vickers tripod dimensions/drawings

[ActionYobbo]

I am trying to make a tripod for my vickers and I need a few measurements from the legs
I need to know the length of the legs, the diameter and the foot size.
thanks

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[Flying10uk]

If all else fails try scaling a picture if there is something on it you know the size of.

[Peter Laidler]

To be really and truly honest, making a tripod for a Vickers is going to need more than a few measurements of the parts and up-scaling pictures or drawings believe me............. I'd suggest investing in the services of a pattern maker, a brass casting foundry, a rather large fully equipped machine shop and.......... and...... Mind you, if you have access to all of those incidentals you're home and dry. But if not, then I'd invest in a totally beaten up tripod and rebuild that. Just my humourous way at looking at life

[ActionYobbo]

I hear what you are saying peter but I am not making a replica I am just making a functioning tripod. I already have the guts worked out and all I need to make are the legs and finish the cradle.

as for buying any sort of vickers tripod over here its close to impossible or they sell rather quickly when available for sums close to 1500. I think the import ratio was 1 tripod for every 20 guns

[Vincent]

I think the import ratio was 1 tripod for every 20 guns

Thanks. That explains why the tripods sell for almost as much as the parts kits.

[Flying10uk]

Ask a friendly privately owned military museum if you can take a few dimns if they have one in their collection.

[Flying10uk]

Looking in one of my books last night, apparently, there was an experimental lightweight Vickers tripod. It doesn't say if it was a 1 off prototype or if a small batch were made for trails purposes but the photo is credited to the Enfield Pattern Room. It is a very simple affair with tubular steel legs with turned shouldered points fixed to the end to stick into the ground. The top of the legs are attached to a sort of cast Yoke and there 3 angled steel clamp rods at the tops of the legs, on the Yoke part, presumably, to keep the legs in the open position when in use. The thing kind of looks like a giant camera tripod. Looking at it looks as if it would be a relatively easy thing to fabricate in the home workshop. The hardest part to make would be the cast iron Yoke; I think that I would, if I was doing the job, try to make up a welded together representation of it.

It maybe that it was found to be too flimsy in use. Looking at the photo it certainly looks like it. I'll try to remember to sort out the book details for you in a couple of days.

[Peter Laidler]

We had one at Warminster plus some of the trials paperwork. I think 20 were produced. The main body was made from aluminium and the projections that held the legs and threaded parts broke like they were going out of fashion. And yes, before you even ask, it was broken! Think mickey mouse watch..............

[ActionYobbo]

well I have done alot of dimensioning from photos and I am going to go with a guess of 24" for the rear leg and 20" for the front legs

[Flying10uk]

Reading the caption to the photo again, apparently, it had an official designation as the "Mk4 tripod" for the Vickers MG. As already mentioned it was an experimental lightweight version. This would suggest to me that more than 1 was made but it may not have been many, as Peter suggests. I mentioned this tripod because, as when seeing the photo, I thought that it would be a relative easy D.I.Y. project. The book details are: The World's Great Guns by Frederick Wilkinson, 1987 edition, Hamlyn publishing group, ISBN 0-86136-639-5. The photo is on page 237. I haven't up-loaded the photo onto this post because apart from my very limited I.T. skills, I'm not too sure about the copyright owner of the photo as it's in a book.

Does any-one know what happened with all the weapons and archive material, photos etc, from the Enfield Pattern Room when Enfield closed; was it saved???