I have built a caisson, more for static display in camp. I would like to put the finishing touches on it, but I have some questions.
1) How does the spare wheel chain and toggle work. The manuals that I have read, just say that it secures the spare wheel. I don’t understand how it functions.
2) The caissons at the Gettysburg NP have some things that are different from the drawings I have of CW caissons. The first is that the spare wheel axle stub has 2 bolts holding it on, but one appears to be a pivoting yoke, or “Y” shape bolt. This design looks like if you pull out the one bolt held by a pin, then the spare axle stub would pivot on the “Y” shaped bolt so that it would lower the spare wheel to make it easier to get of the stub. Was this a design change that occurred during the war, or after the war?
3) These same ciassons also have 2 wheel lock chain assemblies, one on each side. The drawings I have only call out for the wheel lock chain assembly on one side. Was this also changed during the course of the war?
Michael Dec
Rutledge/McClung's Tennessee Battery
1) How does the spare wheel chain and toggle work. The manuals that I have read, just say that it secures the spare wheel. I don’t understand how it functions.
2) The caissons at the Gettysburg NP have some things that are different from the drawings I have of CW caissons. The first is that the spare wheel axle stub has 2 bolts holding it on, but one appears to be a pivoting yoke, or “Y” shape bolt. This design looks like if you pull out the one bolt held by a pin, then the spare axle stub would pivot on the “Y” shaped bolt so that it would lower the spare wheel to make it easier to get of the stub. Was this a design change that occurred during the war, or after the war?
3) These same ciassons also have 2 wheel lock chain assemblies, one on each side. The drawings I have only call out for the wheel lock chain assembly on one side. Was this also changed during the course of the war?
Michael Dec
Rutledge/McClung's Tennessee Battery
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