Airborne Garage Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Hi I saw this gmc wrecker for sale, is this a genuine wrecker? I cant find any info about it online.Does anyone has some more info about this model? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosrec Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 (edited) Its a jimmy thats had the gear is Garward off a ward le france or Kenworth grafted on to unfortunatly to save weight they have took off all the things that make it work eg the side legs the strengtheing frame forward basically the wrecker gear is a pile of scrap the winch at the rear end has a value if you get the right person on the day Edited June 30, 2013 by cosrec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locolines Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 There you go then. But It's a very good bargaining point if you do want to buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 Yes and no I think the truck and the crane is original, not sure if the winch is added. Notice that the crane gear appears to be an appropriate size / weight configuration for the truck - not heavy enough to be WLF / Kenworth / T There were a pile of variations called 'chemical service' and 'torpedo crane' or the like, and some of them did have these things on. Have a look in a TM9-2800 copy. You'd need a look at the cab plate, but I don't recall a crane AND rear winch combination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Garage Posted July 1, 2013 Author Share Posted July 1, 2013 Thanks for your replies. Does anyone has fotos of one from the WW2 era? Looks like an interesting vehicle to me, just cant find any info or images of it. If its original, its a pretty rare vehicle I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trevor pitman Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 Truck, crane, swinging boom, w/winch, 4 ton, 6 x 6 had very similar lifting gear but it was fitted to a Diamond T chassis. On the T there was a frame over the cab with cable steadies to each corner of the front bumper. `Used by chemical warfare service to lift and transport heavy chemical containers`. This info from TM 9-2800 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosrec Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 Truck, crane, swinging boom, w/winch, 4 ton, 6 x 6 had very similar lifting gear but it was fitted to a Diamond T chassis. On the T there was a frame over the cab with cable steadies to each corner of the front bumper. `Used by chemical warfare service to lift and transport heavy chemical containers`. This info from TM 9-2800 Yes i have seen that crane as fitted to Diamond T there was many years ago one in the London area owned by a company called i believe Drinkwaters. I have never seen one fitted to a GMC before. The absence of the frame over the cab and the guy wires to the front bumper made me think it was a butchered one of a ward le france. What ever i wouldnt try liftting any thing with it with out the stays at the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosrec Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 Thanks for your replies.Does anyone has fotos of one from the WW2 era? Looks like an interesting vehicle to me, just cant find any info or images of it. If its original, its a pretty rare vehicle I think There is a picture in Olslagers Heavy wreckers and recovery Vehicles but i cant for the life of me find it it to put a picture on for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Garage Posted July 2, 2013 Author Share Posted July 2, 2013 Can you make a scan of the foto in the book, or a foto with your phone? Would love to see a pic of it during wartime There is a picture in Olslagers Heavy wreckers and recovery Vehicles but i cant for the life of me find it it to put a picture on for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Graves Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 hi, i think this is vehicle in question, as previously said , this truck belonged to drinkwater sabey, the crane is not original but the a frame behind the cab and the two restraining cables attached to the bumper are original, this design was intended to lift heavy chemical containers for the chemical unit attached to the american forces, hope of interest, tony g Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Garage Posted July 3, 2013 Author Share Posted July 3, 2013 Thanks for the foto! Hopefully more will show up, is this the foto out of the Olyslager book? hi, i think this is vehicle in question, as previously said , this truck belonged to drinkwater sabey, the crane is not original but the a frame behind the cab and the two restraining cables attached to the bumper are original, this design was intended to lift heavy chemical containers for the chemical unit attached to the american forces, hope of interest, tony g Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reo24 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I have now bought this jimmy but have not yet arranged delivery, so have not been able to crawl over it! I have done some digging & compared some photos but this has not helped answer the question on authenticity. Although the crane assembly looks similar to that on the Diamond T chemical truck the frame at the top is different & the Diamond does not have hydraulic hoses. There was a similar crane fitted to a few Autocars by the US airforce, I believe, for aircraft salvage although again there is no record of that. The crane seems the same as the Diamond one while the GMC, although similar, has different drives on the controls.http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?16778-Hello-from-Hamburg-USA/page2 If it was a post war conversion then it must have cost a fortune - I'm sure modifying the PTO to run THREE different drives is not the work of a weekend. Also, most trucks stuck with a set 7 or a simple tripod arrangement for towing if a Diamnd T wrecker or Ward could not be bought surplus at the right price. Not every GMC variant was listed but I can't help feeling that all the gear on this truck is American made while post war mods came from all over! Here is a photo of the operating side of the crane - see how it differs from the Diamond setup & bears no resemblance to the Ward La France. Please keep your ideas coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosrec Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I have now bought this jimmy but have not yet arranged delivery, so have not been able to crawl over it! I have done some digging & compared some photos but this has not helped answer the question on authenticity.Although the crane assembly looks similar to that on the Diamond T chemical truck the frame at the top is different & the Diamond does not have hydraulic hoses. There was a similar crane fitted to a few Autocars by the US airforce, I believe, for aircraft salvage although again there is no record of that. The crane seems the same as the Diamond one while the GMC, although similar, has different drives on the controls.http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?16778-Hello-from-Hamburg-USA/page2 If it was a post war conversion then it must have cost a fortune - I'm sure modifying the PTO to run THREE different drives is not the work of a weekend. Also, most trucks stuck with a set 7 or a simple tripod arrangement for towing if a Diamnd T wrecker or Ward could not be bought surplus at the right price. Not every GMC variant was listed but I can't help feeling that all the gear on this truck is American made while post war mods came from all over! Here is a photo of the operating side of the crane - see how it differs from the Diamond setup & bears no resemblance to the Ward La France. Please keep your ideas coming! [ATTACH=CONFIG]99943[/ATTACH] Hi sorry if I misled you originally regards model but was right about make. I am curious about the vehicle. When you mention hydraulic hoses what are they for eg has it been converted to hydraulic motor drive. My own feelings are the drag winch and towing frame are civilian mods. The more I look at it I have seen a vehicle with that crane on it in fire brigade colours/use. I have checked on pictures in Falck museum. Not there so was on a working station in scandanavia /Holland maybe about 30 years ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TooTallMike Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Hi, These are the only two photos I am aware of showing the Autocar US Navy crane and it can clearly be seen to be a GarWood similar to that of the WLF M1A1 so I'm afraid yours is not from one of those! Page is scanned from Tankograd Autocar book. More interestingly I have a contact in the US with an Autocar U7144-T fitted with a crane which is similar to yours. I won't post pics or details here without his permission but if you PM me I'd be happy to put you in touch with him. Regards - MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I was wondering whether it is ex-Swiss military as they did a lot of extensive mods to surplus WW2 vehicles which they took in to service. They were a bluey grey colour and where some paint has flaked on the rear structure, it looks a very similar colour underneath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reo24 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Hi, These are the only two photos I am aware of showing the Autocar US Navy crane and it can clearly be seen to be a GarWood similar to that of the WLF M1A1 so I'm afraid yours is not from one of those! Page is scanned from Tankograd Autocar book. More interestingly I have a contact in the US with an Autocar U7144-T fitted with a crane which is similar to yours. I won't post pics or details here without his permission but if you PM me I'd be happy to put you in touch with him. Regards - MG Hi Mike, Is your contact captain Crank? There was a post from him about his Autocar on this forum (he is a member) & I have included his post as the link in my post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge'40-'45 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 (edited) Hello, This vehicle was a normal GMC CCKW 352, changed post war by a garage owner from Ramskapelle near Nieuwpoort (Belgium). The wrecking gear comes from a ex-belgian army Ford F6 (see photo attached). The vehicle was also converted to 12 volt by the same owner. Sadly the truck never saw any service as a wrecker because the owner died not long after. If i recall correctly the name of the garage was Mortelez. It was a Peugeot dealership i believe. Hope this info helps. Regards, Niek Edited January 4, 2015 by Dodge'40-'45 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosrec Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Hi Mike,Is your contact captain Crank? There was a post from him about his Autocar on this forum (he is a member) & I have included his post as the link in my post. that is 100% not the same crane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosrec Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Hello' date=' This vehicle was a normal GMC CCKW 352, changed post war by a garage owner from Ramskapelle near Nieuwpoort (Belgium). The wrecking gear comes from a ex-belgian army Ford F6 (see photo attached). The vehicle was also converted to 12 volt bij the same owner. Sadly the truck never saw any service as a wrecker because the owner died not long after. If i recall correctly the name of the garage was Mortelez. It was a Peugeot dealership i believe. Hope this info helps. Regards, Niek[/quote'] Was it painted bright red Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge'40-'45 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Normally if i remember correctly (being from the early 80's) all his vehicles were bright red (he also had a chevrolet (also converted to a wrecker), ward la france,diamond, etc...), but i cannot recall if he ever painted this GMC red. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TooTallMike Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 (edited) Hi Mike,Is your contact captain Crank? There was a post from him about his Autocar on this forum (he is a member) & I have included his post as the link in my post. Sorry, I was in a rush and didn't click on the link. Yes, that's the one - I hadn't seen the thread either. Whatever Cosrec says, the crane 'A' frame looks very similar, as does the vertical pivot. Even the large access hole on the angled plate on the right side is there on both. I agree the operating levers and gearboxes are not the same but the basic design seems to be. Here's a photo of it when it was being delivered. It's the only one I have of the rear but if you zoom in you can see the similarities. All the best with the truck. I toyed with buying it so I'll be interested to see what you unearth of its history. Rgds - MG Edited January 3, 2015 by TooTallMike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosrec Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 (edited) Mike I was agreeing with you the photo showing autocar u-8444 wrecker is 100% not the same crane the a frame I said was civilian was the bit that spaces the wrecker from the casualty Edited January 3, 2015 by cosrec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosrec Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 looks like Niek has given the definitive answer to what your vehicle is and how it came about. I would not use it in anger with out bracing it forward or without stabiliser poles when over the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 …... I would not use it in anger with out bracing it forward or without stabiliser poles when over the back. Aw come on - it would handle a 2CV no problem :-D:-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge'40-'45 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 (edited) Was looking for a foto of a ford F6 but they're hard to find. They were delivered to the belgian army in various body styles in the early 50's. a total of 1200 Fords were delivered including wreckers, artillery tractors, workshop bodys and cargo bodies. I believe the wrecking set was made by EFA ( a company in Hoboken, also quite know for it's tipper conversions). The problem was it could only lift 3 tons (1 ton sideways) which is why they weren't really popular. The front of the crane structure isn't mounted on the GMC. This piece (above the cab on the picture i posted earlier attached to the front bumper) served as counterweight for lifting. i guess they removed it because the longer wheelbase and tandem axle would act as support when lifting. This GMC came complete (as a short wheelbase with cargo body) from the yard of Edgard Desmet from Vlierzele (near Aalst). He was a quite known dealer for ex-military vehicles in Belgium. Edited January 4, 2015 by Dodge'40-'45 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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