@@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!
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! 😋
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
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
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.
cool machine. I love antique stuff cuz i'm antique. Most of my stuff was military but unfortunately most of them went with two divorces. I love your new scraper.
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.
@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 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.)
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.
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.
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 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
Matt, as always, I enjoy all your videos. But this one particular I enjoyed the most as you had a lot of shenanigans between you, Sam and John. If you were able to do more of videos like that, that would be cool. Makes me feel like I’m in the barn with you.
@@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?
That is awesome Matt, I agree with the others, seems way to clean, neat and pristine for you but … cool as especially with the hedge trimmer option 😂 That particular option is gonna come in so handy, and amuse and amaze every one at the steam show. I can see you trimming roads and trimming hedges all in the one pass. As always thanks for the entertainment and laugh.👍
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 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.
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.
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
Matt, I wouldnt have been any the wiser if youd not corrected the door *apron or bucket *bowl. Great video as ever and great you managed to finally score an item off your bucket *bowl list 😉😄
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
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 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! 🌹
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; I just saw on FB Marketplace last night a small Bucyrus Erie machine that comes with a boom for a dragline and a crane with 3 or 4 buckets that's right up your alley. EVELETH, MN. is up on the MN. Iron Range in northern, MN.
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.
Robert Letourneau contributed so much to the earth moving industry. I'm glad you got your hands on a piece of Letourneau history. I'm hoping to see this at National Pike next year!
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,
As a youngster in the 50,s in Calgary, Alberta my parents purchased a home at the edge of the prairies. We used watch rhe large version of these Letourneaus , often a second one pushing the front one as they leveled the prairies to build new subdivisions. They were as mentioned light green in color. In the Canadian North some of the companies equipment built especially for the North and its development still remains, slowly secoming to the elements. Theres much more to the companies contribution to the North. Look it up if your interested.
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.
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.
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!
Dear Mr. Creek, when she fired up I realised I had a massive smile on my face - brought some happiness to me, a sad old man thousands of miles away across the pond. Great effort and well done. Best regards from 🇬🇧
Scrapers are still made and used a lot around the world , best way to move a lot of dirt , check out south cal earthmovers , you should know this , I’ve spent years on scrapers from the earlier ones to modern
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.
When I first saw your scraper, I thought you had found my "TONKA" Ride on scraper toy that I had had when I was 7yars old !!!!!!! You gotta put the TONKA name badges on the side panels. I LOVE your channel, and look forward to watching your weekly progress, keep up the good work !!!
Thanks for rolling the dice on this little LeTourneau. I can only imagine how much it cost. I think lots of us viewers enjoy the fact that you FIND it, FIX it, and then WORK it. Too many pieces of equipment just sit in a museum or private collection and never get worked or showcased. Your right about their not being a lot of content on LeTourneau equipment. Thanks again and look forward to the next episode. Screaming metal death trap lol.
• That's a pretty snazzy scraper, Matt. Well done and congratulations on the acquisition. • That Samson truck is interesting, with its manually-oiled valve system. • Yeah, it makes sense that those baby scrapers would be glider-borne back in WWII. I don't think they had any aircraft at that point with tailgate deployment capability, so everything had to go out the side doors, particularly on the C-47 aircraft. But gliders would open up across the circumference of the fuselage and give full access to the cargo space. But boy I wouldn't want to ride in a glider. Think "WWI fighter construction, scaled up to a cargo aircraft with tubes and fabric skins", and you'll be on the right track. • The fellow who did the restoration 10 years ago did a great job protecting the steel on that scraper. That's wonderful to see (mostly because I know YOU won't paint it. 😜 • Hi Sam! Great to see you. • Heh. Jeopardy theme as Matt reads the manual. 😆 • Oh, and Big John. Hey buddy. • LOL! A 10,000 lb. hedge trimmer! • Thank you, Hanson (cable shovel?) for the oil pressure gauge donation. And thank you for being there, Sam. Sometimes Matt benefits from a little adult supervision. 🥲 • Hey, was someone just singing the "OSHA Violations" tune? 😃 • Mmmmm. Borescope/endoscope. An invaluable tool for examination and troubleshooting. • Go, go PIG Mat! • Hey Matt, does Eva know that you continue to "repurpose" her emery boards to clean the points on old gasoline engines? 🙂 • WooHoo! It...is...alive! Mostly. • Those wheel clutches for steering turned out to be quite a challenge. Here's hoping you can get them addressed on the next video for this beauty. • Hi Roscoe. Thanks for posting this, Matt. Great fun. 🙂
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!
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.
They also made the most famous vehicle the snow trains and invented the in hub gear reducted electric motor
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! 😋
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!!!!
@@AvtomatKentucky101you 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!
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.
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.
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 👍👍👍
Yeah, Matt comes through on Sunday morning. Always a pleasure
I agree!!! Thanks Matt!
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.
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
This is my favorite machine on your channel Matt. I can't wait until you finish it.
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
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!
What a neat old piece of machinery! Thank goodness for people like you Matt for giving these old machines from the past a future!
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
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 😢
cool machine. I love antique stuff cuz i'm antique. Most of my stuff was military but unfortunately most of them went with two divorces. I love your new scraper.
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.
1922 truck... Some of the very FIRST TRUCKS IN THE WORLD. Hopefully, saved forever and never destroyed. Really really cool.
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 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.)
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.
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.
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.
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
Matt, as always, I enjoy all your videos. But this one particular I enjoyed the most as you had a lot of shenanigans between you, Sam and John. If you were able to do more of videos like that, that would be cool. Makes me feel like I’m in the barn with you.
LeTourneau made some weird equipment. Like the overland train rig for Alaska freight lines. Nice score Matt.
So jealous Matt, what a fantastic machine I don't suppose you'd like to donate it to a fan in Australia. Shipping included of course 😅
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?
That is awesome Matt, I agree with the others, seems way to clean, neat and pristine for you but … cool as especially with the hedge trimmer option 😂 That particular option is gonna come in so handy, and amuse and amaze every one at the steam show. I can see you trimming roads and trimming hedges all in the one pass. As always thanks for the entertainment and laugh.👍
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?
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.
I'm so glad that your autocar still exists
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.
I nearly spat out my coffee when Matt inquired about the hedge trimmer. Too absurd.
I can't wait to see it running and moving dirt!!
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
After fixing the breaks and tuning it, at the top of your To Do List is PUT A MUFFLER ON IT!!!
😄😁😆😅😂🤣
Perfect timing. Enjoying my coffee with a Diesel Creek video. Couldn't get better.
Matt, I wouldnt have been any the wiser if youd not corrected the door *apron or bucket *bowl. Great video as ever and great you managed to finally score an item off your bucket *bowl list 😉😄
What a neat old machine. Cool addition to the collection, and awesome that you're going to preserve it and maybe use it some.
Thanks
Thank you!!
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
This is one a kind machine. Your a lucky man too own it. Thanks for keeping old iron working
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 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!
Janesville, WI.
Ended up becoming part of GM
and the assembly plant used to produce many Chevy cars and ultimately trucks before it closed.
RG wrote the best book ever. Mover of Men and Mountains!! Awesome, find Matt.
I was wondering when you were going to save a scraper. You out did yourself with this one. Cheers from frostbitten Canada....😊
As a seasoned 627/637 operator, this little gem is awesome.
I understand, keep on doing your rescues!
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! 🌹
Love watching somebody who is a natural with the angle of dangle. Few and far between.
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 😅
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.
Finally, a video after two weeks.
Matt; I just saw on FB Marketplace last night a small Bucyrus Erie machine that comes with a boom for a dragline and a crane with 3 or 4 buckets that's right up your alley. EVELETH, MN. is up on the MN. Iron Range in northern, MN.
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.
Robert Letourneau contributed so much to the earth moving industry. I'm glad you got your hands on a piece of Letourneau history. I'm hoping to see this at National Pike next year!
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,
As a youngster in the 50,s in Calgary, Alberta my parents purchased a home at the edge of the prairies. We used watch rhe large version of these Letourneaus , often a second one pushing the front one as they leveled the prairies to build new subdivisions. They were as mentioned light green in color. In the Canadian North some of the companies equipment built especially for the North and its development still remains, slowly secoming to the elements. Theres much more to the companies contribution to the North. Look it up if your interested.
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.
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.
Matt,
You should video some of this old equipment in use for digging the basement and finishing the site for your new house.
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
Throw back footage! It's impressive this machine is run with a little continental. Fun video Matt! 👍😁
You work hard. You deserve an easy win every once in a while. Good for you.
Thanks!
Thanks so much!
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👍
Nice catch, they were air dropped on islands in the pacific for runways .They are very nasty going down hill as I understand
Perfect way to start a Sunday! ☕️
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
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!
How on Earth did I miss this one! Awesome!
This is a cool piece of machinery
Dear Mr. Creek, when she fired up I realised I had a massive smile on my face - brought some happiness to me, a sad old man thousands of miles away across the pond. Great effort and well done. Best regards from 🇬🇧
Glad you enjoyed it
I love the self correcting subtitles. That's always been a Matt trademark.
Thanks for showing us something i never knew existed.
Scrapers are still made and used a lot around the world , best way to move a lot of dirt , check out south cal earthmovers , you should know this , I’ve spent years on scrapers from the earlier ones to modern
It found a good new home with you Matt.
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.
Nothing like the Matt and Sam show to start morning.
When I first saw your scraper, I thought you had found my "TONKA" Ride on scraper toy that I had had when I was 7yars old !!!!!!! You gotta put the TONKA name badges on the side panels. I LOVE your channel, and look forward to watching your weekly progress, keep up the good work !!!
Remember children, even back then, they didnt make some stuff mechanic friendly 😂
🤣 but they did it right
Hello Matt that is a very nice small machine I look forward to seeing you get this one up and running 👌👍.
Ralph in the UK
Was waiting on this video , seen it in the background of a few videos .
Super cool
Thanks for rolling the dice on this little LeTourneau. I can only imagine how much it cost. I think lots of us viewers enjoy the fact that you FIND it, FIX it, and then WORK it. Too many pieces of equipment just sit in a museum or private collection and never get worked or showcased. Your right about their not being a lot of content on LeTourneau equipment. Thanks again and look forward to the next episode. Screaming metal death trap lol.
Le Tourneau. That is a name I haven't heard in a long long time. Cat Partsman 73-09
• That's a pretty snazzy scraper, Matt. Well done and congratulations on the acquisition.
• That Samson truck is interesting, with its manually-oiled valve system.
• Yeah, it makes sense that those baby scrapers would be glider-borne back in WWII. I don't think they had any aircraft at that point with tailgate deployment capability, so everything had to go out the side doors, particularly on the C-47 aircraft. But gliders would open up across the circumference of the fuselage and give full access to the cargo space. But boy I wouldn't want to ride in a glider. Think "WWI fighter construction, scaled up to a cargo aircraft with tubes and fabric skins", and you'll be on the right track.
• The fellow who did the restoration 10 years ago did a great job protecting the steel on that scraper. That's wonderful to see (mostly because I know YOU won't paint it. 😜
• Hi Sam! Great to see you.
• Heh. Jeopardy theme as Matt reads the manual. 😆
• Oh, and Big John. Hey buddy.
• LOL! A 10,000 lb. hedge trimmer!
• Thank you, Hanson (cable shovel?) for the oil pressure gauge donation. And thank you for being there, Sam. Sometimes Matt benefits from a little adult supervision. 🥲
• Hey, was someone just singing the "OSHA Violations" tune? 😃
• Mmmmm. Borescope/endoscope. An invaluable tool for examination and troubleshooting.
• Go, go PIG Mat!
• Hey Matt, does Eva know that you continue to "repurpose" her emery boards to clean the points on old gasoline engines? 🙂
• WooHoo! It...is...alive! Mostly.
• Those wheel clutches for steering turned out to be quite a challenge. Here's hoping you can get them addressed on the next video for this beauty.
• Hi Roscoe.
Thanks for posting this, Matt. Great fun. 🙂
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.”