Limbers and caissons

A limber is a two-wheeled cart designed to support the trail of an artillery piece, or the stock of a field carriage such as a caisson or traveling forge, allowing it to be towed.

The trail is the hinder end of the stock of a gun-carriage, which rests or slides on the ground when the carriage is unlimbered.

[2]: 32 As artillery pieces developed trunnions and were placed on carriages featuring two wheels and a trail, a limber was devised.

When the piece was to be towed, it was raised over the limber and then lowered, with the pintle fitting into a hole in the trail.

The field artillery limber assumed its archetypal form – two wheels, an ammunition chest, a pintle hook at the rear, and a central pole with horses harnessed on either side.

To move the piece, the lunette was dropped over the pintle hook (which resembles a modern trailer hitch).

With a full ammunition chest in place, the limber was ready to move forward and supply the piece.

Siege artillery limbers resembled their predecessors: they were two-wheeled carts with a pintle, now somewhat behind the axle.

[citation needed] As a field artillery piece, the British 25-pdr was designed to be towed only in conjunction with a trailer.

27 also carried 32 rounds of ammunition, had a useful stores tray on the front and brackets for a gun traversing platform and spare hub on the top .