TRACTOR TRIVIA and other interesting stuff 5/21/2024

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Today’s letter is “S”        Smart solutions ultimately saved lives.

 

Schramm Pneum-A-Tractor

 

When I attend a tractor show I am always intrigued by out of the ordinary tractors or implements. Oddities that require more than a glance to appreciate are what make shows interesting. The Schramm Pneumatractor certainly is interesting enough to draw a crowd.

Christian D. Schramm revolutionized the use of gasoline engines, air compressors, construction tractors, and the rotadrilling business. In 1900 to Schramm began repairing Otto stationary gasoline engines. At that time, they were primarily used to power elevators.

A customer asked the company to construct a portable air compressor for his marble cutting business. The result was a two cylinder gasoline engine modified to produce compressed air for pneumatic tools using one cylinder for power and one as a compressor. The portable air compressor was a success and proved to be a valuable source of orders for the company.

As a side note, in 1945 the LeRoi Centaur borrowed this concept when their Tractair was introduced. One of the most unique features was an integrally cast two-cylinder air compressor as part of the thirty-five horse power engine block. It also had built in air storage tanks on the tractor.

Following World War One Schramm developed a special low-pressure compressor for diving and salvage work. This led to defense contracts during World War Two for portable generator sets, which the Army and Navy used during the war.

In 1950 the company introduced the Pneumatractor, a self-propelled tractor/air compressor unit that was designed to operate with a front-end loader, snow plows, backfill blades, front and rear winches, mowers, posthole diggers, rotary brushes, pneumajack, and more.

International Harvester components were modified for the Schramm tractor. Three of the engines six cylinders powered the tractor while the other three cylinders served as an air compressor. The tractor found applications in many industries and provided Schramm another opportunity to expand their line. The Pneumatractor remained in production into the 1970s.

In 1955, Schramm introduced another of their products, the Rotadrill, which was used for drilling water wells, blast holes, drilling shallow gas and oil wells, mineral exploration, environmental construction, and many other applications.  

More advanced drilling rigs were developed in the early 1980s, incorporating the sliding angle mast, which allowed drilling at angles from 45 to 90 degrees. They revolutionized the drilling industry with their mobility, efficiency, and affordability. Schramm remains the industry standard for RC Drilling. The 2000s ushered in the era of the TXD Oil & Gas rigs. The FURY Series is the latest class of rig, and incorporates industry-leading Electric over Hydraulic (EoH) technology. Schramm continues to develop new technologies focused on serving the needs of its customers.

You probably have heard of Schramm but don’t remember where or when. Schramm achieved international recognition for its role in the rescue of 33 miners in the 2010 Copiapó mining accident, also known then as the "Chilean mining accident", began on 5 August 2010, with a cave-in at the San José copper–gold mine, located in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Thirty-three men were trapped 2,300 ft underground and were rescued after 69 days.

Exploratory boreholes were drilled along the mine’s path. Seventeen days after the accident, a note was found taped to a drill bit pulled back to the surface: "Estamos bien en el refugio los 33" ("We are well in the shelter, the 33 of us").

Three separate drilling rig teams; nearly every Chilean government ministry; the United States' space agency, NASA; and a dozen corporations from around the world cooperated in completing the rescue. On October 13, 2010, the men were winched to the surface one at a time, in a specially built capsule furnished by NASA, as an estimated 5.3 million people watched via video stream worldwide. With few exceptions, they were in good medical condition with no long-term physical effects.

Schramm built the drilling rigs that were key in saving the miners. The Schramm T685 WS truck mounted drill bored a 5 ½ inch hole that was the first to break through to the 33 trapped men, confirming they had survived the accident. The company also manufactured the T130XD air core drilling rig that widened one of the three 5.5 inch wide, 2,300 ft deep boreholes that were already used to keep the miners supplied to allow the NASA capsule to bring them to safety.