California dad spends $50,000 to build replica of WWI tank for his kids to play with in their backyard

Oct 17, 2024

By Lauren Acton-Taylor For Dailymail.Com 16:45 08 Oct 2024, updated 17:01 08 Oct 2024

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A father from California has spent $50,000 to build a 16ft replica WWI tank in his backyard for his kids to play with.

Kameron Swinney, a bathroom remodeler from Sacramento, began building the tank to combine his passions for history and welding.

He began his project by buying a few sheets of plywood, a half-inch steel plate, a CNC plasma table, bolts, steel plates, and nails.

The 34-year-old, father-of-one built a replica of what is considered the world's first modern tank, the French Renault FT-17.

Altogether, the 12,000lbs tank cost Swinney $50,000 and almost a year to build.

The FT-17 was America's first combat-used tank, and its design layout continues to be used today, said Swinney.

'It is arguably the most successful tank of World War I and considered the grandfather of the modern tank, as it was the first with a fully rotating turret and drivetrain in the rear completely separate from the crew,' he said.

Swinney had worked on classic cars since he was 15 and was taught to weld by his uncle, Newsweek reported.

'From there, I did ironwork, building fences and gates, but would also do welding on classic cars,' he said.

Swinney estimated he spent '1,200 to 1,400 hours' working on the project, drilling 'thousands of holes for the bolts' and locating tractor parts that would work with the machine.

'The engine is a Jeep f134 engine that turns a hydraulic pump with flow controlled by spool valves going to the hydraulic motors located at each final drive that turns the track sprocket,' he said.

The tracks and final drives, he said, were from two 1930s tractors and due to the being steel they cannot be driven on the roads and must be used on private property.

'It's essentially a tractor,' he said, and abiding by laws the project has no working guns or weaponry.

He received plenty of support online as he posted his journey on the project.

One said: 'I heard you put in an old jeep engine, that makes it sound awesome! I love this thing so much! Maybe you could someday post what it looks like inside?'

'HOLY ****! that is impressive. Well done to you man,' another wrote.

He took the tank to a car show, and won best in the show, as well as receiving plenty of support from neighbors.

'Everyone that has seen it loves it and people have said it's a cute little tank since it's really the size of a four-door Sedan... they also happen to love history and know it's a replica of a tank that's over 100 years old,' he said.

Swinney said that the sight of the tank brought the reality of war, and the machinery used into perspective, and brings a connection to history to the modern world.

He also hopes that it will get people talking about the lives of people who were involved in war and 'sacrificed so much', as well as the events that 'shaped the world we live in today'.

'War should be avoided at all costs and if people had a better understanding of past events, then hopefully, we won't be destined to repeat them,' he added.

Swinney has said he plans to move onto other projects such as other tanks or 'something perhaps bigger'.

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