dando1944 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Hi Obviously I am new to the forum, but I have been reading it for some time. I have a strong interest in military related stuff and am involved in it professionally. I own quite a few field guns - both German and British, but I am fascinated by the vehicles that tow them and my plan is to try and put the two together where possible. I have been watching this forum with great interest. In particular I am considering buying something to tow one of my bofors guns - but it will have to be wartime and preferably useable (but not a deal breaker if it can be restored)... but I am not sure if the many different completed trucks I see are appropriate etc. For example I have seen one of these for sale... but I dont know if its ok, too expensive - or right for the bofors I have... Ford CMP Bofors LAA Gun Tractor I know these towed Bofors during WWII... but should I be looking for something else - or is this THE one I need.? So... initially I need a bit of advice and then hopefully I can make up my mind from there and possibly venture into restoration. Many thanks in advance and this is a great site. Cheers Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcot1751 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Welcome to the HMVF Gary :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locolines Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 A GMC tows a bofors easily .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dando1944 Posted August 6, 2013 Author Share Posted August 6, 2013 A GMC tows a bofors easily .... Hi Thanks for that. I have seen some of these for sale in Europe. In particular Holland for the 5,000 - 6,000 euro mark. But I had assumed that this would have towed a US gun and not a British one ? I dont know how much they are available for in England. They appear cheaper than the Ford CMP I have seen - so perhaps this is the answer if they were widely used for this purpose. The Ford CMP which appears completely restored is just under 9k - but the problem is - I dont know if that is a good or bad price ? Thanks Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locolines Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 So, what bofors do you have. .? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shane.c Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Welcome to the forum Gary, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dando1944 Posted August 7, 2013 Author Share Posted August 7, 2013 So, what bofors do you have. .? Hi I have two. One is marked on the side plate as being made in 1943 by the RoF and it has the Royal Crest / Artillery cypher on the top of the barrel. Its in good shape with its seats, sights, front panels and breech cover.The other one is slightly worse in terms of condition but still very good. It is Canadian made in 1944 if I remember correctly off the top of my head. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locolines Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 Hi I have two. One is marked on the side plate as being made in 1943 by the RoF and it has the Royal Crest / Artillery cypher on the top of the barrel. Its in good shape with its seats, sights, front panels and breech cover.The other one is slightly worse in terms of condition but still very good. It is Canadian made in 1944 if I remember correctly off the top of my head. Gary Excellent.... I have a few bits missing off of mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dando1944 Posted August 7, 2013 Author Share Posted August 7, 2013 Excellent.... I have a few bits missing off of mine. Thats in nice condition. Mine are not that good yet, but I am hoping to have a go at them this this winter. I have a lot of work to do to get them back to that sort of condition. Ideally I want to really clean them up and that way they are protected for a long time into the future. At the moment they are outside and are inevitably suffering from the elements, but I did grease and oil them all over last winter. Did you strip yours down or just over paint it ? I am guessing that stripping them down is a pretty difficult thing to do because of all the parts. I was thinking of just cleaning up the rusty bits and overpainting the whole thing as a short term solution.? Also looking at yours - I do not think my wheels are original on them both. I have the towing trolly with both and on one they look like modern truck wheels painted white (but they could be originals just painted with white gloss - I need check them as I just put them out of site a while back) - so they might have to go. I also have the extending legs and the star shaped pins etc. The rest is all original as far as I know but the wheels - I am guessing hard to find. Then I need the truck you have in the background of yours to pull them. And thats whats really getting me thinking. My current dilema is whether to go for a GMC which appears a lot more affordable and practical - or to go for one of the other specialist Fords which seem more expensive. I also have some other stuff which might be cool to tow with the GMC. But they are German - which creates an even bigger dilema as German trucks appear impossible to find and a lot more expensive. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefano Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 The Ford CMP which appears completely restored is just under 9k - but the problem is - I dont know if that is a good or bad price ? Thanks Gary A CMP would seem more appropriate to tow a British or Canadian Bofors than a GMC. If the vehicle on Milweb has been restored properly and if the inside of the body is still complete it seems a fair price for what is a after all quite a rare lorry. Of course you could always look for a Bedford QLB - if you can find one, or a Morris CD/SW, which is in the unobtanium category Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locolines Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 My wheels may be different to yours because mine was for the Portugese. I could only rub my one down by hand and give it a protective paint over, as at the moment its kept outside. What part of the country are you ? By the way theres a guy on ebay selling bofors barrel covers quite cheaply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dando1944 Posted August 7, 2013 Author Share Posted August 7, 2013 HI There is a QBL shown on there as well today. But thats nearer 10k. So they are both in the that price bracket. i guess then its a case of seeing which one I feel fits best as a set. My preference is for the CMP because I have a number of period photos of them both together on the south coast near D-day. If I get one then they will always match in period and usage. I spotted the covers on another forum a few weeks back. I might have a look at one when I have everything restored properly. There is not much point right now where they are. I have to get them indoors to do the work. I am on the south coast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefano Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 There is a QBL shown on there as well today. But thats nearer 10k. I think that the bedford that you're referring to on milweb is a QLD - the QLB was quite a different animal. Regards, Stefano Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dando1944 Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 HI - you could be right. I am not really up to speed on the differences of these yet. But I am working on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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