Truck Porn
- Thread starter Truxx
- Start date
oscar1whisky
LE
is that a winch, glider launching?
Cloth bomber
LE
Barrage balloon initially.
some were used post war for glider launching but if I remember correctly I was told that the alignment of the cable run for towing ( much more horizontal initially at least) resulted in horrendous rats nests of cable deep within the bowels of the winch in the event of a cable break whilst in full flow.
Truxx
LE
Barrage balloon tender I think.
Truxx
LE
Correct old boy! Would make a decent diorama.
Truxx
LE
When I was a nipper my grandad used to take us up to Alexandra Palace (north London) to play in the park, bugger about in the boating lake etc. The park was littered with bloody great lumps of granite with big steel loops fixed into them, they were there to attach the barrage balloons to. At least according to my grandad, who lived there throughout the blitz so I have no reason to doubt it.
oscar1whisky
LE
Makes sense for the age of the truck, though I used something similar but more modern at RAF Bicester for glider launching in about 1972
Cloth bomber
LE
I remember the problem now with that rig for glider use.
the balloon might only go up once a day, and the braided cable was up in the air and hence kept clean.
Glider launching involves many more spoolings in a day , and the rope has to be dragged out along the ground back to the launch point. The grit and abrasion ( especially if it’s a hard runway), wears the cable and you then get the aforementioned rats nest cable break .( not helped by a scrolling mechanism in front of the drum).
Many gliding sites get around the abrasion issue by using ( much cheaper) smooth solid drawn wire. ( basically high tensile fencing wire).
But it needs to wind on a much larger diameter drum than the old balloon winch can accommodate.
thread drift over.
the balloon might only go up once a day, and the braided cable was up in the air and hence kept clean.
Glider launching involves many more spoolings in a day , and the rope has to be dragged out along the ground back to the launch point. The grit and abrasion ( especially if it’s a hard runway), wears the cable and you then get the aforementioned rats nest cable break .( not helped by a scrolling mechanism in front of the drum).
Many gliding sites get around the abrasion issue by using ( much cheaper) smooth solid drawn wire. ( basically high tensile fencing wire).
But it needs to wind on a much larger diameter drum than the old balloon winch can accommodate.
thread drift over.
721CXT
LE
Was the 'Sussex' conversion made by County, by any chance?
I used to deal with them in the late '70s with 4WD tractors and if it was theirs, didn't realize how long they'd been in the conversion business.
Truxx
LE
I think so. They started converting tractors I about 1948. I seem to recall they robbed front axles from Chevrolet trucks.
solomon88
LE
Some history here. Not sure how reliable it is - it says something about County 4WD tractors being skid-steer, which is wrong. It does mention the Sussex conversion but no details.
I think County also did the double-drive and 4WD/6WD on Thames Traders.
County Commercial Cars
The firm of County founded in 1929 was based in Fleet, Hampshire, England. The companies full name being County Commercial Cars Ltd. They started by converting Ford trucks from two to three axles, but moved in 1948 to converting Fordson Majors into Crawler Tractors. They progressed to building...
Stone me, I had a Thames Trader van just after I left the mob, dread to think how noisy that was off road.
Truxx
LE
not a Morris. It is in fact a Guy Ant.
Truxx
LE
they did do a skid steer. The RNLI had a handful. Skid steer was helpful as you could make a v ery poweful compact thing.Some history here. Not sure how reliable it is - it says something about County 4WD tractors being skid-steer, which is wrong. It does mention the Sussex conversion but no details.
I think County also did the double-drive and 4WD/6WD on Thames Traders.
County Commercial Cars
The firm of County founded in 1929 was based in Fleet, Hampshire, England. The companies full name being County Commercial Cars Ltd. They started by converting Ford trucks from two to three axles, but moved in 1948 to converting Fordson Majors into Crawler Tractors. They progressed to building...tractors.fandom.com
Okay, was never going to get that one!
I'll give you that one, I was going by the picture at post #1,124 which is definitely a Morris C4 Mk II
