CCKW with crane plus a bit more Info

[RANGER]

The Crane equipped CCKW had the Light weight Schield Bantam ABM -51(Air Borne Model). It only added approx 7000 lb to the CCKW chassis.

The Army did not mount the grossly overweight cranes which were real back breakers that were seen on post war civilian modified CCKWs, they were purely a Civilian adaptation of the CCKW. CCKWs so equipped were grossly overloaded, they were never designed for such a heavy load, even if the chasssis were beefed up, the brakes powertrain and suspension suffered under the load. The surplus CCKWs were cheap and readilly available expedient back when civilian 10 wheelers were scarce and expensive. Most CCKWs so modified did not receive proper maintenance and went into disrepair. There are many of these old Crane trucks abandoned in the bushes with running gear that is so worn that there is little salvage value. The best Military trucks for mounting cranes abd backhoes were the IH M5H6 and the 7 1/2 Ton 6X6 Biederman.

The ABM-51 Manual is TM5-9522, dated February 1952. TM5 indicates it is Engineer mounted equipment and not Ordnance (TM9).

It was mounted on modified CCKW LWB Open Cab chassis WO/Wn. The fuel tank was moved to the drivers side, and the spare tire and wheel was mounted on the RH side of the cab and rested on the running board, the windshield was cut in half.

It could be equipped with Backhoe (Trench Hoe) Bucket, Clamshell Bucket orConventional Bucket, Dragline, or Hook. It was equipped with an empty counterweight box that could be filled with sand or gravel to add about a ton of weight.

The Crane was powered by a 4Cyl. 139.5 cu.in. Le Roi Gasoline Engine that was comparible in size to an MB engine. It apparantly was easy on gasoline as the fuel capacity of the tank was 7 Gallons.

The CCKW equipped with the ABM-51 was an OAL of 30'10" and was 7'4 1/2" high with boom folded. It did not have much lifting capacity at a rating of 2 Tons.

This Crane was an expedient and not designed for heavy duty work, but was equipped with enough options to make it capable of many types of excavation and lifting operations. It was a Korean War era mahine and considered Airborne. There were no WWII era Aircraft capable of transporting this machine, the Korean War era USAF Transports capable of transporting the ABM-51 were the C-74, C-124, and possibly the C-119 Flying Box Car.

There was a wiring harness for the ABM-51 Clearance Lights that was plugged into the Chassis Harness of the CCKW while it was being driven on Highways at night time. It was left unplugged during Crane Operation as it would get tangled with the truck chassis.

The M-Series REO/Studebaker M-108 with the Austin Western Hydraulic Crane soon made the ABM-51 obsolete as a light duty crane.

My best guess is that this machine would soon self destruct if an inexperienced operator attempted to operate it without te TM. It was complicated to set up once knocked down for transport. What is interesting about this unit is that unlike other cranes, it is not equipped with outriggers.

[RANGER]

In the early 50s the Army did test the Austin Western Hydraulic Crane on a CCKW Chassis at the Detroit Arsenal. The Austern Western Hydraulic Swinging Crane was soon to be incorporated into the new M-Series Vehicle fleet as the 2 1/2 Ton 6X6 M-60 and M-108, and 5 Ton 6X6 as the M-62 and M-246. The M-246 was designed for USAF use, it was long wheel base with a 5th Wheel and an added boom section to give it more reach when salvaging wrecked aircradt. The USAF 5 Ton 6X6 Truck, Tractor, Wrecker M-246 replaced the Federal C-2 7 1/2 Ton 6X6 Crane Truck.