Raymond Alvah Hanson
Encyclopedia
Raymond Alvah Hanson (December 10, 1923 – February 18, 2009), was an entrepreneur, inventor and engineer who lived in Spokane, Washington
. Hanson held over 100 patents. He created and produced equipment that was used on the Trans-Alaskan pipeline, on canals in over 50 countries (including the California Aqueduct System) and the self-leveling control for hillside Combine Harvesters.
in 1923, the son of Ray & Orda (Hensley) Hanson. The family later moved to Palouse, Washington
. Hanson grew up around the iconic rolling hills of the Palouse
region, which would play into his first invention,the self leveling control for Combine Harvesters. Hanson attended the University of Idaho
, majoring in electrical engineering. At the age of 19 while farming in Palouse, Washington
he applied his engineering and farming knowledge to finding a better way to harvest the fertile but often steep slopes found in that area.
In 1941 Hanson conceived of the self-leveling control for hillside combines
, and by 1945 the first self leveling mechanisms were built.
Hanson founded the RAHCO Company to build self-leveling mechanisms and since then, RAHCO of Spokane, Washington has grown into a world leader in the design and production of custom commercial machinery systems. RAHCO estimates that automatic leveling has saved at least three percent of grain harvested on lands where combine leveling is needed, which is worth millions of dollars each year.
After the self-leveling control for hillside combines, Hanson began adapting the ideas and principles he had developed into a wide variety of construction machines used for canal, highway, dam, and airport construction. He went on to found a company that became a world leader in the design and production of custom commercial machinery, including the largest canal finishing machinery in the world for the California aqueduct, the world's largest 2,000 ton gantry crane used in the Grand Coulee Dam
power plant project, and creating equipment that has been used on the Alaska pipeline
project.
To date, Hanson has designed and marketed major construction machinery in more than 50 countries and has brought more than $150,000,000 worth of business back to the northwest
and the Inland Empire
.
Hanson died on February 18, 2009 and is survived by his wife Lois and six children, 20 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren.
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
. Hanson held over 100 patents. He created and produced equipment that was used on the Trans-Alaskan pipeline, on canals in over 50 countries (including the California Aqueduct System) and the self-leveling control for hillside Combine Harvesters.
Background
Hanson was born in Potlatch, IdahoPotlatch, Idaho
Potlatch is a city in Latah County, Idaho, United States. The population was 791 at the 2000 census.-History:Potlatch was founded in 1905 as a company town by the Potlach Corporation. The townsite was chosen because of proximity to Potlatch Corporation's large holdings of western white pine on the...
in 1923, the son of Ray & Orda (Hensley) Hanson. The family later moved to Palouse, Washington
Palouse, Washington
Palouse is a city in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 998 at the 2010 census. Palouse is named for the region of farmland in which it is situated, and was incorporated in 1888.-History:...
. Hanson grew up around the iconic rolling hills of the Palouse
Palouse
The Palouse is a region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of southeastern Washington, north central Idaho and, in some definitions, extending south into northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primarily producing wheat and legumes...
region, which would play into his first invention,the self leveling control for Combine Harvesters. Hanson attended the University of Idaho
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
, majoring in electrical engineering. At the age of 19 while farming in Palouse, Washington
Palouse, Washington
Palouse is a city in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 998 at the 2010 census. Palouse is named for the region of farmland in which it is situated, and was incorporated in 1888.-History:...
he applied his engineering and farming knowledge to finding a better way to harvest the fertile but often steep slopes found in that area.
In 1941 Hanson conceived of the self-leveling control for hillside combines
Combine harvester
The combine harvester, or simply combine, is a machine that harvests grain crops. The name derives from the fact that it combines three separate operations, reaping, threshing, and winnowing, into a single process. Among the crops harvested with a combine are wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn ,...
, and by 1945 the first self leveling mechanisms were built.
Hanson founded the RAHCO Company to build self-leveling mechanisms and since then, RAHCO of Spokane, Washington has grown into a world leader in the design and production of custom commercial machinery systems. RAHCO estimates that automatic leveling has saved at least three percent of grain harvested on lands where combine leveling is needed, which is worth millions of dollars each year.
After the self-leveling control for hillside combines, Hanson began adapting the ideas and principles he had developed into a wide variety of construction machines used for canal, highway, dam, and airport construction. He went on to found a company that became a world leader in the design and production of custom commercial machinery, including the largest canal finishing machinery in the world for the California aqueduct, the world's largest 2,000 ton gantry crane used in the Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam is a gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation. It was constructed between 1933 and 1942, originally with two power plants. A third power station was completed in 1974 to increase its energy...
power plant project, and creating equipment that has been used on the Alaska pipeline
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System
The Trans Alaska Pipeline System , includes the Trans Alaska Pipeline, 11 pump stations, several hundred miles of feeder pipelines, and the Valdez Marine Terminal. TAPS is one of the world's largest pipeline systems...
project.
To date, Hanson has designed and marketed major construction machinery in more than 50 countries and has brought more than $150,000,000 worth of business back to the northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
and the Inland Empire
Inland Empire (Pacific Northwest)
thumb|The Inland Empire regionThe Inland Northwest, or Inland Empire, is a region in the Pacific Northwest centered on Spokane, Washington, including the surrounding Columbia River basin and all of North Idaho....
.
Hanson died on February 18, 2009 and is survived by his wife Lois and six children, 20 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren.