The Crablogger was a forest-clearance vehicle featured in Path Of Destruction.
A gigantic robotic lumber and wood processing vehicle, the Crablogger was developed by Jim Lucas of Robotics International Ltd to alleviate the need for unnecessary transportation of raw materials to intermediate processing facilities.
The Crablogger goes off course when the crew (McColl and Peterson) is stricken with severe food poisoning. It creates a swath of destruction through the village of San Martino and stops just short of the soon to be completed San Martino Dam before it crashes.
If its machinery jams, an explosion of the Superon-fuelled atomic reactor ensues, laying waste to everything within a 50-mile radius.
Design[]
The Crablogger is composed of two sections: the front section saws and debarks timbers, and the rear section processes wood pulp which is then packed into barrels. Operations can be carried out via a pre-programmed remote control system, which is supervised by a two man crew or by manual control. An array of sensors mounted around the Crablogger's "mouth" direct the actions of its grabs and saws.
Technical Data[]
- Crew: 2-3
- Designer: Jim Lucas
- Length: 342 feet
- Manufacturer: Robotics International Ltd, UK
- Maximum speed: 40 mph
- Weight: 435 tons
Crew Entry[]
The crew enter the Crablogger by the way of a electronic hoist, that is swung out by a overhead crane. The men are then lifted to a topside entry hatch, and enter the machine (one at a time) through the opening, which is then sealed and locked behind them.
Inside the Crablogger[]
The main control room is located on the topside of the machine, and contains plasma view screens and video communications, as the room is completely sealed when in operation. The room also contains all the tree-felling and pulping control computers that are needed to complete a forest-clearing operation.
Crew[]
The Crablogger usually has a crew of three, but can still be operated with only two.
The crew of Crablogger One are Peterson, McColl and Franklin.
Peterson (left) McColl (right)
Ancillary Vehicles[]
The Crablogger in Action[]
As the machine moves forward the main external saw cuts trees at root level. Additional underside-mounted saws remove roots. Whilst the saws are at work, the two grabs grip the tree firmly. Trees are placed onto the forward conveyor and rollers by the hydraulic grab arms. The spiked rollers allow tree trunks to be placed on the cutting bay conveyors. Mounted at the top of the "mouth" is an upper spiked tree trunk grip remover. Trees are moved into the cutting bay by the forward conveyor. Inside the cutting bay, trees are removed for either pulping or incineration. For use in the construction industry, larger branches and tree trunks are cut into planks. Afterwards, the planks are transported to the sorting bay.
Crablogger on a Path of Destruction[]
- Main article: Crablogger on a Path of Destruction
When the crew fall ill, the machine has already been put into automatic control, so the Crablogger goes on a path of destruction.
Behind the Scenes[]
- The two ocular monitors/warning lights on either side of the front cabin were made from slide viewers.
- The caterpillar tracks and wheels on the trailer were from a Tiger Joe Tank model.
- The front section was approximately four feet in length.
- Cans of compressed air were used to create the Crablogger's dust trail.
Cross-Sections[]
To date, no fewer than four cross-sections of the Crablogger have been produced.
The first appeared in a Fleetway comic, the second appeared in World of Thunderbirds, the third appeared in a Redan comic, the fourth featured in the 50th anniversary edition of the Haynes Thunderbirds manual.
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