LeTourneau Technologies

History

R. G. LeTourneau founded R.G. LeTourneau, Inc. in California in 1929, as a contractor of earthmoving equipment, which manufactured products in Longview, Texas.

During World War II, the company provided nearly 75% of the Allies' earthmoving equipment. In 1954, it built the first jack-up drilling rig. In 1955, it made the first log-stacker machine. In 1965, the company made the first straddle carrier.

LeTourneau had spent the early 1950s perfecting a diesel-electric drivetrain for multi-wheeled heavy-machinery. The system—somewhat similar in concept to the sort used on many locomotives –used a diesel combustion engine to spin an electric generator, which would send its power to hub motors mounted to each wheel of the vehicle. This allowed for multi-wheel-drive without differentials, driveshafts, or the drivetrain losses associated with them.

For the Distant Early Warning Line (DEW line) project, Western Electric and Alaska Freightlines, with the help of TRADCOM (U.S. Army Transportation Research and Development Command), contracted to have a pair of off-road over-land trains, the TC-264 Sno-Buggy, designed specifically for Arctic conditions, to be built by LeTourneau Technologies. The TC-264 Sno-Buggy was the longest off-road vehicle ever built at the time, with its six cars (including the locomotive) measuring a total of 274 feet. Each car was driven by four 7.3 foot-tall wheels and tires. The 24-wheel-drive was powered by two 400 horsepower Cummins diesel engines connected to a hub motor. It had a payload capacity of 150 tons, and could traverse nearly any terrain. It had a very successful first season hauling freight to the DEW Line.

LeTourneau sold most of his company to Westinghouse Air Brake Company in 1953, for US$ 31M. In 1970, just after the death of the founder, the company was sold to Marathon Manufacturing Company and was renamed Marathon LeTourneau Company.

In 1994, Rowan (now Valaris Limited), which had used the company to manufacture its drilling rigs, acquired the company from General Cable for $50 million.

In 2011, Rowan (now Valaris Limited) sold LeTourneau Technologies to Joy Global. Joy Global subsequently sold LeTourneau's Drilling, Marine, and Power divisions to Cameron International.

In 2016, Keppel Corporation acquired LeTourneau Offshore Products (jackups, cranes, and elevating units) from Cameron, while Cameron retained the LeTourneau Drilling Products division.

References

References

1. "Komatsu: Who We Are". [[Komatsu Limited]].
2. (2006). "Technology's Past: R. G. LeTourneau and His Massive Earth-Moving Equipment". Tech Directions.
3. (25 May 2020). "The Incredible Story of the US Army's Earth-Shaking, Off-Road Land Trains".
4. "ROWAN COMPANIES INC, Form 10-K, Annual Report, Filing Date Mar 16, 2005". [[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission]].
5. (November 10, 1993). "Rowan Buys Marathon LeTourneau From General Cable". [[AP News]].
6. (May 16, 2011). "Rowan Announces Agreement to Sell LeTourneau Technologies, Inc.". [[PR Newswire]].
7. Koyitty, Bijoy. (August 31, 2011). "Joy Global sells LeTourneau's drilling unit; shares up". [[Reuters]].
8. Furr, Laura. (August 31, 2015). "Cameron sells offshore rig business". [[American City Business Journals]].