Nic.Clay

Some of the artillery.....

It's at Heugh battery.

http://www.heughbattery.co.uk/

I visited in 2012. The Chieftain sported a Dulux green and black gloss camo scheme. There were a number of other vehicles there - I recall a very tired Abbot a Ferret and a Saracen.

Nic

Humble apologies to John. I bought a vehicle off Brian about 5 years back and John showed me the various mechanical problems I was likely to face - my first foray into military vehicles. I noted his name as Hughes, but accept Dews as equally likely. I'm going deaf that's my excuse.

Nic

John Hughes used to restore the Ferrets for him. Try 07949 765936.

Nic

In modern equivalent terms - EP90 in the cross member for the wheel stations, SAE30 for engine and gearbox. It's worked for the last five years and I'm pretty certain that's what the manual says.

Nic

Try Stuart Wright 07748 604461. One of the main men behind YWE and always helpful.

Nic

Been there - done that. I'm not posting the photos in case they are used in evidence!

Suffice to say a very steady trip back to Yorkshire!

Nic

And here's the picture from the Witham's ad - canvas in place.

You’ve finished – just add the canvas.

Easy really. (NOT)

Nic

Add the outer door frame poles then the outer door frame side tops and the outer door frame cross members.

Add the inner cup topped door frame supports.

Add the four corner poles and roofing struts.

Add the ridge pole.

The two long side poles are inserted into one triangular end and secured. The other triangular frame is pushed on until the hinged sections are free.

And here they are all in the same shot.

Next six expandable ‘cup’ topped frame poles. These are for the inner edge of the three supported doors and mount under the main top frame.

Next ten expandable frame pole with ‘spiked’ top. Four of these are for the corners of the main roof, six for the outer edge of the three doors.

Next six outer door frame side tops and two frame to vehicle connecting pieces. (All these have one end with a ‘cup’ and the other with female connector.)

Next three expandable outer door frame cross members.

Next there are six expandable roofing struts with cup ends.

As promised a primer on ‘Putting up a 432 command tent’.

The tent is essentially an 8’ square with doors in each face. It comes with sufficient poles to support three entrances and assumes the fourth will be connected to a vehicle. In practice several doors may have been connected to other vehicles or tents so I assume not all poles will have been used on every occasion.

Recognise your parts. First there are two triangular end pieces and two long side pole with hinged end sections. I assume the end sections are intended to mount onto the vehicle giving the tent some stability. Not pictured here is an extendable top ridge pole.

That's nothing like the framework that came in my 8'x8' box. As you say it looks like a section from a 12 x 12.

The bits in the 8'x8' box are all painted green!

Nic

It's all packed away in a trailer with my 12 x 12 at the moment, but (mechanical gods willing) I'm going to Croft next weekend, so I'll see what I can do for you then. Like a lot of things once you've got your head round it it's not too bad, but horrendously complicated and far from intuitive! It took 3 of us 2 hours to work it out.

Come and visit if you're out that way. http://www.croftnostalgia.co.uk/

Nic

Thanks for the explanation 10FM68. It starts to make sense.

So all I need now is 3 or 4 more 432s and a matching number of tents .....

Nic

I bought one of these from Withams too ... beguiled by the title 'sleeping tent'. I made a similar query on the FV432 forum and described my tent as follows -

Briefly there are 2 triangular A frames which form the two ends of the roof, then 2 long poles with a hinged section which I assume links to the vehicle. These are pushed through the A frames and the roof is rounded off with a single ridge pole and 6 extending roof supports. These run from the ridge to the long side pole and are held in place by the weight of the canvas. This structure then rests on an extendable vertical pole at each corner.

So far so good. You then have sufficient poles and supports to hold three of the four portico doors rigid. For each door there are 2 vertical poles that link to the main long poles in the roof, two extendable poles that stand at the outer edge of the door, 2 supports that link these inner and outer poles and a cross member to top the 2 outer poles! (7 items for each door!)

The main tent appears to be an 8' square with a door in the centre of each wall. You could link three vehicles and have one exit, but I can't see why you'd want to.

In essence it isn't a sleeping tent - it has no door closures! But with the judicious use of some spare canvases it'll serve it's purpose. I've also bought a couple of storm straps to hold it down - there are no guys.

Nic