F60L reg.no. 51555

[Mike Cecil]

AWM126 reveals that this 4x4 GS was one of the CMP trucks supplied to US Forces in Australia (USAFIA) and when it was returned, it was 'US' (unserviceable) and was boarded, that is, subject to a Board of Survey and written off.

USFIA received many vehicles from the Australian Government as Reciprocal or Reverse Lend Lease (RLL), from Morris & Austin two door cars to locally built SC1 armoured scout cars. The majority were eventually returned to the Commonwealth and credited at an agreed second-hand rate to the RLL account, then disposed of by the Commonwealth Disposals Commission (CDC).

If only 51555 could talk ..... it might even be in an American accent.

Mike

[Matthew P]

Maybe this is a silly question. But is that a logging boom on it? Or was this a recovery vehicle during the war and that's a tow hoist?

Matt

[Beau Bruce]

Did you trade the previous owner some auto electric skills for the truck like he stated in his for sale add on gumtree mate.?

[Mike Cecil]

It was a GS truck in service, with no indication of any official alterations.

The crane boom appears to be a typical civvie change: rip off the GS tray body and install a way-over sized crane.

Mike

[Matthew P]

Ok thanks. Was confused because the crane seemed so nice looking. Not the typical welded together scrap heaps often seen for logging gins.

Matt

[Mike Cecil]

Hi Matt,

Those sorts of conversions were very common in Australia especially for logging. Derelict CMPs with all sorts of contraptions, counterweights, chassis strengthening, and so on, were to be found derelict at old sawmill sites well into the 1970s, so I'm reasonably certain that this example is one of those.

Mike

[Rod Salter]

Hi Matthew P, I understand the truck was used in a sawmill for a time, then it's last job was lifting large bags of South Australian charcoal for re bagging into smaller bags for local sale here in Queensland.

Beau, I paid for the starter repair he had got done and the electrical work at some future date. The man is not well, had a fall from a forklift and injured his back, in early 2018

The crane is hydraulic under body ram, from a pump with chain drive off back lower right of gearbox.
There are steel spacers to stop the rear springs from flexing.

The crane will be reconstructed onto a chassis as a trailer and will be used with my tractor.

In my dreams the truck looks something like

p8.jpg