Information On Caterpillar Cable Pull Type Scrapers

[quote="Bumpus"].
Caterpillar:

Cat was quite a late starter in the towed scraper business, not introducing their first scraper (the No.70) until 1946. However, once established, Caterpillar pretty much swept away the competition apart from LeTourneau.

Caterpillar offered a wide range of well built and easy to maintain towed scrapers which, apart from the 3.5 cubic yard No.40, were all cable controlled.

Initially Caterpillar scrapers had curved (bell-shaped) bowl floors similar to LaPlant-Choate’s but a redesign in 1952 eliminated this feature and substituted the more common flat floor. Another revamp in 1958 introduced the “low bowl” concept that was designed to promote easier, faster loading. The low-bowl principal was also applied to their range of cable controlled motor scrapers, the DW15, DW20 and DW21.

Caterpillar’s most popular models in New Zealand included the No.40, No.60, No.70, No.435 (which replaced the No.70), No.80 and the No.463 (which replaced the No.80).

Caterpillar’s largest offering, the 27 cubic yard No.491 did not make it to New Zealand shores.

Many Cat towed scrapers can still be found operating today, some converted to hydraulic operation, testimony to the soundness of their design.



LeTourneau was a preferred supplier to Caterpillar until 1944 and went on to manufacture well over 40 different models of towed scraper before being sold to Westinghouse.

LeTourneau’s biggest competitor during the 1930s and 1940s, LaPlant-Choate was also a principal supplier to Caterpillar of blades, rippers and scrapers.

The LaPlant-Chote 8.5 cubic yard scraper TW-10 was built specifically for Caterpillar’s DW-10 tractor.



Birtley:

The Birtley company of Durham, England, produced the Caterpillar No.60, No.70 and No.80 cable controlled scrapers under licence for sale in Europe and export to the colonies.

They also manufactured the No.15 and No.20 trailing scrapers for the DW15 and DW20. These were identical to the Caterpillar produced product apart from the name “Birtley” on the bowl side sheets. A substantial number of these were imported into New Zealand.

The Birtley name disappeared after Caterpillar took over production in the UK in 1963.




They have said:

Forget all those fancy ADTs and hydraulic excavators – the tractor towed scraper is still the cheapest way to move bulk dirt over a short distance. In the hands of a skilled operator a single track type tractor with towed scraper can dig, haul and spread without the need for any other ancillary equipment. It can even compact the fill by running over the spread material on its way to and from the cut.

Scrapers – the “funnest” way to move dirt!



[b]For My source of information, and further
indepth reading you can find it here.[/b]

http://www.contrafedpublishing.co.nz/Contractor/July+2009/The+history+of+the+towed+scraper.html[/quote]

For you information Cat was pulling scrapers in at least 1937. Except they were LeTourneau 12Yd. Scrapers (Carryalls then)

Hi, Melroth.
Much as I have little respect for Bumpus after having encountered him several times in the past, I have to come to his defense this time. He did not say that Cat tractors didn't start pulling scrapers until 1946. He said that Caterpillar did not enter into manufacturing drawn cable scrapers until 1946. They had no need to manufacture scrapers prior to about 1937 when LeTourneau introduced his first Tournapull based on a Cat D8 tractor of the time.

Up until that time, LeTourneau had distributed through Cat dealerships 'cos their range of equipment complemented Cat's tractor range. Once LeTourneau started building tractors which did Cat's products out of work, Cat could see no reason for continuing to support LeTourneau by distributing their products. Then WW2 got in the way. After the ware ended, Cat started building their own cable control units, dozer blades, scrapers and other items.

Just my 0.02.

Wonder what ever happened to ol' Bumpus anyway? Profile says last post was 12-2016...he did stir things a little, didn't he? :heh:

Well, this sure is digging up an old post.
The first Caterpillar scraper was the Holt Land Leveller of 1915. However, it apparently sold like a lead balloon, and Holt ceased manufacturing it within a short time.
No doubt, the demand for Holt tractors for World War 1 purposes, posed a much more profitable line of business.
I'd guess very few of these first Holt Land Levellers have survived?

http://www.acmoc.org/bb/showthread.php?10402-Caterpillar-land-leveler