sirhc

I didn't really answer your question..! Problems : 1) You need to lift big heavy things (engines, hull deck plates, turrets etc etc) 2) You need a big shed, or somewhere to store it where it won't sink into the mud 3) You need some way of moving it to shows, other than driving it 4) You need some way of moving it when it packs up on a roundabout half way to a show! Chris

Jack, I agree with Clive, tracked vehicles are not as scary or expensive as they sound, but it is all relative. If you want to buy a complete restored Sherman and then take it to as many events as possible it is going to cost a fortune. If you buy something which needs work doing, spread the cost of doing it and all the work over a few years then it becomes much more affordable. I know it's not your era, but you could buy any of a number of post war tracked vehicles, which are up and running, for the price of one jeep. I'm not putting jeeps down, each to thier own, but you get much more metal for your money with a CVRT or 432! If you need convincing come up and have a ride in our Spartan. When it comes to moving them around, I do not expect to take any of our tracked vehicles to more than one large show and a few very local shows every year. It might seem a bit of a waste, having vehicles which don't go very far, but nothing beats owning a tank! Chris

I suspect it will be an M548. http://www.forces.gc.ca/admmat/dglepm/wes/wes_equipments/m548.jpg[/img] I have driven the M667 which is similar and they are very easy to drive. The 548 has a proper cab so is much more comfortable than a CVRT. If you fancy one: http://dbase.evems.com:1066/FMPro?-db=inventory2.fp5&-format=jacksons%2fdetails2004.htm&-lay=detail&-op=cn&Abbrev=afvs&-recid=32992&-find= Chris

Not to mention the complete rebuild of the Ferret before, and winning the prize for best restored vehicle!

Richard, Is there a book or website on the history Chilwell Depot? It is right near to where I live (I drive past it all the time) so would be interested to read a bit more about it. Sadly there is not much of it left anymore, but we do get convoys of HETs with Challenger 2s driving past every now and then. ;-) Chris

Would look better without the accident damage! :tongue:

Yep there is an art to getting in and out of the drivers seat, which is actually very spacious when you get in, unlike a CVRT where you can hardly move! Chris

There were a number of them for sale a few years ago, they were quite expensive (£10,000) as they were brand new. I have been told they went for disposal in 2003, before the MoD decided they might need some for Iraq, so bought them back, refurbished them and then sold them off again!

Adrian, Trying to find out anything about what you can and can't do without passing the H test is a bit of a nightmare, there's next to nothing about it on the website. I intend to take the test once the weather picks up a bit. You can take the test in a mini digger, so really we could hire one for a day, get it delivered to a farm and all book tests for the same day! Chris

Neil, Marcus has one at the moment which is quite clean and tidy, when I was there the other week he was getting an engine ready to go in it. The Samaritan I bid on was sold on shortly afterwards, I think it went for around £5000 but that was non running. All the other Sultans and Samaritans Withams had sadly went to the scrap man at the beginning of the year. Chris

Neil, Unfortunatley the Samaritan seems to be a particularly unloved vehicle, I only know of 3 which are in private hands. I saw a nice one come up for sale 3 times at Withams, I bid on it the last time only to be outbid by a mate! It's a real shame though as they are nice vehicles, I think a lot of people have a thing about ambulances and dead people... Chris http://www.sirhc.co.uk/gallery/album/Withams%20Tender/Withams-2004-5%20(23).JPG[/img]

I always thought the Supacat looked like fun, plus it has the right number of wheels for Neil! http://www.supacat.com/images/cats/Supacat-6-x-6-illustration.jpg[/img] There were loads of 'new' ones knocking about a few months back but I can't see any for sale at the moment. Chris

Neil, Those places will teach you in a 432, which is really easy to drive. I did not like driving our 432 on the road because it's so wide, the drivers hatch is in an awful place and there is no seperate brake pedal! The test is dead easy, so you're bound to pass first time. Most of those places have 100% pass rate. They don't teach you how to actually drive on the road though, roundabouts etc take a bit of practice and I doubt they let you out into busy traffic! If you just want to pass the test then it isn't too bad, but it is much cheaper to use your own vehicle and take the test in that if you have one. Chris

Jack, This is a bit of a grey area and I can only comment on the vehicles I have registered and driven, which are a CVRT and a FV432. These vehicles are built to be road legal and have rubber pads on the tracks, indicators, brake lights etc. Registering them was no trouble as they come with the correct documents from the MoD. If you were to try and register something else, like a Stuart or Sherman it might be more difficult, but many people have done it. Driving on the road, technically you will need an H licence. I do not have one yet, because I haven't got round to taking the test. The test is fairly simple, drive a few miles, do an emergency stop and reverse around a corner. You can book them through the DVLA, they come to you but will not come to your house. I emailed the DVLA about driving without the H test and got a response which in effect says you are ok if you fit L plates. I am going to take the test in the summer, and obviously I need to practice before taking it! As long as you are over 21 there are no other restrictions, you can drive when you like. I would not reccomend driving at night in a tracked AFV but I suppose there may be occasions where it is unavoidable. I also drive with a flashing beacon fitted, and a commander who is in communication with me via the intercom. I have driven on the roads with no commander but I try to avoid it. I have heard stories of people taking tracked AFVs on the motorway, and while some of them are certainly fast enough it would not be a good place to have a breakdown! Hope this helps, Chris [attachment deleted by admin]

The blue colour is BS101 Sky Blue, and you can get that from R&R too. What type of engine is it? It might explain why it is painted green. Chris

Ebay? It's not free but you don't get half as many Nigerians, and people who say they'll have it and then vanish.

My point, John, was that I should not be expected to pay the same as Withams, Marcus Glenn and all the other dealers who make a living from it. I do this for a hobby - to them £80 a year is nothing, to me it is a lot. For £80 I would expect a professional, modern website where I could log in and manage my adverts, remove them myself when items were sold etc. Instead for £80 I get something which looked old 10 years ago and a big hole in my pocket. I do check milweb every day, but it really does make me cringe. Chris

Perhaps he just doesn't like me then.

The biggest scam on milweb is that if you put more than a couple of adverts on there they think you are a dealer and expect you to pay the same fees as all the other dealers. I have been unable to advertise anything on there for the last year because I refuse to pay £80 a year. Chris

I only have one thing on the list, a shed/workshop big enough for all my vehicles! Chris

I'm not entirely sure when it happened, but I was told a couple of years ago when I had some spare ropes left over from my Spartan. Typical that I sold them and now need some! You can imagine it would not be nice to be standing in the wrong place and get squashed between 2 CVRTs though! Chris

What about those trailers Withams had, there was an aircraft carrier and a submarine? Anchor Supplies have the aircraft carrier but I don't know where the other one went. Chris

Most of the CVRT ropes you see about aren't the kinetic type. I believe they were withdrawn after several accidents - there were several cases of the vehicle being recovered crashing into the recovery vehicle. You can tell the difference by the appearance and feel of the ropes, the kinetic variety are shiny and are smooth and silky to touch. Chris

Maybe I should have kept mine and knocked up an add on armour kit from MDF? Chris

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/EquipmentAndLogistics/BulldogArrivesAtTheFrontLine.htm Quite ugly, eh? Chris