Jump to content

Foden EKA Wrecker


Recommended Posts

A blog on my latest project Eoden EKA Recovery. When I first got vehicle it was in a bit of a sorry state. The cab had been left open to the elements. It was full of the finest sand I have ever seen up to six inch deep in places. The sand had penetrated into all the switches and controls and had seized them all solid to the point were the hand brake control and diff lock levers snapped of trying to free them. The cab was also smashed up at the bottom corners at both sides so it was decided the cab had to go.

When the cab was removed it was still a sorry state underneath. It revealed some very crude armour under the mudguards all though drilled and bolted to the chassis it had bits of steel brackets literally welded to the front bumper so this was all removed don’t know what the armour was made of but it was a sod to burn.

Underneath this I found some very crude heavy cables spliced into the main battery leads with connecters that would not have looked out of place in a power station. Two of this leads went to a box in the cab with boiling vessel wrote on them (still have the box and leads if any good to anyone is it some sort of inverter???). Other big leads simple ended up with large connecters on them taped over with old fashioned sticky insulation tape. What they did I don’t know but what ever I ripped the whole lot out.

It took half a day cutting tie wraps and uncoiling spira wrap just to get back to what looked like standard Foden loom.

Next I turned my attention to the back mud wings these where bent and twisted beyond repair so out with the gas axe and these along with the lockers where taken of the lockers were saved but the mud guards, light brackets went in the scrap bin.

At last was in a position to have a look round and try and see just what I had bought. What stood out was it had been cannibalised of some very important parts Front prop shaft PTO prop two rear spring pots clutch slave hydraulic relief valves gear change cables. This meant apart from starting the engine there was very little I could do to try and see exactly what I had bought. So while killing time waiting for parts I decided to try and clean it up a bit what a job this turned out to be. That sand what was in the cab was lodged up to a foot thick in the chassis rails and every nook and cranny. Steam cleaning it turned the sand to the stickiest most horrible clay stuff you can imagine that simply splattered and smeared every where up to now I have spent about 20 hours trying to wash the stuff away. The wash bay ending up like a yellow skating ring with the stuff.

 

phonephotos 043.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 255
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

good luck with the resto, the fodens an impressive beast alright. the 2 leads you mentioned are for the crew boiling vessel which is like a big blue kettle and was standard to fodens and many other vehicles, you might want to keep hold of them as the bv is the best bit of british army kit ever invented :D

 

good luck

rick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like you've got your work cut out for quite some time. Fingers crossed all the hydraulics work. I think the remotes are electric over air over hydraulic but i could be wrong. At least you can jump on the crane and test it with the manual leavers. I look forward to you updates which should come thick and fast the speed you work at...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the remotes are electric over air over hydraulic but i could be wrong.

 

Robert,

 

No air involved on this system. I used to work on these vehicles in REME workshops, sorting out crane problems, load testing, etc and did a course with Atlas Hydraulics on testing and diagnosis. Last time I was working on one, was 15 years ago now, but still got my notes. One came in from Bosnia after having an accident, crane wiring had shorted and burnt, very clever stuff, all cables the same colour with little ID sleeves on the end.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A cab was found along with the props and a few other bits I needed and put them on. This was not a fantastic cab but certainly better than the one I had. It looked as though it had been started on for a complete rebuild having had a lot of new parts fitted passenger seat heater boxes door shells clutch slave etc all have manufacturer’s labels on. The down side was the gauges and most of the dash was missing and one windscreen was broken. Anyway we put this cab on and we had enough bits to start her up again try her out and confirm that the truck had the bulk of what it needed e.g. enough gears high and low range a clutch that worked. A road test was out of the question as up to now it only has front brakes and one of these has a sticking cross shaft but I am a little more confident we can make a good working truck out of her. Next came the bit I was dreading most did the back end work. I fitted the two relief valves that where missing put 30 gallons of oil. Then started her up and engaged the PTO releasing the clutch oil spurt out all over. Fortunately this was only a loose return pipe to the tank but it proved the pump was putting pressure out. Second attempt I looked for leaks and all seemed ok so gingerly I pulled a handle at random after an age the O/s leg went down so I pushed it and sure enough after stuttering a bit it came back up. Slowly I worked all the levers and with the exception of the fold on the bottom boom and a bad oil leak on extend in and out bottom boom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

phonephotos 049.jpg

phonephotos 048.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bit of back ground to this project. This truck came as a trade in for my last project the Scammell drops that i converted to a recovery vehicle. To be fair i was a bit upset when it arrived with the condition of it but have got over it now and i think it has the makings of a fantastic truck bearing in mind it will have to work for a living not just be a show piece. Bearing this in mind it will not be rebuilt to the same spec as when in army use as a lot of features on army vehicles dont work well in civillian life. Hence i will be able to do some modifications to it that i would not dare to do if it had been a pristine vehicle when it arrived. I have absolutly no history of it or ID apart from the chassis number i dont even have the cast note for it or even if there is one. Maybe someone on here could enlighten me where it has served. Painted on it are large Vs are these specific to anything in particular then there is that sand the like of which i have never come across.

I do how ever have a little info on the cab i have fitted. while looking through the cab i found a shipping note.

It says Batus winter sailing QM(t) Batus JSCS Ashchurch MV Hurst Piont 32KE51 Montreal Marchwood 17/10/10

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cosrec,

 

BATUS is British Army Training Unit Suffield

 

Suffiled is in Alberta Canada.

 

There is a large training area out here and the vehicles get sent by sea from Marchwood, yours went through Montreal, Quebec and then would have been put on a train for the trip out west.

 

Every year there is a train loaded out at Suffield and sent to a port full of vehicles, A + B types that are to go back to the UK. Usually the new vehicles arrive on a ship and they are used to drag / push / pull the vehicles on the train off and load them to the ship. The new vehicles then get loaded onto the train and sent out to Suffield.

 

The workshops at Suffield does a massive winter rework of vehicles in quite some depth. It is only the kit that is beyond repair or CAST but are not to be sold in Canada locally that go on the train.

 

It is quite the sight to behold.

 

Robin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had the batus foden for med man 6+7 in `92.

when i first checked her over we could turn "on a dime" to the left but you needed all of alberta to turn to the right.

into the workshops and a guy called jerry had it re built in a couple of days.

transfer box gave up soon after that. Every time we came back into camp it was a quick wash down and into the servicing bay

the batus truck really worked hard, 10,000 acres of the best off roading i`ve ever seen meant that the winch oil hardly ever ran cold. I think the foden was a fantastic machine but by god it earned its keep out there.

good to see one being restored,

i`ve got the ispl for it if you are interested.

 

good luck with it

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had the batus foden for med man 6+7 in `92.

when i first checked her over we could turn "on a dime" to the left but you needed all of alberta to turn to the right.

into the workshops and a guy called jerry had it re built in a couple of days.

transfer box gave up soon after that. Every time we came back into camp it was a quick wash down and into the servicing bay

the batus truck really worked hard, 10,000 acres of the best off roading i`ve ever seen meant that the winch oil hardly ever ran cold. I think the foden was a fantastic machine but by god it earned its keep out there.

good to see one being restored,

i`ve got the ispl for it if you are interested.

 

good luck with it

For give me for being ignorant whats the ispl Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mentioned earlier all the hydraulic seemed to work abeit slow and judderey but i had vehicle on tick over and relief valves are backed off untill i get a gauge in system to check settings. That is with the exception of the bottom foot fold and bottom foot extend which was pouring oil out. Bit of investigation i discovered this. May be this is why the vehicle was laid up and cannabilised for parts ? when it had broke and bent it had severed the extend pipe on the foot. Niether of these two problems worry me too much as i have other plans for the underlift

 

 

phonephotos 056.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My ideas for the underlift are to make it more useful for carrying civillian vehicles although it wont be doing a lot of this it is a useful feature to have. military wreckers have only short under reaches and fragile moden day commercials are lifted in the main by their axles. So my idea was to fit a longer bottom boom that we manufactuer. Half a day with the burning gear and a few tacks of weld had it look like in pics i am quite pleased with it

 

 

 

 

phonephotos 052.jpg

phonephotos 051.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thought I might get on well with Foden this weekend but not to be. First job Sat was to get longer bottom boom powered up and modify downward part of EKA boom to clear pipes not to be we had no ferrels to make up pipes. Bank holiday weekend meant that job was on hold. So underneath front end sort out sticking front brake shaft. Tried greasing no difference. Seem free enough when brake was applied but stuck on every time and had to have a clout with hammer to release it. Decided to wind of spring pot and take clevis out of slack adjuster and work with a piece of pipe on slack adjuster. Clevis would not move. Tried warming freeing oil no luck. Ended up burning yolk off. In the end found out this was the problem clevis had seized in both yolk and slack adjuster. New yolk and S/H adjuster good as new. While underneath noticed exhaust bracket was loose at O/S where it bolts onto engine mounting cross member. Simple tighten up bolt. No way tried every thing in the end had to drop exhuast of to get in then found bottom flange on engine cross member had cracked so in with grinder v it out weld that up. While moving closer to workshops to weld found out could not steer it steering was fighting back. So underneath to check noticed front diff lock engaged. (I haven’t got warning lights working yet). Checked lever control in cab OK take airline of activation pot OK get hammer to arm on axle solid. Turned out this was another seized yolk and pin. About 2 hrs to sort out. When done thought I would out of caution check two rear axles difflocks and third diff these were all OK but still removed pins emeried up and refitted with copper slip on them. Then decided to refit exhaust as I lifted it up on to front brackets downpipe broke off. Gave this a coat of looking at seemed very complicated convoluted way it was rigged under chassis over axle and to front of truck. Decided the easiest way out was to rip the whole system of and start again maybe putting it up back of cab. So started undoing brackets etc some bolts had to have the gas axe. That done I thought I would call it a day. When I came to move it no air pressure. Turns out after 1 hr unwrapping spira wrap and cutting cable ties in the most awkward places I had melted three pipes with slag from burner. Guess what no imperial pipe joiners. That was it I had to jack in then else I think I would have set fire to it. Been a bit more productive today but have been getting knocked of to go out on jobs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thought I might get on well with Foden this weekend...............

 

Famous last words those. The joys of owning a second hand motor. I take it there was some choice words floating around at the time, as you feel like one step forward and two back. You seem to be making some progress though despite the set backs, and it is coming on quite well by the look of the photos. I like the boom extension, very practical

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had the batus foden for med man 6+7 in `92.

when i first checked her over we could turn "on a dime" to the left but you needed all of alberta to turn to the right.

into the workshops and a guy called jerry had it re built in a couple of days.

transfer box gave up soon after that. Every time we came back into camp it was a quick wash down and into the servicing bay

the batus truck really worked hard, 10,000 acres of the best off roading i`ve ever seen meant that the winch oil hardly ever ran cold. I think the foden was a fantastic machine but by god it earned its keep out there.

good to see one being restored,

i`ve got the ispl for it if you are interested.

 

good luck with it

 

Thanks for offer of help with ispl but am ok up to now but things could change. I am however after info on what pressure the main relief valves should be set at on the crane valve block and the big bank of spool valves that control everything else if anyone knows Regards Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got bottom boom powered up shows max extension should be a lot handier than original. Tee Head is fixed design with adjustable tool holders as per modern wreckers. So straight away big saving on weight and locker space dont have to carry about those three Tee Heads that come with standard EKA package

 

 

 

 

 

phonephotos 061.jpg

phonephotos 060.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

attachment.php?attachmentid=50456&d=1314792913

 

 

Looks a bit close to the fuel tank and the plastic pipes from the air tanks in this pic. With the silencer being that close to the engine it will get very hot, especialy when pulling hard.

Only a sugestion but I would concider re-routing the air pipes, just getting them warm is enough to burst them if the air pressure is built up.

I'm looking forward to seeing this finished, they are a very useful piece of kit.

 

Regards...Steve.

Edited by diamond-t-steve
Link to comment
Share on other sites

attachment.php?attachmentid=50456&d=1314792913

 

 

Looks a bit close to the fuel tank and the plastic pipes from the air tanks in this pic. With the silencer being that close to the engine it will get very hot, especialy when pulling hard.

Only a sugestion but I would concider re-routing the air pipes, just getting them warm is enough to burst them if the air pressure is built up.

I'm looking forward to seeing this finished, they are a very useful piece of kit.

 

Regards...Steve.

 

Actually further away than it looks on picture but point taken re air pipes

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That looks like typical military spec wiring, all the same colour, and no particular pointers as to what goes where. Do have fun with it.

 

New boom looks very useful, is it long enough to pick up a coach by the axle?

 

Nice bit of flexi on the exhaust, makes it easy to fit silencer etc where you like. Bare silencer looks like it might need a safety guard round it eventually

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...