MikeyH Posted 4 December , 2015 Share Posted 4 December , 2015 A friend recently had a lucky find in a local antiques emporium. A pair of wheels with oak spokes and rims with metal tyres. The diameter is approx 15", they are very well made and are liberally marked with the Vickers Sons and Maxim logo, Enfield inspectors marks and 'broad arrows', even the nuts securing the hubs are individually marked. The hubs are in brass and carry the same serial number - No.427. There are no date markings present. They were in very good condition and have cleaned up well as can be seen. Can anyone recall having seen anything similar pictured in use on the Vickers machine gun? On the 'Russian' wheeled carriage examples I am able to find on the internet, the hubs are of a different type with integral strengthening webs. Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 4 December , 2015 Share Posted 4 December , 2015 Similar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 5 December , 2015 Share Posted 5 December , 2015 Ok, so he has got the wheels, now he needs the axle, and then the MG... But seriously, what an amazing find! and well spotted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Haselgrove Posted 5 December , 2015 Share Posted 5 December , 2015 Mike, Interesting find. Attached is a photo - yes, I know, wrong wheels - taken from "The Grand Old Lady of No Man's Land" by Dolf L Goldsmith. The caption reads: "From a pre-WW1 VSM sales brochure, an original 1908 "Light Pattern" Vickers machinegun, shown mounted on the Vickers Mark E adjustable tripod equipped with wheels and light armour shield, and pulled by means of a rope handle attached to the trail. A total of 268 Vickers guns (SNs 10990 - 11257) shipped to Russia in 1914 were mounted on wheeled mounts with wooden-spoke wheels similar to those used on the Sokolov Maxim mount (possibly retrofitted by the Russians themselves)........ MoD Pattern Room. The main text says: "It was felt that a radically new gun such as the 1908 "Light Pattern" Vickers deserved a new tripod of its own, so the engineers went back to work and came out with a new model, the Mark "E"................It could be supplied both with or without wheels........However, the "E" and "F" tripods were extremely expensive to make and very few were sold. The only user of the Mark "E" was Russia who acquired 268 of them. The records show that only 43 Mark "F" tripods were ever sold, the largest buyer being El Salvador with 16". To make further investigations I suggest you might do well to contact the MoD Pattern Room as, albeit years ago, I found them helpful and the attached photo is credited to them. Anyway, hope this is of interest. Regards, Michael. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyH Posted 6 December , 2015 Author Share Posted 6 December , 2015 Johnboy, Michael and Julian, Many thanks for your feedback, my chum already has a Vickers of WW2 vintage. Have found several images of the 'Russian' carriages on the net, their hubs differing in detail. What are the odds of another 'paired' set of wheels surviving? Will continue researching. Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyH Posted 22 December , 2015 Author Share Posted 22 December , 2015 An update on the 'Vickers-Maxim' wheels, have had a reply from the National Firearms Centre they have a similar set 'serial numbered 274', these fitted to an 1896 parapet mount, with a possibility of surviving drawings in their archives. So a good result. Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 22 December , 2015 Share Posted 22 December , 2015 What are the odds of another 'paired' set of wheels surviving? Odds on! Nice find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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