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Ballasted Defender 110.


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Hello there,

I am hoping some kind soul can help answer a question regarding the Merlin Report for my 1987 Ex-Signals 110 Defender?

The Report describes it as TUM GS Cargo 12V etc, etc, which I understand, however, at the end of the description it says; BALLASTED.

What the 'eck is a ballasted Land Rover?

It had an asset code change in 2002 from;

1710 3103 to 1710 3105.

I am assuming this is something to do with my question.

Any help would be much welcomed.

Thank you in advance.

Mark.

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Hello there,

I am hoping some kind soul can help answer a question regarding the Merlin Report for my 1987 Ex-Signals 110 Defender?

The Report describes it as TUM GS Cargo 12V etc, etc, which I understand, however, at the end of the description it says; BALLASTED.

What the 'eck is a ballasted Land Rover?

It had an asset code change in 2002 from;

1710 3103 to 1710 3105.

I am assuming this is something to do with my question.

Any help would be much welcomed.

Thank you in advance.

Mark.

 

I think it might be to do with electric screening for radios and not weight. I could be wrong and its not the most detailed response ever...

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Hi

 

I used to have a Plessey NCRS HF Radio trailer which was terribly unbalanced with too much weight forward of the axles (and therefore a tendency to affect front wheel grip of the towing vehicle). This had a label on the towbar saying that the towing vehicle must be ballasted to (from memory) 2200KG to be safe. I understand from someone who was familiar with the NCRS system in service that the ballast physically took the form of metal plates fixed to the floor of the load area. Ballast was fitted and a reduced maximum speed was enforced after a serious road accident early in the life of NCRS and the trailers were disposed of via RAMCO after less than 15 years in service.

 

I believe NCRS was operated by a TA unit within 30 Sigs so if that matches the merlin report it will be a clue !

 

Regards

 

Iain

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Thank you for your prompt replies, they have certainly given me other avenues to explore.

I don't think this vehicle has ever been fitted with radios, as it is GS and had no Dexion or other tell tale FFR evidence when I bought it.

That doesn't mean to say it wasn't screened for manpacked kit though.

I also can't see any obvious signs of weights or heavy plating having been applied anywhere.

I am thinking that the 'ballasted' term is possibly a REME wording for having a certain job done (upgraded springs or whatever).

By the way it belonged to 37 Sigs (V) and also 38 Sigs (V).

Thank you again and any other suggestions will be gratefully received.

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I drove a standard (for NI) 3/4 ton FFR in Tyrone and Fermanagh in the 1970s. There was so much Makrolon (I use the term loosely, some spotter told me not so long ago that it wasn't actually Makrolon) that I swear the front wheel barely touched the ground, especially with the odd dismount in the back.

 

Steering would have benefitted from ballasting, but I shudder to think about the all up weight and driving it at speed.

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Thanks for the input,

I appreciate what you're saying as I drove the top heavy Snatch Rovers in NI and know how they wallow around. I much preferred CMV work in furniture vans, (well it felt more stable anyway!)

I'm still investigating what exactly is meant by 'Ballasted' in Land Rover terms and have found a photo of the warning plate fixed to the NCRS trailer.

The plot thickens...

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The Asset Code comprises two letters then two 4-digit groups.

 

The first letter is the Financial Management Indicator, the second is the Liability Type.

 

Digits 1-4 comprise the Liability Number

Digits 5-8 comprise the Specific Indicator Number

 

I have made several FOI requests about both LN & SIN.

 

Digit 5 reveals it is diesel & RHD. I cannot find out the role of Digit 6.

Digits 7 & 8 "are used to reflect the next consecutive numbers from that series"

 

But it gives no clues as to the nature of any change I'm afraid.

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So the change of Digit 8 in this instance is the ballasting. I have just looked up 1710 3103 = TUM, then 1710 3105 when it becomes TUM BALLASTED.

 

You might wonder about 1710 3104 = TUM (but Defender Mk 6B)

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Thank you for your prompt replies, they have certainly given me other avenues to explore.

I don't think this vehicle has ever been fitted with radios, as it is GS and had no Dexion or other tell tale FFR evidence when I bought it.

That doesn't mean to say it wasn't screened for manpacked kit though.

I also can't see any obvious signs of weights or heavy plating having been applied anywhere.

I am thinking that the 'ballasted' term is possibly a REME wording for having a certain job done (upgraded springs or whatever).

By the way it belonged to 37 Sigs (V) and also 38 Sigs (V).

Thank you again and any other suggestions will be gratefully received.

 

 

Before I joined the regulars, I served in 37 Signal Regiment (V) and had the misfortune to work on National Communications Radio System (NCRS).

 

It consisted of a computer system in a small box body mounted on a twin axle trailer towed behind a GS 110.

 

This was issued to us in 1993/4 and was designed to provide post nuclear strike high frequency (HF) communication using a large multiple dipole antenna array that would computer analyse a set of HF frequencies and send data over the most favourable freq.

 

Our 110 GS wagons were modified by fitting metal plates along the full length of the load bed to provide the ballast to tow the twin axle NCRS trailer or 'horse boxes' as we called them.

 

With the ballast fitted, these wagons were effectively ruined and the handling was horrible.

 

I did my best to remain in the more 'punchy' Mobile Signals Troop equipped with 109 FFR's fitted with UKVRC 321 and manpack UKPRC 320's. Our 110 GS's were all KF registrations (41KF90) and our 109's were KB's (83KB10)

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The only good things I think in NCRS were the Skanti HF radios (I use one as my main HF radio to this day) and the replacement 27' Racal 675 masts (I do miss the trailer I had and sold, but I ended up buying something much bigger than a landrover to tow it .. )

 

Iain

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A big thank you to Clive, Brewstop, Iain and 0644hunt.

I think the weighted load area explains what 'Ballasted' means on my Merlin Report especially as Brewstop mentions that 37 Sigs GS 110's were all KF registrations and mine is 42KF45. (Please don't tell me that's the one that went off a cliff just before it got cast to Withams!)

The asset code change is still slightly baffling as it was sent for disposal with the ballasted code 3105, even though I can see no evidence of metal plates being fitted or removed and it becoming 'Unballasted'.

Were they bolted in or just cut to fit and so therefore easier to remove and less likely to leave any tell - tale signs?

Thank you all again and please post any other answers or info that comes to mind.

Best regards,

Mark.

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