robin craig

I am so glad to see you folks on the European side of the Atlantic are having the same whining and crying about public liability insurance. We get it here daily. I told one organiser that Military vehicles carry picks and shovels so there won't be any issues, we would simple bury the evidence of a liability event ever having occurred. She looked at me as if to suggest I was joking and a friend of mine suggested that I was not and she did not come back for the rest of the event. Honestly, it is a sad sign of the times when people will not take responsibility for their own stupid actions or lack of care and control and want to come after me because Daimler in 1954 put blunt corners on a vehicle and they walked in to it at a show and now they have an ouch. I am nearing rant levels here so I will cease and desist. Here endeth the lesson. R

Chris, great progess, I assume you will put that through the downsizer and pack it in your luggage in May? When you say drill and tap, are you using stainless inserts in the ally? Robin

Thank you very much for the info all. I think at the moment I am going to keep them as a working set and put together a change of bulbs so I can do the 12/ 24 volt swap if needed. Going to have to deal with the cage to do that. Thanks Robin

Recently while trolling one of our national free swap / sale forums boards I found a gent over half way across the country with what appeared to be be something so specifically of British Military origins I jumped at it. He had a listed asking price and I offered a lower amount and he countered and then we settled, the postage was half again, but I did not mind. Anyway, he had trouble boxing it up and finally sent them both in a big Rubbermaid tote box with the lid riveted on which I thought was creative. So here they are, I would love it if someone could tell me what they are for. The main cord is long and has the usual British MOD plug and the right side unit draws its power from the left one by means of a smaller plug and socket. The pair are not lightweight by any means. I think for the moment I will hand on to it as it is rather than rape it for the component light parts for my 1 Tonne but who knows, we may swap stuff around. The rear shot shows the brackets that I have loosely placed where it looks as if they bolt up. Any clues anyone? Howitzer? Engineer Plant?

And a couple more

Spring has finally started to happen and most of our snow has gone and the remainder will go this week I think. I am happy with the painting results and am using a clear spray in a relatively flat sheen to tone this all down. Time is a commodity in short supply as soon I will be living the farming dream and breaking ground and trying to get this years crops in. Once I get that done I am off to an event at the end of May and hope to take the 1 Tonne with me but that pipe dream is evaporating already as it is having running issues and I don't think I will want to chance it on a 4 hour drive. Anyway, one of the big lessons learned out here is to store everything under a roof. Flappy tarpaulins don't work for more than a few days. Winter is out of the question. I have already stood the "Daimler" shed which houses most of the parts relating to a Ferret. We don't have a garage for our own daily driver car nor a place to work for me, Im using borrowed space at work. I started a building for the trailer last Fall (autumn) but winter hit and I lost my sense of humour. I have been saving salvaged lumber from around various projects and this week also started work on the "wide track" building. The basic idea is that it will house the trailer and then a 'tween deck over top will allow more parts storage above that so as not to waste space. I have some CVR(T) track that will lie on the floor which will give the building some more ballast, we get some string winds here. This shed is less than the 10ft by 10ft, the size that triggers planning permission issues. It is a moveable structure as it sits on deck blocks on patio stones and we have big tractors so I could move it in the future. As it is spring it is questionable weather so I set up a recylced work bench and started making the roof trusses first. We use screws and PL construction adhesive on all the joints. The screws hold it all tight but the glue adds a level of rigidity that can not be beaten. As of last night I had made the last two walls as well. I am hoping that today, Sunday, I will get them stood and the roof assembly which I am going at today on top if I get lucky. If not it will be Tuesday after work as the next free time, I am a volunteer firefighter on the island where we live and it is training on Monday nights.

Dear Degsy, Sounds like you had a frustrating time. Life always seems to go like that doesnt it? Thanks for posting R

Thanks for posting that video, I think that same machine pulls a Bedford out in another video. Had not seen that one. No lug on the spade. I suspect the loader is hydrostatic drive hence the snow plowing job up the hill until chum gets in and opens the direction valve and it free wheels. Yes I would love you to do a "muppets winch instruction" video for numpties like me to follow. Brilliant R

I think it must as you say have been for stowage only, I am thinking that the UK saw the light and improved theirs and the Belgians were just stubborn! Guykay we really must chat some more again about the winch. There is such little info out there on how it works and best practices. Last time I was down to see the Samson I was hoping to get a look see at the system but the vehicle was not running and we had lots to do so things are still on hiatus. It would be wonderful if someone had time to shoot some footage and put in online but that is too much to ask. Regards Robin

It would seem that there were a few minor variations in the production of Samsons from what I can tell. The main one I have noticed is that some, mostly Belgian ones, do not have a lug on the right spade. What the purpose of the lug is I am not sure, at first I thought it was to raise the spade but that forces the cable to turn a sharp corner and possibly kink. Now I am thinking it is only a stowage point for the end of the winch cable. Can anyone speak to this subject please? Robin

I think Diana and Jackie touched on this in their Ferret wiring rebuild posts Maybe ask them R

As per my post on the other forum we both belong to, I will once again stick my neck out and say, I dont think there is one as the dipstick is also the vent tube. Robin

I decided to go another route as far as a supplier. In the mean time I started to clean up the tailgate. There are old Union Jacks on the left and right sides, I exposed them and sanded around them. My paint finish is not going to be factory finish at the moment. It will be transport park ready and off on exercise in BAOR. So in my mind painting over the lupms and bumps is just how the squaddies would have done it, so that is authentic to me. Maybe on anothe do over in a few years we will strip if down to its smallest parts and polish them and put it back together, but not now. Running and useable trumps spit and polish. I have used an Olfa knife and a wire brush and a sander and cleaned the inside of the tailgate with the next attempt of the paint. I know it is quite glossy but I have an antidote to that once it has dried. Im quite happy so far. With progress like this the job is manageable by slipping panels in to work's heated shop here and there. I have an event to attend in just over a month so there is some haste setting in. I am using a small foam brush and a foam roller to put it on, it is quite easy so far. R

Finally it looks as if winter is retreating. First daffodils are breaking the surface and I am feeling like we might get some better weather. This year is supposed to be the year of a garage, we will see how far we get on that. I have been trying to get a paint sorted for the redo on the 1 Tonne. The sand is not my thing. I want black and green camouflage as per the period in time I have chosen to represent, in service with 4 RTR in Germany. For the minute. Paint is a sore subject out here. We pay a fortune to get any of your UK made stuff and last time I checked I am a working stiff. I thought I would take the opportunity last week to have the tailgate of the Wolf at work scanned by a paint supplier but the result was not a match as can be seen. I was unhappy R

Are you sure it is a maple leaf inset to the C? Can you post a photo of it please? R

The vehicle in question is shown in service on page 81 of the June 2000 issue of Land Rover Monthly and the article was on the 1 Tonne by Bob Morrison and he specifically mentions this issue as the caption for his photo of the vehicle. I will try an FOI but doubt I will yield much R

Richard Thanks for posting. I'm not quite clear, did you stamp the new chassis with the numbers from the data plate or leave it numberless? R

From another forum, the ARRSE one, I got one intelligent answer (among the stupid ones you have to put up with) that suggested that the serial number of the vehicle is linked to it being stamped into the chassis so if that was bent badly then a new chassis would have been fitted hence a new registration number needed. Does that sound plausible? R

There are many nagging questions on this vehicle in service with The British Armed Forces that I have but only two I want to try and get answered right now. Q1, was the fume hood divider between the driver and co driver and the load area ever a CES item? Q2 Where or how can we ascertain how many vehicles were rebuilt after accidents and the new registration from old documentation. I know of at least one that this happened to Thanks Robin

Brilliant information but amazing how off topic the original thread has become, its almost worthy of being a thread over on Maple Leaf Up forum! Hey ho, it lead to something good. Thanks for saving those cards and putting them up, hopefully one day one of those vehicles surfaces. Robin

The humble Laycorn box, which seems to have been made by Permali is a great piece of kit. I have found one person on ebay selling joiners for the corners but frankly I suspect these are a home made casting of something and not the real thing. I am showing the box corners but know very well the boxes are not in their correct position. Does anyone have any that they can show us or even point the way to where they can be bought from? Thanks R

Brilliant! Wonder how many kids you have made future MV owners? R

Regarding your comments about scaling from a photo, I have had problems doing that with a photo enlarged by using a photocopier only to find that the x and y axis do not enlarge at the same rate. Do you have any comments on that and how to combat it? Thanks R

Replying to my emails might help you Robin

Welcome Thelma, R