What were these parts for?

[Mkeller131]

I have these brackets on each side of the frame near the winch. They look to have been totched off and holes torched in them. What were these for originally? I thought maybe the snow plow kit? I also have these weird brackets between the cab and the flat bed. Any idea what was on this truck back in the day?

[Mkeller131]

Photos

[Clint Dixon]

Photos

It looks like your truck had a "pole derrick" on it at one time for lifting loads such as power poles. These derricks consisted of three legs. Two legs attached to "pad eyes" - one on each frame horn and the third leg attached to a pad eye that sat on the passenger side fender with a substantial brace under the fender to the frame rail. Does your truck have any existing structure above or below the passenger fender, or holes in the fender where it looks like something like this could have been mounted? The parts on your frame horn could be pad eyes.

I have seen all kinds of pad eyes, from nicely cast ones to professional production type weldments. Yours look to be more home made, but that is not necessarily unusual even on aftermarket "professional" pole derricks.

Another variety would be the "A-frame". These also were made professionally as well as home brewed and were also for lifting loads such as power poles, but they do not have the third leg. A-frames also commonly attached to the frame horns with similar pad eyes. These parts may very well be the remnants of an A-frame.

The structure behind your cab could be left over from either a pole derrick or an A-frame. Both lifting devices would have had at least one guy wire tying off the upper part of the derrick or frame to an attaching point behind and slightly higher than the cab. These wires usually had some function of adjustment that allowed the derrick or frame to be tilted forward or aft slightly. Because of the third leg, the pole derrick could be stood completely upright with the load supported on all three legs and the guy wire hanging limp. Some A-frames were rigid with a tube or other stiff structure in place of a guy wire that did not allow the structure to be tilted.

Hope this helps solve the mystery.

[Mkeller131]

Thank you Clint. I dont have anything on the fender or any brackets in that area. The only other thing I thought might be related is a throttle control cable with teeth you can set the engine speed with. I assume that kept the pto at the speed to operate the lifting system?