From the internet.
Anyone want to write them?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-evolution-of-the-american-tank/ar-BBJ5oaR? li=BBnb7Kz&OCID=msnHomepage

About what? I musta missed it.

There was a operational WW1 Renault FT tank near Fairview Michigan when I was a kid. The guy that had it kept it in an open lean-to right next to the main road. It might still be there!

Dale, it was there at least as recently as 2000.

Not enough mention of the Ford powered tank, just a link to a photo.

Here are two photos I have from the past postings.





If I remember the information correctly was that one engine per track.

The 3 ton Ford tank during trials.

Another view.

Before starting his own business, my Dad worked for C.J. Rogers (a huge Michigan-based construction company) in the 1960's and they had a couple of Euclid TC-12 dozers that had twin 6-71 Detroit Diesels- one engine for each track. They could push one of their fully heaped Caterpillar 641 scrapers (around 60 yards) like it was an empty wheelbarrow!

It didnt matter where you were on a jobsite, or how much other equipment was running, you always could hear those screaming two-cycle engines above everything else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3iAWmTKOT4

Hows that for thread drift???

P.S. Ed,
Any idea how that Renault FT ended up in northern michigan?

An oil time friend of mine was in the tank corps, I don't know what make or model but it had 5 six cylinder dodge engines for power. Also for a good many years all of the cement trucks had six cylinder dodge engine to turn the tub before hydraulic power was introduced.

Pretty strong testimony to the dependable durability of the Model T that they chose that power plant (planetary transmission and all) to power that tank. Up-ended in the trench, kind of a "Now what ?!?" moment. (I wonder how they did get it out of the trench ?).

Interesting from the mechanical point of view, but as an inspiration of heroism, I rather prefer a cavalry charge.

I wonder what kind of updraft carb that Ford tank ( in the pictures) had

Dale, those dozers were cool. Cable operated at that point. When you see old pictures of those or 2 dozers in series pushing you wonder how they didn't turn the bowls inside out. Euclid made some twin engine pans too if I recall. The historical equipment association is full of good stuff for construction nuts. TS

Tim,
I never miss the HCEA show when it is in Ohio (every 3 years, this year is one of them). SOMEDAY I'll haul some old equipment down to it.

Its too bad their website is such an unusable, clunky mess.....

Caterpillar had the "666" scraper with twin engines on it. That was a monster!

Dale, so it was caterpillar. Being down south the iron is not what it is on the big reservoir and highway work up your way or out west. We have some old stuff at the flywheelers and some walking draglines in the phosphate mines. I would like to get up your way to a show. Steam is cool to see alive. I had the chance to pull levers on a bucyrus 10B. Those guys were working for a living. Similar to driving our t's. I am guessing you can tell some stories. TS

I thought the FT in Michigan was in Comins. I haven't seen it since the big tornado there, but Wikipedia says that was in 1999, so if it was still there in 2000, I suspect it still exists.

Dale W I used to have a HD-21 powershift i bought from Fisher in Midland that was repowered with a 12V-71.!! Bud in Wheeler,Mi.

Euclid or Terex (maybe both) did make a twin engine scraper, I've seen them. They were painted that awful green.
When I 29 went through here in the mid '70's, the contractor had several Cat 666 scrapers. I would set up on the hilltop where they were getting the fill dirt and watch them work. They used two D 9's in tandem for push cats, they would load them in a hurry! Dave

At the chevy plant where i started one day i was sent to show the HD-6 Allis we used to a factory rep from Terex. At the time Terex was still owned by GM and they sent people to all the GM plants to see what they used.They said at the time Terex was thinking of building a small craller for the GM plants. That might have been the rare 8220?? At Olds with several plants at the time we had a gas T-14,A very nice D-5,and a 8230 Terex. The 8230 had a 6-71 in it and once i ran it in the plant on high boil!!!!! I got quite a talking after that!! Bud in Wheeler,Mi.

Rumor has it that Fort Lee has that tank now that was in the Aberdeen Proving ground Museum.

That tank was made operational again a few years ago.

David C.,
It was north of Fairview, so I guess it coulda been in Comins. Its been awhile!

I remember the guy that owned it had a bar or grocery store and my dad did some fill work for him. I spent about an hour crawling around that tank and an old Studebaker (??) truck that was behind another building- maybe across the road.

Speaking of quick loading scrapers- I think it was a C.A. Hull job that I watched some self loading 600 series Cats that would fly into a cut, paddles spinning and as it did, a big dozer would tuck in right behind it as the scraper passed them going as fast as it could. When the scraper finally stalled out, the cat would be only a few feet behind it and would hit it almost instantly- BAMM! Then they'd both throttle up and within a few yards the dirt was just boiling out over the sides of the scraper bowl and the operator would then pick up the pan and take off. The dozer operator would quickly turn out of the cut because there usually was another scraper/dozer combo close behind him doing the exact same operation! Those guys moved alot of dirt per hour, all day.


It was a pretty impressive sight for a kid bringing his dad some lunch!

Were the cylinder heads with the reversed water outlets used for anything else? Do any of those heads still exist?

It looks as though the tank is no longer under the shed roof in Comins.

Ed, that sure looks like the place- but the way I remember it there were more trees around!
Hopefully it was just out on maneuvers when this picture was taken and it wasnt traded-in for that minivan.
I wonder if that tank was brought back from Europe to Camp Grayling after WWI for evaluation and ended up being sold off as surplus. Thats how my Grandpa ended up with a pair of White half-tracks after WWII. He thought they would make great log skidders.....

If i remember the French army stopped using the half tracks in 1955 and several were trucked to our tank range in Wildflicken,Germany in 64 or 65.Battilion maintance where i worked as a truck mechanic grabed the best one,got it running,painted,and used it in a parade or two.The one we had/had a roller under the front bumper.Much faster than a cat but i would think clumbsy in the woods?? I think the one we had used a 4 speed but i can't remember if it also had a transfer case?I think they made us take it back to the range before i left.Long ago Bud.

I always assumed the Comins tank was a postwar, U.S.-made M1917 rather than French production that had been in the war.

Apparently the Comins tank is now in Texas and was, in fact, Renault-built.

WOW! The things you can find out on the computer.

That is it. In civilian life it probably skidded a lot of pine logs, ripped roots and gang plowed up that acidic sandy gravel that almost passes for soil around there for many years.

The things that piece of machinery must have seen. Glad to see it is safe and sound.

Bud, Yes, those half tracks were no good in the woods. They couldn't turn tight enough to get between trees, but with that massive bumper and the roller you could just push them over. Not bad if you were clearing an entire lot, but not good in a selective cut!

He ended up donating them to a fire department after they tried using them a few times, they donated them to a scrap yard in the early 1960's

To digress further, Dad always said one of the junkyards along U.S. 23 between Alpena and Presque Isle had part of the back fence composed of a Sherman tank with the cannon cut off flush with the mantlet. I believe that it was eventually rescued and restored.

Here is the German counterpart:

https://www.awm.gov.au/about/our-work/projects/mephisto

And the English version here with a Ford:

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1002168

(Message edited by JoeBunyip on February 21, 2018)

(Message edited by JoeBunyip on February 21, 2018)