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RL-35-A Signal Corps wire cart


robinb
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craig johnson

I made a quick post before and should have given more information. The reason I dont want a brass Drawbar is because they are not WW11 production. I purchased 3ea. RL-35's from the Netherlands some time ago. One of the carts turned out to be decent copy of an original. It came from Greek surplus this way. When I bought it I was told the data plate was missing but it never had one. Expensive lesson learned. The Cart also has a lot of cast brass/bronze pieces on it.

 

The rims are copy's also and an M3A4 Hubcap will not fit the hole pattern

 

So if you own a RL-35 made from a lot of brass pieces you may have paid to much like I did.

 

21161121_WLsgF-M.jpg

 

21213152_ZVtL5-M.jpg

 

21213155_3YBBb-M.jpg

 

21213158_wyRxD-M.jpg

 

21213209_qjewz-M.jpg

 

 

The axles are brass the pipe is steel.

 

21213182_GakPe-M.jpg

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Johan Willaert

Thanks for the additional info, Craig...

 

My cart is ex Swiss Army, so not Greece and didn't come thru that Dutch dealers who had the Greek lot...

The towbar is the ONLY parts which is brass on my cart and has most likely been on the cart forever...

Would it be possible that original towbars were brass? Have you seen any that are in fact iron/steel?

 

What I did notice and wrote earlier is that the cast parts which are aluminum on utility carts are cast iron/steel on reelcarts...

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craig johnson

Ive noticed on the RL-35 that the Tongue is welded to the Bracket instead of the usual rivets. If the other RL owners would take a look at there Carts I would like to confirm this is standard from the factory or just the way they were repaired after the war.

 

 

21213209_qjewz-M.jpg

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craig johnson

Robin Bartels Drawbar is steel.

 

The quality of my Brass Drawbar is not very good. Also all the other Brass parts on the Cart are of inferior quality and the axle has a hole in it from crummy casting.

 

I knew if I said Greece there would be other country's that sold them. Just trying to make a general statement.

 

Quote

"What I did notice and wrote earlier is that the cast parts which are aluminum on utility carts are cast iron/steel on reelcarts..."

 

Makes the kind of heavy doesnt it.

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Johan Willaert

What I meant is that it might be possible that the brass parts/carts could have been built in Greece alone.

I have seen other repro carts with documented post WW2 Greek military use where even the body was completely rebuilt but to a much poorer standard than the Johnston Lawn Mower built examples....

 

To me it makes sense that parts were steel on the reelcart, as they would have seen heavier use then a utility cart.

Also the reelcart rims have bearings where the utility carts roll on bushings...

All this make the reelcart indeed heavier than a utility cart..

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Johan Willaert
Ive noticed on the RL-35 that the Tongue is welded to the Bracket instead of the usual rivets. If the other RL owners would take a look at there Carts I would like to confirm this is standard from the factory or just the way they were repaired after the war.

 

I think they were made that way...

post-92-1311876011.jpg

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Johan Willaert
RL-27-B axle, can be mounted on the support RL-31?

 

 

The RL-31() Reel Unit takes the RL-31 Axle with a GC-4-A Crank and GC-10-A Brake as shown below.

post-92-1311943229.jpg

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July 2011

 

Looks very good, Johan!

 

...I have found a DR-5 in father's depot, nobody knew it is stored somewhere there :) I will pant it and send here some photos in september, the cart looks looks better when the reel has a colour stripe on ;)

 

Best regards,

Frankie

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  • 3 weeks later...
Johan Willaert

Did all of these reelcarts come with an orange SC acceptance stamp on the right side above the dataplate?

 

If so, can someone post a nice detailed picture along with some measurements?

 

Thanks

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Did all of these reelcarts come with an orange SC acceptance stamp on the right side above the dataplate?

 

If so, can someone post a nice detailed picture along with some measurements?

 

Thanks

 

I was very careful when I was putting the Swiss colour down, but I haven't seen any orange stamp. But it would be nice to put it there..

Frankie

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  • 3 weeks later...
Johan Willaert

I have finally completed the restoration of the GC10-A brake which came with the cart; the one on the cart in the picture above being a NOS example from my collection...

post-92-1314967141.jpg

post-92-1314967146.jpg

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  • 4 weeks later...
Looking for an original RL-35 Drawbar. Must be all steel with no brass parts.

Thanks

Brass example :thumbdown:

 

Hello, Craigh,

what is the secret? The all steel type is younger? Older..? Would you tell us? ;)

F

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The Drawbar is made of brass as is a bunch of other parts on the Cart. The the RL-35 in the link was a complete foreign made vintage replica.

 

I base all this on being able to compare three examples sitting next to each other. There was not one thing WW11 vintage on the brass RL-35. I can only assume that the brass Drawbar is a foreign made copy. I will never be convinced that it is WW11. The Drawbar does make and Ex reproduction copy until I come across a real one. If one comes up for sale I wouldnt pass up on it if the price is right.

 

Here is one example.

 

RL-35 Axle

 

21213179_MkSUk-M.jpg

 

Brass/bronze copy. Notice the casting hole.

 

21213177_yXxDj-M.jpg

 

Photo Gallery link

 

http://handcartz.smugmug.com/Business/RL-3...#21161121_WLsgF

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  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Hi

 

I have become the latest member of the RL-35 owners club...... :w00t: :w00t: :w00t:

 

 

I have not wasted any time in striping it down this week with grand plans to fully restore it, but....

 

 

Having stripped it down and started to clean all the components it has far too much original paint left. so i have decided to clean and preserve the remaining paintwork.

 

I will take some pictures of my progress tomorrow.

 

 

Regards

 

 

Tom

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Johan Willaert
Having stripped it down and started to clean all the components it has far too much original paint left. so i have decided to clean and preserve the remaining paintwork.

 

if it's good enough to keep as is, then by all means leave it that way...

As they say it's only original once

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  • 2 weeks later...
craig johnson

Clean RL-35. There is no "A" correct.

 

Tom could you post the serial number for the Hand Cart list on my website?? Thanks

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Hi

 

 

Yeah i have look using my spy glass and there are no signs of an A.

 

I am back at work tomorrow, i will get the number off the cart.

 

Regards

 

 

Tom

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  • 8 months later...

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