What Was This Dolly Meant To Carry?

[TexasCheesehead]

This was designed to carry something heavy. It appears to have been sometime around WW2, but I'm just guessing here. The dolly is made of 1-3/4" by 1-1/2" oak and has faded OD green canvas straps with brass buckles. Each one has two handles that fold down. The only markings I could find are the "Waterbury" stamped in the buckles and some unintelligible ink stamping on one of the straps.

Any ideas?

Information

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[browningautorifle]

Is that not a pack frame? Minus the shoulder and back straps?

[303tom]

I`m going to say browningautorifle is right, it`s an old pack frame.................

[TexasCheesehead]

I thought they were pack frames when I got them, but they're too wide and too heavy. The fold-down handles are at the right height for lifting something heavy, having one dolly on each end. The straps are fairly long and would have gone around the load, and the load would have rested on the bottom cross-piece. The dollies appear to have been manufactured like they are, and are not something that was modified.

[Peter Laidler]

We used something like this to support 17 pounder tank/anti tank gun barrels while changing or just exdternal servicing. The same frames were used later for the MOBAT and other BAT anti-tank guns. Could this be a possible?

[browningautorifle]

That's right, they were made like that. Why are they too wide? The straps look to have been removed from the man side...look them up on line and you'll see similar ones. Perhaps for horseback...but "Dolly"? Like half of a wheelbarrow? I'm sure they're part of a packframe.

[Paul S.]

While I've never seen one, I want to guess that it might be a frame for loading/securing kit on a mule. Mules were still being used for transport during WWII and a bit beyond.