1964 Tree stomper by R.G. LeTourneau

[Jon]

Tree stomper machine, designed and built by the legendary R.G. LeTourneau in 1964:

Unfortunately no sound to the video, but the patent is available: https://www.google.com/patents/US3366192?dq=us3366192




Previously: Pre-hydraulic LeTourneau front end loader

[Loose Ctrl]

What purpose would this nature killing machine serve?

[suther51]

clearing of "unproductive" land prior to tree plantation

[Loose Ctrl]

I don't see how it clears land. It seems to merely compact all the vegetation into the ground.

[Jon]

Looking at the patent text, LeTourneau says:

"My invention relates to perambulatory vehicles and particularly to such vehicles embodying improved means for clearing the ground of brush and timber."

and

"The feet may be made quite long and wide, and thus the weight of the machine may be distributed over large enough areas so that the pressure exerted on the ground per square unit of area is small. This enables the machine to operate effectively in areas where there is large moisture content in the ground, such as in swampy regions."

I think that previous such machines became stuck in swampy and overgrown areas, which are often those most need of clearing. My guess is that the stomping action is so strong that it kills the vegetation by crushing it. And then other machines come in behind this one to clear away the crushed vegetation or maybe cover it with dirt or road base.

Alternatively, let's say you stub your toe, and you want stomp away in anger, but your toe hurts so bad that you can only hop on one foot. So you drive away in this stomper, and people get the hint.

[Loose Ctrl]

Looking at the patent text, LeTourneau says:

"My invention relates to perambulatory vehicles and particularly to such vehicles embodying improved means for clearing the ground of brush and timber."

and

"The feet may be made quite long and wide, and thus the weight of the machine may be distributed over large enough areas so that the pressure exerted on the ground per square unit of area is small. This enables the machine to operate effectively in areas where there is large moisture content in the ground, such as in swampy regions."

I think that previous such machines became stuck in swampy and overgrown areas, which are often those most need of clearing. My guess is that the stomping action is so strong that it kills the vegetation by crushing it. And then other machines come in behind this one to clear away the crushed vegetation or maybe cover it with dirt or road base.

Alternatively, let's say you stub your toe, and you want stomp away in anger, but your toe hurts so bad that you can only hop on one foot. So you drive away in this stomper, and people get the hint.

[Frank S]

I wonder if it will stomp hard enough to kill weeds & Mesquite trees? I have several acres of nature that I'd sure like to get killed off. But it doesn't look heavy enough to do much good with as large of a foot print that it has
Personally I wouldn't mind a good range fire but I need to finish dozing a fire break in a couple of spots

[Loose Ctrl]

I wonder if it will stomp hard enough to kill weeds & Mesquite trees? I have several acres of nature that I'd sure like to get killed off. But it doesn't look heavy enough to do much good with as large of a foot print that it has Personally I wouldn't mind a good range fire but I need to finish dozing a fire break in a couple of spots

I don't believe anything short of a nuclear winter could kill those things. Tenacious insidious vermin plants.

[Frank S]

I thought about the nuclear winter card, but 86'd the idea due to not being able to make a suitable fissionable material out of steel slag and grinding dust.
So for now I just root them up with my backhoe

[Loose Ctrl]

I thought about the nuclear winter card, but 86'd the idea due to not being able to make a suitable fissionable material out of steel slag and grinding dust.
So for now I just root them up with my backhoe