Wire 3 Chorehorse mount

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Barry Churcher

Jordan, I think it is elusive. I have never seen reference to it before. The only Chore Horses that I have seen mounted have had the canvas covers. Thanks to another MLU member I have this photo of a C15TA with a Chore Horse on each front fender with the canvas. These would not be as easy to start as yours.
Barry

Wow, what a rig!!! It will make all us wireless types...excited. Wall to wall radios, with a High Power No.19 on the left, a Canadian 52 set on the right and a No.5 Switchboard to make it all work. No wonder it needed two chorehorse.

[Lynn Eades]

Jordan, Looking at your photo with the green arrow. Is that cover an air inlet?
The photo sort of looks like a mesh screen?

[Jordan Baker]

Lynn, I never even thought of that being an air inlet. Checking the Chorehorse layout and it would be in perfect alignment for an air inlet. All that it would need is a different inlet tube or a modified one. If it was an air filter I'm wondering if it would be similar to the one mounted onto the trucks engines generator?

[Lynn Eades]

Jordan, Would you expect they would have run it with the cover on?
Can you blow up the image for a better look?
Initially I was thinking it was a part of the cover, but a second look makes me think the cover is going over a chore horse mounted air cleaner?

[Jordan Baker]

The cover is fully removable but it also has a hinge along the top to allow the front to lift up. I would think the chorehorse could run either with or without the big cover.

That picture was as good as I could get the original.

Here is another picture. This one shows the actual metal cover removed and placed on the ground. The picture is taken from the book, Canada's Fighting Vehicles.

[charlie fitton]

I don't think you'd run it with the cover on - it would likely overheat.

As to the air intake option - not likely. The existing air filter is tucked nicely into the engine as it is, and it's an excellent filter.

The box could be for something ridiculous as the pull starter rope, and the frame around it stops the driver's foot from slipping away....

f

[Jon Skagfeld]

Originally Posted by Jordan Baker

The cover is fully removable but it also has a hinge along the top to allow the front to lift up. I would think the chorehorse could run either with or without the big cover.

That picture was as good as I could get the original.

Here is another picture. This one shows the actual metal cover removed and placed on the ground. The picture is taken from the book, Canada's Fighting Vehicles.

When I owned a WIRE 3, I studied that picture intensely, trying to figure out how to fit the installation.

I huffed and puffed and tried to fit the chorehorse onto the running board step many times...to no avail. Either there was an excessive overhang or there was an impingement with the upper structure when the metal cover was in place. It would also seem that if the unit was successfully installed, that the co-driver would have some difficulty gaining access to the cab.

[Jordan Baker]

I do not believe the Chorehorse was fitted with the tubular frame around it. It appears as if the Cnd contract unit was fitted instead. My unit with the tubular frame fit just fine on the running board in the position I showed above in post #1.

I've got some pictures of the box that used on the Bedford FFW. I'll draw up some concept drawings as I've got a better possible idea on the whole setup.

[Tim Bell]

Originally Posted by Bruce Parker

Wow, what a rig!!! It will make all us wireless types...excited. Wall to wall radios, with a High Power No.19 on the left, a Canadian 52 set on the right and a No.5 Switchboard to make it all work. No wonder it needed two chorehorse.

Looks suspiciously like a photo from the documentation I found a while back while hunting in the govt records for stuff on the White Scout Car - the full set has detailed pics inside the vehicle and a set of plans for all the mounts... plus modifications.

In regard to the item in question - I have a few unpublished pics of Canadian signals vehicles - I will take a look to see if any cover this subject.

Tim

[Barry Churcher]

Originally Posted by Tim Bell

Looks suspiciously like a photo from the documentation I found a while back while hunting in the govt records for stuff on the White Scout Car -

Tim, that is indeed part of the information you kindly forwarded to me. I didn't mention your name as I wasn't sure you would appreciate it.
Thanks, Barry

[Tim Bell]

Originally Posted by Barry Churcher

Tim, that is indeed part of the information you kindly forwarded to me. I didn't mention your name as I wasn't sure you would appreciate it.
Thanks, Barry

Barry

Thanks - not worried on here.

Cheers

Tim

[charlie fitton]

I'll throw one more fly in the ointment...

I can't see the genny being run in that position. Vibration, noise, poison fumes going under the box, and the muffler/exhaust would be adjacent to the fuel tank.

So it was probably removed prior to hooking it up and charging the batteries.

[Grant Bowker]

Originally Posted by charlie fitton

I can't see the genny being run in that position. Vibration, noise, poison fumes going under the box, and the muffler/exhaust would be adjacent to the fuel tank.

All true, but the Wire 5 and HUW had the chorehorse(s) mounted in a cabinet in the bodywork that could be opened to the interior so I doubt that even with the door closed it would have been fully sealed. There were stencils warning that the doors had to be closed to run the generators so they clearly weren't always removed to operate and when operating they would still have been close to doors and windows for exhaust recycling. Workplace safety wasn't as high a priority 70 years ago, particularly in a war zone where a bullet would have been a much bigger worry than exhaust gas (although both can kill).

[Jordan Baker]

I believe that on the Wire3 the Chorehorse was hard mounted to the truck and that why it had the cover shown in the photos. I also believe as pointed to in my first post that you can make out the flexible exhaust hose running beside the fuel tank.

The following pictures are from a 8cwt wireless truck and clearly show the CH1-395-4 Canadian model chorehorse hard mounted to a bracket. They also show the flexible exhaust hose being run from the generator along the back wall of the cab and down to the frame with the muffler right beside the exhaust pipe for the truck.

Further more being hard mounted would mean the wiring could all be run to the C5 charging board and batteries. This would mean that the only setup would be starting the generator and changing some knobs on the charging board.

One other point I noticed in the wartime chorehorse manual is that it appears the CH1-395-4 Canadian model didn't come with any oil bath air filter. There is no mention of it in the text or the parts diagram. Whereas the CH1-395-5 British model specially mentions that it comes with one.