Surviving LeTourneau Machines

[Harold Biondo]

New video I came across while looking for a picture of one of those. It's an LeTourneau M2 Guided Missile Erector, distantly related to the Tournapull. These were used by the Army to transport the Corporal nuclear missile. Prior to this I didn't know of any to still exist. It came from somewhere in northern Nevada where they wanted to use it as a pole planter, and now it's gone to a LeTourneau collector in Alabama.

 

[DDoug]

I'm surprised that RG would build such a machine ^^^^ with his background.

 

[Deere500a]

80% of Nevada is government owned land lot of Military depots & testing. Lot of open land to trespass on don't check the map. One open spot locals know about but stayed away from was a WWll surplus cruiser turret north of Las Vegas that was planted there in 1957 to protect camera equipment from the fallout of those missiles. The area is still hot but it became a tourist must see & idiots 4 wheeling the gov had to fence it off.

 

[Deere500a]

 

[skyking1]

I had to look that up.

 

[Harold Biondo]

I'm surprised that RG would build such a machine ^^^^ with his background.

It is a bit of a contradiction, but what can you do. LeTourneau was a major producer of artillery shells during WW2. Most of his military vehicles were engineering focused, but there were a couple of combat vehicles. The "Land Battleship" from 1943 was meant to transport 155mm and 8-inch artillery pieces. It was made out of two Model A-6 Tournapulls put together. The Army didn't want it because of how enormous and ungainly it was. They tried again in 1957 with a design called the Wheeled Weapons Locomotor, which was for the same purpose and was similar in design to the Series T Transporter, but that one wasn't built.