The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline The Willock Swivel Frame

Ever seen one of these?

The Willock Swivel Frame was created by the owner of the Willock Truck Equipment Company, a manufacturer of specialty equipment for on- and off-road trucks. Willock?s invention separated the front and rear halves of the chassis, allowing the two sections to move independently and minimizing the likelihood that the frame and cab would crack or break during heavy use or when navigating extremely uneven road surfaces. Priced at $350, the Swivel Frame was designed for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, but was also appreciated by buyers of lighter duty one-ton trucks who lived in areas with rugged terrain. This Power Wagon is on loan to the museum from the collection of Jonas M. Smith.

http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu176/lakeroadster/Generic/willockswivelframe003_zpsdf2ac1c3.jpg

http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu176/lakeroadster/Generic/willockswivelframe001_zps1401380f.jpg

http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu176/lakeroadster/Generic/willockswivelframe002_zpsd60ece9c.jpg

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2013/07/12/petersen-honors-historic-haulers/

That looks to be a whole lot simpler than the extensive mods done by the rock crawler crowd these days. I especially like the piece of chain that keeps the back half from spinning 360.

Funny you should mention the rock crawler crowd. I have a buddy that's into building rock crawler rigs and I envisioned a frame pivot concept about 2 years ago... little did I know it had already been done.