Jeep Winch
 

Found in those same McPherson pics

Looks like a experimental Dawn ? winch on a Jeep

Mystery Mod
 

I believe you're right Mike, that appears to be a two ton Dawn winch, I have one yet.

It appears as though the winch was there for vehicle self assistance with the gusseted, central tow point to allow the use of a snatch block but what are the blocks on either side for? Shunting? Was this modified vehicle intended for a specific purpose or was it being considered as a general service modification?

As I recall there was no explanatory text with the album/s and I am not even sure there were captions. Sure raises a lot of questions.

Dave

Thank god no one went ahead with that mod! Uuuuuuuugly! Interesting repositioning of the blackout light

Yes
 

Yes Diana .. you have a good memory .

The other , smaller Dawn winch, mounted onto a Jeep, is mentioned in a equipment memorandum , 1944 . I have the pics here somewhere .

Will upload them ASAP

here it is
 

found them

Just looking at it makes me love my Warn 9000lb electric winch.

Easo

My guess is that the blocks on the bumper were added to prevent someone nosing tight to a wall and damaging the winch which appears to extend beyond the original bumper. My thought is that it would have been more effective protecting the winch if the extension had been at least as wide as the frame to provide protection between the two blocks (but this would have prevented using the hand crank in the same way shown - or needed a longer/non-standard shaft on the crank)

Dawn Winch
 

I wonder if this order/contract for Jeep Dawn Winches was cancelled as the war was winding down.

On Sunday the 9th June 1945 The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Dawn had a contract for 2-ton plain bearing winches for the army for use with recovery kits on jeeps, with an anticipated further order of 1,500 units on the way.

source:https://motofaction.org/tool-reviews...mation-coburg/

There are a fair number of these 2 Ton No.5 winches surviving. I have the smaller No.2 winch , it appears to be rated at 25 cwt, it has a few vital bits missing.... a swap meet find .

https://www.dawntools.com.au/pdf/HIS...nd_Winches.pdf

These winches have two selectable reduction ratios , you insert the handle into either the small pinion gear or directly into the larger gear.

18 'Jeep Winches' at a Disposals Commission sale 1947.

Recovery Kit Contracts
 

Dawn were not supplying the Dept of Defence, but were sub-contractors to the winch kit manufacturer. The undelivered portion of the contracts was cancelled in August 1945.

The recovery kit is covered in Desert Sand to Jungle Mud Vol.1 pages 79-81 and 183 -185. https://www.michaelkcecil.com/collections/200233

Mike

Swap meet find
 

The $25 swap meet find.

I would like to know how long these were in production... maybe from the 1930s to the 1950s and if the design changed over time. They seem to have been popular with tow truck proprietors. I can attest to how heavy this winch is - a solid lump of steel !

The jeep kit winch appears to include a No. 2 model Dawn winch but with the images it is not easy to get a dimensional perspective . The larger No. 5 model is only 2" wider in the drum.

Kicking around
 

I gad one of those sane Dawn winches with crank handle kicking around on the floor of my shed for about 10 years.

After tripping on it repeatedly I gave it away to a fellow collector - who already had about 10 of them !

Cheers

Phill