Tank idler wheels?
 

I was given a tip off about these wheels on ebay.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/231516654...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

At first I thought they were idlers off a AC Sentinel tank but I haven't found any images of AC tanks with these style wheels.
Ive found many pics of the idlers with four holes a couple of images with eight holes but none with six.
They are very close dimensions to that of idlers of Lee,Grant,Sherman chassis, so are they a rarer style of idler wheel in the fairly large collection to suit these tanks.
Or is it just a fluke that the dimensions are so close and they have nothing to do with tanks at all?
Anyone have any idea?

Luke.

Luke,

The idler wheel on M3 and M4 series Medium tanks did not have a rubber rim:
Attachment 74284

The road (or: bogie) wheels did, but I have never seen that style now on Ebay on Lee/Grant/Sherman before.
Attachment 74285

I suspect the ones on Ebay were for another application - note that solid rubber wheels were not only/specifically designed and manufactured for use on tanks!

HTH,
Hanno

When I said "idler" in any of my first post I did mean the road wheel or bogie wheel, sorry for any confusion on my part.
It just seems interesting that it is so close to the dimensions of the road wheel used in the M3/M4/etc bogies.

Luke

Luke,

Never mind, I thought that would be the case that is why I posted the two items for everyone to learn the difference.

The road wheel rubber is actually solid rubber bonded to a steel rim, this is then pressed on the steel road wheel. AFAIK, the solid rubber rim is a standardized size and would have been available to anyone building e.g. heavy machinery. In other words, the solid rubber rims may fit a Medium Tank road wheel, but the wheel itself is not related to the Medium Tank series.

Hanno

Attachment 74300

It is a standard size today too, 20x9x16.

Can you buy newly manufactured tires that will fit on Sherman/Grant/Sexton wheels?

It's certainly still an available commercial size in the UK as well as being available as a new manufacture replica part in Europe, assuming they are still being made.

The commercial ones are not trying to be a Sherman tyre so are not a convincing replacement having a different profile.

The logging business in BC knows how to 'rerubber' spar yarder components. Contact Madill company in Nanaimo. The new company is just a shadow of the old business, however they are carrying on the name and supply parts.

BTW, Madill used M4 and M32 chassis' for a lot of their conversions.

Message from Coldsteel/Michael on tank net regarding this thread.

Message: "Those are Australian cruiser tank road wheels, the outer face will most likely have 4 holes and a grease nipple, the inner face on that type have 6 holes and no greasing point, as seen in the listing photo. The nut and washer match the AC mounting too."

Ah yes, that could well be it :thup2:

Attachment 74398