Australian fire pump trailer

[lynx42]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

As Rick said, Chev tyres and car-type wheels. The bearings were really strange: glad mine never had to be replaced. I just took them apart (they were not a closed cage type, but all loose balls with an inner and outer), cleaned them, greased them, and left it at that. Never gave me any trouble, and I used the trailer for thousands of miles of field work for years. I towed it behind a Hi Lux, hence the second set of tyres on Hi Lux rims, which gave me more spares if needed.

Those ball bearings are known in the trade and vintage circles as Chev Bearings. They are still available and seem to work well. My 1940 Chev Staff Car has them and whilst I have replaced them I have never had any trouble.

Just remembered that my Australian No.3 IHC (No.7) built trailer has them as well, infact I put the used bearings out of the Chev when I replaced them into the trailer as they were in better condition than the originals. (and kept the best one as a spare.)

I have run HiLux split rims on the Chev ever since I found out via the late Neil Wain that my Chev, being a desert model should have had 7.50x16 tyres instead of the smaller 6.00x16 it had on it when I picked it up. The HiLux rims have the correct off-set where as LandCruised rime are set too far in and fouled the steering. I have now picked up a full set of original wide Chev rims to tke the 7.50x16 tyres all I need now is time to get them painted and fitted.

Regards Rick

[Mike K]

The C8 uses those same wheel bearings - front

[Allan Currey]

Great detail Mike, thank you very much. Certainly helps to know what's underneath too.

Cheers,
Allan

[Mike K]

pics ...................

[motto]

Those bicycle type cup and cone ball bearings were also used on the Lease/Lend Chev front axle. The balls are not loose, they are ganged in a cage arrangement and can be picked up as a single unit.

One strange anomaly is that the shorter (civilian?) version of the L/L truck is always to be found with a heavier front axle using barrel rollers. The longer L/L
truck nearly always with the lighter axle and bicycle bearings??

David

[Allan Currey]

Thanks for those three pictures Mike, nice and clear too. The first and last are new to me, and great for scaling out the size of the trailer.

Does anyone know what colour the fire extinguishers would have been? I've heard that a lot of WWII extinguishers were either green or brass, but not red.

Allan

[Tony Smith]

Dragging up an old thread. One of these trailers ha come up for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Pictures posted here for posterity.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...2111112l%22%7D