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The majority of the US trucks would need six tyres each. The mileage you could expect from a set is in the thousands, certainly not more than 10,000. High speeds and bad roads would reduce this figure further. At the end of the war the US had exported over 40,000 heavy trucks to France, so if they all needed new tyres at the same time that would be 360,000.

 

As you can work out they could get through 85,000 tyres very quickly. I am just trying to find out where this photo was taken, but i think it was at the main truck repair/reconstruction depot just South of Paris.

 

I have just written an article for MMI on this depot (having found a great big bundle of original photos), and hopefully it will come out in the September issue.

Timothy!!!

:n00b:Take 100 lines: I must learn my 6 times table properly.:writing::rofl:

 

6x40,000= 240,000

9x40,000= 360,000

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40,000 trucks? I had no idea of the scale of mechanisation.

 

 

 

Whilst it is hard to find good photos of mechanized transport from WW1, I beleive there were more than 100,00 3 ton trucks (lorrys for you lot over there) supplied during WW1. 6,000 were A10 Albions.

 

I need 2 for the front of my Albion thanks. I really do!

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Whilst it is hard to find good photos of mechanized transport from WW1, ........QUOTE]

 

Isn't that the truth! We do tend to build up a (not necessarily accurate) idea of what went on from pouring over photographs as much as reading, and I'll own up to not having read much abour WW1. So I had formed the view that motorised transport was pretty thin on the ground.

 

A bit like trying to find photos of the major supply depot at Beugny - begining to wonder if it even existed!

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Whilst it is hard to find good photos of mechanized transport from WW1, I beleive there were more than 100,00 3 ton trucks (lorrys for you lot over there) supplied during WW1. QUOTE]

 

Yes, certainly more than 100,000. The US Army took over more than 40,000 for their own use.

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If it is of any interest, Tim, here is the press used for steam wagon and motor truck solid tyre changes. Yes they are Scammell front weight - sized billets on the table. We reckon it was 'well secondhand' in 1919!

 

The pump is a 4 speed - two different sized bore pumps, each with a "splitter" (well ok, each fulcrum pin has two sets of holes :D).

 

There is an electric pump at the back for quick positioning or the whole job if you feel lazy, but the hand pump gives delicate control towards the end of the push :cool2:

 

My dad was his dad's 'child slave' on the pumps, just as I was his :sweat:

DSC00920.jpg

DSC00913.jpg

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Likewise Tim, I've seen parts of early tyre presses, now modified, but nothing complete as this. Those pump units are interesting. Are those also original pressing spacers on the rack( circular sections)?

Doug

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Calling Dr Who;

Please transport me back to this supply depot to collect tyres required for a present day restoration. Then again while in the time zone why not just pick up a few complete trucks!

Doug

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Likewise Tim, I've seen parts of early tyre presses, now modified, but nothing complete as this. Those pump units are interesting. Are those also original pressing spacers on the rack( circular sections)?

Doug

 

No the cast spacers on the ground laying against the rack I picked up one day from Joey Hunt's old scrapyard - looked like they would be very useful. I have no idea what they were - may even have been for this very purpose!

 

All the original spacers were cast iron (maybe standard press practice?), the ones we haven't broken over the years are in the racking. We made vertical legs from box section steel which fit into slots under top plate.

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  • 1 month later...

Tired out, worn out !.

Seriously though the logistical problem of tyres instantly became yet another nightmare of the early days of WW 1. Manufacturers despite the subsidy scheme to help with standardisation were fitting any size they thought of. In July 1915, hastily convened the Engineering Standards Committee and the S.M.M.T produced what became probably one of the first British Standards to be all metric complete with kite mark. Originally there were some 173 rim sizes in use but the B.S. reduced this down to 6 and even two of these were non preferred and it was recommended these be discontinued as soon as possible ( one of these were the fronts on LGOC 'B' type buses !. ). See Commercial Motor,July 1915 for more detail. Problem solved, well not so really, with many US built truck being purchaed by the British and Allied forces good old imperial sizes appeared although they seemed to have got their act together with a very small range of sizes. Nevertheless the French still did their own thing, several years ago we restored in my workshops a 1915 Pierce-Arrow R5 formerly of French army origin, this had by then acquired some most odd sized metric tyres .

Richard Peskett.

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