Nickname for CMP cwt trucks

[Phil Waterman]

Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh

Was looking at some materials from a veterans' association, and the text mentions receiving some 15 cwt trucks. The writer added their nickname as "Cut Weights". Has anyone else seen, heard, used that phrase?

Hi

The abbreviation "cwt " was explained to me when I first got my HUP some 40 years ago as "carry weight" or "century weight " in both of these explinations the amount of weight being referring to was 100 lbs. By those explanations a 15 cwt truck was meant to carry 1500 lbs.

Now according to TM 30-410 September 30, 1942 , US War Department entitled, HANDBOOK ON THE BRITISH ARMY WITH SUPPLEMENTS ON THE ROYAL AIR FORCE AND CIVILIAN DEFENSE ORGANIZATIONS. The purpose of this manual reads "The object of this handbook is to furnish a simple guide for the U.S. soldier cooperating with the British."

This book in its abbreviations section lists- cwt Hundredweight

Cheers Phil

[Mike Cecil]

Phil,

Not far off the mark if your source of the explanation was an American:

1500 lbs = 3/4 of a US (short) ton of 2,000 lb, so you can see the logic from a US point of view concerning 15 cwt (ie 3/4 Imp ton).

US Military nomenclature works in short tons, for example, the 'semitrailer, Van, 6 ton, 2-wheel' has a rated payload of 12,000 lbs, ie 6 x 2,000 lb, and the Ben Hur 'Trailer, tank, water, 1 ton, 250 gallon' has a payload rating of 2,000 lb.

Mike

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Mike


There are stories of some interesting confusion over payloads being quoted in long tons are understood as being short tons. There is one story from the Berlin Airlift about a C47 being loaded to the limit thinking it was short tons and actually being long tons. The goonie bird carried it but it was a long flight. There also is a story were they mixed up the weights for perforated decking confusing the weight for aluminum decking and loading steel decking. The pilots made the flight with the engines wide open, after it landed in Berlin the plane was scrapped.



Moral of these stories is the old saying "two peoples separated by a common language."



The book I was referring to also explained that 4x4 quarter ton was referred to in Britain as a Blitz Buggy.


Cheers Phil

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Phil Waterman

The book I was referring to also explained that 4x4 quarter ton was referred to in Britain as a Blitz Buggy.

Hi Phil,
I have a British War Office Data Book on Bearings. It lists every ball and roller bearing on vehicles in service, whether British, Canadian or US built. It is wartime dated. It lists only the Bantam with the title 'Blitz Buggy', so it must have been an official name by the British.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

At the risk of taking a meandering tributary of Rob's creek, this might be interesting to those following the second or third hijack of this thread. I don't feel too bad at it as a General Motors product and it might help you out in the kitchen.

[Lynn Eades]

Going back to the beginning, (I've lost count of which lap) here's another angle:
If you look at "Cut weights". Has it stemmed from a hand written source where the "w" was mis-read as a "u"? With all the CMP's being rated at
8,15,30 etc., Cwt. Maybe someone more familiar with trucks rated in tons, referred to CMP's collectively as "Cwt weights. Which may have morphed into "Cut weights".