The Beast from the Bush - by Ian Hinks

A ‘beast’ by popular interpretation can be anything out of the ordinary – big, ugly, wild-eyed, mulish, bad-tempered, forbidding, dark, monstrous, obstinate and downright evil. This beast, to paraphrase a popular saying, is “high, not so wide and definitely very unhandsome” (read ‘ugly’).

This Beast was first seen languishing in the dusty confines of a vacant house block in the south-western NSW town of Ivanhoe some 200kms north of Balranald and a whole lot further up than Mildura or, to be precise, Cardross. She is (or was) a mobile crane – untidy, unlovely, unloved, unkempt, uncared for and very, very much ‘ungoing’. Subsequent enquiries and negotiations across state boundaries and at long distances, telephonically speaking, secured The Beast.

The Beast is a mobile crane based on a 1925-6 International Model 63 of 3 to 3 ½ ton capacity. The Model 63, along with the similar–looking Models 33, 43 and 103, were the heavy end of the International ‘S” series, or “Speed” series, developed in 1924. This series saw a design change to a more traditional configuration replacing the ‘coalscuttle’ Models 21, 31 etc - those where the radiator was behind the engine - of the late teens and early 1920s. The Model 63 was available in two wheelbases: 140 inch and a 165-inch ‘special’. The truck was powered by a four-cylinder OHV engine with a bore of 4 ¼ inches and a stroke of five. This engine is similar, at least superficially, to that used in the McCormick 10-20 tractor of the same period.

Interestingly The Beast appears to be the 165-inch ‘special’ version. This example has some characteristics of the Model 54 introduced in 1927. These are the addition of external tow hooks and a rear which is a fully enclosed double reduction internal gear differential with full floating axles. This axle replaced the internal gear drive of the Model 63 which had power transmitted through a differential and driving shafts to pinions meshing with an internal gear on each rear wheel - the so-called ‘hub reduction drive’. This differential set up is the same as used on the smaller Model 33s, 43s, 63s and several other models of International trucks as well as the ‘coalscuttle’ series. The rear springs are heavier and wider with a couple more leaves presumably to cater for the extra carrying capacity.

Top: the tow hooks on the front of the chassis. The indentations inboard of each hook are presumably for pushing. Above: huge reduction diff.

Above: the heavy rear springs.

The construction of the crane is the result of thoughtful engineering and adaption - thinking outside the box - and the very resourceful use of recycled component parts of former International vehicles particularly the ‘coalscuttle’ models.

The power for activating the cable drums comes from the power take-off (of which there are two) on the normal gearbox of the Model 63. This take-off drives, by way of a heavy chain, into a gearbox from a ‘coalscuttle’ truck located under the driver’s seat. The drive from the gearbox in turn acts on a ‘hub reduction differential’ (as described above). The differential has been turned upside down for some reason. Maybe it was easier to lubricate it through the drain plug?

A chain on each end of the axles (where a wheel would be) drives, on one side, the drum for operating the boom and, on the other side, the drum for the running rope and hook. One drum is located forward and the other to the rear. Each chain drive mechanism hides behind a large cover. The crane jib has only an up and down motion. There is no slewing ability.

Above: chain cover. Note the brake drum in position behind the cover. Below: the 'coalscuttle' truck gearbox below the driver's seat. Note the heavy chain drive from the gearbox. The levers to control the drums were formerly leg-vice handles!

Above: the jib in the lowered position.

Despite the original chassis being seven inches deep and ¼ inch thick with eight cross members, a piece of ½ inch flat steel, 3 inches wide, has been added to the length of the chassis to help cater for the extra weight of lifting machinery and operational stresses when operating as a crane.

Little is known of the history of the crane except that she was constructed and used in Cabramatta, New South Wales in the early thirties. One wonders what the crane was used for? Obviously there was a need for it to be built but the Model 63 trucks were slow, but strong, and already heavy before adding all the superstructure of the crane machinery and supporting steelwork. Steering would have been extremely heavy and difficult (with solid tyres?).

To overcome the difficult steering the diameter of the steering wheel was greatly increased to get an easy result for the effort exerted. Whether this was part of the original pattern or was increased when the crane was at Ivanhoe is debateable.

The engines of the Model 63s were governed to 1,350 revs. The 10-20 tractor revved only at about 900rpm. Local legend has it that for at least the last 8-10 years of its working life in the yard of a local transport operator, lifting stock crates on and off trucks as required, the engine ran and worked on three cylinders. Stories abound of owners of this series of engines disconnecting the governor mechanism to get a little more ‘go’ in performance. This led to perhaps predictable results as engines “threw a leg out of bed” with shattering results. This engine is no exception. There is one large, jagged hole in the crankcase. This, of course, accounts for the three cylinder configuration.

Above: testimony to an owner's folly.

The Beast is quite heavy enough without the added weight of the cables, cable drums, chains and gearboxes. Notwithstanding this, and the flat-at-the-bottom nature of the tyres, it took some four hours of heavy breathing, strident and unprintable profanities and other such imprecations along the lines of ”You don’t have to be mad but it helps!” and some heavy hand winching to get the beast aboard the Ford F700 which brought it home. Needless to say it was a slow trip back to Cardross.

Nevertheless there is another interesting feature about this vehicle. The original large solid steel wheels with the solid rubber tyres have been altered at some time. The original steel spokes and centres remained after the removal of solid rim and solid tyre. The wheels have been fitted with Goodyear pneumatic tyres on demountable rims. At this period of transport development in the late 1920s/early 1930s many tyre manufactures produced kits containing the necessary components and instructions on to how to make the changes. On many tractors one can see the name of Dunlop, Goodyear and other tyre manufacturers cast into the steel wheels. How do we know this occurred here? The spacers in the rear duals are stamped “Goodyear”.