Eastblock

I have a Zuk engine as well. They have app. 10hp more than the SV engine. The 2.1L Zuk engine is actually a development of the M-20 SV engine and they bolt straight onto the existing gearbox.

I've just bought two, an ex-NVA one and a ex-fire services one. Picking the fire engine up from Germany next week provided we don't get more ash from Iceland. The NVA Robur needs some work but is very low mileage so should make a good truck. The fire Robur is for immediate use this season and will probably be sold on later.

I would dearly love to attend one of those parades. Must be an impressive sight (and noise).

Not having much luck. Wheelbase Engineering were going to have an engineer call me back after lunch hour but that didn't happen. Business must be really good at the moment.

Thanks, I'll give them a try. Unfortunately it is not just a paper exercise when downplating a vehicle that is under 7.5T. It requires modification. In most cases it is just a simple suspension travel stop. It then has to be tested as an HGV with the modification. A ministry plate with the new MAM is issued and then it has to go through a class 7 MOT. At least I won't have to worry about type approval as the vehicle is from 1971.

I'm not having much luck with SV Tech. They seem to be too busy to deal with my request and they don't call back. Are there any other businesses that deal with downplating? I need to get a 5500kg truck downplated to 3500kg. It's empty weight is only 2700kg so it shouldn't be that much of an issue.

As long as the testing is done according to standards at the time of manufacture then I wouldn't really have an issue with taking a vehicles for a test. What still concerns me is the we could be faced with having to comply with certain modern standards. Was the scope of testing discussed at the meeting?

My manager is a "Special" (Hobby Bobby) in his spare time and he has promised to ask his colleagues in Traffic what they consider to be "unladen" and what action they might take if they stop a pre-1960 goods vehicle carrying personal belongings in the back.

That sounds reasonable. As I don't want to be the one who takes it to court I will probably err on the side of caution and look for a vehicle more suitable for my needs and license entitlement. I'm Danish and possibly not as comfortable with or used to taking chances as far as law goes as those raised in the UK might be. No offence intended - just an observation on possible cultural differences.

I know there have been discussions in other threads. My intention was to have a thread dedicated to the question as it would be easier for others to spot if it had the word "unladen" in the title. Heck, at the time of posting I even though it was a good idea (guess not). However I don't see how one thread more or less can do any harm and since it is a free world those that believe they have already had their say in the matter are not forced to reply. I don't know how all this strayed into discussions about locomotives, tax and MOT. I just wanted to know what is possible and not possible when driving a pre-1960 truck on a cat B license. Perhaps it would the right time to ask a moderator to close this thread before a fight breaks out.

I'm almost sorry I asked now and not sure I have the unambiguous answer I was hoping for. However as I understand it the moment I put something in the back of my truck whether fixed or not then I will no longer be able to drive it on my B cat license.

Yes please, I would appreciate if you could find the docmentation. My truck has a permanently attached radio box.

Praga, not Praha. Praga V3S to be exact (I should know ).

We had a discussion about this in the big MOT thread but I thought it might be useful for this topic to have its own thread. What exactly defines unladen? I have a pre-1960 truck and am allowed to drive it on my B-cat license "unladen". Does that mean I can't put fixtures in the box to use it for camping? In my view if it is a fixture (such as cooker or beds) it is not to be considered as a load but the law might view it differently. Some say it is OK to carry personal belongings, others say it is not. I have not been able to find a clear, unambiguous definition on the Internet.

Unfortunately adding a box in the back might push the weight over 3.5T and then I wouldn't be allowed to drive it. I find it a bit wierd that I can drive my 6ton Praga just because it is built prior to 1960. They were built without any changes for almost 30 years.

It will be a troop carrier version with a canvas tilt. Camping vehicle? Arrrghhhh - it just gets more and more confusing.

That will NEVER be an issue :-D Top speed is 54mph. My Praga (pre-1960 HGV) has a top speed of 38mph! I think getting it tested could be an issue as a Robur is quite tall.

Good stuff! I didn't know they had air start.

Sounds like a win/win solution to me. However I think there would be no harm in a donate button in addition to the subscription option but I'm happy to bow to the decision of the forum owners. Michael

I'm contemplating buying a Robur LO2002 in Germany and bringing it to the UK. I've spoken to SVTech and downplating it should not be a problem (they weigh app. 3T empty). What should I register it as and what will the test requirements be. Is it still considered a HGV even if it is downplated to 3.5T GVW? Would it need any sort of modification? I know some Robur in the UK are registered as agricultural vehicles and are considered tax and test exempt. How do they get away with that? Sorry if I'm asking questions that may have obvious answers for most people but as an immigrant I'm still quite confused about the UK rules and regs and how they seem to get bent a fair bit.

Hi Ole, Welcome to the forum. I'm Danish and same vintage at you but have lived outside of Denmark for 10 years, the last 5 in the UK. Don't think I'll be going back with the car tax you have there now! Michael

Hi Si, Welcome to the forum. I'm also a Gaz69M owner. I remember seeing those pictures. Join us at our next Russianmilitarytrucks forum meet. More details here: http://www.russianmilitarytrucks.com/phpBB3/index.php There are quite a few 69's in the UK.

For anyone not worried about original looks there is the Megajolt option. A complete setup for a 4-cylinder engine is £265 incl. VAT. http://trigger-wheels.com

And a cracked rear window - another standard feature on the Gaz. They break when people throw the rear flap over the top and the window hits the centre tube in the roof frame.

I'm surprised to hear you had problems obtaining spares. I know of several suppliers that stock Uaz spares.