Thread: Wiles Senior cooker.

Looks like a good project Ron. Strip and clean for the most part. At least you are not chasing too much in the way of missing bits. This is my Junior I had operating recently

Are you sure it has air over hydraulic brakes? That looked like it could have been a vacuum booster. The Studebaker trucks have vacuum brakes. An electric over hydraulic master cylinder is now available. This way you can use an electric brake controller with the original slaves.
Aaron

The air hoses have been cut off , but the twist lock connector holders are still on the A frame.......It is a air over hydraulic system.
The air tank has a water drain on it, which you do not find on a vacuum system
Studebakers of the 1960s and early 1970s that towed the Wiles cookers had a air brake trailer conversion especially for the wiles cooker.
A air compressor was fitted to the RHS of the motor.( I have a Studebaker and one of these compressors)
Yes some Studebakers were made from the factory with vacuum trailer brakes, but these were only for semi trailer tractor 6x4 models which Australia never purchased.
When towing with a International MK3 or 6x6 the truck was fitted with air trailer brakes as standard.
The thing I don't understand is the as manufactured brake system.
The hubs and hydraulic drum brakes were made by Ford in Melbourne during the War and most trucks of the period used to tow the Wiles cooker had no trailer brakes.
I can only guess it was a hydraulic over ride set up used as built and then improved during the years of service with a air brake up grade.

A rough idea I have is to restore the brakes as air over hydraulic.......I only have the Alvis stalwart with air trailer brakes...not a ideal tow wagon.
But to fit the wiles with a modern electric breakaway/battery system on the hydraulic side of it.
That way it could be towed with any vehicle with a electric brake set up.( or straight air brakes)
The weight of the wiles comes in at just over Three tonnes.
It would be far easier to fit my Studebaker with a electric brake controller than trying to fit it with air trailer brakes...........even my 101 landy could be made into a tow wagon as it also has the correct height pintle tow hook.

I have leads on other Wiles senior wrecks for parts I need.
The roof may not be a big problem after all if I can find another one in better condition as it is just bolted on with eight bolts.
I intend to collect the parts and spares I need to restore it and then do a total strip down of the chassis and rebuild in a few years time.
The new boiler barrels that comes with the cooker should ease any boiler certificate issues.
I am getting all steamed up just thinking about it.
Ron

Wiles senior cooker No2 is in pipe line of things.
It has all the bits Missing from the other one.
I should be able to make one very good and complete wiles senior cooker and have plenty of spare parts.
The useful items on this other cooker is four good hard to get 18 x7.50 tyres, all brass plates, steam gauge and enough good steamers and baskets to make one complete set between the 2 cookers.
This wiles cooker in the following pics looks like it was released from the army about the same time as the other one.
The boiler and oven appear to be in poor condition and the roof and insides has much more rust than the first one.
The braking systems on both cookers are exactly the same.

In the above a steaming pot laying on its side can be seen and the veg/ meat basket inside.
They will have to be retinned to make it useable again.
Note the blue and red handle beside the boiler which is used to pump water in side it and 4 steam valves to feed different steamer pots or the steam immersion pipe
Army rego number is not readable.

This Wiles junior cooker came from the same place and purchased by another restorer.
It is missing a few parts, but shouldn't take too much to get it going again.
Though I would just post it up to show what the smaller cooker looks like.
The Wiles cooker story and production against indifferent army head in the sand command is a interesting one.
The Wiles cooker I know for a fact as I used to do it to prove to people, boil a jerry can of water in 2 minutes just by using the immersion pipe though the neck of the jerry can.
I know when used correctly these things knockout some very good tucker.
I will not be starting restoration on the senior cooker for many years yet, but that's OK as I will need a long time to learn how to cook.

Spotted in the wild.

That senior pictured above is interesting as it is not a war time one ,but one of a batch made about 1958.
The main differences are commercial freighter trailer axles using 20 inch wheels and better brakes........may be straight air design????????.
The junior wiles pictured above is one of a few modified with a longer draw bar as the juniors had a bad habit of rolling over when towed at speed behind a landrover.
The junior wiles would be later production to have the draw bar redesign.
Wiles were making spare parts into the 1960s.
The last of the juniors left service in 1979 and the last of the senior ( LP Gas fired ) in 1985.
I remember being getting a feed from a WW2 wiles senior Wood fired on my first weekend out at Holsworthy Army range in the army reserves......1982 ?
( I got fire picket that weekend...2am to 3am........keep the fire going and pump water into the boiler ready for the cooks in the morning)
Food for the rest of my time in the army reserves out in the field was ration packs or cold slop carted from base kitchen to the field in hot boxes......give me the wiles cooking anytime and its hot water for a wash/shave etc.
I also remember about 10 seniors with twin 100lb LPG bottles mounted on the front of them at Moorebank in out of use, but in storage in 1985.
Mic would it be possible to get some pics of the rear of that senior cooker, as it seems to have a improvement to the wood storage area.............a out side door fitted ?????????.......cleaning out the wood storage box is hard to do on the war time cookers.