Help Finding Information on Aircraft Tugs

Noha307

New User
Hello everyone, I just now registered on the website and was hoping that you guys could help me.

I volunteer at an aviation museum that, as of Wednesday, happens to have 3 aircraft tugs. However, we have exactly [i:9e1d070e11]zero[/i:9e1d070e11] documentation about them. I've tried searching around on the Internet for information, but so far I haven't had much luck. (Three of the results I [i:9e1d070e11]did[/i:9e1d070e11] come across (1, 2, 3) were on this forum, hence why I'm here.) I also tried contacting the company that owned Tug #1 and another museum that might have had information about Tug #2. However, both were to no avail.

This is where you guys come in. Ideally, I would like to know where I can find the original manuals for the machines. Even better, I would like to know any potential history about them. However, if you can offer literally [i:9e1d070e11]any[/i:9e1d070e11] advice as to something that might help or provide any bits of information, I would be very grateful.

Now, on to the aircraft tugs' information:

[b:9e1d070e11]Tug #1:[/b:9e1d070e11] United Tractor SML 100C (12896)

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[b:9e1d070e11]Tug #2:[/b:9e1d070e11] Mercury Industrial Truck Model 460 (64077)

USAEC GAT 16-02390

Potentially Manufactured from 1954-1961 (Source)

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26685.jpg


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[b:9e1d070e11]Tug #3:[/b:9e1d070e11] Mercury Industrial Truck Model A-452-54 (8785)

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The first one might have been made in Chesterton Indiana. I did some work there about 10 years ago. Seems like they used chrysler engines. All I know ,was only there a few days as an outside contractor. Wish you luck! joe
Untitled URL Link
 
I used to have an Allis Chalmers Tug that was
made by Buda , with the Buda 153 engine. It
was a terrible cobbled up thing .while
researching it , I found a website that only
deals in tugs , but I can't remember it's name
. Google around It's still there....
Mercury Tugs and lift trucks became a div.
of Pettibone at a point in the '60's. I
remember servicing P-bone-Merc lift trucks in
the '70's All that's gone now , but if you can
find an old dealer .....
 
Old-9
It's no longer in Chesterton. The site is the town municipal garage and office's.
It's been gone since I've lived here. That's 12yrs.
I remember seeing tractors that looked like that when I tried for a job there
in the late '80s.
I asked my wife if she knew anybody that had worked there but she didn't.

Noha307
Good Luck with Your search.

Steve A W
 
Since the first one and maybe the other two are ex air force, try
registering and asking about them at steelsoldiersdotcom. The forums there
have a lot of very knowledgeable members, and there is a large selection of
military tech manuals posted.
 
I agree check out steelsoldiers, they have a ton a knowledge about all things military on wheels over there, mostly truck related, but I'll bet someone can get you pointed in the right direction.
 
if you can find an old dealer
Any suggestions as to how to go about doing that?

[United Tractor]'s no longer in Chesterton. The site is the town municipal garage and office's.
Do you have any idea where they might have moved to, or even if they still exist at all?

I tried looking up Pettibone-Mercury to see if they were still around, but the company has changed hands and names so many times that it's ridiculously confusing.

So far I've found three different webpages related to the company's history. The first is a short history of the company. However, it ends in 1998 and is, at least to me, vague on details. The second is the history of a different company that at one point bought Reliance-Mercury. However, because it is focused on the history of the other company, again it isn't very clear on what happened to R-M. The third is a news story about the history of a building that was Pettibone factory. However, again it is not clear on what happened to the company afterwards.

I did find a company called "Pettibone, LLC", but I'm not 100% sure it's the same company. Nevertheless, I'm considering contacting them with the hope that they [i:60afa45192]might[/i:60afa45192] be able to point me in the correct direction. However, even if it is what remains of P-M, I don't know if they'll have any knowledge of their old products. What do you guys think?

Since the first one and maybe the other two are ex air force
Sorry, I should have mentioned that the paint scheme on tug #1 is something the museum did after they acquired it. It's purely fanciful. It was actually donated to the museum by a locally headquartered major international corporation that used it with their aircraft operations. I did e-mail that company's history department, but, as I mentioned in my original post, they were not able to help.

Aside from the one data plate from the USAEC, there is nothing that indicates any of the tugs were former military or government. I'm not saying they were or weren't - just that so far I have no evidence either way.

The thought was actually that it might have been an ex-U.S. Navy tug because it had such a low silhouette, but according to a post I found online, it was never one of the models that the Navy used. (Actually, I just realized that the post I linked to was only about [i:60afa45192]flight deck[/i:60afa45192] tractors, not [i:60afa45192]all[/i:60afa45192] (i.e. land-based) U.S. Navy tugs.)

I did find an advertisement for a similar model, but I don't know how it can help me in any way.

In relation to tug #2. There's one other relevant forum post I found that I didn't include in my original post above. I realized it's relevant because I noticed the matching style data plate.

If Ebay and online manual dealers fail, try the Library of Congress or official Air Force museums.
I tried searching Google for manuals and I came up with what appears to be some good results, but the documents are not available online. Where would be the best place to go to find them.

Also, good suggestion about the LoC and other archives. I'll look into that.

I managed to snap a picture of tug #1's data plate today, so here it is:

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Finally, I just wanted to say thank you to you guys for all the help. I really appreciate it.
 
Have a Merc. in the shed(the one you found here on YT(link #3))
All I know about it is what's on the tags.

It sounds like you have more sources and reason to find info. I can get you the numbers off of the one in the shed if you think it will help.
One of the plates on it(small one under main id tag) is a patent number list, might get you someplace.

The picture of main tag again(so you don't have to scroll through the rest of post)

a199617.jpg
 
I can get you the numbers off of the one in the shed if you think it will help.
Could you do that? I hate to be a hassle, but I'm willing to try anything that could provide some information.

I just went back and re-read that thread I linked to. The data plate of the tractor you have just says "Banty" for the model? It just so happens that I came across something in my search that you might find interesting. I found an online classified ad for a "Mercury banty gas tractor antique vintage manual". I hope it may provide some assistance in return.
 
The Type is Banty (my bad), can just read the "nty" in the picture. That would be the manual I would need.
The rest of numbers on main tag
Model A440-15
Serial number 4544
Capacity ____(blank)___

Then the small tag under main tag:
Manufactured Under One or More of Following Patents.
1206100
1217702
1254979
1277187
1277188
1387477
1391779
2015911

I'll get the hoods open later for the engine numbers.
 
Just wanted to give everyone an update.

So the good news is that I found out that A&G Mercury owns what remains of the Mercury Industrial Truck tow tractor product line. Furthermore, I was able to contact them and while they didn't have anything useful on the maintenance documentation front, they [i:60175ccaaf]were[/i:60175ccaaf] able to give me some information on the serial numbers for both our tugs. Now, I write "serial numbers" because apparently something strange occurred. At some point during tug #3's lifetime, a different data plate was attached to it. This was revealed when the contact at A&G Mercury told me that the tug the data plate was attached to looked nothing like what the model number says it should. (As a matter of fact, apparently all their 4xx series tugs look roughly the same - meaning that tug #3 should look nearly identical to tug #2.)

According to the information they have on hand, tug #2, serial number 64077 was sold to "Goodyear Atomic Corp." of "Piketon, Ohio".

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Whatever the original serial number 8785 was, it was sold to the "United States Navy Department".

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So, tug #3 is now completely unidentified. In doing a quick online search, I came across a post that describes the restoration of a tug that looks very similar to ours. [i:60175ccaaf]That[/i:60175ccaaf] tug was made by Clark, so I have sent the company an e-mail to see if they can identify it.

Once again, any help or information would be appreciated.
 
Time for another update!

After examining tug #3 and talking with another volunteer that I consider an expert at the museum, I am now seriously questioning the accuracy of the theory that it does not have the original data plates. It does not make sense that the data plates would have been swapped, as I cannot think of a reason anyone would do such a thing. Furthermore, the physical evidence seems to point in the other direction.

I had elected to remove the data plate to determine if there was anything underneath. I was hoping that if a new data plate had been attached, it may have simply been placed over top of the old one. After doing so, I found no evidence to suggest it had been removed before. There was no other data plate underneath and significant evidence that it had been in place for a long period of time.

Below is a picture of what was behind the data plate and a picture of the back of the data plate itself. At the very least, it must have been in place long enough for the dirt that was behind it to cause the corrosion seen in the photo. In addition, the holes that were punched through the bottom-left quarter of the data plate match the holes in the piece of metal to which it was attached. Thirdly, there are no additional holes drilled to attach another data plate. This means that if a new data plate replaced the original, it would have had to nearly perfectly match the dimensions of the old one - something that I find to be highly unlikely. Finally, the area behind the data plate had not been repainted along with the rest of the tug when it had a new layer applied, and in fact seems to show overspray from poor masking when the green paint was added.

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With the above revelation in mind, I contacted the Naval History and Heritage Command hoping that they would be able to help me. Unfortunately, I only received very brief responses back that directed me to the National Archives and Records Administration, Modern Military Branch. I dutifully submitted a request there and was informed via autoconfirmed e-mail on September 21 that I will receive a response in "approximately 2-3 weeks". I have also e-mailed the National Naval Aviation Museum, who forwarded my request to their Emil Buehler Library. They have confirmed that they received my message and are looking into it.

To end on a positive note, we have been able to turn over tug #3's engine, although it has yet to fully run.
 

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