Photograph of the first self-propelled earth scraper, built by R.G. LeTourneau in 1923. According to Eric C. Orlemann, who published several books about the company's earthmoving equipment, the machine used "an all-electric drive design, powered by a front-mounted gasoline engine and dynamo. " It was capable of carrying a 12-cubic-yard payload.

Photograph of a Model-D Tournapull attached to the Carryall Model Q. According to information found online (https://contract295dev.wpenginepowered.com/classic-machines/model-d-tournapull/), the company built this combination, an "air transportable earthmover," for the U.S. Army from 1942-1946, during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, LeTourneau built over 600 of these machines and continued production after the war. This photograph was clearly meant for a brochure or catalog, since the background has been eliminated.

Photograph of what is described as a cotton picker. There appears to be no record of LeTourneau building such a machine.

Photograph of a LeTourneau forklift truck loading a 18-wheeler trailer onto a railroad flatbed. Trailer in the foreground says "Magnolia Trailer Mfg. Co." Trailer being loaded says "Magnolia Mobile Homes, Vicksburg, Miss."

Photograph of Tournapull, Carryalls, and Dozer taken in San Fernando, Calif.

Photograph of Mesquiter-A Tournadozer-80 ton scraper, likely taken in Longview, Texas. Unidentified person in the cab. Vehicle at left gives some sense of the scraper's immense size.

Photograph of two men standing inside one of the wheels of the 80-ton Mesquiter-A Tournadozer in 1948. Most likely taken at the Vicksburg, Miss. plant.

Photograph of a Tournapull and a Tournacrane EC-15 on a railroad flatcar, likely by the Peoria, Illinois plant, since the flatcar has "Illinois Central" stenciled on it.

Photograph of a tree roller that was 20 feet wide and weighed 150 tons, being used in the jungles of the Amazon in Peru, where the LeTourneau Foundation created a mission town called Tournavista.

Photograph of an employee of R.G. LeTourneau, Inc., at the controls of the Tournatow, the first vehicle to feature electric-traction motors mounted in the wheel assemblies themselves. The four-wheel-drive and -steer tractor is being demonstrated at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago, Illinois, on 1950-11-17.

Photograph of the Series MA-31 Landing Craft Retriever, essentially a large mobile gantry crane structure, mounted on electric-drive wheels with 120-inch diameter tires. Built in November 1954 for the US Army, it was designed to retrieve beached or capsized amphibious landing craft. Only one LCR was tested by the military. (Eric C. Orlemann, LeTourneau Earthmovers)

Photograph of LeTourneau's Tree Roller No. 2. (A very similar photo is thus described in "R.G. LeTourneau Heavy Equipment: The Electric Drive Era," by Eric Orlemann. After being field tested in Longview, Texas, this unit was shipped to Tournavista, Peru, to be used in land clearing projects there for the LeTourneau Foundation mission. The overall weight of the tree roller was about 100 tons.

Photograph of LeTourneau's overland train snaking its way through downtown Longview on April 20, 1954

Photograph of the Robert G. LeTourneau ship, stuck in mud in the Amazon River, 1954-06-13. The R.G. LeTourneau Foundation built a city on the headwaters of the Amazon River by clearing 990,000 acres it had been granted by the Peruvian government in exchange for building 31 miles of road through the Amazon rainforest.

Photograph of a group of unidentified men standing in front of a LeTourneau tree roller in Tournavista, Peru. The R.G. LeTourneau Foundation built this city on the headwaters of the Amazon River by clearing 990,000 acres it had been granted by the Peruvian government in exchange for building 31 miles of road through the Amazon rainforest.

Photograph of a LeTourneau Logging Arch. According to Eric Orlemann, the logging arch was first introduced in 1935.

Photograph of a Track-less Land Train carrying a large load of pipe. The Land Train was outfitted with 24 electric-driven wheels.

Photograph of the VC-22 Sno-Freighter, which measured 274 feet in length and had a maximum payload of 175 tons. One went to work transporting supplies in Alaska in 1956.

Photograph of one of LeTourneau's digging machines, which was capable of digging its way right up a straight bank as seen here. The photo was taken on 1955-04-14, according to the filename given to the image.

Photograph of a digging machine that can dig its way right up a straight bank. Unsure of Model number.

Photograph of a Series "F" Log Stacker, called by Eric C. Orlemann "the most efficient log loading solution for the timber industry."

Photograph of a LeTourneau log stacker. The log stacker was introduced in 1955 (the date of this photograph) as its first diesel-electric drive Series "F" Log Stacker, Model C-4, according to Eric Orlemann. It had a rear-mounted engine and all electric wheel drive. This would serve as a basic pattern for all stackers to be built by the company into the 1980s.

Photograph of what was unofficially called The Big Plow with a 6-foot disc. The Series H (Model 6-16) was introduced in 1955, according to, Eric C. Orlemann's book on LeTourneau earthmoving equipment.

Photograph of LeTourneau transporter being put through its off-road tests. Its six wide tires made it especially well-suited for very sandy environments, such as deserts.