Talk:Wheel tractor-scraper

I wish to Query fact that; LeTourneau invented the scraper. As the book on LeTourneau Earthmovers by EC Orlemann, (p11) indicates that LeTourneau adapted a standard towed scraper to form the first ONE-Man operated Pulled scraper by fitting motors to actuate the controls in place of the need for a driver to ride the scraper as was the normal operating method. Pulled scrappers had been around for years before then as a horse drawn implement. ref: 500years of Earth moving (P80) by Heinz-Herbert-Cohrs. He built the worlds 1st Electric self propelled scraper in 1923, from scrap and surplus parts. Ref: LeTourneau Earthmovers by EC Orlemann, (p13) BulldozerD11 (talk) 14:19, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

Corrrection of incorrect statement on elevating scrapers
While a founder and owner of Square Deal Machinery, Florida largest heavy equipment dealer for over 20 years, I purchased a new demonstrator Terex GM Model TS24 twin engine all wheel drive scraper based on incorrect factory assurances it would self load in Florida sand. Driving through Hastings Florida's potato growing area I saw a small John Deere farm tractor with a three point hitch leveling land pulling a cutting blade, elevating the cut material with revolving flights into a spreading container, and leveling the spread material with a second blade. I then took one of Florida's largest earthmoving contractors, Charles Smith of Smith Engineering and Construction Co, to confirm my opinion that this system could self load scrapers better than tractor push loading, and built a similar hydraulically actuated rotating drag flights identical to today's elevating scraper on the TS24, successfully proving its self loading ability to GM, who refused to follow up because "the market was too "limited" -and I was too naive at that time to patent . While the machine was in my shop I received a visit from a Mr. Hancock who was visiting Adams Equipment Co. down the street to promote his pull type scrapers for Letourneau-Westinghouse and had heard of my scrapers success. He took pictures and closely examined my elevating scraper and returned to Texas where he duplicated it for Letourneau-Westinghouse, who proved GM wrong on its "limited market." I can verify through still living witnesses the accuracy of these facts, GM will have a record also, and I respectfully request you correct the misinformation in your elevating page that Hancock developed the elevating scraper. For credibility I also enclose a short bibliography

SHORT BIOGRAPHICAL TNFORMATION: TROY M. DEAL, Jr. BS Enqineerinq, Iowa State University:  Wife, Sarah Lucille, deceased, 5 Children: wife Marcell Madero World War II: Captain Army Air corps, Test Pilot, Engineering officer, B29&B17 Pilot Instructor, Southeast Manager, Link Belt Speeder Corporation, L945-46 Owner and President 1. SQUARE DEAI MACHfNERY! Florida's largest construction equipment dealership, 1946 to 1966 2.AZTEC DEVELOPMENT COMPANY: Hydraulic dredging contractor, 19S2 to present 3.COUNTERFORCE ELECTRONIC SECURITY 1975 to 1995 4.CONTRACTORS EQUIPMENT RENTAI COMPANY: 1958 to present 5.WARD RIDGE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY: Interstate and turnpike road building contractor, 1949-1970 6. CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT PARTS CO.: 1948 to 1955 7. 10 % Owner and Member Board of Directors INSTRUMENT CORPORATION OF FLORIDA--Corporation developed first Ballistic Camera for Missile Tracking, first ultra Accurate Digital Timer, Satellite System for Intercontinental Measurements, and special military intelligence equipment 1954 to 1960 8. Substantial Real Estate Investments

State Certified General Contractor in a11 Southeastern States, Realtor, Mortgage Broker, Commercial Multi-engine Pilot, Certified Scuba Diver, Member Bartow Chapter of Mining Engineers for 65 years

Innovations: Designed and Built First Elevating Earthmoving Scraper--Now Used Worldwide Designed and Built First Pulpwood BuIk Bundling' Handling System--Became Industry Standard Designed and Built First Palmetto Plow Motor Grader-Cleared much of Florida Palmetto Land" Designed and Built First High-Flotation tired Motor Grader--Became Standard Designed and Built First Converted Crawler Tractor to Rubber-Tired 4-Wheel Drive tractor Designed and Built First Auger-Slinger Ditch Cleaner

-Granted Patents: -Jet SPRAY Method for Placement of Dredged Material--Now worldwide Usage -JET-SPRAy Method for Marsh and Beach Rehabilitation and Construction--Exclusively Specified for Rebuilding sections of the Mississippi Delta and other proects worldwide -Jet SPRAY slurry Distribution system using Remote Distributors -Method for Electro-Kinetic Dewatering of phosphate Slimes - Self-Cleaning Weedless propeller - Self-Feeding High-Density Submerged pumping System - Impeller-Pump Knife - Hydraulic Shovel Continuous Dredging System - Self-Cleaning Dredge Cutter Head - Dredge Turbidity Control System - Multiple Source Dredge Collection System - Positive Self-Cleaning Rotating Screening and Cutter Head -Method for marsh rehabiltation -Method for Top Soil Rehabilitation and sediment removal - Additional Patents Granted for Various Dredge Cutter Heads and Attachments

Suggested new heading for this material - Earthmoving Scrapers
I would like to do some editing work on this subject matter, as scrapers are of historical interest, already covered in some other WP sections, but are also an important part of the modern construction industry, in Civil, Mining, and Agriculture construction. Much could be written under the categories Elevating Scraper, Open Bowl Scraper, and Laser bucket (tractor or dozer drawn), and parts of this material currently under the somewhat clumsy heading "Wheel tractor-scraper", could be included in the proper subsection. This would make for better reading, and be a better general source of information on all scrapers.

I propose renaming the heading "Earthmoving Scrapers", and including at least sections on History, referencing existing WP articles, and the aforementioned sub headings. Other sub headings could cover related machine types/variants, and be added as contributors have time and interest.

Please add comments here to guide this process, especially original article contributors. (My interest comes from 30 years owning, operating, and repairing Wabco and LeTourneau scrapers, and from general reading on the history of development and manufacturing of these machines, up to the present day) Weaknees (talk) 11:15, 12 December 2015 (UTC)

Better picture?
None of the pictures are really great for showing what the scraper does. We'd need a picture from an angle showing into the machine to really elucidate how it works. (Not sure it would be safe to get in position to take the picture if it it were operating at the time.) Any ideas for a better picture for this article? RJFJR (talk) 15:48, 8 April 2016 (UTC)