rustexpert

I once had to work on one which had been standing for some years but was in an excellent dry shed. You'd think no problems but fuel (all sorts of dodgy stuff gets put in these multi fuellers; so I've heard!) had gone weird in the tank and the fuel lift pump which is submerged in the bottom of the tank was a solid ball of waxy varnish which wouldn't wash off or dissolve away in fresh petrol. As the impeller is driven magnetically in these pumps it had obviously ceased to function; another had to be sourced. So something to consider if your looking at a truck which has been standing and being sold as non runner.

Cool, just the thing to go to work on.

I have had a good look around my selection of snatch blocks; sorry I don't have one like your picture.

I think I have an example of the snatch block that you mean. I will photograph with a rule for scale when I get a mo or a round tuit; whichever comes first.

Picture from Facebook via John Hahn. He states "My father-in-laws days of travel... Peter Keeble with this mac that used to pull the gallopers around the notts & derby section." Looks like its got a Gardner under the bonnet to me and probably one on the back too.

This is one from my files came off the web.

There doesn't seem to be a Mack Gallery in any form. There is now. However in this image from War and Peace 2014 (I have transplanted from another thread.) I notice that the Mack is "liveried" as U.S. Army; I always understood that the NM series was a peculiarly British Army vehicle, am I mistaken? I am not intending to knock anybody as it looks good to me.

I can remember visiting Vass' yard near Ampthill, when I was in college nearby about 1989. There was so many MK1 Militants quite good ones were stacked up in piles, the better were in rows front wheels on the back of the next. They were spilling out of the yard onto the roads on the industrial estate. There were a few like newly reworked with new canvas, tyres and paint. Did a lot of them get exported? I didn't even have a camera then now there is one on me phone in my pocket.

I am not sure exactly how the network railway arrange their "working timetable" but there is one; which covers all predictable movements like empty trains, positioning movements and freight trains which will be arranged weekly and updated real time probably. The spotters I know seem to get hold of it without too much trouble so it must be public domain. It might be worth looking around a few railway spotter web sites to find out where it is. Problem is you might need a train spotter geek to decipher it for you.

I don't think that an Abbot or Scorpion would count as an unusual vehicle as far as level crossings are concerned. If you have a driving licence then you should already know enough about the rules for level crossing use. On your H.G.V. test you have to look both ways ( up the railway. ) whilst crossing; I don't know why I just did it. Common sense would tell you that if a train is that close then you're in trouble and there ain't nothing you can do about it.

I insure a crawler tractor for show,ploughing matches, etc. with Cherished Car Insurance. It is not registered just identified by serial number on the policy. However I enquired about covering my living van the response was initially positive but when I said it was a scratch built van on an old chassis they didn't want to know. The cover provided for a living van wasn't that attractive anyway; as for road risks the trailer is covered by the towing vehicle and theft only covered if van is secured like chained down or in a shed. However the Tricar doesn't look too lethal; you could try to get a custom/show motor bike policy.

The original post doesn't mention any recent repair works. I once built up a tractor engine and got the injector timing advanced slightly. Was fine until the first heavy loading made it boil quite well. It was the first suspicion due to the recent rebuild; on checking the spill timing I had just got it a bit out. Some engines injector pump drive train can slacken off and slip to retarded. If there is an auto advance on the injector pump this could have stuck. I once drove a Ford Cargo which started to mysteriously "use" water but not really boil or overheat. Eventually we worked out the header tank had a leak under pressure; we had assumed the rusty water stains were from the water escaping from the relief hole by the pressure cap, the overflow pipe to direct this away being absent. Another van I drove started using water. I wasn't responsible for repairs and replacing the cylinder head gasket was trusted to the particularly inept mechanic who opened the bonnet and started disconnecting stuff; I then mentioned that there was an additional symptom being rusty water in the passenger footwell. The mechanic was delighted he just blanked off the heater matrix so I then drove the van probably another 30k miles over two winters with no heater or demister. On an early frosty morning start a hot water bottle on the dash became the norm; it wasn't really that long ago either. Is there any remote cab heater matrix or such like on the rail crane? I can also recall a newly restored Caterpillar tractor which had an overheating problem which eventually was found to be due to the radiator top tank being almost full of rodent nest material which wasn't visible from the filler hole.

You can currently get up to 100% rates relief on your first industrial premises depending on its rateable value. Did no one read this? If you aren't in business you should get this without problem or even question. It is EXACTLY the same as claiming your free historic road tax; you get a bill for £0.00. What happens when this stops I don't know? It may be a problem in the South East where the actual value of a telephone box and site would send you over the threshold.

Doesn't look like standard fordson to me but I have seen something with cast in handles/loops like that on a tractor before. They look like the ones on the Russian gun with the bolt on loops. Tyre brand and sizes would give away their origin with certainty.

or similarly early road grader.

Not sure but look like those fitted to pre war industrial/road tractors. What are the tyre sizes?

6v coils available from any Ferguson 20 tractor parts supplier. Try K.C. Baker and daughters. 01558 668591.

Thanks N.O.S. I was thinking that myself. Federal 604 is rare and I have never seen one. Is there any at all in the U.K.? Is there a reason that so few seem to survive; is it just that they were useable post war and got used to death or did any that came here move on to the continent?

We always said it was a Thornycroft cab; I don't know if that was correct but it had an A.E.C. 7.7 engine and went like a dream like they usually do.

Picture doesn't seem to be visible; Here is a direct link; http://tractors.wikia.com/wiki/File:Coles_Crane_on_AEC_at_cromford_2010_-_IMG_0411.jpg

I believe I have seen that actual chassis before; it is an ex RAF Coles recovery crane chassis. A very much denuded version of the one in the attached photo. There was a complete and unmolested version in a better known yard just down the road; along with a Thornycroft Amazon (also completely unmolested) and a I.H. 100B Drott with only about 50 hours on the clock. A friend of mine had one as a winch tractor with a large set of anchors; they were equipped with the chassis mounted winch as in a Matador and a very effective winch tractor it was too. I used it a couple of times. Very good in the mire with all that weight about 10 tons chassis like railway bridge girders. Seriously bogged in tractor drivers (the ones who'd snapped all their chains attempting their own recovery) would roll around with laughter when you arrived but would be astonished at how that winch tractor would extract their stricken equipment in minutes; no messin'.

Nasty crash; local reports are that drivers are o.k. There isn't a minimum speed requirement for U.K. motorways. This incident isn't good for the image of our movement in general. I hope it doesn't make the wider press.

I find modern heavy vehicles slurp the diesel a bit enthusiastically too. My engineering education leads me to think that this is solely due to the higher travelling speeds involved and associated generally heavier demands for acceleration. If modern 40 ton lorries were running around at 20m.p.h. with Gardner 6LX's they would be a good deal more economical on fuel but I don't think that would be a step forward really! I would still hope that a converted heavy like Mack NM6 should return 10 m.p.g. running about light at 30 - 35 m.p.h. Would anyone who has done such a conversion comment please?

Thanks for the interest. Apologies for not commenting further sooner. Situation is I would sell the truck, you'd think a basically unmolested WW2 prime mover which has been dry stored for 20 years but never the less needs general resto/cab sorting would be quite sought after but only offers/interest is from t?@@'#s who want it for less than scrap money and timewasters who don't even do that. There is basically nothing wrong with the petrol engine but perhaps some of the posters don't realise the insatiable thirst of a 11.6 mack. To illustrate if you go to start it up armed with a red gallon can; drop the pipe into the can pump the juice up to the carb and fire her up, get her running on the choke; wow what music man! Warming up now running with no choke: NICE! Sputter, cough. That's it folks. So this means you'd be using 10 gallons to go to a local rally. My source of contam petrol isn't that reliable especially now everybody and their dog is after it too. That which I get is used in other ways so is not to spare anyway. As I am an engineer a diesel conversion would "cost" around £1500 and I would hope to return 10 m.p.g. and the resulting truck after a not to exhaustive make over and a few events; would be a bit more saleable. You might say that I just can't afford to run this truck end of but I think money spent on the conversion wouldn't be like chucking it on the big bonfire and it's better to convert something than cut it up.

Has any body got any suggestions on a diesel conversion engine for a Mack NM6? There is one going around with a Scania. I don't know about modern motors but I believe the Mack has a standard bell housing arrangement/design and a straight fit is not too much to hope for. Can anybody who has done such a conversion advise? Mack petrol is 180 h.p. should I be looking for 200 h.p. or would less be o.k.?