Jump to content

soupdragon

Members
  • Posts

    37
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Reputation

10 Good

About soupdragon

  • Birthday August 13

Personal Information

  • Location
    UpState NY USA, formerly Braintree UK
  • Interests
    Rovers, wreckers, green stuff, metalwork, snow and horses
  • Occupation
    Farrier/Blacksmith/Horsefarmer

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

  1. Thanks Rustexpert for posting your pic.. They look pretty much the same as the Aussie ones I am trying to find - (pic below also posted in wrecker forum), Probably have the same pin locations and cross section. May have some casting differences - date location, part or FV number?, but probably not noticeable to the untrained eye. Thanks all for the replies .
  2. Anyone down under have some cast steel 'hold fasts' (ground anchors) that they can measure? I am considering getting some cast locally'ish because I can't imagine shipping them from Aus will be practical or affordable. I already have a pile of hex pins in the UK awaiting postage - not going to like that bill either!
  3. Maybe the lifting points weren't trusted... ...and the "casualty" isn't very far off of the ground either. Nice pic of two brand new ones though! Would be nice if a moderator could fix the original thread title..
  4. Came across another pic.. White numbers on black "AMF" plates dates these trucks to the initial "179 - NNN" purchase in 1971. (1973 purchase trucks had green numbers on white "ARMY" plates 25_NNN) Two Australian M816's using the standard US issue sus tow kit of Hollebone [towbar motor vehicle] with chain clamps to the front axle and whiffle tree [bar lifting] chained to the chassis ends instead of the front bumper lifting shackles which is the US method. With the later 70's introduction of the Aus made Mack trucks, the 816's were fitted with the higher sus tow subframe incorporating the Holmes tow gear and elevated second pintle hitch. Whiffle trees were 'generally' dispensed with and Hollebones only used for flat towing. The green is nothing that I did - appears to be some kind of advertising marker automatically added ???
  5. Found an OD article that says Marines is a common misconception - not made for USMC but by USMC - US Metal Container Co., though it also says that it's by USMC(Co) if it's in the manufacturers line on the underneath, yet 'for' the Marines if it's on one side at the bottom......? Still a little confused. Have now seen a couple of pics/references to WATER cans like this. Still don't know how long this production lasted before adopting the large screw lid.... Would be interested to see how they were converted after the war ("'cause they leaked less than the screw type"!!). I can't see any patching around this one - unless the whole top was changed - which seems a little OTT as the top part is by way the most complicated part.
  6. Just 'saved' this Jerry can from a hot rod flea market... because I'd never seen one like this before. Looking for info/significance and maybe find it a good (appropriate) home! The paint - as you can see is many layers thick and peeling, but the can itself is very straight and solid. Even the lid seal seems fine.
  7. Chevpol - have you thought of sussing out the Steel Soldiers forum? It's the US based MV forum and has lots of former servicemen as well as weekend soldiers, so there is a good chance that some of them will remember the 1500 Ram. I had the civi version (2500) as a work truck - it's retired now, but still drive it around locally for the farm. Love it. I'm off to the big MV meeting in Georgia today, and will be crashing with a former USAF chappie. I'll ask him about them. H
  8. Dims are approx but I think you can get the idea from the first pic. I have made these from 3/4" re-bar, coil springs and crowbars - round or hex. Hook 'point' is NOT sharp - it's for picking up shackles etc., not spearing your foot when you don't see it in the long grass, a-la Tom and Jerry style. Hope this helps.
  9. Robin - back to post #30, extra brackets 'Lashing staples' - if your truck was Airbourne then potentially these were ratchet strap hooks to secure the tilt frame, windscreen and tilt when C-130'd. A-la the 2 PARA FRT's (TuckAway wreckers). Does it just have one pair halfway down the body - may have been dropped somewhat empty where as the FRT's had three pairs of staples; front, middle and back and were dropped full of kit.
  10. Just for the sake of collecting all "Scotch" info under this one thread, I found these pics recently on the US Government Liquidation auction site "GL". Two Navistar wreckers (Navy) up for grabs in California. They carry the double wide "Holmes" type Scotches.
  11. Trevor - it doesn't matter, what you are trying to do is stop the wheel turning if it has no/poor brakes and/or keep the wheel stationary over the spade so it pushes into the ground. Stopping the scotch from moving relative to the vehicle as a whole is the real goal. The more inline the teather is to the wheel, the less it will try to twist under the tyre reducing effectiveness but as you can see from the Scammell pics, they use a long teather that goes way back on the chassis so the angle is reduced. I just used the wheel to change the direction of the attachment - like a snatch block for side pulling - as I have a stout front bumper with shackle points. For me, going back to the chassis wasn't an option - too much stuff in the way. Getting the length of the teather correct is however critical, that is why the Scammell vid is a great example. Note that they just added a couple of shackles. For me - I use two chains each with a grab hook, that way I can adjust as necessary. Maybe one day I'll make a couple of cables...
  12. Robin. Once 'cleaned' are they to be repainted (MoD) or are they 'green' enough? If so, is there a suitable plastic primer?
  13. Further conversation... looks like the wrecker ones were part of the 'Holmes' supplied stuff (came with their own chains), wider for the dual rears, where-as the 981 ones look like Scammell ones - single wheel and needed that cable tether. Question 1 is, were they intended to be used on the front wheels just like the Scammell? Not totally familiar with the 981 - are there brakes on the front axle? If not, scotches could have been used to "stop" front wheels, like wheel chocks or spades to aide winching. If for the front wheels, I'm guessing the cable hook went up to the chassis. Second question relates to the earlier comment of hard/soft sides of the scotches. Not sure if this was so as the teeth of the 'Holmes' ones would be needed to dig into hard surface (assuming the bolt on teeth were harder - therefore bolt on..) or the teeth could dig into a wooden baulk/sleeper which has a deformable surface to grab any grit or surface friction of the tarmac. If "hard surface" use was to turn them over they would have acted as skid shoes and somewhat ineffective. For soft ground, the whole front edge would go into the ground as a spade. I am not sure if the Scammell ones were only used spade down or turned over? I'm guessing the stiffener on the under side would potentially damage the tyre...? Total tangent... [is the hook on the M.A.N SV®'s hyd spades for grabbing timber so not to damage roads?] Interesting to note that manual spades were the US alternative for wreckers (other than T's with the Holmes gear) to Scotches. From the Wards of WWII, right up to M936's of the 90's, even the HEMTT wrecker (still in use) has them, though they are positioned by the hiab rather than manually.
  14. Assuming that's the Scammell vid I mentioned in post #3? Found another Holmes Scotches pic.. This was a USAF '80s civi wrecker up on a Govmt auction last year. No idea why it had those scotches on the deck as the truck had hyd spades on the rear!
×
×
  • Create New...