First Self-Propelled Scraper J5G

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.
Date: 1923
Creator: R.G. LeTourneau, Inc.
System: The Portal to Texas History