paulob1

fuel taps drive me crazy, they all start to leak over time and I have never found replacing the seals fully cures them...

your speaking go ahead...

no I think people are genuinely interested in seeing these vehicles one the road...mostly they think its the army and they want to show their appreciation...I think mostly people are marvellously supportive of those people keeping and restoring these things as well.

thanks chris will have a look at it... Paul

Yes it seems more likely than fuel at this stage as the fuel seems to be getting through nice and clean,, how do i get to it...is it behind the main inspection panel...and what do I do if it is the damn thing, are they readily available...or do i take one off my spare engine...and await a replacement...

When i first got the 432 from Marcus it started first hit of the button, every time...but now, after just a few times in use and after just a few weeks its taken to turning over a good deal before she will start, I usually have to try for a few minutes and then stop, and go back and have another go after say 5 or 10 minutes...any ideas...she has a full tank of fuel, and seems to have no air locks to the fuel filter in the hull...could it be the fuel pump getting weak, or maybe a weak battery, (doesnt seem like it) but if I charge the battery up for a wee while it seems to help, or is the pause between the first attempt and the second attempt... The manual mentions a sticking solenoid on the fuel injection, anyone had any experience of this?

I cant recomend it enough, changing lanes becomes simple once you have the camera..and you can afford to not stop each time the near side mirror gets moved by a tree or hedge that overhangs the road... the only real issue is that if you have it as a rear view mirror its not so good as a reversing device...for this i still recomend the mirrors...

this is for sure one thorough shake down of the stolly brakes and to be honest a very useful review for those that do have a stolly...makes us all a bit fearful of just what can happen to these complex and sensitive machines.......I think i might get my guys to strip and clean my air packs...am getting awfully twitchy about them now...mine have been so good over the years that I just cant believe that they dont need a good clean and clear out... Excellent work you guys...

dead simple...bolted it onto the back using an existing screw hole and the appropriate screw, ran the wire to the front and into the cab...no holes in the bodywork...run it into the main hatch, into the 12/24 volt unit...the TV sits in the left hand corner and I power it using the inspection light sockets...means I can remove anytime by undoing one nut and bolt...but believe me it is so good to be able to see behind you...go to reversingcamerasuk.co.uk...absolutely superb full colour 218 quid including delivery...thats with two cameras...I could have run the cable into the air vent at the back and via that route but decided I would prefer to be able to see it and remove it when ever I wanted without much bother...this seemed the easiest way...but the driving improvement is worth its weight in gold..

I took my 432 for a drive today...ooh she was fun....and she was really hard to stop her running up to 30 plus mph....lovely, but very very warm...she is very smooth... I fitted the reversing camera and that is great as a driving mirror...you all need to fit one it makes driving so much safer....

zil 131...only 3-5 mpg but great off road and not too bad to look after...parts are reasonably easy to get too and they are at least different to everything else you see...bedfords are good trucks too though, but I have not seen any trucks that can be called economical except for maybe the unimog diesel...

I just had to put this down as it changes every week but this is where I am going with my MV's I have my stolly 623...beautiful and my FV432 and three zil 131's... Next I am going for a box bodied zil 131 and a Ural 375d and a 4320...thexse i am getting from poland in August...if i can find a nice ot64 too i may just be tempted to buy one of these as well... Now where do i go from here.... these are the vehicles I really fancy.... 1..chieftain...how easy are they to look after and just play with now and again, i mean move around the yard etc...and just start her up now and again.. 2 Scorpion, or Spartan...maybe both but definitely like the spartan, even though i hate the J60 (dont ask why) 3 Ferret...definitely at some stage next year 4. Saracen...just love these... 5. Foden...8x8...fh70 with crane.. 6. And finally a berliet crane... Of course all of the above depends upon cash and other issues. i want to buy good working machines so that i am not repairing them all day long then will likely hire a full time mechanic to help me work on them along with selling some of the russian stuff over the next few months... But anyway what do you guys think...am i being crazy wanting all of these or should i stick with a limited group and focus...

there are road legal mini diggers for sure....its easy to register a tracked vehicle for the road...sign your v112 and away you go, no mot tax it and insure it and you are away, as long as it has lights indicators if it is reasonably new and a brake light your fine... Anyway taking my test on the 23rd with Terry brooks in a scorpion...will then no doubt be adding scorpion to my list of vehicles to buy...

seriously annoying...my crane had the same problem, cracked solder on the fuel pipe in the tank itself, drove me to distraction trying to find it, checked it over and over again but could not see any leak but the moment I bypassed it all was fine...unbelievable...to be sure you have an air leak not a blockage,,,i am 99% sure...dont know the pigs but i know mechanical fuel pumps and it sounds like you have air getting in...get one of those hand pump (as you see on boat lines) and pressurise the lines this will show you where the hole is when you see where fuel comes out...easier than trying to find a sucking pipe...

I am doing my H test with terry, just waiting for the date to do it...there is a movement in the DVLA that is trying to ban...wide vehicles...winebagos, old military stuff etc...not because they have a record of being unsafe, just that they say they are too wide...accident will happen eventually etc etc.. And there is much thought about banning ex military vehicles from the road and tanks and the like are certainly coming more and more into the lime light due to those users who are taking them out more and more often...an accident is waiting to happen. But since most of these things travel at less than 30 mph and speed is the main cause (not) of accidents I cant see the reason for all this trouble....we may have to start a fight on this very topic at some stage in the future...

okay am convinced, will stick with sae 30 and sod the cost differential....my stolly runs really sweet most of the time, so dont want to screw it up... I have bought myself another b81 and am going to strip and overhaul it...for a bit of fun to see if I can tune it a tad, increase the compression a tad..improve the air flow and other such things...we will see...

I took my c licence, I was amazed at how it improved my driving with trailer and big vehicle skills...I thought I was a good driver until I took this course and test...it made me a safer driver...I am taking my h licence this year and expect that to do the same, although driving the 432 on the road is pure fear..but at least i am only driving at less than 25mph...I will take my artic c1e licence next year and I too expect that to improve my driving skills...if you want to drive big vehicles do the courses and the tests...it will make you safer and more capable and less of a risk to other road users..

bugger this is a job i have to do.or I may buy a new track and leave these as spares for emergency use...or perhaps i can get one of my boys to do it...

no too much trouble in the end...and I dont have enough money spare...

why were they self destructing...more detail please this is very interesting...was the thicker oil getting glogged up not getting to the parts needed etc etc...I was just thinking of chanign the oil to 20/50 in my stlwart...you have just made me re think that one...

i think I am slowly heading into the same territory too,...for the gear oil, I have used the best ep90 money can buy and i am sure that is good...for the engine I am heading towards a 20/50 oil as likely being better than the sae 30 i keep forking out for...especailly as the stolly does less than 100 hours work a year..

yes the saracens are cool vehicles...I would like to have a stalwart a saracen and a ferret...only got the stolly now but a saracen is such a cracking vehicle... welcome...i am in Alton/Guildford...pop up some time and we can compare vehicles...

replace the thing with an electric pump...those mechanical fuel pumps are the bane of my life...I have three in my zils, all have failed, i have one on my coles crane, failed twice, they drive me nuts...i am in the process of replacing them with electric fuel pumps and getting rid of the mechanical things...and if one fails its a 2 minute job to replace it...and they are not expensive either...just make sure you get one with the right flow rate...and that it is for a carburetor or for fuel injection...but fuel in your oil can be the carb leaking but is more commonly the fuel pump leaking...if the carb on the saracen is anyrthing like the one on my stalwart the biggest problem is the fuel jets...each time you press the throttle they give a little squirt of fuel...if you keep pressing the throttle you can flood the thing easily...especially if she wont start...two squirts on my throttle and my stolly fires immediately...even on those awful 13y plugs...

neil proceed with caution....big miles will mean trouble unless you have some method and plnety of time to recover it...I have my stolly in good nick but I WORRY EVERY INCH OF THE ROAD WHEN I AM OUT WITH HER...I am taking my 432 out this month for the first time...now that will be fun...and scary...

hmm am still not totally off the idea...as I say it could just be my labour of love and i do have 200 acres in guildford already...perhaps i could put rubber pads on it and drive it around...I cannot see why the bodywork will not polish up quiete nicely and then getting the engine running just to show that it does would be good enough for me...to be able to move it a few feet once a year would be a bonus of course...well let me do the deal first and see how it all progress.