• Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!

  • Microsoft MSN, Live, Hotmail, Outlook email users may not be receiving emails. We are working to resolve this issue. Please add support@steelsoldiers.com to your trusted contacts.

 

1944 Federal 606 C2 Wrecker

Jeff Lakaszcyck

Well-known member
174
397
63
Location
Mims, Florida
Howard, it's actually the same model number that Gar Wood used on the WLF and KW M1A1 wreckers, all are model US6. The main difference is the curved boom used on the early C2's. The crane towers are the same size. Hope to see you at Harrisonburg. I plan to be at Macungie too.


Mr. Ahab, the US6 was installed on a 1970 International Fleetstar 1910A and had been used as a yard crane in a junkyard. It had not moved in several years. I found it in November after someone posted a photo of it on Facebook. The IH is really rough but may have a good RD450 engine. We'll see if it wants to run.

First photo is the one I saw on FB. I knew right away what it was.

IMG_8040.JPG IMG_8082.JPG
 

Another Ahab

Well-known member
17,815
4,139
113
Location
Alexandria, VA
It had not moved in several years. I found it in November after someone posted a photo of it on Facebook. The IH is really rough but may have a good RD450 engine. We'll see if it wants to run.

First photo is the one I saw on FB. I knew right away what it was.

View attachment 823213
Good eye. You saved it from the Fiery Furnace, nice work!

Everybody likes a story with a happy ending. Excellent!!
 

dmetalmiki

Well-known member
5,523
2,026
113
Location
London England
A fantastic truck, You are to be complemented for resuing it. And well worth restoring.
I will be following your progress on it's way to that restoration.
 

Jeff Lakaszcyck

Well-known member
174
397
63
Location
Mims, Florida
With a little bit of effort I was able to get the Fleetstar running. The RD450 seems to run pretty good although the rear main seal leaks like a sieve. But with the truck running I was able to start evaluating what worked and what didn't on the Gar Wood crane. The boom up and down seemed to work normally, while the hook up/down went up, but not down consistently. The boom slew left/right seemed to try to work, but the boom would barely move.

Each of the three operating levers on the crane actuates a selector box, with the output going to the winches via a chain. There are three selector boxes, one each for slew left/right, hook up/down, and boom up/down. The input to these is via chains from the PTO shaft.

These photos show the slew selector box installed, and the input side of the three selector boxes from the rear.
Gar Wood Selector Box.jpg Gar Wood Selector Boxes.jpg

The three selector boxes for the boom up/down, hook up/down, and the slew are basically a small transmission with a slider and two clutches, allowing the pto input to have a neutral, forward, and reverse. I did some trouble shooting on the slew selector box by disconnecting the control lever and operating the control at the box. This bypassed any play in the linkage. I found that to get any movement I had to have the control shaft at it's stop limit. It would usually slew to the right, with effort, but the left would barely move unless I slammed the control, and even then the movement was very intermittent. This told me that I had an actuation problem but it seemed the gearing was working as it should. When I took the cover off the selector box the problem was obvious. The slider engages two small arms on each of the two clutches, and those arms are extremely worn. It looks like I will have to complete disassemble the box the get the clutches out and get the arms repaired. The top of the box also had a pretty good sized crack but that is not contributing to the problem I am having. I'll get that welded up while the cover is off.

While removing the selector box from the crane base I noticed a connecting rod from an old engine jammed between the selector box and the crane tower. I wasn't too surprised since the truck had been in a junk yard for years. Then I realized it was being used as a shim to adjust the pto chain tension on the box ! I guess you just use whatever is handy.

Notice the connecting rod "shim" in upper left of 2nd image. 3rd & 4th photos show worn actuating arm. 5th is crack in housing.
Selector Box for Slew 1.jpg Selector Box for Slew 2.jpg Selector Box for Slew 3 hilight.jpg Selector Box for Slew 4.jpg Selector Box for Slew 5 crack.jpg Connecting Rod Shim.jpg
 

Jeff Lakaszcyck

Well-known member
174
397
63
Location
Mims, Florida
I don't know what caused that crack, it does not appear to be in a high stress area. It is getting welded up. The actuating arms are also getting welded up and re-surfaced. Almost every spring in the clutches were broken, but I was able to find a spring vendor who was able to provide a very similar spring size and spring rate and those are on the way also. Forward progress !
 

Jeff Lakaszcyck

Well-known member
174
397
63
Location
Mims, Florida
About time for another update. It has been several months now, but back in July the repairs to the Gar Wood slew selector box were completed and the box re-assembled. I did not take any pictures. With the slew selector box re-installed it revealed some more issues down stream which are preventing the slew from working correctly. However it already works much better than it did. Plan going forward is to remove and make the same repair to the hook up/down selector box, and perform the additional repairs needed for the slew. Progress is slow but at least we are moving forward. I have been sidelined with some health issues for a few months (I had a triple bypass in September) but I have recovered enough to get back to work in the shop again.

The red Federal has already been featured in the 2021 Steel Soldiers calendar for April, and I recently found out it will be in the 2022 American Truck Historical Society calendar for November. That is very cool and I'm very honored for both. We also decorated the truck (my wife and son did most of it) and entered it in the Mims, Florida Christmas parade December 4th. There was a good turnout for the parade and we had a great time.

Calendar Steel Soldiers April 2021.JPG Calendar ATHS November 2022.jpg IMG_0846.JPG IMG_0849.JPG Mims Parade 12-04-2021 Jason Spaulding FB.jpg
 

fsearls92

Active member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
664
134
43
Location
International Falls, MN
Shoot I didn’t get to go to the parade this year. Would have been a cool truck to see. Hopefully you have it out and about, I live right next to Mims, south of 46 off US 1
 

Jeff Lakaszcyck

Well-known member
174
397
63
Location
Mims, Florida
There are two or three actually, Probably more..in the U.K. I bet if you placed a wanted on milweb, you might get a result.
If you really want one try tracing Rex Cadman of War and Peace fame..I believe he has one, And knowledge.
Jaap has a Federal C2 for sale on Milweb, there are no photos but it has been listed for several years.
 

Robo McDuff

In memorial Ron - 73M819
Steel Soldiers Supporter
2,857
1,390
113
Location
Czech Republic
Jaap has a Federal C2 for sale on Milweb, there are no photos but it has been listed for several years.
Is Jaap a Dutch guy? The name certainly indicates so. Can you provide a link to that truck.

I actually was lucky getting my M51A2, as close as a barn find you can imagine in the Netherlands.

I know there are several Ward la France wreckers for sale in Austria and the Netherlands, but if a wrecker, I probably would have to go for the DAF YB 626 for emotional reasons.

DSC_0027c.JPG

We could use a wrecker at my son's blacksmith workshop.

However, I am trying to sell my truck (have to) and go smaller with some money to spare. The wreckers are nice when you have the $$$, space, lots of soldier b to help you, and a fuel trailer to drag behind you. The DAF YB626 uses about 1:1. With the EU fuel prices, you spent a fortune every time you go for a spin.
 
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website like our supporting vendors. Their ads help keep Steel Soldiers going. Please consider disabling your ad blockers for the site. Thanks!

I've Disabled AdBlock
No Thanks