Australian CMP spare tyre carrier

[Mike Cecil]

Hi Darrin,

89134 - Truck, 3 ton, Stores (Unbinned), Chevrolet C60L, chassis number 38443S61287. Taken on charge in NSW. I see it had an engine change over as late as 1960.

I'm curious to learn what led you to conclude that your truck is a 'late 44 early 45' build, as I know you do research into the history of your vehicles. Two reasons I ask: firstly, the delivery year for your truck, and indeed the entire group of ARNs it falls into, is listed as 1943. Secondly, the prefix '3' on the chassis number indicates a 1943 build, according to the Dept of Defence Identification document, page 10, Chevrolet War Dept : 'The first digit represents the last figure of year of manufacture'.

In any event, the MGO Equipment Memorandum for December 1943 is quite specific regarding the introduction of the 'Ladder, Tyre (Aust)'. Like everything, though, things are not rigid: there may be any number of reasons why an individual vehicle at the time of its disposal had the earlier style carrier: using up excess stock at time of manufacture, changeover during service, etc etc.

Mike