum and if so is it open to the public.
Thanks for the update and have a great day and a better tomorrow.
On the antique stuff, manuals are the measurement of happiness with a project. Without the manuals you need two projects, the first one to learn on and the second one to restore it.
FYI my dad drove them on Okinawa build runways. they laid down metal fabricated that looked like running boards that locked together. then they used the turn around to spread sand over them to level them. My dad was a sgt in the 185th engineer battalion 1944. love all the things you do.i have a pic of him on Okinawa, i ll try to send it to you. thanks
Was hoping for this comment from someone who knew how they were used.
A big thank you to your father for his service.
So he was Army Corps of Engineers rather than Seebee?
Probably Marston Mat, AKA Pierced Steel Planking, because it had more holes than metal. Even Puddin' from the Fab Shop would approve of all the die dimples.
Pott county speed holes @@BobOBob
How storied my neighbor who was a SeaBee who served in WWII they would clear the area for the runway of trees and stumps and do a rough grading with dozers and use the scaler/pan to do finish grading before laying down pierced steal planking for planes to land on. Remember this is what my neighbor told me how his unit did it when I was young’en and definitely not a definitive guide to how runways or this little scraper was used during the war
Hey Matt, don’t ever feel silly about anything you do, you are us and we are you. The reason we follow you is because you don’t do anything that we haven’t or wouldn’t and the fact that you don’t disguise that is what keeps us all loyal to you. Thanks again for another great video.
100% correct. Well said. 👍
Keep up the good work 👍👍👍
Been waiting for this video. Mr. Dale Hardy, formerly of LeTourneau, whom I hope is still with us, is probably the authority on these machines. I recall he had a list of all known surviving units.
If memory serves me, these were originally designed to use a one-ton truck for power (hence the rear tire size) but grew into requiring their own power unit. Dale maintained that no WWII cargo plane was large enough to air drop them in the final configuration. There were other small airdrop items made. Clark built a small crawler, Austin-Western, a grader, and LaPlante-Choate, a pull scraper. After the war, there were many of these units still state side for sale to the civilian market. Many were modified into such as waterpulls. Some received larger engines with altered front sheet metal. LeTourneau built many two drum PCU's and a few four drums. This was the only three drum unit. It is said that R. G. LeTourneau built more construction equipment for WWII than any other manufacturer. dave
Sam should get a tattoo with fill depth measurements on his arm. Like Adam Savages ruler tattoo.
Matt, I almost spit my coffee out when he asked about the hedge trimmer. Too funny.
Yes, but in a way, if you dropped or crash landed that thing in a glider on to a jungle island, you would need to knock down the bushes prior to scraping the dirt, sand and sea shells.
I was hoping some historian or an actual operator of one of these things would comment.
@dmwi1549 That's what the Blake is for pushing up small trees and brush up just like a dozer would do.
Love watching somebody who is a natural with the angle of dangle. Few and far between.
Yeah, Matt comes through on Sunday morning. Always a pleasure
I agree!!! Thanks Matt!
I worked for LeTourneau in the machine shop in Longview TX for ten yrs. I never worked on anything this small in my time there. Lots of good memories and great guys worked there making massive machines. Keep up the great work you're doing.
I wonder if this one was made in Toccoa, GA?
There is an older gentleman north of us that has a bunch of old machines, including 2 massive LeTourneau scrapers, diesel-electric using detroit diesels. They're some cool machines that haven't been ran in a long time.
I like having someone behind the camera and a buddy or two in the shop with you. Adds an element of comradery to the mix and makes the video much more enjoyable to watch. I've been with you since you were clearing this land in your first videos. Matt and the Semi-supervillains have come a long way. Great to see this kind of progress.
I believe that is the smallest scraper I have ever seen. So cool goes perfectly with your little grader...
Check out yesterday's Scrappy Industries video. Sam pulled out a 1926 scraper you pull behind another machine. Looks like it holds a yeard and a half.
@tedvandell I guess I should have been more clear. This scraper is the smallest powered scraper I have ever seen. I have seen horse drawen scrapers from the 1800s.
I had never heard of this little Pan Machine before It makes sense what you were saying about dropping it in to get started cleaning up an area for a lsnding strip. Very cool!
LeTourneau made some weird equipment. Like the overland train rig for Alaska freight lines. Nice score Matt.
Hi Matt this has got to be one of the best things you have done. Having Sam and big John helping you is a highlight I think you have outshone yourself.
Regards Andy from Australia
That Turn a Pull and I was born in the same year. My father was an operator of a much larger unit and I can remember as a child riding on one while they were building roads for the State of Idaho. The larger units had a push plate in the back and a dozer would give it a push in sloppy soil. Your video has brought back some great memories of my father and myself. Thank You for this video
Truly nothing like old happy memories
In the early 70's (71/72} the Union Apprentice program I attended had many pieces of LeTourneau scrapers, dozers, and compactors. All purchased from military auctions. We (as young 18,19,20 year old's had a blast watching the frustration on our Instructors faces as we, at the flick of a switch, two blocked cables and watched them break. Of course, we had to help fix the broken cables while listening to the profanity of our wonderful and learned teachers. They're all gone now, I'm sure, but God bless those guys. Respect.
As soon as I saw the NDT tires and milspec budd wheels on the rear, I knew this was a military vehicle. Airborne divisions, then and now, have their own Engineer battalions just like heavy mechanized divisions do so it makes sense they'd need a scraper they could cram into a Waco glider. Super cool machine, Matt - hope to see it in person at the next steam show maybe?
I was trying to have it there at the last show. Couldn’t pull it off.
When I was a boy in Iowa in the mid 70's, we had a farmer next to us that had an entire woods full of discarded antique farm equipment. I those woods, he had a very early horse drawn combine with a model T size flathead engine that only powered the combine and the whole thing was pulled by a team of Clydesdales. It still had the drawbar!
R.G. LeTourneau made about 3/4ths the Earth Moving Equipment for the Allied Forces in World War II. ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._G._LeTourneau ) The Company eventually became Komatsu for the Earth Movers. The Off Shore Drilling Platforms he manufactured went to Marathon Oil Company in the mid 60's and became Marathon LeTorneau Co. From the beginning he only kept 10% of the income and gave the rest to Christian endeavors. He still has the record of manufacturing the longest vehicle in the world for the Army at almost 600 feet long, the TC-497 Overland Train. The VC-12 Tournatrain. And the VC-22 Sno-Freighter. "Using Diesel-Electric Transmission with an electric motor at every wheel that could travel over almost any terrain." ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overland_train ) You found a good one, Matt!
LeTourneau grad here. There were two scrapers (on steel wheels) on campus in the late 1970's. Cool to see here, glad to see the heritage remembered.
There is machinery you have because you need it for work and there is machinery you have because you love it. This baby monster is for being loved and there's nothing wrong about it.
In case you need more information on LeTourneau, I worked there for 22 years. The factory has been sold to Komatsu. You have a cable model. But the later scrappers were run with AC electric motors and gears while the wheels turned by DC electric motors. Huge generators powered by either General Motors or Cummings Engines were used for propulsion. Sometimes, Caterpillar engines were used. You need to read about all of R.G. Letouneau's inventions. Most of the modern controls on off the road equipment were invented by R.G..The huge tires also were invented by R.G.
Matt, you find the best stuff! This unit is before my time, I'm 64, but like you I have a passion for old equipment. Being an old farm boy, I had an H and C Farmall, loved your vid with the M and 400! I had some other pieces of antique farm equipment that I had fully functional as well. I'm retired now and don't have the means to do things like you do anymore, THANK YOU for the great videos! You remind me of some of the best times of my life.
There’s a lot of us in the same boat my friend 😢
Those old Continental engines will run forever. My Dad has a 1952 Massey Harris Mustang tractor with the Continental engine. It never has been overhauled and it still runs😁
Deal with "Red Seal" Continentals in a lot of industrial equipment.
They are simply magnificent. Absurdly well made.
Used to have a contact in Grand Rapids who was an engineer for Continental, but he has sadly passed.
People forget just how absurdly well made and durable, equipment of this era was.
So….how many fellows does it take to read an operation manual? Hey, we found the bleeder and OSHA violations! Matt your channel is NEVER DULL! You have good friends and helpful at locating oil gauges while troubleshooting!
Perfect timing. Enjoying my coffee with a Diesel Creek video. Couldn't get better.
The sign says clearance to the 12' line, but the chickens were stacked to 13'9. We took that top row of chickens off slicker than the scum off a lusiana swamp. Love C W MCall's Wolf Creek Pass
I have to say however, if he hits that tunnel at 110 in that scraper, he has far bigger problems than the tunnel....
Like gas through a funnel and eggs through a hen!
..down and around and around and down, til we run outta ground at the edge of town....
Right into the feed store in downtown Pagosa Springs
What a neat old piece of machinery! Thank goodness for people like you Matt for giving these old machines from the past a future!
I remember seeing these contraptions "working" in San Francisco as a kid, doing "trim work" next to their "big cousin"; the Caterpillar DW21 Self Propelled Scraper, midway point (1955) of the construction of the California State Hwy 101 Bypass in South San Francisco. This smaller one could "really fly" leveling/smoothing the ground surface, and the sound of the multiple Caterpillar Diesel motors (I distinctly remember a line of 6 CAT DW21 Scrappers) was etched in my mind forever.
Matt, you should paint it up like it would have been when air dropped onto a pacific atoll during WWII, that would bring some military nostalgia too.
Military nostalgia for a non military vehicle??
@@Jehty_
So if its airdropped into a contested zone but doesn't shoot it's not a military vehicle? Really? And you think it shouldn't have camo? Naa you've smoked the wrong tobacco sir
Why the machine is a post-war machine and this one was built for the civilian market. That to me is sort of like a person wearing a dress military uniform on Memorial Day or Veterans Day and never has served in the military.
@@pikethree I guess you didn't watch the video?
This is and always has been a civilian machine. Yes, there is a military version, but this is not one of them.
You Americans have been at war for 97% of the time your country has existed destroying small nations all over the world, there never was a post war time.
Secondly, this is a machine developed to be AIRDROPPED into war zones.
Thirdly, it was sold to a civilian concern doesn't mean it wasn't a military machine.
Fourth, it got the hard points for the parachutes ....
Or did you miss that?
I'm so glad that your autocar still exists
RG wrote the best book ever. Mover of Men and Mountains!! Awesome, find Matt.
I'm not sure exactly what it is, the machine, the filming method, the guest appearances, the cameraman commentary, and the funny stuff mechanics say, but this may be one of the best videos you've made. I haven't stopped smiling since the begining.
Matt have someone build some bench seats for the bowl and you can take kids for rides at car shows and equipment shows, and parades
My great grandfathers farm was on the road that makes the westward turn in Frankfort Springs back on Kings creek. they sold out in 1950's Leepers were their neighbors The name is Kincaid
1922 Samson, A LOT OF LOVE WENT INTO THAT RESTORE. Thanks for sharing.
Janesville, WI.
Ended up becoming part of GM
and the assembly plant used to produce many Chevy cars and ultimately trucks before it closed.
The moment I saw this thumbnail I was excited! Always recognise a Tournapull!
I commented on your last video I’d gotten one lol
@@DieselCreek I need to come over for a tour some day! You've too much cool stuff haha
Anytime buddy
I have watched every single video you ever put out all the way back from the very beginning. I will never get over how even today when a motor cranks over how happy you get you’re just like a kid at Christmas time never lose that exciting. I love your videos. Keep up the good work. Tiny ( Len Price ) Houston MS
Somewhere around, there are some 8 mm film footage my grandfather shot of Letourneau's equipment making the superhighway out west. My grandfather talked about earthmovers, and how efficient they were in changing the terrain. I recall seeing them at work, building highways, and the few times, watching an operator move just the forward section on two wheels without the Earth moving attachment, that must've been operator skill I always thought. They were pretty fast to doing their work, no matter how you look at it.
Enjoying watching the video just before my Sunday dinner in UK. 1947 was my year of birth.
Yeh I feel young 😅
Wow. I'm sure you have some stories. Enjoy Sunday dinner old timer 😅
A true mechanic, u can see the joy on his face when it fired up! Love these videos.
Just what my day needed hope all is well matt
What a cool piece of machinery! I can see why you wanted one. Scott
My father was a Marine during WWII. He was a grunt and he fought in most of the major battles. Guam Guadalcanal, Okinawa, and others. When he was alive, he told me about equipment like this they would drop in and make Airfields and roads. It was normally the Seabees that did it.
I operated a 627f and a 627g Caterpillar scraper for a few years and they often didnt have brakes. In Colorado theres obviously big "hills" we had to work on lol.
What you do when youre loaded is keep your cutting edges close to the ground. What you call a bowl Matt we called a "can". If youre going too fast just lower your can and the cutting edges will slow you down. If emergency drop your can until you stop.
Just some advice if needed. :). Thanks for the videos bud.
Finally, a video after two weeks.
Nice catch, they were air dropped on islands in the pacific for runways .They are very nasty going down hill as I understand
As a seasoned 627/637 operator, this little gem is awesome.
She is a runner in awesome old machine.....Thank you Matt for the fun video......
Old F-4 Pilot Shoe🇺🇸
Great video Matt. I think you need to consider building a storage barn for all of your restored equipment. Anxious about the Autocar and the overhead crane. Stay safe,
This fun video illustrates why we must subscribe and urge our friends to watch Diesel Creek. Matt is a unique collector: he finds antique heavy equipment, survivors, which are worthy of his ability to restore and save them. Not many others doing this. This scraper wasn’t in the usual condition of his discoveries, but it does need his skill and TLC to get into great shape. Another oldie saved! Nice to see Matt’s buddy Smiling Sam from Scrappy Industries pitching in with his experience on vintage equipment. Another good job of editing with new features. The more we support by watching, the more Matt will be able to give us. 👍
What a neat old machine. Cool addition to the collection, and awesome that you're going to preserve it and maybe use it some.
So happy to see you back mate hope you’re doing well and staying safe and healthy and your family and your friends thank you for sharing this with us
Scrapers are still pretty heavily used today. Modern construction companies use various techniques based on the project and soil conditions. Also Matt if your ever in the NE Iowa area you should visit The Earth Moving Legacy Center in Elkader, IA. If you ask really nicely they might even let you have a go on the CAT 660 Scraper
Back on the early 90’s they were used to put in roads and level subdivisions in Las Vegas/Henderson.
That volcanic & sea bed caliche would have the Biggest Cat high track dozers run through with a single ripper tooth for multiple passes. Then the big bottom scrapers would run through being pushed from behind with those same dozers. Hard stuff. The mechanics were constantly welding on those machines.
That's a fine machine Matt. It should do everything you need it to do and more. Great find.
Matt,
You should video some of this old equipment in use for digging the basement and finishing the site for your new house.
As usual, a very entertaining video. I am originally from Costa Rica and to this day any kind of scraper it`s called a tornapul. I finally understand why. Thanks, Matt, for teaching me something else without even trying!
One of my LeTourneau books talks about those Tournapulls. They also made a D2-sized Tournapull...super cute looking. Evidently they would make snap turns if you weren't easy on the steering clutches. It's awesome...but be careful.
I have been meaning to say this for a while, and its simply thank you. Your story and track on life led me to live life similar to you. It has been a great improvment of life for me and I could not have done it without. Thanks again and keep on keepin on!
You work hard. You deserve an easy win every once in a while. Good for you.
I understand, keep on doing your rescues!
That's nice. A scraper you can trim the hedges with.
They don't make those any more.
Morning Matt, that's what I like about your channel, you're into preserving vintage equipment! I've heard of Samson trucks, not many left..
Perfect way to start a Sunday! ☕️
Great video. Machine has lots of potential and I think you are just the guy to bring it around! Thanks for being real.
That scraper is brand new compared to the equipment you usually rescue...should be a piece of cake to revive😜 Have a great Sunday Matt👍
Great friendship you have with Sam!!
He’s a great guy! Big John ain’t
So bad either
In 50 years a new direct to skull mind stream entertainer will buy Matt's farm in an estate sale auction and generate hours of content getting it all running again. The circle of life. 🦁
In 50 ? Years... how old do you think Matt is...? If you would have said 200 years or after the next ice age.lol😁
Matt is roughly 30. 50 years would make him 80. There's a solid chance he doesn't make it that long
@@charlesbendal6995man you sure got the future figured out 🙄
There are plenty of projects gathering dust in Matt's garage! The Autocar & the pickup are just a few inside the shop. Many others gather mud & rust outside in his estate. It would require more hands on deck to finish all these PROJECTS b4 his time's up! Good Luck Pal! 🌹
Nothing like the Matt and Sam show to start morning.
Congratulations, Matt you struck gold
This is a cool piece of machinery
Congratulations on the scraper purchase! She looks and sounds Awesome! Thank you for posting 😀
0:11 don't think we didn't notice the discovery in the background. Lord muck rubbed off on you?
Muck wouldn't entertain one of those pieces of crap... surely?
Just saw that, never thought I’d see one of those on this channel!
@@Justprint88Those old diesel trucks and machines are too easy... He needs something challenging!
This is so cool I watched callum's video about the LeTourneau band Train and I've seen lots of videos about other Letourneau equipment and I love seeing this come back ❤️
It found a good new home with you Matt.
I have always been fascinated with old machinery. I like what you do. keep it going.
I love the self correcting subtitles. That's always been a Matt trademark.
Thanks for showing us something i never knew existed.
Enjoyed the team effort on this old scraper. Great work bringing it back to prime time.
Pretty cool looking widow maker
Ha, that was the first thing I thought when I saw the point of view from the operators seat! Between falling over the front or falling backwards, you're goner either way if you come out of that seat!
While I was in grade school, I watched the big scrapers clearing the ground for my middle school. Awesome recess times. Also saw them making part of the interstate highways.
Le Tourneau. That is a name I haven't heard in a long long time. Cat Partsman 73-09
Congratulations Matt, I know you've been looking for the the Honus Wagner baseball card, of scrapers for quite a while, to find one already semi restored is amazing. Also thanks again for the plow parts , they've helped to keep my project moving. Lee
Was waiting on this video , seen it in the background of a few videos .
Super cool
I can not believe you found a Tourna Pull. So envious. Wanted some of his equipment ever since I read "Mover of Men and Mountains" as a kid.
Remember children, even back then, they didnt make some stuff mechanic friendly 😂
🤣 but they did it right
Thanks Matt, I always enjoy seeing you working on the older gear. Good to see Roscoe in the background
During a live newscast Friday, KTVU Channel 2 reported the names of the flight crew as: “Sum Ting Wong,” “Wi Tu Lo,” “Ho Lee Fuk,” and “Bang Ding Ow.”
Watching the video on the mini scraper. So glad to see some support staff for a change. I cringe at times watching you work alone. Looking forward to more content on the scraper.
Be safe PLEASE.