paulob1

I have four racks, one 15 ton rack std, used to haul hay. One 10 ton welded with extra supports, ramps and filled in with steel mesh instead of wooden boards. one 15 ton rack modified to carry the MTLB....it has a 2 inch upstand on the inside edge of each track and an extra wide strip of flat plate upon which the tracks sit. It is a wider load but not over the legal limits for marker boards. we do use marker boards anyway... one ten ton with loads of bits on it awaiting preparation. I will take her off to the weight bridge and have a check on the weights once I have the oil pressure switch sorted. I have heard about these grease nipple points and Andy has checked they are all good. I know the difference between stable and tipping over is very close but I have never felt the DAF was ready to go, ever and I have played with this one on slab common with a stalwart on the back... I was reading about the problems the army had with logistics in some of the cold war material I am amassing for the COld War museum. the sheer logistical effort, it was clear that after 6-8 days of fighting there would be no stores left in BAOR, and resupply a real issue. Trucks only fodens and similar trucks just could not be loaded quickly enough using forklifts. The DROPS system was supposed to reduce the delay by not having trucks waiting to have their loads forklifted on...so reducing loading time and waiting time...all good. lets hope we never need them in anger in Europe.... its why in my opinion every single one should be given to us collectors with a grant to keep them in tip top working order, much cheaper than keeping them in the army. then if a war every started we have a couple of thousand spare army trucks to help with the resupply...do you think I should propose this to the government... we could set up civilian reserve groups, just like the TA but different. using old kit but still useable kit...the racks for the latest man trucks are no different I presume...? anyone know if this is true or not...

told you it was a here we go again. DROPS manufacturers GVW is claimed to be 32500 kg's, how ever its Authorised maximum weight in the UK is 30,000 kgs....it can carry including its own weight 30,000kgs legally....this is the GVW in the UK on UK roads...it is not the manufacturers GVW.... its Tare weight, is this unloaded but with a rack weight, or should we call the tare weight without a rack..hence my words...I think my explanation was clear enough and I was not getting my terms wrong...your comments were totally unhelpful. generalities are now pointless as we are talking details and a DAF DROPs with a 432 on is not unsafe unless you drive it like a loon or use the wrong rack or mount it incorrectly but then that is the same for any truck...

Its the same with almost all eight wheelers, the suspension is so hard they don't give they topple, there is a roundabout on the a3 that is notorious for trucks tipping over....most people will use it on the way to overlord...it has loads of warnings but still trucks go in too fast and brake too late and try to take the roundabout just too fast and over they go...about once a month...a few years ago anyway, not so many these days I would guess but I have not checked in years... crossing hatching the 432 works for sure, using 10 ratchet straps and 20 ton chains doubles you have ample strength, especially using the actual frame as the lashing point not any hook points etc..those that there are... regarding strapping the thing is not going to go forward as there is a bloody great frame stopping it, we have fixed a wooden stop to stop rubbing of metal to metal on the MTLBso it isn't going forward. the load sliding sideways as I have said we have fitted a 2 inch strip of angle iron to the inside of each track on the frame,,it would have to lift 2 inches to get past them...chained down and basically very solid means there is absolutely no movement. metal tracks as well no rubber pads to give it a bit of grip...the MTLB is only 11,900 kgs and mine is relatively stripped inside so not even that...plus it does not have the turret...has a lower centre of gravity than a 432, but I have to say they are not dissimilar and I have never had a single issue with my modified rack...

no need to bow out Paul, your input is great...and to be honest sometimes it takes a heads up for people to take notice...as I don't carry my 432 on the DROP's I have never been that concerned but checking the numbers which is the correct way means a 432 is very close to the maximums...it needs to be checked properly...and with a weighbridge. its too close to be left to chance...so to say the DROPs is okay with a 432 is wrong, everyone needs to check their particular vehicle and loadings...the 432 is very close to limits.. and dont forget folks its the running weight, ie full tank in the daf driver on board..all tools etc...so do the checks. I will get mine weighbridged and let you know...it is the responsible way and the way the forum can help us all...

Well now its started I have to do this...sorry guys... the daf is 15,000 kgs with a rack, or thereabout. the 432 can be up to 13750 kgs the daf can legally only carry 30,000kgs. it has steel suspension. so you could be very close to the legal limit.. I would have the combination weighed prior to driving...ideally you will need to 1. make sure you know the exact weight of your 432...if it is close to 15 tons you are heading into very tricky scenarios. 2. take the daf and have it weighbridged fully loaded with fuel...and everything you will normally carry including the said rack..i suspect this will be close to 15 tons or more. 3. make sure the combination does not exceed 30 tons. wheel loading should be checked but be aware that our tyres are classed as supper singles they are over 300mm wide...so the same as twin wheels...in most circumstances...so its unlikely you will exceed 19,000 kgs on the rear bogies, but you must have the load as far forward as possible. however you may have to unload the 432 of any fuel, and removable parts and put them on a small trailer behind the truck...tools spare tyres etc for my peace of mind I am going to the weighbridge next week, my daf is having a full service so is off the road at the moment. as soon as we have the new oil pressure switch sorted we will go test it and our 432 too..

as I said here we go again...

here we go, in the army there have been stories of DROPs being loaded with 24 ton loads in an emergency, as with any tall truck you have to be aware of the limitations. the DROPs is an excellent truck and a good handling truck. its maximum speed of 44 to 50 Mph adds to its overall safety if not its economy.. I have loaded a number of vehicles on the truck and any interpretation of the 432 being too high just not true. The load bed I agree is not an ideal vehicle carrier, even the 15ton bed needs additional security in my opinion. for the tracked vehicles I personally prefer angle iron stops that do not allow the load to slip sideways. it does not have to be high i used a 2 inch strip welded to the bed on top so that if the 432/mtlb or similar tries to move it cannot. cross strapping the load on the bed is entirely safe. however as always the load is only part of the issue, the driver and how he moves the vehicle is the major issue. I once arrived at site after over 60 miles with a stalwart on the back of a Foden GS...some how I had forgotten to fasten the chains, to this day I cannot understand how. The stalwart had not moved an inch and it was just sitting there on its paltry cork hand brake Was I lucky yes....and no, I drive carefully..

yes was thinking about contacting the police, just adds to the cover doesn't it, he did all he could to ensure everything was safe... amber flashing lights should only be used, whilst moving, on vehicles that do less than 20 mph....however if the police tell me to turn them off we will. if someone hits me they cant have many excuses if we have amber flashing lights all over the place

thanks Guys that is very useful..... okay so on the last vehicle we will have loads of flashing lights, no convoy vehicle, all vehicles will have flashing lights, will get a mix of colours red and amber 50-100 m separation is about the norm, which is about 4 truck lengths average... flags useless no one understands them except the military folk...we will likely travel on Friday morning, return Sunday afternoon... okay list to remember spare tyre for the daf...must take. jacks for the trucks and heavy torque spanners for wheel changes dont have a spare kraz wheel yet... others okay... all great fun but with today's roads safety has become a real issue. not least to ensure that we are not accused of being culpable, if we take all the precautions we can we should be okay...

I am taking a convoy of vehicles up to Coventry area, route will be via the M40 mostly. they will be the Kraz, max 40 mph, generally will be running at about 35mph, so this is the speed of the convoy, we will have the daf with trailer, the M62 wrecker with trailer, zil 131 and maybe a ural plus a couple of smaller vehicles. I am not aware of any rules and a quick check shows me that there is no minimum speed limit for the group.....however for those who have run convoys in the past I am thinking that we need to have at least four truck lengths seperation between vehicles so as not to hog the roads and make passing easy, especially on the a road sections. no one understands flags but wonder if I should not carry a sign or have a safety vehicle following with flashing lights... thoughts guys...don't want to be the cause of an accident. journey is about 100 miles...don't ask about the fuel bill...

okay we are booked up... we are taking the Foden with the Saracen on the back, the Daf loaded with the MTLB and FUG and the ZIl 131... I think thats' enough of a fuel bill for this year...

punishment of criminals does not work, it has been shown time and time again to fail...we need to use other methods to stop this sort of thing...a rope with 13 hoops placed around the neck with a short jump is the best choice for most career criminals...not much else works......

CET. added to the collection...

crikey that's a lot of nuts to check, I do however volunteer to check all the female nuts for any loose ones...etc

on my m62 if you forget to take it out of 6 wheel drive the trucks drives fine then suddenly it goes into a bouncy death wobble....very very dangerous wind up...it could be so many other things but if you say it drove okay for a period it does sound a lot like wind up...

exactly that is an excellent point evolving....I just think that the tank museum is plain boring....

yes agree re vdu's to a degree but i think a museum, has to cover all angles and just great lumps sitting there all pretty just isnt what a museum should be about to me...it should tell you a story the history etc etc,...

schloss marienberg, we defended that hill in crusader 80 and exercise Lionheart...

it is a fantastic place clean tidy and simply boring...great to see a tiger 11 sitting there, doing pretty much nothing, limited reviews and not much else... Hey Mark as was stated above....the charitable status is a long process and my museum will be a business, every penny of which will go back into it to buy more material but it will not initially be a charity.. However if it ever starts to make money and the tax man starts to take it I will have to reconsider the situation. I will use the museum status to apply for a live firearms licence so that I don't have to pay for my machines to be deactivated which is an additional expense I just don't need... longer term the actual museum part may become a charitable organisation.

my collection isn't open to the public yet but I am hoping to have it running in the new year...the cold war museum... watch this space...

yes they knew I was coming so all lined up as I arrived I shook all of their the hands the mayor and councillor, etc..nice bunch of people...didn't like the museum...soup in the canteen was virtually inedible...tasteless...and not even hot... Afghanistan display ok, and personal stories very good...

just going for a stroll around, shame they don't allow dogs..my museum will allow dogs.

Okay the foden passed her test today...simply would not go through without a 10 ton stolly on the back..

interesting museum, you have given me some ideas for a trip too...for other things to see depends, all military or general things...I would like to visit Camp Vogelsang it is an amazing historical legacy of Hitlers breadth of control and influence, one of his youth camps, built by prisoners, I remember hearing it had been abandoned and was now opened...during the day, its worth a visit...no idea what they are doing with it but it is really a magnificent construction and worth the visit in my opinion...just checked on internet and yes it is open to the public during the day...you can still see the statues that had all their private parts shot off by the Americans when liberated...bullet holes everywhere...

yes we have to get the fuel pump back in ours a fit the crane operational mechanism and she is all up and running again. we have a lot of work to do on the chieftain and still just collecting parts for now... still in dire need of the front offside storage bins, nearside recoverable, offsides gone completely..