Need Help

[Comox Air Force Museum]

Looking for info on the item in the photo. It looks to me to be a turning signal of some sort. The truck in question is a Ford wrecker that is located in the Yukon. Does anyone have info for this instillation? And was it from the war era or something that was added post war.
Thanks for looking Rob

[Lang]

Rob,

That would almost certainly be a post-war mod.

Here in Australia post-war all the left hand drive American vehicles required a similar signal because the driver was on the wrong side and his hand signals could not be seen by following drivers. As this truck is right hand drive in Canada it would be fitted for the same reason.

Looks like a rod went across the back of the cab to a handle for the driver to operate.

Lang

[gordon]

That's a very fancy looking version, so Lang is probably correct, but ...

When RHD trucks were used in Europe during the war they had very similar equipment on, but a bit plainer, for exactly the same purpose.

So, it's a remote left turn signal for RHD vehicles, and it looks post-war, but date uncertain unless there is a date somewhere on it.

Gordon

Aberdeen

[Mike K]

Quite a few LHD civilian registered WW2 Jeeps here had a mechanical arm fitted across the windscreen where the riflle bucket would be . I had a Jeep with one fitted, some of them were quite fancy with a lever that moved the hand up and down for displaying the STOP sign, or alternatively, the RIGHT turn signal with the hand horizontal . The hand was normally a bit of tin cut out in the shape of a hand . I think the army here might have used them post war as well, but not sure .

[rob love]

I have seen similar setups on many CMPs. I was told that in Saskatchewan, it was mandatory for the right hand drives. There was a lever mounted inside on the roof to actuate the outer arm.

I have never seen one with Khaki paint on it, so I assume it was only installed in civilian use. Note that even today, the DND's vehicles in Canada are exempt from the requirements of the provincial governments with regards to safety inspections and requirements of the HTA. Many of the vehicles were not made to DOT standards either.

[Jon Skagfeld]

Originally Posted by rob love

I have seen similar setups on many CMPs. I was told that in Saskatchewan, it was mandatory for the right hand drives. There was a lever mounted inside on the roof to actuate the outer arm.

I have never seen one with Khaki paint on it, so I assume it was only installed in civilian use. Note that even today, the DND's vehicles in Canada are exempt from the requirements of the provincial governments with regards to safety inspections and requirements of the HTA. Many of the vehicles were not made to DOT standards either.

That sort of turn signal manifested itself in British civilian vehicles during at least the '50s.

They were called trafficators and I had them on my Morris Minor, Austin A40 and Hillman Minx.

ps...Rob, surely you don't allude to the MLVW in your last sentence!

[Comox Air Force Museum]

Thanks for the info. On this particular truck the paint is original as it was RCAF. A lot of these trucks, including the one we're restoring ended up in the Yukon after the war. So I'm wondering if the mod was done to allow them on civvy street at that time. A friend of mine has kindly removed the whole unit and is bringing it back to to the valley next week so I'll be able to check for a manufacturers date. On this one, the arm was connected to a cable of some sorts and there is a bracket, missing the arm inside the roof

There also is a fair lead bracket in the back of the cab roof and I can't seem to be able to load that picture right now but I'll keep trying.
Rob

[George McKenzie]

We had one of these turnning signals on our 1948 Dimond T truck . At the time there wasn't many electric one's around .Can't remember who made them .We just pulled on the cable .All the way up was right turn ,straight out was left and down was stop .We later switch to electric ones with the arrow in them .I have that kind on my 15CWT .You can't see them from a 100 ft back . Try Guide Co they might have made them . George

[rob love]

Originally Posted by Jon Skagfeld

ps...Rob, surely you don't allude to the MLVW in your last sentence!

Not the MLVW in particular. As a vehicle tech we had to regularly sign inspection forms, and there was a block you checked that stated that the vehicle met the applicable provincial safety standards. But in the CFTO regarding vehicle inspections, it made it clear that the DND was exempt from the provincial regs. We were to try to meet them but were not bound by them. As an example, while posted to Saskatchewan, we somehow had become involved in the provincial propane vehicle inspection certification because of our fleet of propane vehicles. When that inspection system became too cumbersome, my WO had the provincial inspector come in, showed him the regulations, and gave him back all his decals and manuals. The DND had it's own propane inspection system in place, along with it's own criteria and decals.

The MLVW is a good example though of a vehicle which took advantage of that exemption. The noise levels in the cab exceeded federal limits, the seatbelts were installed backwards from the factory, the plate glass windshields usually did not have the required AS1 watermarks, and of course there was that single master cylinder system. Oh yeah, don't forget the inadequate heater/defroster/wiper system.

One early complaint on the MLVW was that the spare tire carrier was on the highway side of the truck. Ottawa's response was that the MLVW was primarily an off road vehicle, so the danger of having to manipulate the spare tire onto and off of the goofy bracket were therefore negated.

Another clear example of our exemptions were our tractor trailers which did not have to stop into the weigh scales or inspection stations.

[motto]

Most Studebaker US6s in Australian Army service were fitted with an elaborate mechanical signal device that mounted across the top of the scuttle in front of the windshield. The main tubular support sat on two shaped wooden blocks and was secured to the truck with a dozen bolts. Further support was provided by a fabricated bracket that bolted through the bodywork forward of the r/h door. All of this along with the control box screwed down onto the top of the dash and holes to get the cable from inside to outside makes for a hell of a mess to tidy up and get the truck back to original. Especially so as the kit (which came as a complete set in a wooden box) was often very roughly installed.
David