Darrin (and Ken),
"Also earlier tyre carriers have a ladder under the main frame of the assembly, later they discontinued this feature, possibly due to steel shortages or to save steel"
Actually, it was the other way around: the 'Ladder, Tyre (Aust)' was introduced on all Aust production CMPs with 20 inch wheels and the tyre/tool box arrangement from late 1943, with the proviso that there would be no program to upgrade vehicles already in service with the new ladder. The ladder stowed under the spare tyre/tool box mount in two angle iron members welded lengthwise along the lower edge of the frame. The ladder was held in position by a locking pin on a chain.
The idea was a single man could deploy or stow the tyre without assistance, by walking it up the ladder, then use the top rung to stand on while clamping the tyre in place. Having tried lifting a 20 inch wheel assembly into the spare tyre rack on my own (I was young and silly!), I can vouch for how sensible a design change it was.
Mike
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16-11-14, 01:32
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