robin craig Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Dear All, Does anyone have a real one kicking around that they can photograph? I have seen some line drawings in manuals but they are postage stamp sized. It looks as if I have to make a couple. This is the recovery kit item that allows a BV206 to be towed using the horns at the front either side of the pin hitch. Thanks R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted February 2, 2014 Author Share Posted February 2, 2014 Just to update this thread, I have received pictures of what the Canadian Forces has in stock. These frames may be a local manufacture but they have the elements required to achieve the task at hand. The first picture shows the horns on to which the frame connects. I am going to make two at least. I will post up my interpretation of the item. Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 So, I started this thread very casually a while ago but now things have changed and a friend of mine has had an "incident" with his Bv206 about 25 miles beyond civilisation and needs to haul it out. I have been asked to make an A frame for him and the Cold War Collection guys up the road want one and we might as well have one at work also, so that is 3 sets to be made. The big thing to understand is that a Bv is a sod to tow over any kind of distance, as any casualty vehicle is, with any degree of safety, especially when you have down hill sections to traverse and the dead vehicle wants to run you over. Also, with this set up a single operator can recover a dead machine on their own. The lunette is a bought in item costing me $30 retail inc taxes, which is cheap I think and it has a 5 ton rating. The C shaped pieces were made over a jig fixture and some heat, the soapstone markings for the holes were done after the bending. I hope to make 2 A frames over this weekend if all goes well as it is a long weekend here (Bank Holiday). Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeePig Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Nice! But don't forget the recovery pictures with this in use! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 (edited) Spent some time drilling some holes today. I have not finalised my fastener choice for the hole yet but the 3/4" size is common enough. As there was no fasteners shown in any of the picture I received I feel free to as lib on this part. I am mixed as to what paint route to go. I know ours will be rattle can green, but I thought I might give the one I'm sending the the Cold War Collection guys a nice garish colour, if they read this they can make a colour request otherwise it will be my choice! Besides, they have a whole body shop operation associated with their parent outfit so they can change it in a heartbeat. Maybe I should send all three to them to paint, now there is an idea. R Edited February 14, 2014 by robin craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 The recovery is on hold for a few more weeks, but in the meantime I need to get this project finished so I can go at any time and also so I can bill out for the work done. There have been a few changes to materials and design based on a number of criteria that I'm not going into here right now. Suffice it to say that I am happy to say that in my opinion my offering is stronger and more robust than the example sent to me in the previous photos. Here it is Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Nice job, that looks a lot more substantial than the original example. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 Andy, Thank you for the kind words. I looked at the example that was sent to me by email photo and I really did not like the length of weld possible between the shafts and the C shaped attachment pieces that mate to the horns of the BV206. That was a major issue for me. By using a square section HSS (hollow structural steel) I could make a much better fit up. The need for the hinge was spurious at best for our usage. I also did not like the geometry of the cross members. I am a bit of an old stick in the mud and really prefer to use E7018 1/8th" electrodes for a lot of projects, 3/32nd" for smaller stuff. The rod is such a versatile all position premium low hydrogen product it is hard to beat. Pretty much all the joints are heavily V grooved to ensure 100% penetration. Add to that my MIG is still in need of repair after being driven over by a Stolly, but that is another story. In the end I used substantially heavy cross section material which is not really apparent until you lift it. I did have a lot of problems with deciding on how I was going to weld the lunette piece into the frame but eventually came up with an elegant and simple solution that is in fact hidden by the latter addition of the side arms being welded to it. The vehicle that this will recover has to be pulled out over a distance of 25 miles, so I had every reason to want a bullet proof product. Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Add to that my MIG is still in need of repair after being driven over by a Stolly, but that is another story. :-) !!!!! Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m109a3uk Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Looking forward to the pictures of the planned recovery! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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