From: Mitch Drumm (LaFong@cox.net)
Date: Thu May 27 2004 - 04:31:56 PDT
hi everyone.
this is my first post. i joined in hopes someone can help me ID a particular
pair of weapons carriers that i spent a lot of time in during the early
1950s thru the mid 1960s.
i have spent several hours on the web trying to find pictures of similar
vehicles with no luck. during that time i discovered this list and joined it
hoping someone can ID these vehicles.
i have not seen them in about 40 years and have no pictures. what follows is
from memory:
general description: 4 wheels, 4 wheel drive, totally open and exposed to
the elements. high center of gravity, wide track. wheelbase probably a foot
or two longer than a typical modern pickup. i was around two of these, one
of which was painted red and i suspect that is how it was purchased and is
presumably a "factory" color. these vehicles were used as all purpose
transports on a large nevada ranch. i can't recall the color of the other
lesser used vehicle, but don't think it was OD. in general stature, width,
and ground clearance, these vehicles were closer to a HUMVEE than, say, a
WW2 ambulance, but were not enclosed.
i cannot specifically recall if the vehicle could be operated in both 2WD
and 4WD. certainly possible it was 4WD only. nor do i recall anything about
low/high range.
seating for two in buckets, on either side of a console. not a bench seat.
no doors of any kind. you sat down pretty low in the buckets.
snub nosed, with a very short hood. this is unlike any weapons carrier
vehicle i have seen in pictures. the hood was no more than 30 inches long,
if not shorter.
gearshift lever was bent and angled forward rather than rearward. as i
recall, it was a 4 speed gearbox, but may have been 3 speed. because of the
angle of the lever, the shifting motion was more of a lifting up than the
pulling back that might be found in an ordinary passenger car. because of
the depth of the bucket seat and the height of the console/drivetrain
tunnel, the lever was probably not far from waist high at the mounting point
and chest high at the knob. you reached out for it, rather than down.
boom: one of the two vehicles had a boom extending out to the rear that was
equipped with a cable and hook to hoist something--such as a deer (often
used for deer hunting). the tip of the boom was probably 8 feet above the
ground and extended at that height over the bed area. i can't recall how the
hoist was operated but i am sure it was mechanized rather than hand
cranked.
the area to the rear of the bucket seats was open to the elements, as was
the entire vehicle. i can't recall detail, other than it was not completely
flat as a flatbed truck would be. there were compartments along the
perimeter if i recall correctly, but i can't recall if they were covered.
windshield: not sure, but i think it may have folded down to the front if
desired.
engine: i have no details, presumably 6 or 8 cylinder.
i always thought these were ford products, but it seems that most weapons
carriers were dodge manufactured. i did find some brief references to fords,
but no pictures or descriptions.
both vehicles were simply called "weapons carriers" around the ranch. it is
theoretically possible they were not weapons carriers, but i do recall
certain military-esque nameplates around the cockpit. so best guess is that
they were weapons carriers and were certainly of US military origin--or at
least north american.
considering where and how they were used, it is highly likely that both were
unmodified by the civilian owner--i assume the boom, color, etc, were as
purchased military surplus. they did not have that "antique" look that i
associate with certain WW2 vehicles, so may have been from slightly after
the war???
the best clues are the snub nose, boom, bucket seating, gearshift lever,
unenclosed, and era.
please, can anyone ID these and most of all point me to some high quality
pictures, either online or in a published book?
regards
mitch
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