 | This article possibly contains original research .(February 2017) |
The K-38 splicer's trailer was used in World War II for carrying telephone cable splicers tools in the field.
| This article possibly contains original research .(February 2017) |
The K-38 splicer's trailer was used in World War II for carrying telephone cable splicers tools in the field.
The US Army Signal Corps K-38 trailer, cable splicer, 1/4 ton, 2 - wheel, seems to have been a standard civilian American Telephone & Telegraph designed product from the 1930s that was adopted into military service, and later augmented by the K-38A, a modified Willys MB/GPW jeep trailer which was outfitted for the same work - the repair and maintenance of telephone cable's lead-wiped joints. The parts list below was published in January 1945, which supports the assumption that both types were in use at the end of World War II. Identical civilian trailers dated as late as 1948 have been found, albeit with slightly different wheels.
Although the K-38 is cited as produced by various manufacturers, [nb 1] the SNL-G-685 parts list [1] reveals that the unique body parts all had AT&T part numbers.
A list of serial numbers, manufacturers and dates of delivery is in compilation, and seems to indicate that Highway Trailer made the earliest units at the start of World War II, FWD production was later in World War II, and Regent Manufacturing post World War II production. York-Hoover and Transport Freight production has not yet been dated. USA serial number information does not seem to exist - at least in quantity, and images of the unit in service are very few.
Most trailers seem to be identified simply as model "S" trailers on their respective serial plates, with just one known example of a late World War II FWD plate actually being stamped with the Signal Corps designation of "K-38". The hyphen is part of the Signal Corps designation and should not be neglected.
The disc wheels, 4" wide by 18" diameter, are described as "motorcycle type". The earliest trailers had two tie-down holes stamped in a recess on either side of the wheel hub, visible in one of the images used here. Later plain wheels sometimes had a single hole cut in a corresponding place in each wheel centre, or a welded-on loop, and the post war Regent production had a different style entirely with more of a lattice section towards the outside of the centre disc. This variation can be attributed to manufacturers using whatever wheels were available at time of production, but all wheels appeared to have been made or altered to be able to be secured by hole(s) or loop. The wheels appear to be subject to more corrosion and damage than the rest of the trailer, and are a particular problem for current restorers.
The bracket on the top is for a fuel-burning lantern used for roadside warning purposes, and on inspection appears rather more elaborate than it needs to be. A fabricated steel guard with mesh sides was provided for the lantern. No electrical wiring was provided on the original trailer, but a single taillight and reflector were commonly added.
Security was by padlock and hasp on the main lid, the rear lower hatch being secured by a pin with a pull handle running up the rear inside of the main body.
Production quantities are not known, but serial number spread suggest that FWD alone produced something over 3000 units, and there is a known spread of at least 250 units in the Highway Trailer serial numbers.
The company that produced these, the Highway Trailer Co. in Edgerton, WI. also went on to produce a 1/2 ton splicer trailer after the war that looks somewhat similar, the 30-S series trailers. These were used as utility trailers by companies such as Bell Telephone. These had a split lid that was hinged, and could be locked in a similar way to the K-38 trailers. The 30-S trailers had a pintle hitch and similar wheels to the K-38's, although in the post war era, any wheels that could be found were used.
The M19 Tank Transporter was a heavy tank transporter system used in World War II and into the 1950s. It consisted of a 12-ton 6x4 M20 Diamond T Model 980 truck and companion 12-wheel M9 trailer.
The SCR-299 was a U.S. Signal Corps mobile military communications unit used during World War II.
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The M6 High-Speed Tractor was an artillery tractor used by the US Army during World War II.
The K-37 trailer was used by the U.S. Army Signal Corps to haul telephone poles, and Cable reel, during and after World War II.
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Ben Hur trailer was the nickname of the World War II U.S. Army Trailer, 1-ton payload, 2-wheel, cargo, and the Trailer, 1-ton payload, 2-wheel, water tank, 250 gallon. Specialized variants were also manufactured.
The K-36 trailer was a telephone pole hauling trailer used by the U.S. Army during and after World War II.
The K-34 trailer was used by the U.S. Army Signal Corps to house electronic equipment, during and after World War II.
The K-35 trailer was a house trailer used by the U.S. Army Signal Corps during and after World War II.
The K-55 trailer, manufactured by the A. J. Miller and Oneonta Linn Corp, was a house trailer used by the U.S. Army Signal Corps during and after World War II.
The K-72 trailer, manufactured by the A. J. Miller, was a house trailer used by the U.S. Army Signal Corps during and after World War II.
The Dodge WC-54, Ambulance, 3⁄4-ton, 4 x 4,, was a variant of the Dodge WC series light 4×4 trucks, developed during World War II. Built from 1942 to 1945, they served as the U.S. Army's main ambulance, with some used as late as 1953 during the Korean War by the U.S. Army Medical Corps, and others serving as late as the 1960s in the armies of some European countries.
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The K-50 telephone repair trucks were used by the U.S. Army Signal Corps, during and after World War II, for the installation and repair of hard telephone lines, primarily in territories liberated from Nazi Germany by the Allied forces.
The Allis-Chalmers M7 snow tractor was designed for use by the U.S. Army Air Corps as a rescue vehicle in remote northern bases.
The Autocar Model U8144T, officially "5- to 6-Ton, 4×4, Ponton Tractor Truck", was the largest, and most heavy-duty, of a family of heavy four-wheel drive trucks developed for, and deployed primarily with, the United States Army in World War II. They were of a "cab over engine" design, and produced by the Autocar Company from 1941 to 1945 with 2,711 being built.
The Diamond T 4-ton 6×6 truck was a heavy tactical truck built for the United States Army during World War II. Its G-number was G-509. Cargo models were designed to transport a 4-ton (3,600 kg) load over all terrain in all weather. There were also wrecker, dump, and other models. They were replaced by the M39 series 5-ton 6×6 trucks in the 1950s.
US military soft-skinned vehicles of World War II | |
|---|---|
| 1⁄4–3⁄4 ton vehicles | |
| 11⁄2–4 ton trucks | |
| 5–10 ton trucks | |
| Tank transporters | |
| Amphibious vehicles | |
| Tracked tractors & carriers | |
| Motorcycles | |
| Trailers | |
