Albee Rolligon M34

Mr. W.H. Albee’s Rolligon principle fascinated all elements of the defense industry. The Air Force experimented with it for use on immense missile carriers, while the Navy experimented with a Jeep-based version. The Army’s interests lay primarily in moving cargo over boggy or snowy terrain, and several versions were tried including a three-bagger. In an effort to use standardized components as the basis for applying the Rolligon principle, the Transportation Corps asked the Ordnance Corps to develop a 6×6 version based on an M34 6×6.

The vehicle was assembled by a firm called Wetmore, Hodges and Associates, and was tested extensively in Hope Valley, California, in February and March, 1954. The Rolligon vehicle used a drive roller which pressed down on the top of the bag to provide locomotion, but there was no positive drive between the two components. When an axle-driven version was designed using Terra-Tires, the development of the roller-driven Rolligons ceased.