6 Pounder AT

[J.P. Brescacin]

Again I come in search of knowledge and expertise from the group. In preparing for our D-Day event in a few weeks, we've come up with a need for some tires for a new addition to our local armament. A 6 pounder from Shilo is currently being fitted with a new shield and a few other bits but the current rubber on it is very sad. It has some 8.25x10s on it but I'm not sure if these are correct. We'd like to have the gun ready to be towed behind one of the 7 or 8 carriers that we expecting for the parade. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas as to a source for the correct tires? Are there any good references where we can get some details on this gun as well as a 17 pounder that is next in line? Thanks in advance.

J.P. Brescacin

[Stewart Loy]

JP,

I can hardly wait for this event!

7 or 8 Carriers in Windsor on the Victoria Day weekend!

You better not let me tow that gun behind my Carrier, cause I might run off with it!


Stewart

PS - I can't help with the tires, sorry.

[Snowtractor]

....you don't WARN people before you take their six pounder...I see we still need some help...:
Sean

[Wayne Henderson]

8.25x10 is the correct donut for the 6 pdr. You might try either agricultural or fork lift mobs to hunt down a pair. I have a 17 pdr spare parts manual I can copy if your need arises further down the track...

[Hanno Spoelstra]

JP,

Seems the 8.25-10 tyres are hard to get - harder than 9.00-13's even! Search this forum for tyres to see if anyone posted a useful tip.

Hanno

P.S.: any news on the Ram at Meaford?

[Tony Smith]

8.25-10 tyres are certainly the correct tyres for the 6pdr, but I don't believe that there is any close replacement availble for them. (See my earlier thread on 9.00-13 tyres)7.50-10 NDCC tyres from a M274 Mule are made in the States, and while close in size, they are only 4 ply and not strong enough, at least not for road use, maybe OK for static display.

Heavier tyres are made for forklifts like these fitted to a Moffet Mounty, a small forklift that attaches to the rear of a truck chassis. These are the right width, overall diameter and ply rating and look OK too, but are in a 27-10/12 size which means they are on a 12 inch rim size. This means you will have to get new rims made up. Forklift tyres are made for 10 inch rims, but are usually low profile meaning your gunshield will be foul of the road surface.

[Tony Smith]

The tyres originally fitted to 6pdr's were 8.25-10 runflats. This heavier construction meant that these tyres tend not to display the tell-tale signs of a tyre that's well past it's use-by date. They wont have signifigant cracks or other obvious signs of failure, but DON'T USE THEM AT FASTER THAN WALKING PACE!! If the tyres still have good tread, keep them for static display, and try another solution for towing the gun, like my next reply....

[Tony Smith]

It has been brought to my notice that the wheels used on F8 and C8 CMP's have the same stud pattern as the 6pdr and the 13 inch rim should fit on the 6pdr. Although 8.25-10 tyres are not available, 9.00-13 tyres to fit the 8cwt rims ARE! This would give you greater ground clearance on the gun shield and reduce the rotating speed of the wheel bearings, meaning less wear and tear on the gun. I have not yet found anyone willing to part with any 8 cwt rims, so I have not been able to try this theory out. If anyone has 2 spare, I'd like to hear about it.

[Tony Smith]

As the 6pdr has no suspension travel to speak of, I was worried that the tyres might foul the gunshield. The overall diameter of the 8.25-10 tyre is 27 inches, and the diameter of a 9.00-13 is 31inches. This meant that I needed 2 inches more space around the 8.25's. There is about 3 inches between the tyre and the gunshield. It might just work!!

[Tony Smith]

It seems as if my suspicions might be right about the same bolt pattern on the wheels of 6pdr guns and F8 CMPs. Have a look at this truck, which ought to be on 9.00-13 tyres. If the description of this 11 cab F8 is correct in mentioning 10 inch wheels, it would seem he has fitted four NOS 8.25-10 tyres and rims from a 6pdr gun! Where did he find them?!?
This would be an interesting buy for the money.

[Waycool]

JP where is the event at in Windsor Ont?

[rob love]

I ran into a similar problem about 6 years back when I did a quick restoration (static only) on a 6 pdr gun from a local surplus store. I ended up welding the outer portion of a set of jeep rims onto the 6 pdr rims, and then using the origional 7-16 jeep tires. They cleared the shields, so anything smaller should work out allright.
The few times I towed it around, it really could start to bounce on pavement over 30mph.
If you ever pay a visit to Trenton air base, and look at some of the tires on the ground support equipment, such as the APUs. Those industrial tires are fairly heavy duty and come in sizes and tread patterns similar to what you are looking for.