mud track question

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lt.luke
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mud track question

Post by lt.luke » Thu Jul 03, 2008 6:43 am

Guys, below is a link that will take you to two pictures of a scale model resin add-on of dual front wheels with tracks and tracks to go around the dualys on a WWII CCKW. Any of you ever seen this before?

http://www.armorscale.com/products/resin/R35-033/

---before you guys get miffed that I didn't post the photos here out of laziness, I cannot post photos to the photobucket because the Army has decided that I don't really need to do that.


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Post by wc56daveyboy » Thu Jul 03, 2008 9:42 am

If I remember correctly, there is a vintage video on U-tube showing these.

ill look and see if I can find it. If so, Ill post a link.

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Post by Joe Gopan » Thu Jul 03, 2008 5:15 pm

They are Hipkins devices. They were issued and used during WWII. The 152 Field Artillery used them regularly during their jungle hop across the South Pacific. They would be installed during soft going and found to work best on their CCKWs while in reverse. They were frequently advertised by the older surplus dealers of the 40s-60s. We still have a crated set stored away somewhere. They will be donated to a museum along with my CCKW sometime in the years to come. They are very heavy and take up a lot of room. A set must weigh the better part of a ton.
They are featured on one of the WWII Training Films availible at Vintage Video. They are an expedient and not safe or practical in paved surfaces.
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Hipkins devise

Post by DocBritt » Thu Jul 03, 2008 5:32 pm

So to mount them did you drive over a set of "open" tracks and then connect them together? How was the tension adjusted?
And anyone got some pictures of a set not mounted to see how they were made?
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Post by Joe Gopan » Thu Jul 03, 2008 6:05 pm

Each individual Grouser has a tension bolt, they are hooked together. They are featured in the , paperback WWII GMC by Becker.

They are long gone from surplus dealer inventory. Todays' scrap iron prices is thinning them out, shipping is costly.
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Post by lt.luke » Thu Jul 03, 2008 11:04 pm

Ben, when you refer to 152 Field Artillery, are you refering to a unit designation?

CCKWs would have pulled a 105mm cannon, but probably nothing bigger, right?

I would enjoy seeing a photo or video, thanks for the comments!

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Post by Joe Gopan » Fri Jul 04, 2008 6:10 am

The 152 Field Artillery is a Maine Batallion. They were federalized in 1941 and fought in the Pacific. The 75mm and 105mm Howitzer was their weapon. CWO Joseph DeRoche was awarded the Bronze Star for volunteering to go out in a landing craft with a howitzer behind a Jeep and shell a Japanese troop vessel. He commented that the "Landing craft liked to have swamped every time I fired the gun". He passed away in 1986. I am not sure if he was firing a 75 or 105. His Battery comprised many old friends, Lonnie Tasker was a cook and was decorated for driving his CCKW kitchen truck under Japanese mortar fire to rescue a fellow soldier stranded in a field. Lonnie described the use of the traction device on his CCKW. These old friends were just local yokels called up with their hometown National Guard unit to serve when their country called. Lonnie witnessed a USMC Corsair land on the uncompleted airstrip at Munda and get mired. It was exciting to know these gentlemen and experience their first hand war storiers 40 years before they were read in WWII history books. The Corsair event is well known to WWII Naval Aviation enthusiasts.
Vintage Video should have films shoiwing the use of the traction devices.
Last edited by Joe Gopan on Sat Dec 06, 2014 5:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by lt.luke » Fri Jul 04, 2008 7:03 am

thanks Ben

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Post by Joe Gopan » Fri Jul 04, 2008 7:16 am

I only wish these guys were stillaround. CWO Deroche was always selected to fire the 75 mm Howitzer for the Governor of Maine during his visit to the troops at Annual Training. He retired in 1976 after 41 years in the National Guard. He started as a Stable Boy in 1935. Joe was agood mentor and allowed me to crawl over all those nice CCKWs, MBs and new M-38s in my younger days. Joe was the Batallion Maintenance supervisor from 1949-1976.

Lonnie Tasker, aka "Hot Top Lonnie", was the Rodman on my highway survey crew. Every day had a WWII story. He put thousands of miles on the same CCKW kitchen truck from 42-45. Had to have the rear axles changed once after it swung into the ship during offloading during a landing.
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Re: mud track question

Post by Joe Gopan » Fri Mar 02, 2018 6:29 pm

Lonnie explained that during night driving operation that the drivers having eyeglasses would be assistant drivers.
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Re: mud track question

Post by W. Winget » Sat Mar 03, 2018 6:31 pm

You can use the G's photo hosting site: http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/
I know there have been other companies supplying these tracks since the war, and usually the tension is created by deflating the tires, installing the tracks, then re-inflating the tires (from memory of previous research)
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Re: mud track question

Post by Joe Gopan » Sun Mar 04, 2018 2:41 am

The track tension is adjustable. I have the manual for them but it is stored at another location.
Those of you who have WWII TM's on Tire Maintenance will find some information on the traction devices in them.
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Re: mud track question

Post by D.R.H. » Sun Mar 04, 2018 10:44 pm

Here are two videos of a Jimmy with tracks. I like the training video best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZg5kwqF06k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKwLg8RXbCs
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Re: mud track question

Post by Joe Gopan » Mon Mar 05, 2018 3:09 am

Common experience for those units serving in the jungles of the Pacific. There was no easy way, those tracks were heavy and had to be manhandled on and off and stowed for the next use.
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Re: mud track question

Post by eaw46 » Mon Mar 05, 2018 11:24 am



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