A bit of carrier Maintenance

[Max Hedges]

Brother John knocking the last pin in, after replacing some realy old track with some not so old track, as Corowa is getting closer. Just have to adjust the steering on it, and give it a good service.

Max

[42mk1carrier]

Every time I mess with my tracks some how I alway pinch,bash, or cut my fingers,
BIG steve

[rob love]

After repacking the sprocket carriers,ever spin the hub with the ice grousers installed? You'll only do it once!!!! (And you'll do that funny dance where you hold the offended hand tightly and jump around and curse)

[Keith Webb]

Doing it around 1950....

Neg an008234 from State Library, Victoria

[Max Hedges]

The track winch sure makes it easy.

We used that track you found a Wagga, Keith, as alot of ours were bugged.

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

Hi Max - long time no speak.

Interesting to see the orientation of the track. I've just completed a five page discussion paper on this subject. I sent a copy to Keefy for his site but he has to downsize it to fit. Basically I'm saying that the correct orientation is "tails" to the rear and I found a lot of supporting data. Mike C also has a copy and I'm waiting for his response. There could be major discussions and blood on the water at Corowa this year on this topic.

Bob

[Tony Smith]

With no comment:

[Steve Guthrie]

Hi there

The army actually issued a guide drawing for doing the 'spin the sprocket with the ice scraper in place.

From Volume 1 No.6 of 'CAM'

[Keith Webb]

about a year ago.




More here Bloody freezing it was!

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

Tony
Just as a teaser on my discussion paper, don't believe everything that you read in one publication.

Mechanization Pamphlet No.6 - Carriers Machine Gun - LP No.1
Description, Maintenance, and Operation 1940

Tracks should normally be fitted so that the “tails” or shorter sides of the links are to the rear on the ground or bottom run.

Carriers, Machine Gun L.P., Nos.2 & 2A – Description, Operation and Maintenance Mechanization Pamphlet No. 7 1941 (Notified in A.A.O.'s dated 1st June 1941)

Tracks should be fitted so that the “tails” or shorter sides of the links are to the rear on the section of track in contact with the ground.

However after the above starting with the following it stated this way, but I recken the author got it wrong and then everyone followed the wrong interpretation.

Carriers, Machine Gun L.P., Nos.2 & 2A – Workshop Repair and Maintenance Mechanization Pamphlet No. 7A 1941 (Notified in A.A.O.'s dated 31st December 1941)

Tracks should be fitted so that the “tails” or shorter sides of the links are to the front, in relation to the vehicle, on that section of track in contact with the ground.

Once Keefy gets my article on site and linked the debate can start in ernest.

Bob

[Keith Webb]

Hi Bob

I've been working on it - I tried it as a PDF but that swelled it to 19 Mb!

So I've been rescaling each image (these are the main culprits) and reformating the text into HTML format. Patience.

[Keith Webb]

You can find it online here on the Old CMP Site

Please note the views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of site management!

[Tony Smith]

Bob, I offered the excerpt from the 1943 booklet well aware that different manuals offer differing advice. I found it perplexing that there was SPECIFIC advice regarding orientation of tracks on Aust and NZ carriers. There is no explanation why the NZ carriers are mounted in the opposite orientation. This doesn't seem to me to be the result of a typo or other misunderstanding. I have noted in both the Ford and Chev CMP manuals there is advice regarding fitting of chevron tyres, saying that fitting them with the open end to hit the ground first will offer lesser traction, but will greatly extend tyre life. Could it be that there was some experimentation with tracks that determined that the initial instructions (1941) caused poorer performance in some aspect (traction, sprocket wear, track life, etc) that was remedied by a correction in later instructions (1943)? The Kiwis either were not convinced by the trial, or they think that whenever the Aussies tell them to do something they're having a practical joke played on them, and continued to mount the tracks in the original fashion.
The track link castings must have been machined in a left and right version to have the lead plug on the outer edge, do the parts books offer any clue to wether there was a changeover date in L to R and R to L?

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

Hi Keefy and Tony,
Great job on the discussion paper Keefy. Just a thought, you are a Moderator, do you think this discussion should be made subject of a separate thread purposfully named Carrier Track Orientation?
Tony, have a read of my paper on Keefy' site. I have never seen any amendments but I sent a copy to Mike C and maybe he can come up with something. Interesting isn't it
Bob

[charlie fitton]

Seems to me that as the pionty end is partially enclosed by the wider end, hitting the ground that way will minimise the dirt and abrasives that might pack in around the joint and cause pre-mature wear.
As the track is lifted over the drive sprocket this crack would open up and let loose crap fall out.....

[Tony Smith]

Just dropped into Max's to check out some carrier track. The Australian (and NZ) track uses a different method to retain the link pins. The pin is pushed through the holes drilled into the cast track links and secured with a lead plug which is driven in after the pin and expands. As this plug has to be inserted from the outboard side of the carrier track, the castings are machined as left and right peices. In the pic below, the three links on the left of the pic have the lead plug in place, the next has no plug and shows the small hole which prevents the pin passing straight through, this would be on the inner side of the track.The last link on the right has no plug and is from the opposite track and shows the large hole which accepts the pin and plug. These must be machined as Left and Right track pieces, but which is which is the mystery to be solved!: It may just be an optical illusion, but Max and I believe the horns standing up are symmetrical and not cast leaning one way or the other. They just look out of alignment in the pic.

[Tony Smith]

Originally posted by Max Hedges
We used that track you found at Wagga, Keith, as a lot of ours were buggered.

Picture of some of the links that didn't go back in. The bore hole for the pin has been ovalised, causing the track to "stretch", which also weakens the casting and stop and go jolting of the track causes it to fracture. Who would have thought that an occaisional weekend run on lush sheep paddocks could cause such damage?