CCKW no front differential in WW2

[Dave Newcomb]

The latest MVPA newsletter has an article about crossing the Italian River PO.
In the sequence of photos there is a image of a CCKW carrying bridging material . That truck has a civilian style front axle-no differential. Odd to note. Dave N

[Lynn Eades]

Dave, we (New Zealand) had quite a few 6x4s here after the war. A few of your fellow 'murricans came here to buy the front axle assemblies to take home, to convert their trucks. Apparently they were nicer to drive as 6x4s. (CCW 353)

[Lynn Eades]

Heres a picture of my manual TM 10-1449

[Alex van de Wetering]

Dave,

Interesting! Could you post a scan of the picture? I have seen pictures of a surviving CCW-353 in Belgium.....not sure where that truck came from, but somehow I am presuming it was imported from outside Europe recently.

Edit: here is the one in Belgium: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvxkuBDgQzg

Alex

[M38CDNBill]

Here is a picture of a 1943 or 1944 CCW-353 with a trailer. On the frame, there seems to be an air tank which would indicate that either the truck, the trailer or both have air brakes.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Some related threads:

http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=11273
http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=13772

[Ken Smith]

The truck with the trailer is RAAF registration number 205885. I own RAAF registration number 205805 which is a 1942 truck. I am guessing 205885 is a 1942 truck, the trailer would be a later addition, the RAAF operated 55 of the semi trailer units and 300 trucks.
They also had some as the prime mover for airfield cranes.
My data comes from Wheels and Tracks number 31.
Very interesting about the camouflage dates.
I also own the front half of a New Zealand CCW353, that is a lot later chassis number from memory.
I will have a look next time I am down the paddock.
Ken

[Grant Bowker]

I don't know if others got the same failure I did when clicking the links above. I found http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=11273 and http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=13772 to work better.

Just guessing, but since I don't believe the GMC used air brakes on many (any?) of its trucks in this weight range (but they did used vacuum assisted hydraulic brakes) there might be a parallel to the use of vacuun controlled brakes for trailers similar to those that could be found on CMPs. On the CMP application, there was a cylindrical vacuum reserve tank so a similar tank may have been mounted on the GMCs.

[Lynn Eades]

Agree about the truck being a 42. I believe the rag top cabs came in at 1943.
Big cumbersome vacuum brake systems were the thing then, for smaller trucks.