My thoughts on this....


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Posted by Jonas Smith [67.142.161.23] on Saturday, December 26, 2009 at 23:30:04 :

In Reply to: Swivel Frame Info posted by Clint Dixon [74.206.62.94] on Saturday, December 26, 2009 at 14:22:18 :

I think I have about the largest collection of original literature on the swivel frame of anyone, including a negative copy or the original Canadian patent, plus I own a Willock Swivel Frame. Clint, this is the first time I have ever heard of the Italian Patent. I would like to see a design of that if any exist.

There is a in depth article coming out in Vintage Truck Magazine in the next issue about the Willock Swivel Frame, and my thoughts on the other swivel frames. I was contacted by Patrick Ertel the editor of Vintage Truck and asked to do an article about my truck and the history of the swivel frame. I was reluctant because of a number of reasons, the first being scarcity of written information.

Basicly this is what I have come up with. It is a fact the the swivel frame was originally designed by Willock for trucks in the 2 to 5 ton class, not the Power Wagons. In fact the first truck to get a Swivel Frame was a International Harvester 2wd log truck. It should be noted that Willock also installed Coleman and Fabco front wheel drives on these trucks.
When someone had the great idea to install it on a Power Wagon that already had all wheel drive. They just took and off the shelf 3 ton unit, and modified it slightly to fit in the frame rails of the Power Wagon. If you look at the 1st series Willock units, you can tell immediately how overbuilt they are.
When I say 40 swivel frames were installed in Power Wagons, I mean 40 of the original Willock units. I heard this from the guy I got my truck from who got all the literature I received with my truck from Harry Willock's son, who worked at the shop. That's what he told me anyway. I think Kevin Baret from Alberta, who also owned a swivel frame had heard this also.

The Truckstell connection... In my opinion, Willock, a Canadian company would be looking for a company in the U.S. to sell their swivel frames. Truckstell was already an established truck equipment company and made an offer on the rights and the name. They would have wanted to keep the Willock name as it was already well established in the trucking and equipment industry. Willock sold the rights to Truckstell and Truckstell redesigned the swivel frame specifically for the 1 ton Power Wagon, instead of copying the overbuilt 2 to 5 ton units.
Hence, the early original Willock units are massive, and the later Truckstell units are a bit more strength appropriate to a 1 ton pickup truck. There are some features to improve the longevity and ruggedness of the original Willock units that the later Truckstell units do not seem to have. I have to admit here, that I have never seen a Truckstell unit in person, only pictures. I have physically put my hands on 3 Willock swivel frames.
It is my opinion that the units that are being sold now in the classifieds are the later Truckstell Power Wagon specific designed units. I have never heard of a broken Truckstell or Willock swivel frame. In fact, in my truck, the rest of the chassis was basicly destroyed around the swivel frame, which when taken apart, showed basicly no wear at all.
It is rumored that there was a machine shop in Florida that copied the Truckstell units also, but I dont have any information on that except what is posted in the archives here.




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