john fox

Please can someone tell me what is the helmet which you see in UN blue hung off the turrets of Ferrets when in service in UN use eg Cyprus. As shown in Lees HMVF TV clips at 3 min 41 sec in : http://www.hmvftv.com/view_video.php?viewkey=b0833588399b1fcd177c&page=1&viewtype=&category=mr Is it British? Does not look like the 1970's turtle shell infantry helmet so what is it ... please :dunno: I want a pair to complete the hanging off bits on my UN Ferret :-) BTW can someone with better eyesight than me make out the reg nos of those 2 Ferrets - is one of them mine (UNF554)??????????

Mick Not sure about Brooklands yet - entered my 101 but its failed its MOT on chassis rust and the part hasn't arrived yet. May end up fgoing as a paying punter instead ... its all of 6 months since I was last there but a good museum nonetheless

Do you really mean best way or most practical way? Given the pain in the B of accessing the 12v battery on a Ferret it is by far easier to charge them as 24v in situ subject of course to what type of battery you use - sealed for life or standard you will want to make sure your charger rate is compatible with the type and if you really want to be careful you may want to blow some air around the boxes before starting up just to make sure any gases are dispersered. I have been charging standard and latterly sealed batteries (bought from Halfords) on my Ferret in situ for over 10 years - no explosions or problems yet. Connect via the inter vehicle starting socket - I have a modified cable to do this I can't answer for what is the best technical solution - I suspect however its to charge them seperately on a bench whilst mounted on vibrating plates to stir up the sludge in the bottom of the battery

I'm Bookham so you'll go very near me if using A3 or M25. Alternatively I could meet you further up at my other house in Egham if you use the M3. Would be delighted to hook up closer to the time and settle arrangements PS I should have made clear in my original post that I am looking for a vehicle commander to help me when I drive down there. In return (subject to a person's ability) I would be happy to share the off road driving on the plain with them. Preference would therefore be given to anyone able to do the whole return trip to/from Surrey and who has experience in judging road traffic (ie sorry but no solo children)

Mick I made a thing to do this with - as you are just down the road from me send me a PM if you want to borrow it or for me to give you a hand - I have done all 4 of mine and its a :sweat: John

Anyone from Surrey :? I will be taking either a Fox or a Ferret to this trip but there's only me so if anyone wants to come down with me from Surrey then send me a PM John

my point was pecifically with ref to 1st Gulf war in which Ferret Mk1/2 was fitted with LMG (ie L4A1): see this topic - theres a photo of one on page 2 http://www.hmvf.co.uk/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=38&topic=6216.15

noticed that on the link someone postred the other day to that show doesn't look too bad, appears to be missing a side bin lid though unless its a dark spot crweated by a shadow original Bren gun post mounting - not many of those around still, you might have fun trying to get hold of the actual gun mount best of luck - I'm sure you'll enjoy

Thanks - never seen one pictured only heard it described. Makes sense if Saladin kit so I guess yes it must be the "correct" Ferret Bv Thanks again

Thanks Barry Just what I wanted to know, means I can cook a decent meal on my civi gas stove and not have to hide round the back while doing it :shake: I'll keep my norway cosies in place becuase I have some modern stainless steel flasks I use for camping which are nicely hidden inside them too Isn't HMVF great for getting answers!

Mk1/2 and Mk2 Ferrets direct from Ludgershall tender (via "contacts" :whistle:). Brilliant buys thanks to war reserve expenditure - have never looked back Mk1 Ferret - eBay (the first thing I ever bought on eBay), not bad as a sight unseen temptation and I was working on the basis his description didn't matter cos I was gonna restore it anyway - turned out only too true as he knew nothing about the vehicle and had it as a toy till he got bored and it broke Morris - MVT Green Sheet advert (I would certainly expect to use Milweb as well nowadays). Bought the first British WW2 vehicle I saw advertised in that copy - a very hard lesson never to be repeated! Landy 101 - from a dedicated 101 dealer who is now out of business (aka retired) since he sold everything. Visited many many places to find one and bought it like you would any car from any forecourt dealer ie with some worthwhile guarantees but also a load of half truths about what work had been done already. Fox - eBay listing converted into private deal ( :deal: shh don't tell anyone). Waited a long time for one to come up and contacted a lot of people (via here on HMVF and also the Alvis website) for word of mouth info. Inspected ones in Kent, Cornwall and Scotland (from a Surrey base!) to find the one I eventually bought having learned my lesson from the Morris - no matter how rare never buy the first one you see unless you are already really familiar with the quirks of your chosen moneypit

Chris In practice they never had the BV - it is listed in the early CES but as far as we know was almost immediately withdrawn because it was too much for the vehicle electrics and there was a history of fires according to one of the US owners who has researched (and owns) vast amounts of 1960's related CES. The BV you see for sale are the square ones which are for 432 and Fox and were never for Ferret. The "correct" Ferret BV was cylindrical and about 2/3rds the size of the square 432 version. Like you I too have filled the flask brackets with Thermos flasks but wonder about the "correctness" of them in a late 1980's vehicle - which is how mine is otherwise fitted out. I have a couple of modern flask cosies (I assume North Flank/Norwegian issue items) which somehow look more convincing than the Thermos flasks themselves. Any ex 1980's crew out there :roll:

Hi All as Ferret owners some of us get caught up in the must have all the CES bug but recently I have begun to wonder why do I need the Thermos Flask food/drink container shown in the CES lists as these were originally WW2 issue and certainly many on eBay are dated in the 1950's So my question is: did Ferret crews in the late 1980's actually use these Thermos flasks for keeping food or drink hot. I know they were still issued with the No 2 petrol cooker but did they have or use more modern vacuum flasks instead of these venerable old Thermos originals? John

As Alien says working through the harness you will only ever get audio in one ear at a time eitehr left ot right depending on which set you have your CB2 switched to monitor. On long jounreys this can be exhausting - for example I have the CB as my "A" set and a normal car radio as my "B" set. The intercom continues to work over the top before anyone asks. At the end of the journey I am desperate for a change of ear on the car radio since 2 hours blasting into one ear only when we are used to stero these days does get annoying - the only solution I know is to switch the plug positions on the IB3 and reverse the A and B radios between the CB and car radio

But the point is this is the standard you must meet whether its an MOT tester who does it or you who are self certifying through claiming an exemption. I quite agree its a bit silly for a Ferret but that's not the point, demonstrating road safety is however they did :drool: - they coudn't wait to get in and drive it - I won't let them :evil: because none of them knew the first thing about pre select boxes This is the whole point of this thread - many of us claim exemption but none of us have a definitive understanding on what basis we claim it because neither VOSA nor DVLA will give a consistent answer or commit to a decision themselves. Please define a "motor tractor" :dunno: or "goods vehicle first used before Jan 1960 gross weight >3.5T" :dunno: when applied to Ferret for those are the exemptions we claim :schocked: As I say I'm just talking from my personal experience - I don't really care if you disagree its a free world :yawn2: :died:

I have successfully run a CB through the IB3 for years now. I connected the audio (speaker) output from the CB to a spare 7 pin clansman plug and simply connect this plug to one of the radio set input plugs on bottom of the IB3. You will receive through your headset as though it were either the A or B radio set depending on which monitor station setting you have your CB2 on. Can't remember off hand which pin I connected to in the plug If this is wrong someone please correct me nicely (no snide remarks about superior knowledge!) - the centre pin is neutral?????? - I think (I think) pin e takes the "live" feed from the CB audio output????? As said you cannot connect the CB mike to a Clansman harness circuit because of the impedance issues

licence :? Yes assuming you are not present and the brake test is done on the public road but surely you would not leave the Ferret in their tender hands, surely you would have driven it there yourself and supervise the test anyway because, as you say, they will not know where the controls are. You as the presenter have the right to drive the vehicle during the test and, much as they may want to drive it, you can stop them. Given the folllowing very brief overview of the testable items the only area for some doubt is over visual inspection of the fuel lines. For everything else the MOT is about what is visible during the test without dismantling components. Steering: visual checks of components which can be inspected from either inside or underneath the vehicle including when steering operating under load Lights: Headlamp alignment, Operation of indicator, hazards (where fitted), side and brake lights. Operation of tell tales (where fitted). Rear reflectors Brakes: Obviously it is necessary to check brake efficiency and balance on a road test with a portable decelerometer. Inspection of visible components (external checks only of drums) Suspension: Rules state the specific nature of any examination will depend to a large extent on the design of the suspension system but is of visible components only and is concerned with condition (leaks etc). Examiners are not stupid and will not try the bounce test! Exhaust: System must be complete and intact. Emissions checks are restricted to visual only for a vehicle of the Ferret’s age (Excessive smoking is a reason for failure) Fuel system: Any fuel leak will result in a fail. Checked under the bonnet and throughout the run of the fuel line from the fuel tank to the engine. Tyres: Condition and tread depth (note - spare tyre is excluded from the test but where fitted externally must be secure and unable to fall off) Body condition: State of structural corrosion (as if!!) Seats: Securely attached Seat belts: (where fitted) must be tested for security of attachment and operation Horn: operates and is of correct type Mirrors: (where applicable) secure, visible from the driver's seat Registration plate and VIN plate: present and correct Doors, bonnet, windscreen: Beneath comment! No specialist equipment is required other than the ability to lift the vehicle for the steering operation test - any MOT test station doing Class 7 tests will be so equipped.

Chris Thanks, you once again demonstrate the wonderful inconsistency which is our British Civil Service when faced with having to think for themselves. I was told the same as Lee - they can't automatically exempt it, you have to claim each year - can you bottle your magic touch and sell some of it to the rest of us :-D John

welcome, plenty of Ferret folks on here, even one in Notts (sirhc) if you fancy a more international list join the Ferret Heaven yahoo group also http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-heaven/?yguid=319793401

but thats the point - the V11 does say MOT required :computerterror: hence all the debate about claiming exemptions for those of us with vehicles registered some time ago under inconsistent classes or different classes to those they use today

Not sure about that - on the computer it will only show what-s on your V11 reminder, ie if DVLA reckon you need an MOT then the "computer says No" (exempt) You're so right about a good MOT tester - part of the deal with the council guys is they draw the line when it is reasonable to do so and we both agree they cannot give an advisory only on it.

ah right! I have the default that DVLA seems to use when they don't know: something like - rigid body 2 axle

Yes of course - wasn't thinking it is historic tax class - didn't know there was a registered type as well as tax type. If so I have no idea what it is, will have to read the V5 properly! I'll check with Stan how the Fox has been registered

Hi Lee Bit of background first: I used to get my MOT done at the local VOSA HGV test station where there was an ex REME VM who "did a proper job" on it :shake: Then VOSA changed its regulations and refused to do my test because my V5 states mine is a PLG and they they said they no longer tested class 4 (or class 7) and the alternative they suggested was to take it to the place which does all the local council's vehicles as they had the facilities to cope with "big stuff". So thats where I go to this day. Thinking about it, and to answer your question, I don't actually know what class it is tested as now, since the council depot are a bit keen on the vehicle and a bit less keen on the paperwork if you get my meaning ... I will have to consult my documents and see if I can work it out because up to now I have simply taken it as read that I have the correct paperwork. I have not really examined the V5 other than to note its classed as a PLG in the same way as my car. I bought it via R&R Services in 1991 and they did the initial registration for me so I simply took the V5 as read and in those days in my innocence all I knew about exemption was that a post 1960 vehicle could not claim "age related" exemption and R&R did all their stuff on "Q" plates anyway so age never entered into it. They presented registrations to the Maidstone office nearly very month and as the clerks there were used to it I presume they had an arrangement with R&R about how to class stuff in those days . Clearly things have now changed and I am open to being corrected. When the tax free legislation came in I changed my reg from a "Q" plate to an age related plate and the DVLA local office (Wimbledon) would only agree to that after a physical inspection but the veracity of the V5 class and details was not questioned by them - but then again as we have said throughout this thread the clerks at VOSA and DVLA do not have the knowledge or a consistent view on how to treat MV's I would be happy to entertain alternative views from you or others on how to interpret the regulations since I am no authority nor do I claim to be! QUESTION Given the e mail I have from VOSA as referred to in my original post states Mr Richard Underwood Senior Technical Officer at VOSA HQ considers the Ferret to be a motor tractor and therefore exempt do you know what is the definition of a motor tractor and can you only claim that category of exemption if that's what it says on your V5. I will shortly have the same issue with the Fox - Chris McM tells me his is a motor tractor because it is designed to carry a gun but seems to stretch the point a point You have me really worried now because i have a habit of making assumptions rather than checking myself and in this case I assumed that because I have an MOT certificate I was covered, but if the class is wrong presumably the paperwork is invalid :dunno: John

Thats kind of the point - there is no consistent answer given because neither the DVLA nor VOSA have given a definitive ruling on the matter. Lots of people have been given lots of individual answers by "Swansea" over the last few years all of which seem to make sense and be authoritative at the time they asked. in practice, pre 1960 Ferret owners do claim the 1960 HGV related exemption irrespective of what it says on their V5 as their registration class. IMHO you take you pick and take your chances - or simply get an MOT and be certain you are right John