mystery trailer

Ryan · #1 13-12-12, 12:18

Hi all,
Arriving home today I had a present waiting for me. A very old trailer. Going by the wheels it would have to be pre-ww2.
It has come off a local farm south west of geelong.
Its history is possibly ex Ford Australia as this is the story that came with it.
Has anyone seen one like it before? Or is there any military clues to its history?

Richard Coutts-Smith · #2 13-12-12, 20:30

Obviously had a removable frame over the top for a canvas (?) cover. We used a similar but much newer system for deliveries around the factory for years. Doubt if it has a military connection, but you can always say it was a bomb trolley!
Rich.

Euan McDonald · #3 13-12-12, 22:22

why do the wheels remind me of carrier wheels without the spokes?

Ganmain Tony · #4 14-12-12, 02:59

Looks like the sort of thing you may have seen on a platform at a railway station.

My best guess Ryan.

jack neville · #5 14-12-12, 12:40

Looks like a railway baggage trolley but they don't usually have any suspension

Tony Smith · #6 14-12-12, 16:50

Ryan, to give us some idea of scale, what size is the tabletop and the dia of the wheels?

Duane Leiker · #7 14-12-12, 17:06

May sound strange but, wheels/rims look to be the solid as per WWI type and Rail stations. The US Postal Service uses something similar in the Sectional Centers and these "floats" originated from Railway stations. I would have to agree that it is for a railway station for carrying baggage.

Ryan · #8 15-12-12, 06:13

Hi guys, thank you very much for the replies. Ford Geelong had rail lines entering the plants many years ago, with some remnants of track still in the ground today.
Tony, the trailer table top is 1.53 metres wide and 4.88 metres long. The wheel ( steel rim ) diametre is approx 53cm wide. And the tyres approx 15cm wide ( not height ).
Hope this helps.
I've drawn nothing so far.

Tony Smith · #9 15-12-12, 14:15

So in the Old System, the deck is 5ft x 16ft. That's far bigger than any railway baggage trolley.

The square holes in the sides and ends look like sockets for stakes (or stakesides), while the suspension looks capable of handling a load of a ton or two. I would suspect it is a material trolley for a factory or warehouse, but then it also looks similar to trailers I have seen used to carry fuel for Traction Engines. I don't think it has any Military connections.

Howard · #10 16-12-12, 00:40

On a completely different note, have you updated the Falcon, Ryan?
H

Ryan · #11 16-12-12, 12:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Howard

On a completely different note, have you updated the Falcon, Ryan?
H

Nope, still driving my EF XR6. Falcon in the background shows my other halfs BA wagon.
And on a completely different note I'm no longer building the I6 engine within Ford, I'm now building the supercharged V8 engine. Good times ahead.

easo · #12 17-12-12, 10:55

I did notice that the front wheel are not connected to the a-frame and cannot steer. Or is there a turntable under there?

Easo

rob love · #13 17-12-12, 18:29

The fourth photo at the top of this thread shows a round channel under the deck. As well, the A frame attaches to the same hanger bracket that the front spring eye attaches to. My guess is we are looking at a front truck with a turntable to the main frame of the trailer.

As to the purpose of the trailer, those solid wheels would preclude anything but warehouse or paved ground use. Anyone who has tried to tow a carrier without tracks can tell you about the lack of floatation that size of solid wheel provides on soft ground. I recall tearing the heck out of my front lawn trying to move a carrier without track across it. Thought the better half was going to kill me....luckily she did not really care for lawns either.

Ryan · #14 18-12-12, 11:56

Yes, front is fully steerable with 'A' frame to a turntable. Still tows well, had it behind my Falcon the other day, although at a very slow pace as I didn't want it going through my boot.