Stone

Hi chaps,

I know some of you have these gennies so as a public service I've scanned the manual I just received in the post

Hope it proves of use to someone.

Clicky

Cheers

Stone

Agree with the above but do check your licence as sometimes there will be an "information Code" next to the licence category like "number 107" which then states "Not more than 8250kg" that being the combined weight of vehicle and trailer.

Correct, apologies. If you acquired cat C1 by grandfather rights (holding a cat B license prior to 1997) then it will have the 8.25t caveat, if you were now to take a C1 test you'd be fine up to 12t.

Stone

ok, maybe I'm being fik (ahem... "thick" ), or maybe it's the bus driver in me, but I can't wrap my head around this concept, but how the hell DO you downrate an LGV to 7.5 tonne general licence specs, and what are the limitations on loading, once you've accomplished this?!

 

Ta muchly for as best a one-syllable word(s) explanation for this 'ere fiko

Fit metal spacer plates to the suspension end-stops (so the suspension travel is reduced). Get the paperwork filled out ready for a VOSA inspection and they'll authorise a new loading plate to rivet over/in place of the old one, with the new maximum authorised mass on.

How you figure out what size plates to fit is the hard bit. There are some companies (ev SV Tech) who'll do it for you based on a computer analysis of the suspension layout and then send you the plates and paperwork for you to fit yourself.

As for loading, as a rule of thumb you're required to keep about 2t of carrying capacity - an unladen MJ weighs about 5600kg so you're very close if you've got anything on the back. I'd have said a comms body would most likely be overloading it, but you'd have to get it on a weighbridge to make sure. Personally I wouldn't run the risk, VOSA can really ruin your day if they stop you.

As for the original question, you can tow up to a 750kg trailer on a C1 license. If you have C1+E you can tow any trailer, provided the combination does not exceed 12 tonnes MAM and the laden weight of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle. See here.

HTH

Stone

and with no engines and with fooked bodywork....once you check a vehicle at withams make sure you photograph it and the engine for evidence...can honestly say I have never bought anything that is any good...sure loads have just not me...

We got a good MJ, the trick is to take a REME mech with you! We got the best of 20-odd vehicles he inspected though...

There's a FV439 for sale as well, can't be too many of those with collectors!

Stone

What's that first Duro for? Looks a bit similar to the Ptarmigan rigs...

And what are they doing with that RPG?! :shocked:

Stone

These are great pics

Have you got any more of DROPS (Foden, MAN or Leyland DAF)?

Stone

It proves that the email originated from them... if checked it would lead back to them... very hard to forge the header...

I disagree. You can trivially forge the To: and From: fields, and looking here will give you some ideas as to how you can hide the origination point with an open mail relay. If you didn't want to just forge the originating address / mailserver (the relay doesn't know that you are who you say you are as it's unauthenticated) there's nothing stopping you from looking up a bunch of likely relay points and their IP addresses, doing a bit of copy+paste and printing it out. It might make it look more plausible to your customs chap if you have a bit of paper with your email headers on, but the only way he can really verify it is to ring them up and check.

Not that likely that they would stop you at all, I guess, but hey :???

Stone

Moved the other one this morning.

Pics of the other genny:

Cheers

Stone

The screw on plugs are a standard weather proof type. No problem getting them.

I've got a couple of loose ones knocking around, I'll throw in one with each :cool2:

Stone

Removed one of the pair today. (parked car blocking the other one, I'll do it tomorrow!)

Both are missing the (plastic?) top cover, this one is missing the terminal block cover (15 mins work for a replacement in sheet steel). They've been stored in their pallet so they haven't got wet, just exposed to atmosphere, hence the rusting.

I found one of the flexible exhausts (damaged on one end) but I only have one. One remote-start box and earth spike each, though

Stone

Eyethaanyuu.

For my next trick, I think ZBovington_0199 is an M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage, based on the M3 chassis.

Stone

ZBovington_0069 is an FV434 or 'Carrier Maintenance, Tracked' (the REME recovery variant of the FV432 personnel carrier). A couple of chaps on here have one.

I'm sure someone will be along to do the rest presently

[edit: beaten to it, that was quick!]

Stone

I'm sure you already know this but you don't need an MOT if you have an exemption - have a quick flick through the form, you never know.

Also I was told to put 'Heavy Oil' in the fuel type instead of Diesel, might avoid confusion at the local office...

I would thoroughly recommend filling in as much of the form as possible and then taking it to a local office rather than doing it through the post - a helpless look goes a long way

Stone

The Tatra is a late T813 "Kolos" - it's rather cool 8-)

Yes you can carry an ISO container (the bed is 2.5m wide x 6m long) you'd need the locks and that's about it I think. There's loads of stuff on the web (data & pictures) if you have a google.

Whatever you do make sure you don't declare it as over 2.55m wide on the forms, the DVLA are within their rights to refuse it a registration! :shake:

The internet seems to be saying 2.5m total width so use that, don't measure your one...

Stone

When we registered the Bedford we left most of the boxes blank, they didn't bat en eyelid! Can't see it passing any kind of emissions test, to be honest..unless it was a tickbox 'yes, it does have some'

MAM is different to revenue weight because some vehicles are taxed at one weight but actually another weight. Something to do with being able to tax a truck as private LGV but then convert it into a living wagon or something? I know there's a really convoluted reason they need to keep them separate but I can't for the life of me remember what it is. It's very obscure though, so don't worry about it

What kind of 8x8 Tatra is it? I've got my eye on one for something else...could you fit a 20ft x 8ft x 8ft ISO container on the back?

Stone

I agree with you, the Hyundai looks like it might be quite a lot smaller too...

Might be worth going to a local farm supply type place to have a poke around before committing yourself, nothing like comparing them in the flesh to help you make your mind up...

Stone

I'd use an earthing strap to attach Frame Earth (and the other one) to the vehicle chassis, and another strap to attach the generator frame to the vehicle frame. An earth spike ties the generator frame to earth (and thus the vehicle frame as well).

Then start the genny, apply power, flick the MCB switch and press the 'Press to Test' button, if it doesn't trip it's not working! (in which case I'd jumper neutral to earth at the genny, but check with a sparks if it's not sinking in)

Basically what you want to avoid is having the generator running and tied to the vehicle chassis but no connection to the ground - if that happens you can't know what the actual voltage difference between earth and frame is and you'll probably get a shock if you touch it! (the army bods used to do this deliberately to teach interfering NCOs a lesson, when they grabbed the ladder they'd be shocked off it :rofl:)

Looks like my cable is almost the same as yours but not quite - in which case I'd cut the end off and replace it with a civvy one to fit your new genny.

Stone

Yeah, the last 32A socket I wired had a rubber boot that you removed when putting the cable together and cut a section out of - it was scored so you could choose the diameter of cable and still get a good waterproof seal. (I would always run a bead of silicone around the edge though, we had one that filled with water overnight and tripped everything!)

He's right about the connectors - think they're made of Bakelite which isn't approved for commercial use any more. No problems for civvies though, as far as I know :cool2:

Most aircons I've seen are 3.5kW or under so I'd expect 6.5kVA to be a reasonable surplus to budget with. Make sure you use an earth spike or you might be in for the odd hair-raising experience! :eek: If you have an RCD in your box it may need earth to be bonded to neutral at the genny end - ask a sparks for advice, or someone on here should know!

Stone

Blimey, don't think you could do that in the RAF ones!

Stone

I think they're the same as this one. (bit rustier though!)

Each genny has two outlets that accept standard UK plugs or a modified army variant with a screw-down sealing cap; believe total output is 3.5kVA.

Been doing some digging, I found a pair of remote start boxes and extension cables earlier :cool2:

Getting there!

Stone

I've attached a pic of the round mains connector (other end terminates to one of the Bakelite-insulated / waterproof BS1363 mains connectors) - this any good to you? For proper safety usage you could lop the BS1363 end off and replace it with a blue EN60309 one as most modern gennies use those, and they seem to be turning into the defacto standard on caravan sites too. The cable's yours for price of postage, just let me know!

Also I'd love to know what the RF connector (other pic) is and where I can get mating parts - I have tons of these cables and they look nice quality. Anyone have any idea of the cable specs, frequency range etc?

Cheers

Stone

I was told that the one on show at Beltring was the best example they have. The rest in stock require various degrees of work. Including quite a few that are missing parts.

Makes you ask: why are they missing parts? According to this lot it's because they were so short of spares for the common failures that they had to cannibalise all the reserve stock!

If the nicest thing anyone has to say about them is 'Too bad for even RAF service' that's hardly a glowing recommendation :rofl: It's a shame, they look great, but if nothing else works you at least want to be able to stop with functioning brakes!

Stone

I'm sure most of the £6bn they lost was due to poor asset management. You only need to look at the stuff which turns up for sale, for example how many vehicles turn up at Withams with stuff still fitted/stowed?

Totally agree, some of the stuff they chuck because they can't be bothered to remove it is brand new!

We got a big power supply (240V in, 28V @ 60A out) with our Bedford, and I rang up the manufacturer to find out what connectors they'd used. They kept asking me why I had it, they were only manufactured in 2005! :n00b:

Stone

They're definitely not commando plugs, I think we all know what they look like!

Obviously they are military connectors (they came from the military...) - they look more like some of the Pattern 105 range by Amphenol but there are literally tens of thousands of green circular connectors with twist-locking mechanisms. I'll see if I can find NSNs on the cables tomorrow, that might help.

I'd mostly like to know what my cables are spec'd for as they might come in useful - and I have equipment with unknown power inlets on. Shame to just bin it, much better if it can come in useful for something...

Stone

Hello mate,

I've been digging through some of our old cables and found a few that might come in handy, including one of the weird modified-mains plugs. If you want it it's yours, drop me a pm and i'll put it in a jiffy bag! Some pics of your cable inlets would be good too, I have a load of 3-pin cables that don't fit anything of mine!

Stone