F60L ARN 46660 Cab 12

[Ken Smith]

Good day,
I just have just discovered my F60L ARN 58171 has a Machinery "D" loading body, does anyone know what that had in it?
I had a look on the AWM site but no interior pictures, except of a Machinery "E" trailer.

The left hand page of the ARN list also has a notation,
Check per G.R.O. 0.831/43 22/3/44. Any idea on that one?

Cheers Ken

[Mike Cecil]

The vehicle register entry was checked for accuracy against the actual vehicle ion accordance with the requirements of General Routine Order 0.831/43 on 22 March 1944.

Mike

[Ken Smith]

Thanks for your invaluable input Mike. Very interesting that the army was double checking their assets, but also nice from a historic point.

Ken

[Ken Smith]

Ok a bit more research. I searched loading instead of machinery and workshop on the AWM site, and I came up with a "DI" loading instrument repair vehicle.
I think it is probably "D1" not "DI" as there is a "Z1" loading vehicle mentioned elsewhere.
When I searched this forum I found that some Lindsay C60X machinery body types are C1, D1 etc. I know that it is a pretty big leap going from Lindsay body designations to Australian made machinery bodies, but surely there was a common designation for Empire armies.
I might add that the designation in the AWM book for my truck is "D" alone.
I just read on a bit further in the ARNs and I see that 58206 is a "D1" so maybe there are variations.

Ken

[Ken Smith]

I have had a bit of time to spend on the computer the last couple of weeks and decided to clarify some things with my trucks, ARN 46660 was supposed to have been purchased direct from the Cecil Plains aerodrome in 1946.

This has now been proved wrong as the AWM books show that it was bought by Ford from a sub park. I don't want to offend the fellow I bought it from by calling him a liar as he was very sincere in his efforts to help me have the history of the truck, and I don't doubt that they were the first owners, so I thought I might clarify some grey areas.

Did the army auction stuff to the public from local areas? It would make sense to have the people that bought the stuff carry it away rather than have to pack it up transport it to a depot and then auction it.

Would/could these local areas have been called sub parks for the purpose of a name?

Did the manufacturers send buyers along to lines of trucks and bid on them, or did they send buyers along to lines of trucks check them over then offer a price to the government for a batch, or did the government say, we have say 300 trucks in Brisbane do you want them? or you will purchase them.

My 3 cab 12 F60Ls were all purchased by Ford Motor Co from sub parks.

What I am getting at is could the previous owner have bought the truck from a Ford rep after a auction? I just remembered he told me all the wooden rails in his undercover pig pens, which he showed me came from the Cecil Plains auction.

Last question what would an army truck have been doing on a RAAF base anyway?

Cheers Ken

[Mike Cecil]

Hi Ken,

I have no doubt your man was telling the truth. To answer your questions:

Did the army auction stuff to the public from local areas? It would make sense to have the people that bought the stuff carry it away rather than have to pack it up transport it to a depot and then auction it. Yes, but it was the CDC who did the actual disposal after the equipment was written off by the Army, RAAF, etc.

Would/could these local areas have been called sub parks for the purpose of a name? Yes

Did the manufacturers send buyers along to lines of trucks and bid on them, or did they send buyers along to lines of trucks check them over then offer a price to the government for a batch, or did the government say, we have say 300 trucks in Brisbane do you want them? or you will purchase them. The middle answer is correct: the CDC's second stage of the disposals policy was to offer trucks back to the original manufacturer/supplier. The buyer would assess each vehicle and either make an offer per lot, or break the lots into sub-lots based on condition and offer on each sub-lot. Any vehicles rejected/mot purchased by the manufacturer/supplier, then auctioned direct to the public.

My 3 cab 12 F60Ls were all purchased by Ford Motor Co from sub parks. Quite normal disposal process operated by the CDC.

What I am getting at is could the previous owner have bought the truck from a Ford rep after a auction? I just remembered he told me all the wooden rails in his undercover pig pens, which he showed me came from the Cecil Plains auction. Yes: saved the Ford dealer moving them if he could sell them quickly direct from the Army lot within the specified contract time for them to be removed by Ford.

Last question what would an army truck have been doing on a RAAF base anyway? Redundant (even operating), RAAF bases and any other military bases of convenience were used to accumulate equipment for disposal, so there is every possibility that an Army sub-park (ie a base area away from the unit's normal operating base) was established there for the purpose of disposal by the Commonwealth Disposals Commission. Army accumulated the gear & wrote it off, turning it over to the CDC for the actual disposal process. CDC then disposed of it according to the three stage policy: (1) offer to other govt depts (2) offer to the original manufacturer and (3) offer to the public by direct auction.

Clear as mud!

Mike

[Mike K]

Colin Bell worked at Auto Surplus in Mitcham ( when it was owned by Hancock) . Colin told me he was a buyer for HEALINGS just after the war. Healings in Melbourne , were a business that sold a large range of stuff i.e. surplus vehicles and other gear. Colin said the best value auctions to attend were those smaller auctions held in remote areas. He said some trucks sold for almost nothing because they had a minor part missing i.e. a distributor had been removed . He told me Healings had Ford F15's or F15A's ? virtually new in CKD .

He mentioned his time in the army, he was a Lieutenant in a transport company . He said some of the chaps in his unit could not read or write and he would wrote letters home for them. Interesting guy, probably no longer with us.

[Ken Smith]

Thanks Mike,
A lot clearer than mud a can assure you. The gentleman I got it from is a well respected local farmer businessman who, obviously older still has a big input into his farming enterprise.
Your very clear answer makes the truck procurement fit perfectly with his recollections.
I thank you again for your input into this forum.

Ken