Keith Moodys PTO Australia
Keith Moodys PTO Australia
This shows the intended Winch for the Austin Champ fitted inside
a Nuffield
Mudlark.
The drawing is from a publication dated 1950.
One can see that the Winch was to be a horizontal drum type
driven from the
rear axle through a PTO bolted on top of the transfer box. The
Winch was to be
engaged by the use of the forward/reverse lever. A seperate gate
is provided
[blanked off on Champs with a plate]. The lever would put the
transmission
drive in neutral and engage the PTO through the use of a second
rod to the
transfer box. The WN3 Fire Pump Champs etc...used the same system.
The Winch
rope would be pulled out by hand and once ready the PTO would
be engaged to
winch in. The rear body cover plate [called "Winch Access
Plate"] needs to be
removed to gain access to the winch. The winch was held in place
in the "winch
well" by two [2] bolts fitted through the rear crossmember
and also at the
front by four bolts around the input shaft. The lower lip on the
bottom of the
access hole in the rear body panel acted as a rope guide. The
weakness of the
system according to FVRDE was that the Champ was in neutral while
the PTO was
engaged and this resulted in poor winching capabilties. As far
as I know the
"Champ Winch Project" was abandoned in 1953.
Fighting Vehicles Development Establishment Specification Number
9058, Issue
2, dated 3rd August 1951 for Car Light FV 1801 Austin, refers
to the Winch:
"Provision for Turner 1 Ton Single Drum Type Winch is
required. The Cable
shall be 3/8" diameter x 120 ft long with a breaking load
of 4.6 tons. The
rope speed shall be variable from 70 to 250 ft per minute. The
Winch Gear
shall incorporate a Torque Limiting Device to prevent overstressing
the rope"
The General Data for Car Light FV 1801 Austin dated 10 October
1951 also
refers to the Winch:
" Provision for Turner Winch driven by PTO on Transfer Box"
The Provisional User Handbook for Truck 1/4 ton 4x4 CT Austin
dated March 1952
has this reference to the Winch:
"Turner 1 ton Winch when fitted". A page of "Instruction for Use" is provided.
No other War Office Publication and no EMERs refer to the Winch
after 1952. As
far as it is known NO CHAMP WINCH WAS EVER FITTED. In nearly 30
years of
"Champing" I have NOT seen one ORIGINAL Champ Winch.
I have heard and seen
MANY copies. The 1958 User Handbook for Champs, none of the EMERs
[even the
EMER relating to Winches fitted to "B" vehicles], NONE
of the Champ Parts
Lists [including the first one dated 1952] make any reference
to Winch.
Turner Winches do have drawings of the INTENDED Winch. They
have stated that
NO Winches were manufactured for the Champ.
Like the "Jeeps in Crates", the Champ Winch is one
of those "things" that has
passed into Folklore !!!!
Photographed at the Stawell Champ camp in 1997 this is a "home
made" winch.
These 3 photos are of an original Champ power take off unit.
Thanks to Gus Gowers for them.
Found attached to a champ by Bryan Mole June
1998. Was used to drive a post hole digger
PTO driven post hole digger.
Keith
Moody New South Wales Australia
Malcolms PTO Australia - link to pictures of
my PTO
The
Austin Champ Register Home Page