OLD TOW COUPLINGS

[cobber]

G'day bungalbill

That is a very interesting photo and thanks for posting it Bill.

Apart from the tow coupling.....and the jockey wheel...it is the first photo we have of an Esrom caravan, you say it was bought from the manufacturer in 1994.......but I suspect it was made well before 1994.... right ?....... (I spoke to Bill this morning and he tells me it is early 1960's, he is going to email me some more photos)

I remember at the first Motorfest I went to with “Driftwood”...... gee when was that ?... back in 2005 a bloke reckoned Driftwood looked like it could be a van built by a Mr Morse at Peakhurst, he said Mr Morse called his vans “Esrom”...morse spelt backwards.

Then in 2007 Mr Reddo mentioned Esrom in this post HERE, but said they were made in Newcastle.

Then in 2009 Franklin1 dumped some information HERE about some Sydney built vans that included an “Esrom” van built at Peakhurst..

But this is the first photo we have had of one and I'll post any others bungalbill sends me and the whole lot will end up in the Down History Lane section eventually ;D.

If anybody is after a unique van to restore get in touch with Bill, it sounds like a good proposition for a restorer.

Cobber.

[humpty2]

What do you think of this one Cobber. It looks like the top comes off and the ball is retained inside.
No need to point out that it is on a Jones wheel is there?

[humpty2]

Just been trolling through all the posts here, and it looks like a complete unit as shown in post #60..........which was missing a little bit.

[cobber]

Thanks humpty that's a good photo of the Jones Dolly wheel coupling.
Does it look like it has been modified slightly … have the two knurled nut things been permanently held together by a bit of steel welded between them so that it is necessary to undo the nut at the goose neck to separate van from car ?...... or does that bit of round steel stop the knurled nuts undoing themselves somehow ?
seeshell can tell us if I'm having myself on................again

Cobber.

Looking a bit harder...it looks as though that bit of steel swings up so the knurled nuts can be undone ....is that original

[seeshell]

Hi Cobber

In the pictures below you can see the front of the coupling. While I can't say for certain it has never been changed, it appears completely original on the basis of the Jones Wheel ticket on top of the coupling area near the ball. The only thing I am not sure of is if in fact it might have had something other than the bolts on the coupling so you could undo by hand? I should say that we generally leave the ball in our Dolly Wheel setup, and release the nut on the underside of the tow bar tongue.

I will try and get a better photo of that this weekend for your thread.





Cheers
Seeshell

[humpty2]

Bit more on that coupling for the Jones wheel.
This was on a previous picture showing what looks like a locking system to stop the screws from vibrating 'undone'


Easy to lift and then unscrew....but I think I will just line up & drop

[humpty2]

Also need to get 2 of the 'shackle bolts' that hold the swing arms to the chassis.......any clues??

[kaybee]

May 15, 2012 20:13:21 GMT 10 humpty2 said:

Also need to get 2 of the 'shackle bolts' that hold the swing arms to the chassis.......any clues??

...a picture might help , could be something automotive that will suit if we know what it looks like ,cheers.....

[cobber]

G'day humps,

Now look 'ere fellas........... all this stuff about Dolly wheels here on the "Tow coupling" thread is a bit off putting because..... there is a separate thread devoted to the interesting and complex subject of "Dolly Wheels" of which there were only three different brands made, I think, back in vintage days.

The reason folk can't find the "Dolly Wheel" thread is because the designated member of the highly paid moderating team who is responsible for making "sticky threads" has not made it a "sticky thread"

While some of you were on your way to Cowra I moved some of the above waffle to the "Dolly Wheel" thread and I'll do the same with the above photo humps... and you can put a photo of the "swing arm" things on that thread..... but I'll be doing that later because it looks like a top day outside today and that's where I'm going NOW .

The "Dolly Wheel" thread is HERE.

Cobber.

[cobber]

Who you calling an old fart.......................... ya old fart

You moderating types stick together like.......... fluff to a blanket aye?

I'm going over to the Dolly Wheel thread now..... much nicer people over there

Cobber.

[Don Ricardo]

May 16, 2012 8:48:51 GMT 10 cobber said:

The reason folk can't find the "Dolly Wheel" thread is because the designated member of the highly paid moderating team who is responsible for making "sticky threads" has not made it a "sticky thread"

Hi Cobber,

Not sure which member of the "highly paid moderating team" you were referring to, but the dolley wheel thread is now stickeyed as requested.

Don Ricardo
on behalf of the highly paid moderating team

[cobber]

Thank you Don R.

I'll suggest to the remuneration tribunal that your retainer be doubled.... at least.

Grateful Cobber.

[humpty2]

Ummmmmmmmmmmm I thought the bit that joined the car to the van was a 'coupling'.............silly me

[cobber]

Aw c'mon humps...... play along with the game ......I'm trying to get a whole page full of "sticky threads"

The coupling on the Jones dolly wheel connects the dolly wheel to the car, the van is connected to the dolly wheel. This is even more so the case with the other two brands of dolly wheel that have a coupling at each end of them so that one coupling connects the dolly wheel to the car and the other coupling connects the dolly wheel to the van.

So you see......... couplings aren't just couplings.

C'mon...... show us a picture of these swing arm thingos and shackle bolts................... over on the "Dolly Wheel" thread

Cobber mate.

[cobber]

A "Carapark" coupling..... with a couple of bits missing.



Has anybody got the bits ? if so contact destrier

And here is what it is supposed to look like, courtesy of George "Griffin"



Cobber.

[destrier]

Thanks Cobber! I just stumbled along this page..

[seeshell]

Hi Cobber

Another picture of a Carapark coupling (from the Carapark that was saved from Yasi) for your collection:



Cheers
Seeshell

[cobber]

This here is a Dymwood override coupling operating hydraulic breaks on a Hawthorn caravan.
The restoration of the van can be followed HERE.



Cobber.

[cobber]

This is (I think ) a “Dale” coupling with override brakes.
In my extensive library I can find no reference to “Dale” caravans or “Dale” caravan accessories..... could it be a tow coupling from the Yorkshire Dales .... or the Derbyshire Dales ....or some other Dales in the UK ..... they did have a caravan called the "Dovedale"

I don't think it has anything to do with Chip-'n'-Dale .





Cobber.

[cobber]

This thread is getting a bit messy I'm thinking.... I'm having trouble keeping the index up to date
If somebody who has posted lots of couplings moves on... and takes his photos with him... the whole index goes down the drain ...... anyway, here's another photo of the often repeated “Henderson coupling”, but this time, for the first time, showing the washer with the brand AND the weight limit on it.





Cobber.

[seeshell]

My Dear Cobber -

You're quite right - there is a serious danger of the thread a. getting out of control and b. ending up losing pictures. But no worries, easily solved...

A self published coffee table book, possibly named:

Lug Age
Long Haul
In Tow
Drag Queens


Seeshell

[Franklin1]

G'day seeshell,

A self published coffee table book, possibly named:

Seems like more money would be made with a title like "Fifty Shades of Couplings"

cheers,
Al.

[humpty2]

Coupling off my homemade 52 lantern roof van

I haven't measured it but it is LARGE
BTW those 2 pieces of bar welded to the sides were put there long ago............'cause it started to 'bend' there.
I think it will be coming off...............and I will send it to the 'Museum of Couplings', just South of Sydney ;D

[cobber]

G'day Humpty,

If that coupling is BIG it might be similar to the one that is on the Windmill caravan.
As I wasn't able to get hold of the ball it should have had with it when we picked up the caravan I gave Marjie 2 the one in the second photo here...(Bob and Jacqui gave it to me at Cowra )... to see if they could utilise it on the Windmill instead.



The replacement one.... we don't know for certain sure, but we have been told this style of coupling was knocked together by some blokes in the railway workshop in Queensland, you could call them “foreign order couplings”............ HEY!........ how's that for the name of a coffee table book on the subject .


Cobber.

[cobber]

We are all familiar with the tow couplings that bolt on top of the “A” frame

This thread is starting to get a collection of couplings that are almost part of the “A” frame in that they have “wings” that flair out to the shape of the “A” frame …..some bolt inside the “A” channel and some bolt outside the channel and they appear to be on caravans dating from the 1930's and 40's
All part of the wonderful evolution of Tow couplings.....aye?
This is the latest one.....


And the others are on page 4 reply# 93 and 95..... page 6 reply #137...and page 7 reply # 165.
The one Don R saw at mildura looks close to being the same as this one.

Cobber.