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Photos Of XM211 Excavator

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Location
Bear Creek PA
These were photos of XM211 Excavator the first day I got it back in 2008 .
It had been parked at a friends house for nearly 10 years. I was there when he bought it and it was sitting up to its axles in a farm field where it had been most likely for over 15 years. I liked the truck the first day I saw it and I must say am amazed by how well it runs after all these years.

These first shots were when we pulled it out of his yard, the tires had 1957 date codes stamped in them. I tried to tell the idiot punk kid from Murrys Towing to take it easy. Well this punk was not listening. He nearly had the truck standing on only the rear axle and went flying down the road. He was a real jerk. As you can see, the tires did not like that!

I would never use Murrys again, they even tried to make the bill four times what they quoted. They are real crooks!

We got it back four hours later. ( it was only 20 miles away ) and ended up putting the front NDT tires on the rear and two used 10x20 tires on the front just to move it around.

The last photo is of my ex workers and who was as good a mechanic as i am. He was just visiting from Mexico and yes he was legal. He owns a shop that builds armored vehicles and was like a kid helping me get this monster going.

If fact that is what we call it , THE MONSTER !
 

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308
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Bear Creek PA
Some More Photos XM211 Excavaor

Here are some more photos I took back in 2008. These were next to some of our other vintage working equipment.

He used this truck to set light poles, dig driveways and general excavation. What money I made with it went into restoring it.

As you can see from the photos, the excavator part has a very long reach.

Its pictured with my 1941 vintage bulldozer and my 1947 loader, both Oliver units.
 

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308
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Location
Bear Creek PA
According to a letter I have somewhere here from the Department of the Army logistics center. There were 14.

One was destroyed in Kansas. The idiot cut it off the truck and put it on a crane carrier.

That one was mounted on a M45

10 went to Vietnam.

That left three.

One destroyed in a training accident 1968

That left two.

I have one, and........

Have you seen any ?
 

Danger Ranger

New member
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Location
Roland, IA
Ok, this is a cool truck, but your posting is driving me crazy! Can't you just put all of it in one thread about one truck?!?!?!?! Please!
 

Gunfreak25

Well-known member
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620
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Location
Yuma, AZ
Freakin AWESOME! I can't believe that's a true blue Military job too. I had no idea they made an excavator model. I will be on the lookout for the other excavator, I bet it's hiding in the Southwest somewhere. :mrgreen:

Funny that the old post Korean war tires have a different tread pattern than the later 9.00 NDT's. Mine still has some 1960's on it and my spare is from 1959. Older than my mother!
 

landfillman

New member
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Location
Iuka MS
Thats a neat truck, can you tell us more about the excavator? It looks like a Hopto model. THeres a similatr one on tracks in a gravel pit near here Im trying to find the name on it. My neighbor had an early Hydro Hoe on their 211. They bought theirs from the US Army Corp of Engineers They had a Prentice grapple on it for loading logs and a reversible shovel bucket for loading from a bank. THey also had another 211 with an auger bed Sadly all have gone to China.
 
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I sent a letter to the department of defense logistics department as part of a freedom of information act request. There was a nice female corporal who was very helpful in researching my truck and what history she could find. She did a lot of research, I sent a formal thank you letter to her commanding officer for the excellent reply to my request. Some where here I have a copy of the original black and white picture of the truck the day it left the facility where it was fitted with the HYHOE back hoe attachment in 1964.

This is a nice truck and it is a project that bit by bit I have been saving up the parts for a complete overhaul. I want this to look ( Action Ready ) again.

I can only guess what happened to all the others from the program, I only for sure know the fate of one. It rests in a equipment yard in Idaho. Removed last time I heard from the truck, see photos.

:-?
 

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Gunfreak25

Well-known member
1,561
620
113
Location
Yuma, AZ
I estimated the cost to get the average GMC fully mechanically sound again to be around $3000 easy and not counting cosmetics. These trucks are just simply getting old and in the next few years I think parts will be nearing CCKW status as far as availability. But, for every year they age I love them even more. Like I always say, if we wanted it easy we would have bought honda's!

I gotta ask, you said it weighs around 44,000lbs? Are you able to keep her in high range off road or on slight grades or does the 302 beg for low range with that much weight? I know Tom at Alfa has a crane conversion (not an Army job) and he said at 40,000lbs his maxes out at 40mph or so.
 
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