10 YEARS AGO — 2000
Tail trailer distributes the load: The tail trailer from Landoll Corp., Marysville, Kans., carries up to 35 tons and provides optimum load distribution and usable deck space for hauling construction equipment. The 48-ft- long trailer uses an air suspension and features a wood deck and a 15,000-lb winch. Operators control the tail position and tilt using a single hydraulic control. The 12-ft tail can be used to load equipment from the ground at a 15° angle or from loading docks up to 58-in. high.
30 YEARS AGO — 1980
Huge assembly for welding a Soviet nuclear pressure vessel: A huge turntable/manipulator, designed by Merrick Engineering, has been shipped to the Soviet Union where it will be used to weld together the 2.4-in.-thick stainless-steel walls of a nuclear-reactor pressure vessel. Three welding-head manipulators on the turntable mount four hot-wire TIG welding machines. The assembly’s major components, manufactured by Anderson Machine Co., include a 22‑ft-diameter floor turntable; 30-ft-high manipulator mast centered through the turntable and rigged with dual carriages and two motorized elevation booms to support welding stations for the vessel’s inboard surface; and two geared elevation manipulators used with single booms that reach 4 ft for welding the vessel’s wall surfaces on the outboard side.
50 YEARS AGO — 1960
Biggest small car: The middle-size Comet rolls into Ford’s lineup between the Falcon and standard-size Ford. The car has a smoother ride than a compact, plus “luxury” touches in styling, trim, and interior appointments. The Comet is 2 to 3 in. shorter than a standard Ford and stretches 14 in. beyond the Falcon. The station wagon’s wheelbase is 109.5 in. and it’s 191.8-in. long. Wheelbase of the sedan model is 114 in., 4.5 in. longer than the Falcon’s. Both models come in two and four doors and have six-cylinder engines, which reportedly get 25 mpg.