Posted by Clint Dixon [74.206.63.42] on Sunday, July 14, 2013 at 12:22:30 :
I can not say for sure if these Power Wagons were actually destined for Daiquiri (DQ), I am not even sure we were searching for oil in Cuba at the time, but these are 1950 dated photos of two Power Wagons owned by the Southern Geophysical Company. Both were outfitted with dual rear wheels and tires in the 9.00x16 size, which was fairly common at the time for a truck destined to be used off-road in the search for oil.
The tank truck shown here typically carried both gasoline and water in a dual compartment tank. The dual wheels were not needed necessarily for the weight, but for better floatation. The trucks were typically driven in swamps and in sandy terrain. By the time the front wheels had already cut ruts, single rear tires carrying that kind of weight, and following the same ruts, could quickly bury themselves.
I have also included a link below to another photo of the shot truck. This apparatus bored the hole for the charge. Again, dual rear wheels were used for better flotation.
I cannot tell from the photos whether these particular trucks are using the Budd outer duals without spacers, the Budd offset trailer wheels with spacers, or one of the several other methods I have seen.
Junior
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