Thomas Berry

Thomas Berry is an Archivist for the Historical Construction Equipment Association.

More from Thomas Berry
In honor of CONEXPO-CON/AGG, here's a look at the 1925 Road Show. This year's attendees aren't going to see the unveiling of the brand-new Northwest Engineering crane line, or T. L. Smith dry batch pavers, Bucyrus and Byers shovels and Charles Hvass & Company asphalt and street maintenance equipment, or among the scores of new machines to be introduced this year.
A Brief History of CONEXPO-CON/AGG
Expansion beyond road construction inspired a name change to the Construction Equipment Exposition in 1960, finally ConExpo in 1975, the last to be held in Chicago.
February 22, 2023
Not all of LeTourneau’s telescopic scrapers were unusually large. This Model LU Carryall has only an 11-yard heaped capacity, but this image shows the significant effect of the loading of the first of two buckets. It will soon be moved back, and the second bucket will load in its place.
Telescoping Bowl Scrapers
This technology was developed to eliminate needing the high power required to force the load down the entire length of the frame.
January 5, 2023
Who needs diesel engines and hydraulics, anyway? A 1918 Russell & Company 30/90 traction engine owned by Jim Lashaway of Bowling Green, Ohio, pulls two 1920 Baker Maney D wheeled scrapers and a 1929 Galion Leaning Wheel E-Z Lift No. 10 pull grader from the museum’s collection.
HCEA Convention Illustrates Equipment Evolution
The HCEA Museum will host the show again next year, September 22 to September 24.
December 9, 2022
Image 1. A Euclid TDT series twin-power scraper’s extra power helped it take a healthy load of clay on the Massachusetts Turnpike in 1956.
Euclid’s Twin-Power Concept
The basis of this concept was powering each drive axle of a truck or scraper with its own diesel engine and powertrain.
September 26, 2022
This Austin-Western 12-Yard Hydraulic Scraper is being tested at Moffat Coal Company near Sparta, Illinois, on June 25, 1936. Austin-Western also offered three smaller scrapers operated by cable. (R. G. LeTourneau, Inc. photograph, Maier-Daily Papers)
Hydraulic Graders and Scrapers
The earliest graders and scrapers relied on manual or mechanical control to operate the blade or bowl, not hydraulics.
August 2, 2022
The immense Series LT-360 (Model A-8) electric-digger. Imagine the fuel bill at more than $5.00 per gallon for eight 16-cylinder diesel engines on one machine. Rising fuel costs contributed to the demise of many of Mr. LeTourneau’s multi-engine ideas.
The Electric Wheel
In 1950 when LeTourneau unveiled the technology, it was a breakthrough.
June 9, 2022
1. One of Mr. R. G.’s numerous outside-the-box, as it were, ideas was a Tournapull-powered means of pouring concrete buildings in place as a quick remedy to housing shortages. His system to achieve this revolved around the Tournalayer, a wildly overwidth trailer for A and B Tournapulls. The Tournalayer carried the complete outside forms for the structure to be poured, and after the inner forms for the outer walls had been erected the Tournalayer would be backed so as to position the outer forms above them, and then the outer forms would be lowered over the inner.
Tournapull Attachments
Robert G. LeTourneau made several advancements in attachment designs for construction equipment.
February 16, 2022
The first scraper to be equipped with pneumatic tires is pulled by an Allis-Chalmers crawler tractor in California’s Imperial Valley in August 1932.
The First True Motor Scraper
The Model A Tournapull could be yoked to a single-axle scraper in such a way as to allow for extreme maneuverability, offering greater speed and productivity for earthmoving projects.
January 21, 2022
The first scraper to be equipped with pneumatic tires is pulled by an Allis-Chalmers crawler tractor in California’s Imperial Valley in August 1932.
Pneumatic Tires for Scrapers
The invention of pneumatic tires improved maneuverability of scrapers and other construction equipment, particularly in soft ground conditions.
November 1, 2021
A LeTourneau Double-Drum Power Control Unit enables this Cat D7 to operate both a dozer and a pull ripper. The scene is a placer gold mine operated by Parker Brothers Corporation and Last Chance Gulch, near Helena, MT.
Cable Control for Tractor-Drawn Equipment
LeTourneau's Power Control Unit utilized wire rope and enabled control of two devices as a means of improving performance of dozers and other heavy machinery.
September 17, 2021
LeTourneau’s Self-Propelled Scraper was many years ahead of its time in both its concept and powertrain. It’s doing work a tractor-drawn scraper could not, discharging fill to the end of a levee with its front axle chocked.
The First Self-Propelled Scraper
Although not as successful as other LeTourneau designs, the first self-propelled scraper featured technologies that would years later become industry standards.
August 13, 2021
LeTourneau sold the Mountain Mover to an Eph Hahn in 1926. Here it is, sporting modifications made by the Hahns, including solid steel front wheels in place of the original spoked wheels and lowering the framework above the scoop to make it easier to transport.
The Mountain Mover
R. G. LeTourneau's development of a scraper with two bowls, one moving back and forth within the other in a telescoping motion, increased earthmoving capacity.
July 14, 2021
R. G. LeTourneau operates his Holt 75 crawler tractor and his Full-Drag scraper, the first scraper designed to be operated from a tractor.
The First Tractor-Controlled Scraper
R. G. LeTourneau's remote-control system enabled a scraper to be controlled from a tractor, reducing labor costs.
June 15, 2021
R. G. LeTourneau
The Great Innovator R. G. LeTourneau
Robert Gilmore LeTourneau had an unequalled impact on the earthmoving equipment industry, holding nearly 300 patents in equipment design and manufacturing processes.
April 12, 2021
A conventional Fresno scraper. The earliest version had small wheels on the leading edge in place of the side runners.
The Fresno Scraper
The Fresno-type scraper offered a combination of width and shallow depth front to back to easily load and move large capacities of material.
February 5, 2021
Operator aerobics! A Smith & Sons Royal riding wheeled scraper gave a man a workout, leaning forward and back on the platform to operate the scraper while keeping the team under control. This is his position during dumping.
The First Wheeled Scrapers
The wheeled scraper became a matter of necessity for the construction industry due to the need for improved earthmoving capabilities.
December 22, 2020
Etching of a mouldebart, the earliest known scraper.
The First Scrapers
The scraper was invented as a manually-assisted self-loading and self-dumping device for increased earthmoving efficiency.
October 23, 2020
A closer look at an early Deere 570 with articulated frame.
The First Articulated Motor Grader
Adding an articulated frame to motor graders helped to improve maneuverability in confined spaces and reduce rework.
August 28, 2020
The Austin-Western 99 series was the first motor grader with all-wheel steering, all-wheel drive, crab steering and fully hydraulic blade control.
The Austin-Western 99 Motor Grader
Improved steering capabilities and hydraulic blade control helped to advance motor grader designs.
July 31, 2020
Being the world’s first integral motor grader, the Auto Patrol was marketed heavily to states for road maintenance. This image from a 1932 Caterpillar advertisement shows one at work behind the Arkansas State Capitol.
The First Modern Motor Grader
The Auto Patrol contained many of the features which are standard in today's motor grader designs.
June 15, 2020
A 1-yd. Slackline Dragline bucket brings in a load of wet gravel.
The Slackline Dragline and Tower Machine
Excavation of materials in below-grade situations which were impractical for standard machines brought about development of the Slackline Cableway Excavator.
April 3, 2020
The Russell Motor Hi-Way Patrol, first developed in 1919, was the first known motor grader.
Early Motor Graders
The first motor grader prototypes drew the blade behind the power unit and were capable of reaching speeds up to 3 mph.
February 13, 2020
This rolling Swiss Army knife is the Western Wheeled Scraper Road Planer and Finisher. It combines a scarifier, wing blades to gather material to the crown, a trailing drag to finish the surface, and a drum roller.
Road Planers and Shapers
Towed road planers, shapers and finishers were originally used to grade surfaces before the advent of pull and motor graders.
January 13, 2020
In a typical scarifier application, a Holt T-35 crawler tractor is breaking up a hard-packed roadbed prior to trimming and concrete paving.
Scarifiers and Rippers
The need to break hard materials brought about the development of scarifiers and rippers.
November 15, 2019