LoggyDriver

It's £1.17 a litre here and going up day in day out. It's absolutely disgusting. Nothing to do with supply and wholesale price is relatively low. All to do with those speculating nobs in the money markets. :mad::box:

What is the load rating for your tyres? LW VASS have loads of new bar grip 12.00-20's in stock around the £80 each mark I think!

Most modern Military Vehicles are now just Green or Sand. They used to paint them Cammo a while back but then this painting regulation came in and you were no longer allowed to paint them in a unit, they had to go to ABRO to be done as the new paint is two pack. It all depends on Unit SOP's.

I thought the MOD got rid of all the RB44's, they must still have a few left. You have this one, and I saw an RB44 in BATUS/Cyprus colours on a railway waggon in a siding at Didcot Parkway along with a DAF 4 tonner.

No worries mate.

So what is the estimated time scale on this. I understand when all the nitty gritty has been done it is put out to another public consultation before implementation? Are we talking about a year?

It all depends on what you are going to use it for. If it's for private use then it will be taxed as a Private HGV and the cost of this is £165 for 12 months. This is the same price whether it's de-rated or not. Registration is £55. Don't know what they charge for plating. The current test fee is £75 for a two axle rigid.

What a bunch of knuckle heads. Fancy even trying to load it on that trailer, which looks far too small for that. It's down to the banksman when a truck is reversing, wouldn't be surprised if he got charged for that!!

Hi Ojays. I too lived in Cyprus for one year, back in 1999. I was stationed at Nicosia International Airport better known as Blue Berret Camp when I was detatched to the United Nations for a year. I was lucky enough to have free reign in the De Mil zones and saw lots of sights that no one else gets to see. I spent 6 months as the SQMS driver and then 6 months as the Postie driver and cover for the HQ Brit Con Commander and the UN High Commissioner drivers. Cyprus back then was still a closed country in the North for most people, but we were free to cross the border and explore the sights. It's a lovely country and I loved every minute of it. Back then it was still the Cypriot pound and fuel was VERY, VERY cheap at 11 pence a litre (you could fill up a LWB Shogun from empty for a fiver!!!) What is the situation like now, is it still an independent country (If your in the North it's still going to be as it was) in the South or has the dreaded EU jackboot made it's mark? Do they still have those cash payment boxes in the fuel stations? Welcome aboard!

I think it would be a lot easier to argue that whatever vehicles are currently registered as exempt should remain so and that the legislation should not be applied retrospectively. Vehicles released after the change in the law becomes active should then be looked at individualy to assess their suitability for exemption on the new rules.

Stone, The stated weight of my box is 3 ton. I think this would be a "fitted out" weight and not just an empty box. Hence why mine struggles up hills!!

Thanks for your time in preparing the document. All the arguments seem well thought out and the responses well put. This isn't a criticism, but I would like to see the document proof read if possible for spelling and grammar mistakes, as I did notice a few and it should be as accurate as possible before submission to the Government. (but don't ask me as I can't spell):-\ I do take issue with your comment about "half asleep" HGV drivers though. I am an HGV class one driver and have been a Professional Driver since 1993, eight of those years as a driver in the Army. Whilst I accept that drivers do get tired and sometimes cause accidents, the milage driven per year versus the accidents that happen, would result in a small overall percentage and this is a rather sweeping statement. Trucks on "the limiter" means 56mph, and if a Reo is driving at 50mph this is only a 6mph difference. Lets not speculate on what a particular vehicle was doing to cause an accident as we don't know the facts. We are also subject to 5 yearly medicals over the age of 45 and this includes an eye test. It has to be remembered that Professional Drivers have taken the relevent training to pass their tests and as such are awarded their vocational licence. We are subject to drivers and working time regulations and now subject to the CPC training regime. We are being constantly trained and assessed for our driving skills and knowledge of the laws governing commercial vehicle operation. It has to be remembered that "most" collectors driving pre 1960 vehicles are driving very large machines WITHOUT an HGV licence and the training that goes with it.

We need pictures old boy!!:cool2:

Hi Stone, Yeah, your not allowed to carry a load. You are allowed to carry goods or burden that are for living purposes, so clothes, boots, push bike, food etc are allowed. The design of the interior should be such that you aren't "able" to carry a load, that's why the stated items must be permanently fitted to the bed and/or sides of the vehicle. The bonus doing it this way is that you don't need to fit side or rear impact protection or a tachograph. The guy I'm talking about has a 1989 AWD Bedford MJ. It should be down at Trucks and Troops if your going down to that show as that's where I was chatting to the guy last year.

Excellent news, more green machines on the road!!:-D My MJ's first outing was Beltring. As it was it's first outing I drove very conservatively and it took 6 hours to get there from Oxfordshire.:shocked:

How did you get on with the Galv work?

It all depends what year you want. The MK is the non turbo version with a multi fuel engine, the MJ is the newer turbo'd version without the multi fuel engine (diesel only) Down plating would only work on a cargo or flat platform really, as a box would add too much weight I would imagine? I have seen one cargo MJ fitted out as a "Motor Caravan". Under the tilt the guy built a plywood box with a door fitted at the back, all under the tilt. He then permanently fitted the back with a bed, cooker, sink etc and registered it as a Motor Caravan. This I believe is a class 4 MOT, the same as a car, and was also downrated to 7.5ton so he could drive it on his car licence. All Motor Caravans are the same MOT regardless of weight.

The British Army just doesn't use a three colour scheme. I've never seen one in service with a three colour scheme, which is a pitty as I rather like it.

Thanks for the "positive comments" Stone and Robin!! (How much did you say it would cost me???):cool2: YurtMan As I mentioned in a previous post, there is a guy selling a TM with a crane for less than what you would pay for an MJ with crane at Withams and if you look at the photo he has a box body attached to the crane, maybe this is for sale too? It's on Milweb - heavy vehicle classifieds - the link is in the other post. I would seriously think about that vehicle if your serious about getting a crane.

You will find that Jeep a lot more reliable using it like that than to keep it locked away all year. Glad to see it's earning it's living...:-D

Are you able to tell us what you registered them as? Have you got the Ural 4320 and if so, what did you register that as? I'm interested in how you went about it, have you MOT'd them all or are they exempt? I see RM has got a nice Zil for sale, but at £10,000 it will have to stay out of my stable!!:wow:

Ah, Kinnegar, that brings back memories...:-)

I wonder if it's a standard chassis with an add on end piece, or whether it was a special, made to order for this vehicle?

Looks like it's coming along great. Why oh why do people over tighten oil filters? I do up the spin on ones by hand (very lightly) and then just a 1/4 extra turn. This ensures removal by hand (with latex gloves that are very grippy). I see the filter elements were blacker than tar, that filter must have been on for years!!

Do you think VOSA will have something to say about the RPG mesh???:cheesy: