Richard Grosvenor

Hello Jack, Have you seen the editorial in this months CMV Magazine? It asks the same question of how to bring new blood into the hobby. It picks up on the high prices of MV compared to classic cars and how it would be difficult for younger enthusiasts to afford to start a MV collection. I have to say I agree, yes I know that Military Vehicles would have cost alot more new than a similar aged classic car, but think about it. A rough Jeep needing work is at least £5000, good ones over £12,000, rumour has it that Johnny Deepe paid £17,000 for one, you could buy a good Porsche or even a poor Lambo for that! At the sensible end, £1500 to £2500 would by a really good everyday classic. There was a programme on recently, I think it was called "Big Boys Toys" ,or something like that, and on it there was an American Multi-Millionaire who has one of the largest collections of Military Vehicles in the world and even he was saying how he would like the prices of MV to go down not up. Regards Richard

Hello, We got a really good "NATO Green" paint from our local Auto Paint Supplier. Our ZIL was painted with it when we got it and after 18 months of living outside it still looks good. I sprayed our trailer with it and found it sticks like @#*t to a blanket! It covers very well and drys quickly to a really good finish. (Or that could just be because I'm a brilliant paint sprayer! 8) ) I'll find the make and paint code and post the details Regards Richard

Hello Dougy, The first time we went to Withams we found them a little odd, not rude or un-helpfull, just odd. I think they must get so many time-wasters who just want to have a ride in a tank! Now we've brought stuff off them and they know us we find them very helpfull. Cheers Richard

But did he see your Jeep! Regards Richard

Hello Oddball, Oh...I did know there was a ride on a steam train involved! There's a reason no-one noticed, Grown Man + Live Steam Train= Grown Man becomes a 4 year old child again! :wink: Regards Richard

Well, I might be being a little thick, but if you were all there and as Oddball's (very nice) Jeep has his name painted on it, why didn't you all keep standing near it. :wink: Regards Richard

I can carry on if you like......no....alright then! :wink: Tyler, I can't believe you've not been to one of Withams Tender Sales, it's worth it just to see some weird and wonderful (and rare) pieces of Military hardware tucked away. The big black building (where the toilets are) often has the best stuff in it. It's hard to see the stuff, as it's fenced off but sometimes... I mean....how often do you see a huge,tracked ambitious thing like this? Sergeant Degsy, Whats this double posting lark, are you trying to out rank us all!? :wink: They say power corrupts! :lol: Cheers Sergeant Grosvenor

Hello Dougy, The Militant is 1953, so being before 1960 I can drive it on a C1 car licence, it can also pull a trailer, providing that the trailer is un-laden or has a permanent load, and my argument is that an artillery piece is a permanent load. Hopefully! :? It's a big lump though, I only took the Militant towing the FH70 to one event last year, our local towns VJ Celibrations, and had to get the police to stop the traffic on three roads so I could get out of the market place. :oops: I'm going to have to get my HGV liecence as I would love either a Foden FH70 or a Scammel Crusader. We got our FH70 from Withams but not out of a Tender sale. We were going to but we just didn't know where to start checking it over. Our's came with pretty much everything including the auto shell loader,tonnes of CES and most importantly a user manual. They also checked it over and replaced a couple of broken fittings on it. You have to be careful with the ones in the tender, FH70's have a slight weakness with their trail leg hydraulic rams if used incorrectly. The rams are only intended to put the trail wheels into self propelled mode, they are not designed to take the stain and stress's of the howitzer moving. There is locks on the rams for this, the manual and instruction plates on the rams insist that no attempt be made to move the gun until the locks are fully wound in. Withams don't bother with this, they start them up, lift them up and away they go. Result, broken end plate on the ram and another one for the tender. I don't know about last Tender because we didn't go, but in the one before, out of the 4 entered ( I think,might have been 5) only 1 would run. If you could get one cheap enough it would be worth buying a non runner, but sometimes they go to £3500ish and then you might aswell go and buy a checked over one directly from them. Did you know that even in the tender you can ask one of the staff to start up a lot that you are interested in so you can check it over? Blimey... that was a long post! Regards Richard

Hello Dougy The extra wire could be for that, at the towing hitch end, near the trailer lights plug there is another electrical connector so this could be for a warning light to go to the Foden. It's a very strange "vehicle" to trace wires as it has two wiring systems, one is for when it's a self propelled gun and the other is for when it's a trailer and they're independent of each other A big Foden FH70 Limber would be very nice, but I would have to get an HGV licence. Mind you the old Militant hardly notices it's pulling it. ( all together, 56ft long and 25tonnes!) I'm glad that we live on site and are able to keep the vehicles here, it makes it easy just to pop down to the building to work on them when I get a few minutes spare. Regards Richard

Hello, Found the problem, on the side of the valve block is a small access plate approx 2ins square. It is held on with 9 screws! (good old German over engineering!) Inside the box is a tiny micro-switch, over the years dust had found it's way in there jamming the mechanism up. Some prat spraying WD40 in it and turning the dust into oily mud didn't help much either! A good clean out and everything now works as it should. Regards Richard

Hello Dougy Have a look at this http://www.hmvf.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=98 If I can do it anyone can! Cheers Richard

Hello Dougy, Yes it goes out when I disconnect the plug, so I'm fairly sure the fault is with the switch. Just to be awkward there's 3 wires from the plug :!: :?: :?. Maybe everything on the APU is earthed separately ( the APU is independant to the rest of the Howitzer) Many Thanks Richard

Hello, I've got an irritation more that a problem the FH70 Howitzer. It's got two parking brake systems, one is a standard ratchet type handbrake working on each driven wheel, the other is a hydraulically operated one that holds the foot brake on when it is in APU (auxiliary power unit) mode. Basically you put your foot on the brake pedal and move a small lever on the hydraulic valve block and the brakes are held on. Moving the lever the other way releases the brakes. This all works fine, but the problem is that the warning light on the instrument panel stays on showing that the brakes are on even when they're off. This has only just started to happen and I'm sure it is only the switch inside the valve block sticking. I've removed the cable plug from the block and sprayed some WD40 inside the block to try and free off the switch but it hasn't made any difference yet. Does anyone know any way of free off the switch? I know I could just ignore the light or even turn it off but I like everything to work. Regards Richard

Hello, I have to say I had no interest in getting a MV until I first saw a ZIL 131 at an agricultural sale about 6 years ago. It was another 4 years until I got one and then I was more interested in the vehicle itself rather than the fact that it was a Military Vehicle. But it was a case of one is never enough so we started looking for another MV to go with it and stumbled upon the Ferret. Once we'd got a British MV my interest in the military side of it grew. What I like about the MV's is the way function dictates form, everything is there for a reason, e.g.. An armoured MV has heavy armour to protect the crew, because it's heavy it needs a powerful engine, because a powerful engine uses lots of fuel it needs a huge fuel tank and so on, unlike a modern car where everything is a compromise. I also like the way that a vehicles history can be traced. But mostly I like the fact that other MV owners are a friendly bunch and always ready to lend a hand or a word of advice with any problems or questions I have. Many Thanks Richard

Yes, Happy Birthday Jack, :lol: (My birthday is on the 7th Jan by the way. :wink: I would really like an Oshkosh if anyone wants to get me something! :wink: ) Cheers Richard

Ah...I looked at the bottom of the page. The one's that wiggle are Popular threads. And you thought I'd gone funny! :wink: :roll: Regards Richard

No....hic....It wiggles! :oops:

Hello, I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but if you click on a category, and then look at the threads, on the left hand side of the page you've got the little logo's that tell you if there is a new post. They go orangey yellow if there is, grey if there isn't, but sometimes they wiggle. :shock: Why? I wondered if it was when someone else was looking at that thread but sometimes there's more wiggling than there is people online. :? I'm confused! Richard

...so I can talk to you in real time! It is smart! 8) Cheers Richard

Thank You Chris Regards Richard

Hello, I sent an email to the seller of these prints asking about the vehicles used to create them and got a very nice reply from the artist himself. He bases them on vehicles that he sees at shows and in magazines etc. As my Ferret (Eric!) used to belong to a North London Barmy Army member and as the NLBA attend lots of shows it is almost certain that it is Eric!......Pretty cool ! 8) Having that bumper and ladder does make it easy to spot, it's on the 2002 War & Peace video and I've seen it in the background in CMV magazine. So apart from changing the front hatch back to the correct one I'll probably keep "him" exactly as "he" is. :lol: Regards Richard Ps. Has anyone got a front hatch for sale? :roll:

Hello Chris, I went on your website and can see two photo's of it, but I couldn't see it fitted anywhere. I'll await your picture. :wink: Many Thanks Richard

Hello, Me again! When I brought the Ferret it had loads of spares and bits and pieces in the cargo rack. I've worked out what everything is apart from the thing in the pictures below. I'm sure that it is upside down in the photo's but it's easier to see the shape of it upside down. It has a rubber flap across one corner and there is two key-hole slots for mounting it on one side. I've can't see another one on the vehilce or anywhere where it could go. What is it please? Many Thanks Richard

Look,Look, Look!! I was looking through Ebay, as you do, doing my normal searches and for Daimler Ferret I foung this :shock: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ferret-Mk1-2-British-Army-Gulf-War-print-by-Oliver-Cook_W0QQitemZ6566895045QQcategoryZ10953QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem I nearly fell off my stool!! It's either mine or, "there is another" (to quote Yoda! :wink: ) Cheers Richard

So as not to offend anyone, I wish everyone :lol: A Happy Non-denominational Holiday Season! :lol: (And a nice Christmassy Picture of the ZIL! :wink: ) Cheers Richard