They are a common enough piece over here. I have seen a couple of them at our favorite scrapyard...that's where I got mine.

Very seldom seen Rob, quite a rare thing over here in the UK.


Rob...........rnixartillery

I have one out by the shed myself waiting it's turn for a quick sandblast. There are a couple more floating around at work, but that would be expected as I work at an artillery museum.

These days the weapons techs use chain comealongs for pullbacks on the smaller guns. One told me they ordered the comealong and got sent one of these old things which they promptly disposed of.

The larger guns use a electric over hydraulic pullback.

Pull back find
 

Spent a beautiful cool fall day, scrounging, sniffing, and we came up with this beauty. The piece is much larger and heavier than I imagined, still missing the hand operating lever. Now for the stuff I love, freeing it up to make it operational. Non the less a great piece of 17 pdr. artillery tool kit for the FAT. See pics. Cheers Rob

That's it Rob, :thup2: very good find indeed. I can take some pics and measurement's of my handle if you like so then you could make one up.
This pull back was a standard issue and used with most medium Artillery 17,25 pdr etc.


Rob.....................rnixartillery.

The handles will be out at the scrapyard. I'll be out there today so will keep an eye open. Getting a little cool though, and have lots of other stuff to pick up today, so no promises.

Rob

I think yo need to move the scrapyard over to your own place :thup2:
or buy it out and move over there... :p

I just dragged home 120 Bren chests from the scrapyard today to go with the 110 I dragged home a couple weeks ago. Still about another 100 scrapped ones out there I have to grab the hardware off of. They have those same swivel hasps as used on things like artillery tractor bins, and various transit chests ranging from sniper chests to vickers and mortar chests.

So gradually the yard is making it's way here.

"Loveland Supply" has a catchy ring to it, Rob. :smoker:

David

I prefer "no trespassing.....violators will regret it"

A great day!
 

See pics. Another pull back apparatus including operating handle/drag rope complete/extra drag rope hardware/17 pdr. APC projectile/what I think is the correct snatch block for the FAT back door bin... Cheers Rob Fast

It looks like Christmas has come early for you boys ! :cheers:


Rob...................rnixartillery.

Nice pic of pullback/quick attach in action..
 

on a 25 pdr.. Was the rope/wire looped at both ends and passed thru from breech to muzzle brake? Have you got this looped wire Rob Nixon? Cheers Rob

I will have to find it but cant remember where it is :doh: just for info the short chain in the spares diagram above (no28) are still available as it seems they were used for post war recovery.

Rob.....................rnixartillery

If somebody find themself having to many tools and things for 17 or 25 pdr, then I am looking for some.

Would it not be easier to buy the yard and move there?

Tim

No heated shop there. I was out there a week or so ago and dragged home the remnants of a 6 pdr along with the remnants of another C1 105 howitzer. That will have to do it for this year unless there is a marked increase in the temperatures. Statistically, we may not see that until around April.

Speaking of heated shop, yesterday I was stripping some of the lesser condition Bren chests of their hardware and throwing the remnants into the woodstove. After a bit I noticed it was getting pretty hot in the shop. I went to open the stove and for the first time ever the wooden handle was quite hot. I ttied to turn down the damper, but the plastic knob had gotten too soft inside to turn. I had to open the door and toss in a couple cans of water to get things under control. I guess I underestimated the heat produced by cosmoline soaked wood.

17/25 pdr. spare parts box
 

Pretty happy to find a couple of these here in Canada. Correctly marked CM1599. Muzzle brake anyone? Also looking for the pump and box seen here. Thanks for the pic Rob Nixon. Cheers Rob Fast

well you have some good finds there Rob ,I have also been on a hunting trip recently and amongst the items were three Nos crated and sealed No5 Air pumps.
Temptation has got the best of me so I carefully opened one to check the contents and this is what I found.
They have been swiftly moved to one of my collection rooms so unfortunately they are not for sale.

Rob.................rnixartillery.

Wow, what a way to start a Sunday morning.
 

Salivating. That's great stuff Rob, I can wait to catch you at a weak moment, we all need one. LOL...Great pics... Cheers Rob

Artillery ground anchor pins???
 

How many of these pins were issued to a gun, and where were they stowed? Sorry about the blurred pic Niels , it's the only one I could find, courtesy Dirk in Holland. Also sought after muzzle brake pics. Cheers Rob

there is something wrong with the pictures :(

ground anchors
 

Rob,

These pins and anchors were not used on the 17 pdr ,what makes you think they were ? certainly not listed in any manuals.
The shortened version of the pins (No9 I think ) were used with the 25 pdr firing platform, 6 were issued per gun.

Rob....................rnixartillery

25 pdr pins.

Hold fast stakes gentlemen, 10 issued per gun and they fitted into the Hold fast stake holder in which the recovery gear attached to so that the gun crew could retrieve the blasted gun out of it spade holes if necessary. I worked with these on the M2A2 105mm Howitzer, funnily enough when you have a 6x6 inter as a gun tractor why on earth would you man handle a gun out of position instead we used them to as Camoflague net pegs. The round in the top of the holdfast stake was to place another stake through it and twist to loosen its grip to Mother Earth.

Held the tarps up well to form a "tents sleeping 7 man" plus a section commander if the No1 allowed it. :no4

A little bit of trivia for what it is worth.

Dave.

Surprised you haven't weighed those lumps of bronze in Rob, I'll take them off your hands if you like! :D

News to me Dave, :giveup

I assume these were apart of the Gun Tractors CES equipment ? As I said I have a full compliment of 17 pdr manuals and non are mentioned in them !

Adrian,

Those bronze lumps are what I call 'Dongs ',that is the sound they make when you clout them to remove the 25 pdr liner. Quite a rarity to have a gun pair, one for the muzzle end and the other for the chamber respectively.


Rob.................rnixartillery.

Rob,

oh, I knew what they were...... :)

The info was for those that don't ,being an open discussion.

Rob.....................rnixartillery

I posed the ground anchor question...
 

because there is a large quantity in our local scrapyard, and I want to make sure I got a couple of sets before it goes to the scrapper. Just curious about their function and application, and of course you guys answered the question again, that is the beauty of this forum. Cheers Rob Fast