Grumpy

Possibly not drawing a broken down vehicle, bit of a grey area if on a solid bar. Remember recovering a broken down vehicle using suspended tow or solid bar can only be done for a distance that is Reasonable to clear the obstruction from the highway.

:nono::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Yes and there are lots of examples :-D However were you aware that the offence for not having a valid MOT does not carry any penalty points, only a fine, usually about £30 but can be up to £1000. Having a defective vehicle is an entirely different matter tho, with or without a valid MOT.:nono:

Have you read the INF34 leaflet enclosed with my post? :coffee: There are two criteria for claiming “Exemption from VED for Historic Vehicles” One as you point out is it has to be manufactured before 1st January 1973 and the other is it must be one of the qualifying vehicle types, of which a recovery vehicle is not. :nono: In legal terms in the UK, a vehicle is a historic vehicle if it was manufactured more than 25 years before the occasion on which it is being driven. A vehicle being Historic and the claiming of exemption from VED for Historic Vehicles are two entirely different things. You can reclassify your recovery vehicle to something else, such as a locomotive for example, but technically this should be shown on the log book. However if you do reclassify you can no longer claim exemption form MOT / Plating on the basis of it being a recovery vehicle. Bit of a bummer, if you have, for example, a 1970 AEC Militant Recovery. :argh: With Pioneers you can still claim exemption from MOT / Plating if you reclassify it, on the basis of it being first used before 1st January 1960, as long as you are using it unladen and not drawing a laden trailer, this includes recovering another vehicle. But the Log book needs to record this reclassification.

You can simply declare the vehicle is outside the scope of schedule 2

A recovery vehicle cannot be taxed as Historic Tax as it does not fit into the qualifying categories. See here: INF34-Notes on Historic Tax.pdf

I think we all might have it wrong here, taken from INF52: ® mobile project vehicles – having a maximum authorised mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes and constructed or adapted to carry not more than 8 persons in addition to the driver and carries principally goods or burden consisting of; (i) play or educational equipment and articles required in connection with the use of such equipment, or (ii) articles required for the purposes of display or of an exhibition, and the primary purpose of which is used as a recreational, educational or instructional facility when stationary. In our case its item “(ii) articles required for the purposes of display……..” that is applicable. Now is it the MPV or the “goods or burden consisting of articles required for the purpose of display…..” that is used stationary? Now the way I read it it’s the “articles required for the purpose of display” in our case the MV you are taking to the show and lets face it its primary purpose is to remain stationary with perhaps the odd trip into the arena.

How about Baby Oil for your new Baby :cool2:

I think the medical rules are geared towards the type / size / weight of the vehicle not on how much you drive it, remember things like drivers hours and tachographs are not required for HGV’s used privately, I’ll add “if the truck was manufactured more than 25 years before the occasion on which it was being driven” Before some one throws a wobbler.

Only my opinion, but would think that the panels aren’t the display, the vehicle is the display. Can a vehicle be permanently fixed to its self? A stalwart can be classed as a MPV in its own right, but would not be MOT exempt because its an MPV, there are other options for MOT exemption but these are open to interpretation, give me a shout off list as it would be like lighting the blue touch paper on here, and you can make your own mind up if its applicable to your application.

Tough at the top mate, just think on it as being like a High Court Judge without the six figure salary

Tend to disagree if you have the knowledge & facilities to run your own beavertail or low loader, it doesn’t cost much. With our Foden registered as Private HGV the VED comes down from £1,200 per year to £165 per year. Older trucks don’t tend to fetch much money now, the FL10 beaver tail we have just chopped in for the Foden cost us £3,750 off eBay three years ago and in that time has only had about £600 spent on her. We got more back, than we paid, when she went. Also remember a Truck MOT is cheaper that a car one nowadays.

Just leave it on the truck and only unload when going into the arena, remember it only has to be stationary as its “Primary” use, alternately get the correct licence for the class of vehicle and get some sleep at night.

VOSA will not issue a roadworthiness prohibition - PG9 after a voluntary test unless it’s a major failing, but if it’s a major failing the vehicle should not be on the road anyway. You can also book a full voluntary test if you wish.

My Stolly had a regular voluntary brake test down at VOSA in Featherstone using a Tapley meter, still charged me for a 3 axle test tho. :??? I know you can buy your own but personally I think much better having the results issued by VOSA should you need to produce them in anger so to speak.

Just because a truck is MOT exempt doesn’t stop people having a voluntary test or at the very least a voluntary brake test. A voluntary brake test is only £18 for a 3 axle HGV or £30 for a 6 axle HGV, that’s not a lot of money for peace of mind and an official bit of paper to produce should you need to. It would be interesting to do a pole to see how many run under MOT exemption & how many bother with a voluntary test.

Taken straight from DVLA’s INF52- Special Licensing Arrangements for Large Vehicles ® mobile project vehicles – having a maximum authorised mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes and constructed or adapted to carry not more than 8 persons in addition to the driver and carries principally goods or burden consisting of; (i) play or educational equipment and articles required in connection with the use of such equipment, or (ii) articles required for the purposes of display or of an exhibition, and the primary purpose of which is used as a recreational, educational or instructional facility when stationary. Drivers must be aged 21 and have held a category B licence for at least 2 years. A mobile project vehicle may only be driven on behalf of a non-commercial body. However, drivers who passed their car test before 1 January 1997 are not subject to these conditions. The wording that I find confusing is “principally goods or burden consisting of;” does this mean a vehicle registered / Taxed as a MPV can be used for occasional carriage of other goods providing the driver has the relevant licence to do so? And if not for hire or reward no O licence? Taken from V112G Goods Vehicle Testing – Declaration of Exemption 14. Vehicles constructed or adapted for, and used primarily for the purpose of carrying equipment permanently fixed to the vehicle which equipment is used for medical, dental, veterinary, health, educational, display, clerical or experimental laboratory purposes, such use a. not directly involving the sale, hire or loan of goods from the vehicle; and b. not directly or indirectly involving drain cleaning or sewerage or refuse collection. Again the wording “used primarily for the purpose of carrying equipment permanently fixed to the vehicle” What’s other peoples view on permanently fixed, Bolted on, welded on etc? I would say the bed of my Beavertail is permanently fixed but I could have it off and another body back on in about an hour with a windy gun and the Militants Crane.

Hi John long time no speak, your old Militant is still running well. I've got an Atlas AK3000 Hiab to go the the 8 legger and the beaver tail body is the one off my FL10. Its got a Ramsey RPH8000 Hydraulic winch on at present, but it could really do with one around 6 - 8 ton like the one off the Crusaider. I also need a shaft driven Hydraulic pump as the PTO on the Foden is via a prop shaft that used to drive the fuel transfer pump (was a Foden Tanker) I think I have your number at home but could you PM it as well just in case I cant find it.

Another thorny subject, looking at the information from the DVLA web sheets it seems that a MV or a MV transporter can be classed as a MPV and driven on a car licence. What is strange is the wording has changed, last time I looked the wording went along the lines of “equipment permanently fixed”, does any one else remember the transporter that had a tank welded by the tracks to it doing the rounds some years ago, looks like the permanently fixed has been dropped. English law and in particular traffic law has lots of loop holes that can be exploited and some people make lots of money each year making the most of these loop holes. But if the worst happens and you end up in front of the beak how do you demonstrate that you were competent to drive a particular vehicle? Lets put it another way, you decide you want to start horse riding. Would you just buy a horse, jump on and set off down a busy dual carriage way, there isn’t a law saying you have to have a licence or pass a test first, but common sense tells you to have some lessons first and become competent to do so. If you can not demonstrate competence to drive a particular vehicle, you may quite easily be prosecuted for reckless driving or driving without due care and attention, if someone is killed there is a better than average chance you will end up behind bars. There are lots of ways of proving competence but by far the easiest way is to pass a test. It doesn’t really matter how you twist the law, if you are not competent to do something common sense tells you, you shouldn’t be doing it.

Don’t know if it helps the conversation but the Winch fitted to my Czech Tatra 813 Prime Mover is almost identical to the Scammell/Wild winch fitted to my Militant, main difference being the over load is via a shear pin and the drum is smaller. On a different note I have a spare Scammell / Wild Winch with a new looking cable that has to go to raise funds for a decent hydraulic winch for the bed of the Foden transporter we are currently building.

Cutting a cab off a Stolly is not as easy as it looks, front and sides are easy enough but the back where it interfaces with the load bed is not, been there done it and wont go back again. The Mk1’s are getting quite rare now so you would do much better keeping the MK1 hull. Major bits off the MK 11 that you need for your MK1 are: Engine, Gearbox, Radiator (with a few pipe mods.), there isn’t much more in the engine bay, keep the MK1 Radiator Fans, Fuel and Oil Tanks. You can remove the engine / box in one lump if you have lifting tackle big enough. Engine & gear box comes out in about 5 hours with two mechs working on it. Load bed is a different layout but you have the sub-frame so you should be able to modify (butcher) the alloy to panels to fit. Mk1’s don’t have an electric bilge pump, most of the bilge is taken away via a venturi effect with bleed pipes from the Dowty Water Jets (again different on the Mk1), and there is still the emergency hand pump behind the driver’s seat.

No it became an older Mk2 with bolt in windows instead of bonded ones, bit of an extreme move to get rid of that cab rot you had. :rofl:

Try a set of Cords piston rings http://www.cordsduaflex.com/ have used them with great success in the past, take a bit of time to bed in, but their oil control and increase in compression is amazing on a warn engine. Even used them on race prep A series when I was broke and got to the nationals on them.

Bought a couple of cheap Machine Mart ones that double as air chisels expecting them not to last too long, two years on and lots of work done and they are still going strong.

But if they didn’t meet the gas axe then they wouldn’t be rare now. Back then supply outstripped demand and probably would still today. Just take a walk around any commercial breakers, or even Witham’s tender sale with the rows of Bedford TM’s lined up. Very recently the high price of scrap steel lead to a lot of collectables being weighed in, but only because they were worth more in scrap value, on the up side the ones remaining will be worth more and will be saved. Unfortunately common vehicles are not very collectable unless it’s a Jeep and more of those met the gas axe than survived.