StuG III G - ‘C Hook’ Towing Clevis - Inside Track | Renault TSF Tank Kent

This towing clevis or C hook was not only the reserve of StuGs but was used for other vehicles such as the Panzer IV , Jagdpanzer 38T and other armoured vehicles of a similar weight class. There is a substantial difference between those used by StuG III crews versus those used on the Panther and Jagdpanther which are roughly double in size by comparison. . All the examples we have been able to secure have generally been rusted fast when examined and take some effort to free up. Sand blasting to ensure all visible rust is removed is followed by heating the working area with a blow torch. Once heated to cherry red it is doused in water. This shocks any remaining rust, loosening its grip on the internals thereby facilitating a hopefully easier dismantling of the working components. The process worked well for this C hook. Once the internals were prized free we were very fortunate to find the internal parts to be in good order. The C hook and the internal parts were blasted and cleaned once more, primed and painted. The original C hook has now returned to fine working order. All the internals are shown in assembly sequence. Introduced as a replacement for the S hook used in earlier StuG IIIs. The use of the C hook is straight forward. Take hold of the centrally located finger grip casting and turn it 90 degrees to release the two pegs underneath. Next step is to fit the thimbles from two cables at each end. Once both are in place simply release the central casting back 90 degrees returning the pegs into their slots below again thereby locking the two thimbles in place. This allows the joining of two cables.

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