Wright in Campbell County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)
Lectra Haul Unit Rig
143 Unit Rig 170 Ton Haul Truck
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 30, 2022
1. Lectra Haul Unit Rig Marker
Gross weight loaded 563,276 lbs.
Engine 16V149 Detroit 1600 hp
Life to date: 30,000 hrs.
Fuel consumption 20-gal. hr.
Tires avg. cost $9,000
Engine rebuild avg. cost $35,000
143 was moved from Butte to the Black Thunder Mine in 1984
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1984.
Location. 43° 45.608′ N, 105° 28.93′ W. Marker is in Wright, Wyoming, in Campbell County. Marker is on Ranch Drive, 0.1 miles south of State Highway 387, on the left when traveling south. The marker and truck are located in front of the Wright Centennial Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 104 Ranch Drive, Wright WY 82732, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 7 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Veterans Memorial (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Building of Wright, Wyoming (about 800 feet away); The Beginning of Coal Mining in Wyoming (about 800 feet away); Underground Mining with Children (about 800 feet away); Tertiary (Paleogene) Period (about 800 feet away); Ranching in Wyoming (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Beginning of Wright, a Company Town (approx. 0.2 miles away).
Also see . . .
this page online
1. Unit Rig (Wikipedia).
Unit Rig was founded in 1935 by Hugh S. Chancey and two partners, Jerry R. Underwood and William C. Guier, who formed a partnership to build a rotary drill rig for oil field work that was more mobile than existing designs. The group based the company in Tulsa, Oklahoma. During the 1950s, Unit Rig began to diversify its products away from the limited oil-field products and looked towards mining products to utilize their manufacturing facilities. R. G. LeTourneau had already adapted compact electric drive wheels to construction machinery with great success, prompting Unit Rig to investigate the possibility of building a truck and finding a suitable client to take the finished machine. Unit Rig went on to be a very successful maker of off-highway dump trucks sold under the brand name of Lectra Haul (due to their electric drive system).(Submitted on March 14, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. The UNIT RIG Story. Excerpt:
(By Jerry A. Shelton, Retired Vice President of Sales)(Submitted on March 14, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
In the mining truck business, Unit Rig was the first to:
• Use the General Electric's motorized wheel drive system in a haulage truck. (1959)
• Manufacture and Sell a fleet of diesel-electric trucksfor the mining industry. (1963)Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 30, 20222. Lectra Haul 143 by Unit Rig
• Use gas turbine engine power in a open-pit mining truck (1965)
• Use diesel/trolley power for a fleet of large open pit mining trucks. (1970)
• To build a 200-ton payload capacity, two-axle, rear dump truck. (1972)
• To develop and operate a fleet of "Driverless trucks" in an open pit mine (1974)
3. Black Thunder Coal Mine (Wikipedia). Excerpt:
The Black Thunder Coal Mine is a surface coal mine in the U.S. state of Wyoming, located in the Powder River Basin which contains one of the largest deposits of coal in the world. In 2022, the mine produced 62,180,000 short tons of coal, over 25% of Wyoming's total coal production. Black Thunder's dragline excavator Ursa Major is the biggest working dragline in North America and the third largest ever made. It produces enough coal to load up to 20-25 trains per day. Black Thunder operates six draglines. Coal is excavated by power shovels and loaded into haul trucks.(Submitted on March 14, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 30, 2022
3. Lectra Haul 143 by Unit Rig
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 30, 2022
4. Lectra Haul 143 by Unit Rig
Credits. This page was last revised on March 14, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 14, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 53 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 14, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
