Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/51980
FINAL WORD by Tom Jackson ANTIQUE A military mystery A ccording to owner Mike Rohleder of Ferdinand, Indiana, this may be the only 1951 Schield Bantam ABM 51 military pull shovel in existence. Rohleder acquired the machine 10 years ago and put it to work this summer at the Historical Construc- tion Equipment Association's annual convention. This cable-actuated digger was built for airborne military opera- tions in Schield Bantam's Waverly, Iowa plant. The sand-fi lled counter- weight could be drained for trans- portation in cargo planes during the Korean War. Rohleder repainted the ABM 51 its original olive drab and restored it to operating condi- tion with some welding, new cables and clutch and brake bands pur- chased from crane supply sources. An operator who has worked with heavy equipment for some 40 years, Rohleder runs a side business, Moonlight Excavating, with his sons Andy and Luke, to help fund their passion for antique iron. In addition to his ABM 51, Mike Rohleder service in the navy. The front of the ABM 51 has also restored a Euclid S-7 scraper, a Caterpillar #212 single drive grader and a Little Giant Combo 12 hydraulic excavator. The Seabee logo pays homage to Rohleder's is a 1943 GMC 6x6 deuce and a half powered by a 6-cylinder Leroy C140 gas engine. 70 EquipmentWorld.com Rohleder is not sure if Shield Ban- tam ever developed the ABM 51 past the prototype stage and he's still try- ing to solve this mystery. If you know anything more about the ABM 51 he'd like to hear from you. You can call him at (812) 630-2544 or email us at tjackson@randallreilly.com. If you're interested in learning more about vintage machines, the HCEA will have its 25th annual con- vention September 14-16 in Bowl- ing Green, Ohio. To fi nd out more go to hcea.net. EW (far right) (top , (above , left) center)