mammoth

The diff

Precautionary flitching at midships promoted a large crack at the rear and so a repair was required

The gearbox, quite different to the later type. The top cover is a brass pressing. Timber engine mounts, surely this can't be right? Gear quadrant is part dismantled so is out of position.

The radiator top and bottom tanks as well as the sides are all cast in brass - someone must have loved it to make such an investment. As the front is plain as cast I would like a mould taken from a similar age radiator to make a 'badge' for mine.

There is sufficient here to 'restore' back to factory condition, however there are a number of 'bush mechanic' features that might be conserved, for example, the chassis flitching, and the oversize tyre bands fitted by timber spacers.

I now have the relic home (pics to follow later)., No chassis Number to be found anywhere but it does seem that the engine belongs with the chassis. With help from Doug and the on-line chassis lists the chassis number would be 1379 and described at "L4 chassis" . It was despatched through the international agent Tozer, Kemsley & Fisher to be sold by W.F.Turk & Co in Brisbane who at the time claimed to be sole Thornycroft agents. The vendor can't even remember who he bought it from so provenance is scant, although he thought that it last worked as a timber jinker, perhaps somewhere in the Darling Downs region.

Now, while this chassis matches the description of "pre-war J model'  maybe it is time to present the 'quacks like a duck' scenario. The J model variants that everyone is familiar with have;

a different engine

a different gearbox,

a different differential

different size front wheels and track rod position, & etc

Accordingly,. do I have a consensus for a historical revision and call this an  'L4 Chassis' rather than a 'J', or perhaps 'L4J'.

In the absence of any technical material in my possession I have taken some dimensions and invite comparisons with the later J.

Wheelbase; 13'  wheels, F; 660x120 R 800x240; Chassis width F, 361/4", R, 413/4" Rails 61/2" x 2"

Springs; F, 21/2"x 8 leaves; R 3"x 12 leaves

I wasn't able to find a chassis number at the time of the last visit. (about 4 hours away) The engine in the photos is sitting on timber, not on engine mounts so I will need details of how it is mounted. Also missing is the induction manifold and water pump. I doubt that this is the original radiator;- what should it look like?

I think we have been reading the Townsin book in tandem, and that is the limit of references I can find on those models.  The Aussie one has a worm drive diff whereas Townsin indicates that the  K subsidy models were double reduction bevel, but what about the H and J (pre 1914) ?

Can we rule out the earlier 40L4 or 50L4 models on the basis that they were chain drive?

I looked at this one several years ago and what with various personal hiatus never got round to posting it here. What model is it with the strange rear cross members? and is engine (L4 408) correct?

Owner has changed direction and offered it to me so before committing I would like to know more about it.

Wheel chocks under all four wheels. If the driver abandond his post the idea of a sunday school reunion at the infirmary comes to mind.

trades in animal skins, usually sheep.

interestingly the Vulcan trademark blacksmith is on the cover - was there a connection.

I have a box of 18,000 purchased some time ago for a now stalled project. I would have hoped that the automated punch must still exist. maybe not. The turned over tips are good because they determine very consistent spacing. When it came to finding someone with capacity or knowledge on soldering them to the tubes I discovered that it is now a 'lost trade', so will watch with interest.

Or use a lathe tailstock die holder

What's the saying? If it seems it is too good to be true it usually is. And this is an example. Ben advises that they are not right for my Dennis. Oh well

Could these be the rear Dennis wheels I need for my 1911 fire engine?

A definitive publication on military colours  is "Warpaint colours and markings of British Army vehicles 1903-2003, Volume 2 by Dick Taylor. However, in spite of the title there only two pages covering WW1 armour.  Kahki colours have been described in terms of "cup of weak tea" and "cup of dark tea".

The Boer war saw the start of mechanisation in war and set a template for future conflicts. A number of traction engines were ordered specifically for the task and railways became increasingly important. It also saw the British create concentration camps for civilians - was said to be for the civilians protection but didn't turn out that way.

There is plenty of literature on the subject but you need to look at it with a critical eye as much has been written by the Brits ignoring the atrocities of a colonial war in the name of empire and glorifying their heroes such as Churchill.

From the land where metal roofing is mainstream.... A simple layer of sarking under the sheeting prevents the condensation. Also while wall sheets are screwed in the valleys is v important to screw roof sheets on the ridges otherwise the sheeting will eventually rust around the screws. Trick is that when screwing on the ridges the sheets can flatten out and get you in a right old mess, so need to pay attention to alignment and get screw tension even.

Just love the crane too.

Looks like there was no radius where eccentric was machined into the web.

exactly

The main body of the hub meter screws into a flange which can be changed to suit the wheel it was to be fitted to. More often used on trailers for either service intervals or taxation purposes.

Yes, a hidden spherical joint. At the time  American practice was  also to use fork joints for tie rod and ball joints on the drag link.

For an Aussie vehicle the starting point for research is to google Trove. This is the window for digitised newspapers, images and state library collections. Amazing what you can find there.

They look like something you would see on a travelling crane or other industrial plant.

It might be a good idea to take the sump off and remove any sludge. The reason being that if there is oil sludge in the sump modern detergent oil will dissolve the sludge and and send it and the dirt it is holding around the engine and through all the bearings.