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petop

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Posts posted by petop

  1. Any photos you can share?

     

    Im in a US base so im afraid they would all be US MRAPs and some SF type lightweight vehicles which go no further than around camp.

    MRAP's out here are either International Maxx-Pro or Oshkosh M-ATV. Nearly all have RWS fitted but unlike ours that had GPMG, the US go for .50cal or even ive seen Gatling type. But they tend to be the same ones that use the lightweight vehicles.

    Other than that its armoured Landcruisers.

    Truck wise its M1083 5 ton, M1096 and HEMTT. No one uses Humvees apart from around camp and they are rare. Most been given to Afghans.

  2. Seeing as i contributed to this thread back in 2008/9 i thought i would pipe up.

    Left the mil in 2013 and went straight out to Afghanistan to work for NATO is a NATO Tech Officer where i still am.

    Not looked at this site for a bit then remembered it.

    Funny how those SV's that back then everyone was waiting to come through the camp gates are now being sold. Those Recovery variants though have been on sale for a bit. The ones in the first link are certainly those trial ones.

    The SV buy had a 20 year "shelf life" but i heard Afghanistan ones were pretty much hammered.

  3. And the MK required to be in first gear to climb any thing that looked like a hill!

    shame the army didn't keep the MJ, fitted with power steering a tilting cab and possibly a 5th gear it would hold its own against the MAN SV?

     

    No no no! The Bedford although suitable in its day is wholly not suited to what we need in todays Army. For a start it was underpowered. It carries 4t, the smallest SV carries 6t and if you asked those in the know, we should of just bought more 9t SV due to what we now carry. You cannot bolt on the same level of armour that SV can in Afghanistan and you would fry the electrics putting into a 4 tonner the amount of radio and ECM kit SV carries not to mention air con.

    Yes its easier to fix and is robust in a sense but its also not compliant in respect of a lot of regulations such as emissions and safety. You now cant even have wooden flooring on the load bed.

    There is no storage space in the cab, not that SV is massive in that respect but at least its bigger.

    Its like the SLR, its good to have a go now and then but ask anyone who has been to Afghanistan recently, they would prefer the SA80A2........had to get the A2 in!

  4. Looks like it was the "proto-type" for all those similarly configured Fodens that the Army bought :undecided:

     

    I was involved the trails of the Multidrive Foden/MWD tankers. The one on Ebay is the MK1 Multidrive configuration with drawbar type steering mechanism. The original mil buy was used in the first Gulf war to carry fuel and if i remember water as well. There were 2 tank and single tank ones. The 2 tank version used the tanks that were actually earmarked to be sold to Saddam Hussein for aircraft refuelling but this obviously fell through so were bolted on the back of the Multidrive chassis. But the MK1 Multidrives actually used a Bedford TM type tractor units with a very big loud Caterpillar engine in it. These were used later in Bosnia but were soon replaced with the Foden version with an improved Mulitdrive chassis, doing away without the drawbar method of steering. Of course they had a powered rear bogi and as previously mentioned were very good cross-country but were limited to amount of payload.

    The final version again, with Foden tractor units and more strengthened chassis on the back end were the last time employed in mil service and were sold off at Withams i think not so long ago. Funny thing was i trialled the original ones back in 1991 or so then whilst i was in Bosnia around 2003/4 the last ones were being sent back to UK of which i was repsonsible for getting them prepared.

    I suspect the S26 version on Ebay was what Multidrive used to sell to Quarry Companies of which a few bought.

  5. The writing on the bottom relates to a Deutz BF4L....this is quite an old NA diesel engine that the UK mil have used in the past. In fact i think it memory serves me right they were used in the old M2 rigs.

  6. Having spoken to a few who know about this i would take the story with a pinch of salt.

    Ashchurch itself is pretty awesome to look around, which i have a fair few times.

    Every in-service vehicle is there, some still unissued or some returned for Whole Fleet Management storage. Vehicles returned from Afghanistan IED damaged, awaiting repair and some sheds that even i couldnt get into holding the "Gucci" ones.

  7. Its because SVR and the Danish EPLS are based on the SX chassis which has a larger cross section chassis and independent coil suspension. They also have auto gearbox but some may say that doesnt always mean better cross-country.

    As i think i have said on here before, UK EPLS and now by look of the pics of the NZ EPLS, they are based on the HX chassis which are indeed more road focussed. UK EPLS are "spare" 15t cargo chassis moved to have EPLS mechanics bolted on.

    If UK EPLS, and in fact all the other SV fleet variations had the Michelin tyres, x-country performance would be improved 10-fold.

    I went out to Canada when SV first deployed out there and admittedly BATUS had just had the worst rain in years and ALL wheeled vehicles were getting stuck, the first thing me and the trial team said was "tyres, tyres, tyres!" but then it was too late into the program to change anything.

  8. I wasnt trialling the vehicle itself, actually i took part in those trials a few yrs ago. No, it wasl the stuff on the front of the truck. It is a hooklift vehicle. Can pick up general purpose flatracks with what ever is strapped on (!!), and ISO containers using the ISO frame that you see standing up behind the vehicle cab. If you look on the Multilift website it will give you some details.Its not towing a trailer, what you see is the rear of the load system that makes the guide rails for lifting ISO containers on.

  9. JEMIMA, you mentioned that you are using "correct" hessian on the SNATCH replica you have.

    Forgive me if im wrong but you seem to be using normal Hessian which is not what is on SNATCH.

    I say this as im a SNATCH instructor and having just had a SNATCH in Afghanistan as my personal transport for 7 months i feel in the right place to say.

    Without going into too much detail, the hessian on the side is for an entirely different reason other than providing camouflage.

    Its a nice attempt and well done for the time and effort you have put in. If you would like any user info from me then feel free to ask.

    As some of you know i deal with a lot of trial vehicles and recently in the Land Rover area i have driven a "new 110/Wolf" which has been put forward with the Ford diesel engine and slightly different interior based on the present civvy 110 interior. Also a SNATCH with a auto gearbox, which was interesting!

  10. I to have been around the reserve collection. My job enabled me to come across a WW2 German Jerrican. Bovington at the time were in the middle of doing the Tiger Tank so i offered the can to them in return to have a look around the collection. Spent a day looking around, some aspects better than whats on display.

  11. They were all at DVD. The problems that affected Springer have or are being addressed by manufacturer. Hence Springer2. After all its a UOR and U stands for Urgent so not everything can be tested in time so its a case of suck it and see!

    Even MASTIFF, which is a battle winner, had its problems.

    As for Whippet it isnt, its 4x4.

    The 6x6 is excellent x-country and has actually been on the scene for a fair few years in another country.

  12. Having recently returned from Afghanistan and back in work, i got a phonecall to see if i could look over some new bits of kit....basically take them out and see what i thought....

     

    Springer 2. Basically updated version of first one.

     

    Whippet. Small load carrier. Very good x-country.

     

    Dingo. Weird looking but the rear suspension set-up makes it seemingly float over rough terrain. Managed 110km/h on rough terrain!

     

    In Dingo.

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