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British WW2 10 cwt GS Trailer


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  • 2 months later...

The final piece of the jigsaw - courtesy of John and Mary Worthing (and my hard earned)

 

IMG_2814.jpg

 

Just a pity it seems to be impossible to get brown canvas of the correct weight or width. I think I also need to age the rope a bit

Edited by simon king
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  • 9 months later...

I've just read all 38 pages of this thread. Wow. Lots of information and some fantastic trailers. I am now restoring my new GS, after the shipping company had a go at it. Is there a consensus on the location of the convoy light switch? I don't see any bolt holes or brackets or signs thereof. I have some spare brackets as used on lightweight trailers but don't see any mounting points?

i believe this is a Reynolds Trailer(?) can anyone shed any light or have any further information ?

image.jpg

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I've just read all 38 pages of this thread. Wow. Lots of information and some fantastic trailers. I am now restoring my new GS, after the shipping company had a go at it. Is there a consensus on the location of the convoy light switch? I don't see any bolt holes or brackets or signs thereof. I have some spare brackets as used on lightweight trailers but don't see any mounting points?

i believe this is a Reynolds Trailer(?) can anyone shed any light or have any further information ?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]117823[/ATTACH]

 

Please post some photos of your trailer.

 

Not all were fitted up with electrics for lighting. A clue would be if there is a hole in the end of the chassis bar under the tow hitch which is where any cable would pass.

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Please post some photos of your trailer.

 

Not all were fitted up with electrics for lighting. A clue would be if there is a hole in the end of the chassis bar under the tow hitch which is where any cable would pass.

 

You still have not mentioned the presence or lack of a cable hole at the end of the chassis bar. If I am correct the GS Mkll and 4.2" mortar trailers were not rigged up for lights, hence the jerry rigged efforts (also see Simon King's superb restoration of the GS trailer on this thread). Certainly my 4.2" Mortar trailer was never wired.

I have no idea why some types of trailer were wired and others not.

Is your tow hitch the unusual square box type housing - it is not clear from the photos and interestingly the data plate has no WD number, only a chassis number

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I would be very interested in any assistance available in verifying the manufacturer or help interpolating the WD X number from the Contract and chassis number?

 

According to Rob van Meel's Chilwell reprint, Reynolds had a contract S2488 is for trailer 10cwt 2wh GS with WD numbers between X 416510 and X 5417729. There is no mention of contract S2489 so either Rob's book has a mis-print (entirely possible) or it is a Reliance trailer with a contract of S2489 for trailer 10cwt GS and a WD number range between X 5418982 and X 5419741. My bet is the latter who I have never come across before.

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Hi Paul,

Another interesting trailer. Is that the "Louis" we both know?

 

Great shame about the shipping damage. Timber can be easily repaired but mudguard will take a little more work.

I am aware from all my trailer resources at present, but Anthony has answered from the same Chilwel book I would have looked in for you.

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Have to say that that mount for the convoy light looks remarkably like one of the three brackets that are welded to the first cross member back from the rear cross member. Nobody has yet come up with any good reason for the presence of those three brackets. I wonder if one has been chiselled off and rewelded at 90 degrees to the original to allow the fitting of a convoy light. On mine I left brackets as they were ( having replaced the middle one which had been removed to allow a flat plate to mount the switch to be welded to that cross member) and made a little L-plate to mount the floodlight.

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Hi Paul,

Another interesting trailer. Is that the "Louis" we both know?

 

Great shame about the shipping damage. Timber can be easily repaired but mudguard will take a little more work.

I am aware from all my trailer resources at present, but Anthony has answered from the same Chilwel book I would have looked in for you.

 

This trailer belonged to Louis Blonk who sold it to another guy who then sold to me. Louis and I are in the same British Field Kitchen group and he's a member of this forum as well.

 

Restoration rear down started in earnest today!

image.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
Gents- Is there any photo evidence the wood on these was varnished instead of painted same as the metal?

 

My very expensive ash was delivered tonight and I am having a difficult time with the thought of painting this beautiful wood!

 

Paul[/quote

 

Sorry Paul, To my knowledge all painted. You'll still see the grain of your ash though

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Gents- Is there any photo evidence the wood on these was varnished instead of painted same as the metal?

 

My very expensive ash was delivered tonight and I am having a difficult time with the thought of painting this beautiful wood!

 

Paul

 

I went through the same pain but all trailers were painted - they were workhorses, not items of art.

Don't worry though, you can still see the grain through the paint. I did not prime the wood, just treated it with a clear wood preservative and then sprayed the British Army green so the paint does not hide the grain.

 

Tony

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We have all been through that pain of painting over expensive and nicely grained ash. I brushed on a clear wood preservative like Tony and added a grey wood primer for longevity prior to assembly before laying on the 499 service brown/SCC2 with a spray gun once fitted to the frame.

 

SS Cars built trailers had the bolt countersinks on the outside filled so it didn't matter that the grain was lost after sanding the primer smooth to loose any faint brushstrokes.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Gents- Is there any photo evidence the wood on these was varnished instead of painted same as the metal?

 

My very expensive ash was delivered tonight and I am having a difficult time with the thought of painting this beautiful wood!

 

Paul

Hi Paul,

Just for your information this is a chassis plate belonging to a W.J.Reynolds trailer, my Reynolds also has it cast into the wheel hubs. So different to yours, but you are probably already aware of that.

Cheers,

Sean

IMG_0806.jpg

IMG_1861.jpg

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  • 4 weeks later...
This is my restored 10cwt trailer, it has post war number 80 ZA 72, Is there a way finding out it`s wartime X number ?

Hi Maurice

 

that looks nice and strangely familiar.

 

I see you decided to mount the t-plate in its original position rather than screwing it to the tailgate. I have seen both.

 

That's an interesting modification to the handbrake handle to stop the release handle from engaging the ratchet as well. There was a Butler teardrop socket to secure the wiring plug on the right hand side of the neck still remaining on mine.

 

The curved back edge for the brackets which are used to mount the handles on the neck suggests that your trailer was built by SS Cars. The census numbers for these and all trailers are listed in the "Chilwell List" of census numbers for B vehicles. A copy of the list can be purchased from Rob van Meel. There seems to be some correlation between the original census number and the SS Cars chassis number. If you have the chassis number on the WV3 rebuild plate, you might be able to tie back the "last three" of the chassis number to the "last three" of known SSC trailer census numbers from the Chilwell list

 

The Royal Logistic Corps Museum at Deepcut Barracks holds B vehicle records which generally relates post war VRNs to wartime census numbers. You can download a request form from the RLC Museum website. There is a non returnable search fee of £25 though and as I wait for further details on my MWR, I can confirm that the service is definitely not by return of post....

 

Rob at Datplates4U can reproduce SSC GS trailer dataplates by the way.

Edited by simon king
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