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LeTourneau Technologies

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(Redirected from Letourneau Earthmovers)

LeTourneau Technologies, Inc. was an American manufacturer of heavy construction equipment founded by R. G. LeTourneau. In 2011, the company was acquired by Joy Global.

History

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LeTourneau tree crusher, Long Binh Post, South Vietnam 27 September 1967

R. G. LeTourneau founded R.G. LeTourneau, Inc. in California in 1929, as a contractor of earthmoving equipment, which manufactured products in Longview, Texas.[1][better source needed]

During World War II, the company provided nearly 75% of the Allies' earthmoving equipment.[2] In 1954, it built the first jack-up drilling rig.[citation needed] In 1955, it made the first log-stacker machine.[citation needed] In 1965, the company made the first straddle carrier.[citation needed][clarification needed]

LeTourneau had spent the early 1950s perfecting a diesel-electric drivetrain for multi-wheeled heavy-machinery.[citation needed] The system—somewhat similar in concept to the sort used on many locomotives –used a diesel combustion engine to spin an electric generator, which would send its power to hub motors mounted to each wheel of the vehicle.[2] This allowed for multi-wheel-drive without differentials, driveshafts, or the drivetrain losses associated with them.[citation needed]

For the Distant Early Warning Line (DEW line) project, Western Electric and Alaska Freightlines, with the help of TRADCOM (U.S. Army Transportation Research and Development Command), contracted to have a pair of off-road over-land trains, the TC-264 Sno-Buggy, designed specifically for Arctic conditions, to be built by LeTourneau Technologies. The TC-264 Sno-Buggy was the longest off-road vehicle ever built at the time, with its six cars (including the locomotive) measuring a total of 274 feet. Each car was driven by four 7.3 foot-tall wheels and tires. The 24-wheel-drive was powered by two 400 horsepower Cummins diesel engines connected to a hub motor. It had a payload capacity of 150 tons, and could traverse nearly any terrain. It had a very successful first season hauling freight to the DEW Line.[3]

LeTourneau sold most of his company to Westinghouse Air Brake Company in 1953, for US$ 31M.[2] In 1970, just after the death of the founder, the company[clarification needed] was sold to Marathon Manufacturing Company and was renamed Marathon LeTourneau Company.[citation needed]

In 1994, Rowan (now Valaris Limited), which had used the company to manufacture its drilling rigs, acquired the company from General Cable for $50 million.[4][5]

In 2011, Rowan (now Valaris Limited) sold LeTourneau Technologies to Joy Global.[6] Joy Global subsequently sold LeTourneau's Drilling, Marine, and Power divisions to Cameron International.[7]

In 2016, Keppel Corporation acquired LeTourneau Offshore Products (jackups, cranes, and elevating units) from Cameron, while Cameron retained the LeTourneau Drilling Products division.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Komatsu: Who We Are". Komatsu Limited.
  2. ^ a b c Karwatka, Dennis (2006). "Technology's Past: R. G. LeTourneau and His Massive Earth-Moving Equipment". Tech Directions. 65 (10): 8. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  3. ^ Holderith, Peter (25 May 2020). "The Incredible Story of the US Army's Earth-Shaking, Off-Road Land Trains". the drive.com. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  4. ^ "ROWAN COMPANIES INC, Form 10-K, Annual Report, Filing Date Mar 16, 2005". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  5. ^ "Rowan Buys Marathon LeTourneau From General Cable". AP News. November 10, 1993. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  6. ^ "Rowan Announces Agreement to Sell LeTourneau Technologies, Inc" (Press release). PR Newswire. May 16, 2011.
  7. ^ Koyitty, Bijoy (August 31, 2011). "Joy Global sells LeTourneau's drilling unit; shares up". Reuters.
  8. ^ Furr, Laura (August 31, 2015). "Cameron sells offshore rig business". American City Business Journals.

Further reading

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