Ransomes wheels

[nz2]

We have this set of wheel as per the photo with the name Ransomes painted across the inside. As this is the only set I have seen interested to know of any other similar Ransome wheels. These are a military style an so different to the otherwise agricultural wheel produced by Ransomes.

 

 

Ransomes wheel1 alt.jpg

:coffee:

Doug

 

[Great War truck]

Doug

 

The photos dont seem to be coming up for me. Do you want to try again, or is it just me?

 

Thanks

 

Tim

[Great War truck]

Ah, here we go.

 

 

 

Interesting to see that the tyres are to big and that the gap between the wheel and the tyre rim have been packed out with blocks of wood.

 

They do look identical to Thornycroft J wheels. I notice that there is still the brass plate on the side which should give the tyre size (in metric!). If you have a look at that we should be able to compare that to the manual. The tyre is so worn that you wont be able to read the tyre size molded on to the side.

 

You say the word "Ransomes" is painted on the side. Surely a much later addition as the wheel would have been painted from the factory. Saying that, due to the high demand wheels were manufactured for WW1 trucks by other companies. The name Sankey also appears. I am not familiar with the products of Ransomes so i cant add much to this.

 

Tim (too)

[Richard Farrant]

Tim,

 

Ransomes did make mobile cranes using solid tyres, so it could be from one of them. Not sure of the size of this wheel.

[Rick W]

Ransomes had a lot to do with agri machinery, very well known company in East Anglia, probably most famous for this tracked beastie..

 

Potted history with this link.

http://www.greenmountpress.com.au/cottongrower/issues/231jfcot02/231tractortales.htm

[Tony B]

I remember the Ransome mini crawler in use. they were great on the Cotils (sloping fields) in Jersey.

[nz2]

The painted Ransomes names appears to be orginal, while the grey paint about the rest of the wheel shows signs of lifting off in places. The white painted area has been cleaned for the photos.The brass plate gives the diameter as 720mm, a standard measurement of the day for tyre size.

 

My orginal query was to find how common such manufacturing of after market products ie wheels, was during this period, or were these as a brought in item by Thornycroft?

Like Steve suggests these are similar to Thornycroft wheels, I must set to with a tape measure and compare them to a Thornycroft set here.

 

The wooden spaces I have seen on other wheels, although not common, and again would be interested to here as to how common this approach in fitting tyres was.

Have a soft spot for Ransomes products( is it a disease to become attached to a manufacturer or a type of item and it variants) with a range from mowers to steam gear in the collection.

Doug:coffee:

[nz2]

Sorry Tim, getting you and your brother confussed.

Did Ransomes along with other manufacturers make such wheels under contract to the WD repalacing the spoked wheels on subsidy trucks?

Doug:coffee:

[gritineye]

There have been old official works pictures of traction engines with wheels assembled with wood blocks like that in Old Glory steam magazine, although using steel tyres, and some have been restored. So they may possibly have been manufactured like that, but why, with rubber tyres as well I can't imagine.

[nz2]

The wooden sections referred to on traction engines wheels were blocks bolted as a tyre to reduce road noise on cobbled streets in villages. The wooden blocks as tyres in wet weather were not the most stable to operate with as slippery surfaces resulted and a loss of traction.

 

In the photos of the Ransome wheels we have here, the wooden sections are packers and not part of a tyre.

The steel band for the tyre is 755 mm ID where as the Ransome wheel is 720mm OD.

The 755 mm is the same as on an American truck here on solid tyres so the question is posed if this was an American size of wheel and has been adapted to fit on the small wheel.

Doug:coffee:

[gritineye]

The wooden sections referred to on traction engines wheels were blocks bolted as a tyre to reduce road noise on cobbled streets in villages. The wooden blocks as tyres in wet weather were not the most stable to operate with as slippery surfaces resulted and a loss of traction.

 

In the photos of the Ransome wheels we have here, the wooden sections are packers and not part of a tyre.

The steel band for the tyre is 755 mm ID where as the Ransome wheel is 720mm OD.

The 755 mm is the same as on an American truck here on solid tyres so the question is posed if this was an American size of wheel and has been adapted to fit on the small wheel.

Doug:coffee:

 

The wheels I refer to were constructed with the tyre being held on in the same way as your picture, the wooden blocks were in fact low angle 'folding wedges' driven in from each side to adjust and centralize the tyre on the wheel, to remove the tyre they could be knocked out again. After the steel tyre was secure the ends of the uneven ends of the wedges were trimmed off.

 

It would be interesting to examine your wheels to see if in fact the wood is comprised of wedges (at 11.58 oclock in your pic) if so it may be that someone remembered this old way of doing things and used it to modify these wheels.

[Great War truck]

I have no doubt that is a front Thornycroft J wheel but possibly made by Ransomes. The WD had brass plates fitted to their wheels to confirm the tire size. The front J tire is a 720 by 120. To meet demand wheels were made by different manufacturers and this might have included Ransomes although i have no evidence to prove this. Perfect for anybody restoring a Thonycroft.

 

Tim (too)

[nz2]

My apologies Serg.

I thought you were referring to the system of using wooden blocks as tyres on traction engines.As I read of it it was not all that successfull

One day will remove one of the sections of timber on a Ransomes wheel to check the timber shape.

Tim has no worry as to the future of these wheels as they will be used on one of the Thornycrofts.

Doug:coffee: