What do we see here? 3-ton trucks with GS body moved forward

[Hanno Spoelstra]

I think I see the side of the 3-ton GS body with the four sections and the wheel well cover covering the third and part of the fourth section. Compare with these pics:

0993D046-4494-4093-B773-7BF6541025C3.jpg 614644FD-E756-4C6E-9017-0674A5C5D674.jpg 353E9D39-C303-4E65-9B67-77D0BF890421.jpeg

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

I think I see the side of the 3-ton GS body with the four sections and the wheel well cover covering the third and part of the fourth section. Compare with these pics:

Attachment 122975 Attachment 122973 Attachment 122974

Or do you see the Sand Channel moved rearward to make space to mount the spare wheel?

And when are you going to tell us the source of the photo?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

A sand channel can be fitted, yes. Don’t you see the four side sections? I will view it again on a large screen. There’s definitely something modified.

Pic comes from Brendan O’Carroll, have asked him if he has a better scan.

732393A6-3299-4803-A1B2-BB0D59806DF7.jpg

[Alex van de Wetering]

I think I see the side of the 3-ton GS body with the four sections and the wheel well cover covering the third and part of the fourth section. Compare with these pics:

I agree.....and a sand channel fitted onto the outside of the wheel well. I think I also see 20inch wheels, so I am still going for an F60L.

[rob love]

I played with the contrast and color a bit and agree they are 20" wheels. The dish of the wheels are the giveaway. As well, if you look at the diameter of the spare compared to the 3 ton cargo box, the tires are much higher than a 16" tire would be.

Hard to understand why they would go to all the trouble to remove the spare tire carrier and move the box forward. The weight saving is negligible.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Rob

I understand it that not all CMPs were equipped with spares if they had RUN FLAT tires, I have some 10:50x20 and 10:50x16 with dates from 1941 and 1942 marked RF4 which are extremely heavy and have thick side walls. I remember reading that trucks with the Run Flats only every 3rd or 4th truck would originally carry be equipped with spare.

Now I'll have to go back through the handbooks and Bill Greggs books for the source of the information.

Now back to these trucks equipped sand tires which were by nature much softer and subject to puncture, carrying a spare or two would be logical.

As to removing the hood and side panels to help cool the engines. While it might help with engine cooling it sure does not help with cooling the driver or co-driver. I've driven my Pattern 12 in 90F+ air temperatures with out the side hood panels and it was miserable. Same temps with panels and hood on doors open on the hooks and the windscreen open halfway was semi tolerable. No doubt in my mine Patter 13 is much better.

But even the Pattern 13 in 80-90F temperature the air in the drivers footwell can hit 124F+. I now have a thermometer under the dash to remind me when it is getting to hot. The truck is fine I'm the one passing out from the heat.


Cheers Phil

[Grant Bowker]

Originally Posted by rob love

Hard to understand why they would go to all the trouble to remove the spare tire carrier and move the box forward. The weight saving is negligible.

I forget which of the LWB bodies it is, but at least one (likely more) was designed with long wheelhousings to permit mounting either forward without a spare tire carrier or rearward with one.
Agreed about 20" wheels, obvious on the 13 cab in the foreground and a bit less so on the 11/12 cab in the background. I think the background trucks are most likely 11/12 cab based on the positioning if the post at the front of the door and general proportions of the truck nose but am not good enough to tell if Ford or Chev on any of the trucks.

[rob love]

From my time working in Kandahar, I doubt it would make a whole lot of difference wrt the heat from the engine being blown towards the driver. During the summer there, any breeze or wind felt like standing in front of a Herman Nelson heater. At least it helped evaporate some of the sweat. 90° would be a very cool day there in the summer time.