N.O.S.

If you have any inclinations towards jealousy, you really do not want to know how he got up there. :trustme:

If someone asks you with a strong Scottish accent what is the difference between Bing Crosby and Walt Disney, do you know what's coming?

And turning very slowly within the pulleys and belts of that early 1900s Belgian reciprocating saw, to keep it all oiled up is a positive displacement lubricator - which is in fact am old 6 cyl. diesel injection pump! :goodidea:

:thumbsup:

I do of course appreciate that in soft ground the spade and much/most of the rear axles will be pulled into the ground creating a much more stable platform

In fact it was a photo, which I can't find now, that you put up of (I think?) your Drops you converted to winch truck that got me thinking about the centre spades. You had a high rigged winch cable going out on a straight test pull of your aircraft tug? The centre spade with high rope pull point looked potentially worrying to an untrained eye like mine - absolutely safe in that situation, but when pulling in a recovery situation you need to be very confident the load isn't going to suddenly slide sideways and change the angle of pull! I meant to ask you about the limitations of use at the time and forgot. I looked at a couple of commercial heavy recovery trucks on the roads today - they both had spade legs on outer edge behind rear wheels, so better than I suggested in a previous post. They are obviously fine to use or they would be a different design, so just scaremongering on my part I guess :-D . But having said that, they can't seem to compete with the old all wheel drive girls for off-road work :cool2:

One of these reservoirs has been deepened in recent times to give increased capacity by digging out gravel - may possibly have been the reason for draining this one in '76?

There is a track at 90 degrees to the tractor unit - it might be tempting to pull the unit across the road but the chances are that the pivot of the 5th wheel plate would then allow the trailer to lean further over as the angle of the unit to trailer increased to 90 degrees - it is only the rigidity of the 5th wheel laterally that is preventing the trailer from toppling as it is. No, I think for the sake of an hour or so of hard graft I'd pull most of the load off and do it the same way :sweat::sweat::sweat:

OK I'll start. I wouldn't have used that 240V extension lead he was unraveling to use as a tow rope - I'm amazed it stuck the load and I certainly wouldn't trust plugging it into the mains afterwards.

That's something that has always worried me :shocked:. Seems to me if your load suddenly shifted sideways you could easily get pulled over your line of stability - yet if you look at any modern civilian truck wrecker they are all the same :??? . Guess you just have to be extremely careful when using these beasties.

What an amazing vehicle - perhaps it was only ever a 'concept contraption' and never made it into production?

A better solution? We could try to find a way to discuss topics without causing or taking offence - that way we can all learn from each other and who knows, maybe even have a laugh along the way. :tup::

Well there are certainly far fewer Chevs around than CCKWs, but they do deserve the Vulture treatment. Seperate blog maybe? Your choice, you're doing all the hard work for us to enjoy :cheesy:

Spread away :-D , everyone's in the post war bar tonight for the fresh barrel of Deep Bronze Green ale. With regard to 'authentic' - I think you'll find that M5Clive was referring to tyre SIZE, not tread pattern :whistle: - wasn't it you in a subsequent post who started arguing (sorry, discussing!) tread pattern authenticity? Has anyone suggested your examples are not authentic? There doesn't seem to be any issue here with what is or is not authentic - but is it not reasonable to work on the basis that the most authentic tyre by virtue of sheer numbers used and photographic evidence during the war must be the bar tread? So it is not surprising to see most surviving vehicles running these tyres (bear in mind the majority of GMCs are restored to 'European theatre' condition, not 'as used in USA' condition). I do hope you'll excuse my use of the Y in tyre instead of I, and RE in theatre instead of er.... :blush: Sorry but must go - I have to re-cut the tread on a set of worn up bar treads tonight with a nail file.

Nor I believe does anyone else on here. We all have different views and it is healthy to share them. I welcome your input, but I do not welcome the constant attrition of argument for the sake of it. Interestingly, pretty much all the 'debates' you've started in this way have been about aspects which have no definitive answer - for example the fire extinguishers, the tyres, oh I can't even remember what else now. Take for example tyres - you'll never win us over to your way of thinking because: 1) we don't really understand what your thinking is, other than the opposite of what any of us put forward in the way of information at any moment in time, and 2) most of us are already fully aware of the variety of tyres used during WW2 - caused in the main by severe shortages in certain theatres. We are also fully aware that the normal / standard / most common tyre pattern was the bar tread, and strange as it may seem I believe this is the cheapest and most readily available 7.50 x 20 tyre available in the UK (unlike maybe the USA). I for one would be delighted to see a truck on any combination of tyres at a show, we've all seen the photos and variety is the spice of life. And while I'm on in public - please consider more carefully your responses to threads such as Vulture's efforts at assembling a database of CCKW photographs - he does have a day job you know, which sort of precludes him from putting on his SUPERANORAK and collating all the information you suggest. Oh yes I remember now - what's under the bonnet? Well yes of course we know of your view that an engine that hasn't been fully reconditioned is likely to be a pile of worthless scrap and shouldn't be considered worthy of a place under the bonnet of a restored GMC, but for many of us an engine can be considered perfectly serviceable with plenty of running hours left in it, and would only require rebuild if it started to show signs that it needs it. Your input is very welcome, but please accept that we don't need to argue over everything - it is enough to exchange different views and make our own minds up. You probably won't be aware of it (and maybe the younger members on here won't either), but Monty Python had a blackmail TV game show sketch in which they showed progessively more of a compromising photo to the audience while a money clock ran up in the background. The host waited by a telephone until the chosen victim got cold feet and phoned in to stop the clock and pay up! I can just imagine your idea of this show: (p.s. nice pics of those trucks - keep them coming!)

Wouldn't these pictures have been taken in non-European theatre areas though, Howard? Like the Far East, where tyre supply would have been even more difficult?

Here's a thought for the pedantics - most civvy tyres are NDT :-D Yes, in an off-road only context, NDT differentiates patterns like bar treads from traction type tread tyres, of which there were quite a few in the war. Another thought - each size of tyre has a recommended rim size (width) and also a range of 'acceptable' width sizes. If in doubt your friendly commercial tyre dealer would be able to advise on acceptability of fitment of a bigger size to the same rim.

Yes Clive - you know, :sweat:that photo of a 100thBG Autocar U-7144T with F1-A tanker, both on 11.00 x 20 tyres :sweat:I distinctly recall you showing it to me :sweat: Don't you remember? :sweat: :embarrassed: "For that more authentic wartime look, always use NDTs!"

Some of the stones here have acquired an interesting weathering effect - the surface of the limestone seems to have eroded back leaving fossil shell remains standing proud - quite a pleasant texture. The cemetery is beautifully maintained.

I WENT IN SEARCH OF A STRANGER - I FOUND HIM AMONG FRIENDS After almost 5 years (I found the HMVF entry which Joris made in the visitors book for October 2007) I finally managed to visit the Red Cross Cemetery at Beugny. We were travelling through the region on Friday and had some time spare, but the weather did not look promising. However the clouds parted as we approached Beugny, and we were treated to an hour of wonderful evening sun. This is the first WW1 cemetery I have visited, and is one of the smaller ones (219 graves, 12 of which are unidentified), yet the neat rows of stones still manage to convey an idea of the sheer scale of casualties. One thing soon struck me - Bernard Jackson is among friends here. Looking at the grave stones it became apparent that he was only one of 15 in this cemetery alone who died that day - there were 9 others from the Norfolk Regiment, 3 Bedfordshires, 2 Cheshires and 1 from the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. This small cemetery was such a peaceful place, yet so powerful - I feel somehow compelled to visit a few of the larger cemeteries.

Sorry. I bet she's been absolutely inundated with inquiries if the interest on some blogs/websites is anything to go by :cheesy: Here's an idea for the Land Warfare Hall at Duxford - is this building the same as the American Hangar, where they control only humidity, not temperature? If so the poor exhibits will be pretty cold over the winter!

Tyre 'flat' bounce is noticeable at very slow speeds, so that can be ruled out. Checked the play on top/bottom swivel housing pins? You've swapped front and back wheels around? Build-up of mud on inside of rim where you don't notice it?

Have you noticed that sometimes the oscillation is up and down, as if on both wheels, then gradually progresses to a rocking (side to side) motion? And does it wear off when tyres warm up?

It would appear that Toshiro Mifune's sister makes them -

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2074110/Jeep-cheap-Chef-builds-road-vehicle-just-400-did-years.html The tyre tread pattern doesn't look quite right, but other than that..... I'd like to see him do a GMC next :cheesy: