Redherring

Like Doug in NZ I can think of lots of pre-'14 commercials or parts thereof laying about in sheds, under trees, and out in fields across Australia. Would a pre-WW1 thread showing commercial 'truck bio's' be an appropriate use of HMVF resources?

OK... 15225 1923 15323 1924 Same model 5/6 t. Came with either 36HP or 40HP motor. Cheers

Mike. This plate is from a 40HP motor in a 1925 chassis #15773. You would/could/should expect your chassis to have a number in the vicinity of this one - unless the motor is a replacement. The chassis number you quoted 45323 doesn't fit in any number range I have seen. That's not to say the ranges are complete - there were many Leyland chassis variants. Does your chassis have any red paint!? What is the number on the second chassis? Robert

If I have read the Leyland Society chart correctly chassis no. 15999 was built between January and September 1927. The PH2 model was in the 5/6 ton range. I am restoring a PH2 with chassis no. 15327 built in 1924. There is another one in the Kempsey museum. Both have bevel diffs and spoke wheels. High radiator. 11487 - batch number? Regards...

The chassis numbers would give us the answer. They are stamped on the front cross member. Agree heavy 5-6 ton model. Possibly PH. Alas there are two similar and restored Leylands in different museums in NSW that are mis-described as being built in the mid-10's when they are actually mid-20's models. Perhaps this is why many people think these trucks were built at an earlier date. My best guess would be mid to late twenties. Robert

The conversion of tanks to dozers and other useful mobile machinery was pretty common after the war. Over the years I have come across quite a few. My AC1 was a conversion to a heavy mobile crane. Another AC1 I have seen is a very neat dozer unit with centurian wheels and tracks, and if my memory serves me well two original gearboxes in a row connected to a Gardner diesel. The blade is operated by an overhead cable from a massive winch at the rear of the machine. Another fellow I knew well bought six? diesel engined Stuarts and a similar number of GM engined Grants at the auction sales after the war. I remember him telling the story of how they stripped them of their upper armour and turrets before trucking them down to the farm near Camperdown. He converted at least two Stuarts for use as tractors (for towing cultivating equipment) by inverting the final drive so that the tank drove backwards. One Stuart had its Guiberson engine replaced by one of the 671 GM motors from the Grant power pack. Another had a Matilda Leyland motor - this motor survived and is in my shed. He made a great job of converting one of the Grants into a dozer which he used, amongst other jobs, to build a massive dam in a valley at Scotts Creek. The big blade still exists and is used as the front of a loading ramp! I have a photo of that Grant somewhere - but where? Will try to find it. The spare chassis's were canibalised for parts, and we climbed all over them when we were kids. In the 70's one of the spare Stuart hulls was traded to John Belfield. If I hadn't been focussed on working overseas when the fellow died the huge stack of wheels, track and other equipment might have been saved from the scrappy. I'm told the local Lions Club did OK from the cleanup. The 'goers' were sold and may still exist but quite where is anyones guess. Regards...

"One here in Australia has a chassis by Frodingham Iron and Steel Co.Ltd England and mine is *****" Is it Dalzell Steel?

What do you make of the wheels in Pic 1?

Have been following your thread with great interest. There are three photos to be found on the web that you may or may not have seen before. First two are 'copyright Reed Business information'. Described as a 1909 Dennis with quite extraordinary front wheels (perhaps twice normal width and appear to be rivetted steel – like a road roller?), front axle with U bend, chassis ends same as yours, full frontal shot of the aluminum (?) & horizontal tubed radiator, mounted same as yours. I can’t tell whether it’s 2 or 3 tonne. Described as a 1910 Dennis, similar chassis, very different radiator, pictured from 45 degree angle to front. The third photo you will find on the site of the State library of South Australia Described as c1911 Dennis. This one is similar to b) above. Regards Robert

Could it have something to do with mining. Those massive bombs the engineers exploded under your opponent's trenches. Could the bell be the signal to get the hell out of the tunnel if your opponent made a sudden charge toward your only means of escape i.e. the adit? Robert (am off to bed - am sure someone will get this before morning!) :undecided:

Hmmm. Perhaps the controller was the FOO and the bell was at the battery. The FOO had to contend with loss of communications due to bomb blasts, perhaps the third line allowed him to check the connection with the bell i.e. check for a complete cirtuit. If the circuit was open they would rush about and replace the lines - while under fire. And then again, maybe I'm completely off the beam... Robert

Did they replace the rolls chassis with fordson i.e. utilising the old rolls armoured bodies, or did they build new bodies?

I'd be really interested to know the history of these vehicles. Can you point me in the right direction?

I wonder. Has any work been done on this little gem since the original post in 2010?

Auctioneer sent me some photos... if you're interested I have his details regards Robert

Could this be the same chassis?

Tony, how did moisture get between the Devcon and the top tank? Can you tell me the page number on the Dennis thread? Thanks. (I found the short Dennis rad. thread. The inside of that radiator looks familiar...)

Your 'blanking' plates appear to be aluminium (alloy?) and similar to my Leyland equivalents that are severely corroded with deep pitting on the inside. How would you prepare these for replacement? Would you consider an aluminium epoxy over a corrosion treatment? It could be machined flat. Alternatively, fibre glass? I have the same problem with the radiator bottom tank. Any thoughts? Robert

On the subject of laminated chassis... this is one lives out west of here. I had originally tagged it is AEC? Could it be a Daimler of similar period to the one above? Robert

Could it be GMC? Diamond T? or perhaps Garford?

Seem to be common enough in Australia. I have the remains of three. 1st was rebuilt as a light truck for farm duties complete with truck cabin - basically a heavy duty 4WD utility. 2nd was used at a sawmill for shunting trees - judging by the bent cross member on the front frame. 3rd was also cut down at back with long tray attached for feeding out hay also converted to RHD - hack job unfortunately... will remedy some day. Many have been rebuilt. Seek out photos of the 'Corowa' Military vehicle meet (Corowa, NSW, Australia). Robert

The ratio of radiator core height to width - so far as you can measure with such a low res photo - appears to be the same for both Leylands. One lorry is parked a yard behind the other. Also the left radiator is painted? and you can see more of the right side standard. Perhaps an optical illusion.:undecided: The car radiators ...?

Thank you for posting a hi-res image of the photo. I was able to 'blow it up', so to speak, and see a lot more detail than I could on hmvf. Very, very interesting.

Some of the pilots lived to a great age. One fellow I new very well. He lived near the Melboutrne Cricket Ground and loved to discuss the state of play. So we'd be talking cricket and then he'd come out with these "what ho's" in between sentences. This idiom completely baffled me as a teenager. But it did give me a sense of the atmosphere in the AFC mess...

The AFC comprised 4 squadrons. Three were fighter squadrons: AFC Sqn 1 flew mainly Bristol fighters in Mid East theatre. AFC Sqn 2 flew mainly SE5a's in France. AFC Sqn 4 flew mainly Sopwith camels, and snipes later in the war, also based in France. AFC Sqn 3 the subject of this photo was a reconnaissance squadron utilised on the western front from 1916. Photography and artillery obs. Australian servicement were repatriated home through 1919 in a huge logistics exercise... Robert