Interesting!
My researches show that the GTs were based on Drawings supplied by the War Office in 1938-9, and that the WD-approved British Tractors were officially rated at 15-cwt!
Without gving too much away, as this will be explained I hope in the book I am draft-editing at the moment, the 101-inch wheelbase is all down to Ford's COE chassis, and the chassis chosen was civilian rated at 1 1/2-tons. As a civvy 30-cwt. was rated for military purposes at 3-tons/60-cwt., I think all the evidence and that includes some DND paperwork ['Specification No. O.A. 85'] points to the Gun Tractors, Chassis Code C-60441-M, having a 3-ton capacity.
Is it agreed now that FATs owed little if anything to the 15-cwt 4 x 4 chassis please? That said I need to remind myself as to the commonality between the 4 x 2 and 4 x 4 15-cwt. chassis! Can anyone elucidate please?
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09-01-05, 22:30
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