The Albee Rolligon: An Innovative Transport Truck From the 1950s – Design You Trust

The Albee Rolligon: An Innovative Transport Truck From the 1950s

1

One of the earliest applications of Albee’s low-pressure tires was this three-roller Dodge Power Wagon. Ground pressure was drastically reduced due to the large ground area in contact with the bags, and the low air pressure (from 2.5 to 6 PSI) in the bags.

The vehicle weighed 9,500 pounds (vs. 5,500 for a normal Power Wagon), and was built by the West Coast Machinery Company of Stockton, California. It used a Chrysler 135 horsepower model IND-18A V-8 engine and a Powerflite torque converter. There was no suspension other than that provided by the low-pressure bags. The vehicle was tested in Greenland and at Aberdeen Proving Ground in from 1953 to May 1954.

h/t: vintag.es

2

Rolligon is a trademark name for a type of tires designed for use in rugged terrain or for traversing the soft ground of a desert or the tundra. The tires have large surface areas and are filled with very low-pressure air—as low as 5 PSI (pounds per square inch). For comparison, a typical car tire is pumped to about 30-35 PSI. Because the weight of the vehicle is distributed over a large surface, it exerts much lower pressure on the ground compared to conventional tires. Furthermore, the low pressure in them allows the tires to deform easily, swallowing up bumps and obstacles rather than going over them. As LIFE magazine noted, running over someone with a Rolligon gives the person “about the same sensation as a vigorous massage.”

3

Rolligons were invented by William Hamilton Albee, who was a teacher living in a small Eskimo village in the Bering Strait, Alaska, before he became an inventor and founder of a company. While on a fishing trip, in 1935, William observed a group of Eskimos hoist a heavy wooden boat loaded with about 4 tons of catch out of the water and into the muddy bank using several bags of inflated airtight sealskin, which they rolled under the boat. William watched the fishermen in fascination as they effortlessly drove the boat up a slope despite the gravel and stones.

4

William Albee returned to California, and in 1951, began working on a modern adaption of the Eskimo bags. He designed bag-like tires made from nylon impregnated with rubber, that were very flexible. They deformed easily but did not expand. After many consultations, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company agreed to manufacture them according to plans designed by Albee. Eventually, Albee founded the “Albee Rolligon Company” and began producing vehicles fitted with low pressure tires. Later, with the help of the U.S. Army, Albee’s company released a Jeep, a Reo truck and a Dodge Power Wagon, all equipped with Rolligons. The final creation was a 7-ton off-highway transporter, the “Albee Rolligon.”

5

Unfortunately, William Albee failed to turn the concept into a successful business. His company ran into financial troubles, forcing Albee to sell his company’s assets, in 1960, to John G. Holland, who renamed the company Rolligon Corporation. The Rolligon trademark is now owned by the Texas-based National Oilwell Varco (NOV), the world’s leading supplier of equipment and components used in oil and gas drilling. NOV still manufacturers Rolligon-equipped vehicles. Their biggest clients are oil companies operating in northern Alaska.

6
7
8

If you want more awesome content, subscribe to 'Design You Trust Facebook page. You won't be disappointed.

More Inspiring Stories

Unique House for the Atomic Age from 1953
Amazing Color Photographs Capture Sun Bathers on the Beach in Cannes, France in 1948
Cool Photos Defined Fashion Styles of Young Women in the 1970s
There Was Sex In The USSR: Soviet Car Advertising From The Past
Vikki Dougan: Seductive Sex-Bomb Whose Daring Backless Dresses Inspired the 1950s Women's Fashion
X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-3 Lands at Vandenberg AFB
Exploring the Delicious Slices of London: A Look at Cafes from the 1980s
Marketing Strategies of the 1960s-1980s: Women in Miniskirts Promote Computer Systems
Russian Museum Has Created Christmas Tree From The Dissected LADA
Fabulous Photos Show Billy Idol’s Styles in the 1970s and ’80s
Looney Tunes: The Original Model Sheets
Retro And Futuristic Illustrations By James Gilleard
The Rhino: An Inventor's Visionary Solution for Off-Road and Highway Transportation From The 1950s
"Les Amies de Place Blanche": Captivating Portraits Of Paris Transsexuals In The 1950s
"Your Soul Is the Whole World": Beautiful Surreal Retro Collages of Hugo Bastos
Amazing Photos Capture Street Scenes of New York City in the 1990s
Weird Advertising for a Weird Car: Balloon-Wheeled Citroen DS, 1959
Vintage Photographs of Christine Keeler Posing in a Swimsuit on a Beach in Spain and France, 1963
Science Rends The Veil: The Mysterious Photo Collection Of Edward Bateman
Photos Of 20 Wonderful Reliant Regal Cars
Meet "Birrabus" – A Former School Bus Transformed Into A Beer Truck!
Steve Jobs Showing Andy Warhol How To Use a Macintosh Computer that Sean Lennon Received for His 9th Birthday in 1984
Brilliant National Lampoon Magazine Covers From the 1970s
Back In 1980, Citröen Had A Somewhat Amusing Idea Of The Future