paulbrook

Mmm I have both 40x8s and 9x24s and there is no discernible difference as far as I can see (mind you I might need to pop down to specsavers!) I should be getting a few used covers in soon and can sort you a pair if you like. As for rims likewise - but most that I can lay my hands on have quite an offset as they are truck ones. I do have a couple of interesting zero offset wheels though which are currently mounted on a traction engine axle so I might take a pic of them as they might be of use to you, My Mack is a 1929 chain-drive AC by the way on 24 inch Budd type wheels.

I thought 9x24 was 40x8? I am trying to sort out some 24 inch rims a the moment - my Mack is on them - what are yours for?

Richard try a post on the Fire Service Preservation Group page on Facebook.

Dave your local Serck Services should manage that OK.

Aha! So I have not gone completely senile yet then!

I seem to recall that civvy bedfords came with a cranked spanner for head tightening. It was cranked to access the centre dolts with the rockers in place. The torque was the maximum a man could pull on the spanner (which was about 8 inches long) - about 80 foot pounds!

Quick question - did you test the thermostat? Ruxys comment about the Fiat Punto reminded me; my daughter did a head gasket on a Punto, got it replaced then it went again after 300 miles. So they did it a second time. 300 miles later it went again. The garage were getting a bit grumpy now but did it a third time but said that they could no longer guarantee their own work. I got it back to check the thing and was looking for air in the system by my usual trick of squeezing the top hose while the engine warmed up. There seemed to be plenty of fluid in the top hose but I was a bit surprised when the electric fan came on, yet the top hose was still cool. Now that's a thermostat or water pump, so I let it cool down and took the thermostat out. Sure enough it was staying closed even when popped in a pan of nearly boiling water. The garage refused to believe me when I phoned as they had put a new thermostat in when they did the first head job, and it took a repeat of the demo in their office with the help of the office kettle to convince them. Now there is a big difference between a Punto and a jeep, but I suppose the moral of this story is take nothing for granted.....

I am with Pete Ashby on this - unless the replacement gasket was made of cheese then I would be looking very closely indeed for cracks. Even tiny ones can cause mayhem - the picture below which I have posted recently on another thread shows two hairline cracks that killed a Standard block. Well worth trying a dye penetrant crack detection kit on both head and block. Then there is flatness to worry about. I know this sounds a bit daft but is the gasket actually the right one? Once upon a time we had a problem with a later Hurricane engine only to discover that the gasket supplied was actually for a Go Devil and whilst everything looked perfect on the block (all the holes lined up) it was in fact far from perfect when it came to the head side of things.

To skim or not to skim? Personal choice obviously, but I would have to be seriously sure things were dandy before replacing a head on an engine that has blown a gasket without a light skim. In the circumstances of this particular 28HP I would even contemplate decking the block too. Anyway this is what I would be looking for. In this case the pair of cracks not only caused the gasket to blow on a Standard engine but it just would not run right - the gasses from cylinder 3 were blowing into cylinder 4.

And you need to really clean up between those cylinders and have a good look both at the block and on the head. with it all clean (steal one of those scotchbrite pan scrubs from the domestic department). You are looking for any depression (feel with your little finger) or other anomaly. Stare at it and look for cracks. When cold they can be tiny, human hair thickness. In that coolant has got into the sump one must assume that there has been quite a major leak either via the head or a crack between cooling jacket and oilway. If it is via the head then I would suspect some warping. In any event get the head skimmed. There is a bit of cause and effect here- a crack or casting anomaly can cause the gasket to be over stressed and eventually fail, but slow gasket failure can also stress the metal of the block/head. Hence the need for very careful examination and rectification - otherwise you will be doing this all again soon! As for getting the crud out then only time and effort is required - when you have it all together run it with half a cup of washing soda in the coolant for the first few weeks then drain it all again before putting coolant proper in it. Oh and if you have a lot of muck in the block you will have even more in the rad, so back flush that too.

I think the plate is for the trailer which would be no good for your job Rick - gross weight 27t and the trailer will weigh at least 8 (maybe more). Breaking at the swan neck would be great as far as loading the tank, but they are a faff to line up and pump back up again.

I am sure you will get lots of really good advice but here's my two pen'noth; 1. In my experience head gaskets go for a reason. Look for the reason. Even before you strip it down have a really good look around for any issues and only when you are sure you have looked everywhere start to undo stuff. 2. Before you undo the head bolts try tightening them. You might find a slack one or two studs - which while they may not be the cause might point you in the right direction. 3. Give everything, head and block, a really good clean and inspect for cracks. Use a dye penetrant if necessary. Have a close look at the old gasket and where it has given way, as it may point to a specific location to inspect carefully. 4. if you really really cannot find a cause then it may just be the gasket itself. But have the head skimmed anyway. 5. Only put the new gasket in when you are 100% sure that all is well with the block and the head - flat and crack free. Both should be scrupulously clean. 6. A good gasket on clean flat metal surfaces will not need any sort of goo, but if you feel the need then the only choice for an engine of this age is Wellseal. Even then only use it sparingly. 7. Torque it down gently and in the right order. It might sound daft but when I am done I like then to slacken it all off, then do it all again. 8. Re-torque after the engine has been run and warmed up a few times. As I say - others will have other stuff to add I am sure!

No issues with a 4t on a flatrack - as long as everything is secure and it is properly lashed

The 50 and 60 ton trailers had track guides but they could be more hindrance than help. The longer the ramps the less tricky loading would be and bearing in mind the back of the last stepframe trailer that passed through my hands could be lowered (it was on air) to 30 inches then long ramps are definitely possible. The very short ramps on the 50t semi trailer were particularly problematic so the crews used to put scotch blocks actually under the ends of the ramps when they let them down meaning that the tank had an 18 inch vertical step to contend with even before it got onto the ramp proper. But once there the total ramp angle was much less. Not sure if it shows the procedure on Jack Shepherds 7 Regt video - I will have to have a look.

If you were loading single handed then a decent winch is the only way to go - especially as there will be no margin for error at the sides. REME Recovery Manual Army Code 71140 is a cracking read..... Loading Antars with Chieftain used to be a matter of getting the panzer correctly lined up then getting the tank drivers hands out of the hatch so there was no chance of him touching the tillers and then waving him on with a good boot full of throttle till the nose came down again then up onto the tank stops. Tiller action or manoeuvring on the trailer was hugely frowned upon as it was the quickest way of losing one over the side. If the tank didn't land square then the thing would be backed of and sorted out on the ground not the trailer. If it was a winch job then clearly getting the tank lined up under its own power was a non starter; in these circumstances the rear lashing chains of the trailer would be crossed over and attached to the front towing eyes of the tank - the whole plot would then draw forward 10-15 metres and hey presto - everything would be lined up. As for a Jake Brake this jury is out - my experience is that it is a bit of a constant speed/variable noise device........I think I have an exhaust brake on mine but it is about as much use as mudflaps on a tortoise.

Many of this once unique collection have now ended up in private hands - some legitimately and some not quite as transparently as one would hope. Sadly it is unlikely that we will ever see the like of the Museum of Army Transport again. Unless I win the Euromillions that is!

"Indivisible loads which are abnormal only in respect of their dimensions and not their weight may be able to be carried on standard vehicles subject to the construction and use regulations" - ie not subject to STGO (you will see any number of non STGO trucks carrying for instance residential caravans) http://www.transportsfriend.org/abnormal/abnormal.html You are quite lucky with a tank in that the load is reasonably evenly spread, and most modern artic combinations will manage a 24t payload. The other advantage is that there are no point loadings so a reasonably built trailer will bear the weight reasonably well along its length although it will be worth blocking the tail of the trailer as at some point in loading/unloading all 24 tons are going to be concentrated in a relatively small area. I am surprised that no one has suggested a DROPs.. (just a joke folks.....)

So what "mod cons" does a Renault have then? I must say I have been mighty tempted to have a Renault Magnum with a Mack V8 for hauling my old Mack. Plus Brooky is right, Rolls horses are unlike any other horses (decent Scammell Crusaders are unbeatable on gradients). I think I will stick with the ERF for my job (GRP cabs have much to commend them) but for the purposes of this exercise then anything of the right spec at the right price with the longest test and needing the least TLC is the way forward - definitely one where the head needs to rule the heart - you already have the heart related item loaded on the back!

ERF with a sleeper cab, a cummins engine and a twin splitter and life does not get a lot better.....

Getting Private HGV taxation is simply a case of sending the V70 form ( https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/364271/V70_180914.pdf ) Although it does not say you need one it is worth sending it with a covering letter making quite clear what you are going to use it for. It really needs either doing when the truck is due tax or else SORN then re- apply - either can cause a delay so make sure you don't want to use the thing in a tearing rush. Walker Midgley do an excellent "hobby" low -loader scheme - readily available and surprisingly modestly priced; remember that some of the classic/military vehicle schemes assume that the vehicle will be used unladen. Autohome do a "hobby" low loader breakdown scheme. I will keep my eyes peeled Rick - best pm me your phone number just in case something pops up on the horizon! Like I say - have a look at any traction engine rally - there will be a field full of transporters of all shapes and sizes and lots will be taxed and insured as I describe.

As Brooky says the traction engine boys are all over this. A decent tractor unit and slightly modified tri-axle stepframe trailer would be ideal. Without checking I think you would need a tri axle tractor too depending on how the tank sits on the trailer (and therefore loads the axles) but there are plenty about at a decent price. The last tri-axle unit that passed through my hands was an ERF with a Rolls engine and it was bought for £2k. I recently sold a stepframe with ramps for £2.5k. Taxed as Private HGV the road tax is a couple of hundred a year, the insurance not a lot more and I even have breakdown/recovery cover for another couple of hundred. Annual testing requires a bit of work and you have to be on top of the reams and reams of legislation, but overall it is the only way to go!

Back in the day we used to spruce up our trucks by wiping them down with either kero or diesel on a handful of cotton waste. This would probably cause a few H&S palpitations these days but it did no harm to the paint at least so WD 40 would be a decent substitute I guess.

Between you and I this is a bit of a minefield - with no end of helpful and perhaps less than helpful advice out there! My experience is that any reputable paint supplier, given the appropriate paint code, will produce decent paint. We tend to use 1 pack transport polyurethane. Back in the day, however, my recollection of paint that came out of the stores system for real varied hugely in both quality and colour consistency, so I would not get too stressed about trying to get that perfect colour! We were going oooo and ahhhh when the lid came off the paint tin well before Lawrence Lllewlyn Bowen ever did it on the telly. We have just done an Antar cab - once I get into the workshop I will get the code and supplier for you.

Cor blimey - I should remember...Let me see if either I can find another picture. It may yet come to me - you know how these things are. The accident by the way is what happens when you recover a fully loaded TTF of an autobahn using a straight bar but no airlines - the slip road was much steeper than expected and when the front truck braked the TTF overtook it, snapped the towing eye off and proceeded to take a civvy merc with it... I would not have minded so much had the towing vehicle itself not been fully loaded with 175mm HE ammo..... We would all go to jail now I think.

My troop TTF - circa 1977......