cab 12 roof

[Tony Wheeler]

Another confounding factor may be retrofitted hatched roof. If this was Australian Army practice on hatchless CMPs retained in service we'd have no way of recognizing ex-ME Cab 12 F60L in Australia. This may explain our failure to observe a single example in all these years.

TONY4708.JPG C60L Cab 12 Gumtree Myrniong July 2013.jpg

[Keith Webb]

Another possibility is they received Ford roofs during a rebuild if the Chev ones had fatigued sufficiently - it was a design that fostered splits and cracks.

Originally Posted by Tony Wheeler

Another confounding factor may be retrofitted hatched roof. If this was Australian Army practice on hatchless CMPs retained in service we'd have no way of recognizing ex-ME Cab 12 F60L in Australia. This may explain our failure to observe a single example in all these years.

Attachment 82101

Attachment 82102

[Mike Cecil]

"Good question Mike, would they appear in AWM 126 series?"

Only if they received an Australian Commonwealth Uniform Registration scheme registration number, commonly known as the 'ARN'.

If the vehicle served only under its Brit number, then no, not listed in AWM126.

Mike

[Mike K]

The F8 owner in NSW rang me some years ago, a well known collector . He was asking about where to buy 900-13 tyres . Mike

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

"Good question Mike, would they appear in AWM 126 series?"

Only if they received an Australian Commonwealth Uniform Registration scheme registration number, commonly known as the 'ARN'.

If the vehicle served only under its Brit number, then no, not listed in AWM126.

Mike

Thanks Mike, I suspected that may be the case.

Speaking of registration schemes I've been meaning to ask you about ARN 153403 which appears on one of my early production F60S trucks. It's outside the usual 13XXXX block which I understand to be Ford allocation at the time. This has me rather intrigued, as does the original cab paintwork which appears to be Light Stone or similar. I'm interested to get your thoughts and hoping you may have some record of this vehicle. In fact I have two of them from the same contract, both with data plates. Any info would be greatly appreciated as I'm hoping to restore ARN 153403.

Cheers,
Tony

Casterton F60S.JPG

SM 2126 data plates.jpg

[Keith Webb]

Here's one I photographed at Hughes Trading around 2000 - no hatch but then again there was no evidence of the truck it came from either.

Also in reference to Ford block allocations I had a F60L Cab 13 Portee (or at least parts of it) which was I think 52003 or 53002 - in any case there were many early ones in that block, all of which makes your 153403 all the more unusual.

[Mike Cecil]

Tony,

The Ford F60S (cab 13) ARN 153403 was a 7 ton semi trailer prime mover. It is one of a mixed group of C60S and F60S trucks fitted with McGrath trailers. Most were disposed of as complete units (truck and trailer combined) in the early 1960s.

There are lots of Ford CMPs in this and later series, eg
152xxx has No.2 ambulances
153xxx has prime movers and fire tenders
159xxx has No.2 Ambulances
and the 16xxxx series, mostly in the lower series 160xxx to 162xxx, has derricks, recuperators, ambulances and tippers.

These later series of CMPs are almost invariably registrations of specialist vehicle types, rather than GS. I suspect because the special body types were slower into production - the design work, prototype stage, and so on, taking time to complete and be approved before production (and therefore delivery) commenced.

With regard to an F60S with chassis/engine 3G0209F, I have no records showing a 3G prefix engine number that low.

Mike

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

The Ford F60S (cab 13) ARN 153403 was a 7 ton semi trailer prime mover. It is one of a mixed group of C60S and F60S trucks fitted with McGrath trailers.

Thanks very much Mike. I never would have guessed semi-trailer! Do you have any thoughts about the colour scheme? It appears on this Chev semi as well.


SAM_0259 C60T (800x600).jpg

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

These later series of CMPs are almost invariably registrations of specialist vehicle types, rather than GS. I suspect because the special body types were slower into production - the design work, prototype stage, and so on, taking time to complete and be approved before production (and therefore delivery) commenced.

I'm sure you're right Mike. Something similar seems to have occurred with the No.9 gun tractors, ie. chassis received in '42 but vehicles not built until '43-'44 (except of course the famous ARN 132141 seen at Wesley, presumably pilot vehicle...?)


ARN 130720 FGT9 data plate.jpeg

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

Another possibility is they received Ford roofs during a rebuild if the Chev ones had fatigued sufficiently - it was a design that fostered splits and cracks.

Yes that seems more likely Keith. The problem is described in Cobb Force accounts:

"We were in the 'melon hole' country, miles and miles of deep, eroded holes that were impossible to dodge. In creeping in and out of these the chassis frames were twisted so cruelly that the simple cabs with which they were fitted were also distorted and a number of windscreen standards were strained and broken. Happily the cab tops were detachable, so we took them off to take the strain from the windscreens and left them at the side of the track to be picked up again on our return journey."

Evidently they left a pile of bonnets by the side of track too!

http://www.2nd7thcavalry.com/cobbforce/

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