Wanted: UC Track for collection

[Jack Innes]

Originally Posted by BCA

I'll bring a Carrier track pad to Oshawa Aquino event in early June. Identical to a standard Carrier track pad except made for the wider wheel used on the Windsor Carrier... Brian

I too was unaware of a difference - Thank you Brian. How about the T16 tracks? Are they different again or will Universal Carrier track work?

Jack

[Michael R.]

The track links manufactured for North American production universal carriers are made by a number of different companies, made using different alloys. Nigel Watson covers this rather well in his ‘Universal Carriers, Volume 1’.

While the most common track link profile has a flat surface where it contacts the ground, the less common common link is “spudded” profile, with three truncated cones on the portion that contacts the ground. Initially spudded track was issued to the Russian contract universal carriers. However, the MK-I* UC in the Ditsong Museum, Johannesburg, South Africa is equipped with spudded track. (Have a look at the track damage to the floor in their display room.)

There are reports of a third track type, with a bar on the track surface, to be installed every ninth link. While I have seen multiple examples of U.C. track links with one or two ‘bars’ on the surface, I cannot say if that is a factory production or not. It appears to have been a common workshop modification in post-war civilian use, perhaps for winter conditions?

The first 500 Windsor universal carriers (first model) were produced using standard size universal carrier bogie wheels and track. The following 4505 Windsor carriers (second model) had wider bogie wheels, which required wider spaced track horns. The other dimensions of these track links are unchanged.

[Michael R.]

Originally Posted by Jack Innes

I too was unaware of a difference - Thank you Brian. How about the T16 tracks? Are they different again or will Universal Carrier track work?

Ask David Dunlop ....

[Lynn Eades]

Brian, I suspect you could sell your Windsor track links to the Australians or here in N.Z. as the Australian pattern carriers and the Vickers MkVIB light tanks can all run your track. I say "can" because there is likely a pin difference.
The Australian track has a smaller hole in one end, and a plain shorter pin is located by a lead plug. Everything else would work.
There is an annular groove in the hole that the lead plug swages into. The small hole in the other end allows removal of the pin with a punch.

[David Dunlop]

Jack.

According to the T16 Manual I have, the T16 track is not interchangeable with the Universal Carrier track links. Not sure wherein the differences come about.

David

[Lynn Eades]

No, it's not, because the guide horns are about 1 inch further apart, to accommodate the wider bogie wheel and rubber.

[Perry Kitson]

T16 track is a little narrower than UC track. Pins from T16 track are too short to use on UC track by about 3/16".

[Michael R.]

“According to the T16 Manual I have, the T16 track is not interchangeable with the Universal Carrier track links. Not sure wherein the differences come about.”

“No, it's not, because the guide horns are about 1 inch further apart, to accommodate the wider bogie wheel and rubber.”

“T16 track is a little narrower than UC track. Pins from T16 track are too short to use on UC track by about 3/16".”


Gentlemen... I respectfully suggest you are unwittingly on the wrong track . . .