Little more of the story
CMPPhil, what is the construction on the back of the original overgrown truck, home-made or official?
Hi
No the frame on the back is not Canadian Military Equipment, that is Yankee conversion/adaptation from the trucks early life. This truck was found at the foot of Mt Ascutney in Vermont. The owner told me that it had been used to drag ski tow cables up the mountain during construction the frame was welded directly to the frame an made of very heavy steel.
The first thing that attracted me to the CMPs was they are different. They stand out in a crowed. The next things about them that appeals to me is that they are really straight forward, simple design, over built, and with components designed to be repaired or rebuilt, not just replaced.
Though not fast by todays standards they were and are able to keep up or drive away from most military vehicles of their day. Their off road capacities are outstanding even by the standards of todays Military Vehicle. This truck is rated to Maximum Gradeablity 53% so that is pulling up on a grade of 53% with 3 ton load stopping, setting the brakes shutting down the engine. Then restarting and continuing up the grade.
If that doesn't work then with this truck you run out the cable from the center mounted winch, it can be used either to the rear or to the front of the truck, carries 125 feet of 11/16 cable. The winch is rated to 14.5 Tons. For winching other vehicles the truck carries winch scotchs are attached to the truck with cables then truck is driven up on the scotchs thus anchoring the truck for winching. I've read and heard that one of the draw backs of the center mounted winch is that if it is engaged while the cable end is shackled to the front bumper it will fold the truck in a U. There are no sheer pins the universals on the drive shaft to the winch are the limiting factor.
Like every thing on the truck the winch assembly is simple made up using as many standard truck parts as possible.
The scorch marks in the paint above the winch is from assembling the body for the truck, which some of you may identify as a drop side from an M35A2. Which as been bobbed length wise to remove 10 inches from its length to make it match the original width of CMP Drop Side Bodies. The Australians assembled/manufactured a lot of CMPs during the war. One of their additions to the history of these trucks was to make drop side bodies. Another bit of history was the large numbers of CMPs that they used in the North African Campaign. The desert photo is of on of those trucks found in the last 10 years out in the desert.
This truck is the most useful of my three trucks for projects around the house. With addition of hydraulic lift arm with electric winch it is a very useful tool.
Cheers Phil