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utt61

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Posts posted by utt61

  1. I like the way that they emphasise that it is "very rare" and say that "This is a one off opportunity to purchase a very rare vehicle. We do not know of any other vehicle of this type that has this unique configuration in existence."

     

    It has a certain appeal but to spin its completely hybrid nature into a selling point is quite an achievement!

  2. I would be very wary about driving to a prebooked MOT as suggested above, this an area in which myths and legends abound but which doesn't seem to have been adequately tested in law.

     

    Schedule 2 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 makes provision for an untaxed vehicle to be driven on the public highway, but solely for the purpose of attending a prebooked MOT. The relevant wording is:-

     

    22 (1) A vehicle is an exempt vehicle when it is being used solely for the purpose of—

     

    (a) submitting it (by previous arrangement for a specified time on a specified date) for a compulsory test, a vehicle identity check, a vehicle weight test or a reduced pollution test, or

     

    (b) bringing it away from any such test or check.

     

    (1A) A vehicle is an exempt vehicle when it is being used solely for the purpose of—

     

    (a) taking it (by previous arrangement for a specified time on a specified date) for a relevant re-examination, or

     

    (b) bringing it away from such a re-examination.

     

    I have emphasised the word "solely" because it is important. Whilst there is no limit specified on the distance a vehicle can be taken, nor indeed the originating and terminating locations, it is probably that if tested in court that in order to demonstrate that the journey is solely for the purpose of attending the test, the start location should be the place at which the vehicle is normally kept, and the finishing location either the same place or a place where it is to be repaired. The fact that you have bought the vehicle in one county, would be taking it a long way for an MOT, and then keeping it in a different county, makes it very hard to argue that there wasn't an additional purpose to the journey, that of relocating the vehicle. (In this case that fact that this thread is in the public domain asking how to move the vehicle from A to B is hard and damning evidence).

     

    You could also be reasonably expected to explain why it was necessary to take a vehicle to an MOT station a long way away when nearer facilities exist. If the vehicle was exceptionally unusual and a distant MOT centre had expertise that a local one didn't, you might have a valid answer, but it is hard to see others.

  3. Bryan, I have checked through the manuals etc for the Milo, which I believe to be essentially very similar if not identical in this respect and there is no access of any kind into the voids other than the few small openings you already know about.

     

    There's a photo of my old Milo, taken before I sold it, here: Coles-mobile-1956-milo-S-20T-6x4--02

     

    In fact I've just realised that it's actually one of my own photos which appears to have been "lifted" from a post on another forum and reused without any acknowledgement!

  4. Bryan,

     

    I believe that the superstructure of your crane will be very similar to that of the Coles Milo 16-tonner I owned until a few years ago. I faced a similar problem and, as far as I could determine, there is no access to these areas. I will check the Milo manuals etc which I still have, but I certainly don't think that there's a hatch.

     

    I believe that the philosophy was much the same as with our R&R cranes - if you needed to access the nether regions you did it during a major service when it was likely that you'd have the superstructure off anyway.

     

    We have a very early Grafton (sadly dieselised) which needs attention to the patent "soft slew" mechanism. Once again there is no way to do this except by lifting the crab off the carriage.

     

    Roger

  5. The Blu-ray version sold out within 24-hrs at our local Tesco, hopefully they'll get some more in. I had to settle for the DVD for the time being.

     

    I'd be interested to know what people think of the film after all the hype that there's been. Personally I was a little disappointed - perhaps the hype had raised my expectations too high! It did I think set a new standard and in many ways was very good, but (for example) the action towards the end seemed to me rather laughable and rather let the film down in my view. (I won't go into any more detail since there will be those who haven't seen the film).

     

    Mind you, I have never and will never fight in a tank battle, I wasn't there in WW2, perhaps this is how it was done!

  6. I watched the first part with your vehicles yesterday online, and I have to say that although I did watch some of series one when it was first transmitted I had forgotten what a totally appallingly ghastly programme it actually is!

     

    To my mind a subject that could actually be the basis of an interesting documentary-style series (how the huge variety of different and disparate lorry-loads of stuff are moved on our roads) has been dumbed down to the extent that is is embarrassing to watch!

     

    This is not intended in any way as a criticism of either you or the other participants in the programme, by the way. I guess it isn't even really a criticism of the prgramme-makers, although I realise it appears to be. I think it iprobably is a criticism of the vast hordes of TV-viewing masses who are too dumb to demand something better!

     

    No offense intended to anyone with the post, by the way, it just strikes me as such a shame that the same effort wasn't directed into making a much better programme! Why does everything have to be made into some sort of half-witted competition now?

     

    Interesting to compare this programme with the series "Monster Moves" where a similar dumbing down effect was noted (though at least the participants in "Shipping Wars" didn't spontaneously burst into song, and there were no cartoon graphics)!

  7. Thanks for the heads-up on this, there are several aspects of grave concern in this paper for those of us with certain exempt vehicles.

     

    I fail, for example, to see how road safety would be improved by requiring me to take my Iron Fairy on a 30 miles round trip at 12mph on busy A roads to get it tested so I can continue to drive 3/4 mile a couple of times a year to move it from one yard to another!

     

    Bureaucrats, what possible purpose do they serve!

  8. Old books and stuff are soooooo yesterday, today's yoof won't find them interesting cos they aren't interactive.

    :mad::argh:

     

    Sadly today's youth won't find books interesting because the whole concept of reading, and in many cases the ability to read, is entirely absent.

     

    To them the idea of picking up a book and reading it is as alien as, say, the idea of playing some interactive virtual reality computer game would be to me.

     

    I think that it is their loss, and often despair at human "evolution".

  9. The wheels on this one are Terrafirma wheels, which look very similar to the Blindos but have uneven spoke spacing (Blindos are equally spaced). I didn't think that the MoD used Terrafirmas, but I have just have a photo brought to my attention of a Snatch, in service, with Terrafirmas!

     

    However I have never seen a 90 in service running on alloys.

  10. Have a read of this thread on here, you may find it interesting.

     

    There is footage of HMG Boshe-Buster deploying and firing on exercise in Devon on the DVD "Britain's Railways: The Home Front War Years 1944 to 1945" produced by Strike Force Entertainment and available from many online sources (incidentally this is DVD 3 of a three disk set, and is excellent indeed, very well worth watching if you're at all interested in Britain's railways in WW2).

     

    Strictly speaking it was the mount (an WW1 mount intended for a 14" howitzer) which carried the name, HMG Boche-Buster was fitted with an 18" howitzer in WW2. In strategic terms it was functionally useless, lacking the range to fare across the channel (only the experimental hyper-velocity gun "Bruce" could really claim to be capable, and that suffered from other defects which rendered it, too, strategically useless)!

     

    The preserved carriage (which is a proofing carriage or sleigh) intended for test firing only is in many ways more interesting that then tube. It predates the 18" howitzer considerably.

     

    The move of L1 and the Proofing Sleigh to Utrecht on loan was the subject of an episode of Channel 5's series "Monster Moves". If you can put up with the facile commentary it is quite interesting, and is still available online at http://www.channel5.com/shows/monster-moves/episodes/gigantic-gun-monster-moves

  11. They're actually not military rims. The military version (aas used on WMIK and Snatch) is the Blindo which has even spoke spacing, these are an aftermarket "Blindo-like" rim with uneven spoke spacing.

     

    If this was a genuine military (or factory UK-military spec) 90 I'd expect it to have the standard HD steel rims, not alloys.

  12. This is advertised for sale by Stratstone at the moment. It's a but of a puzzle, with a "registration year" of 2013 and 81k miles on the clock. It looks very clean and tidy, but those aren't (as far as I know) military wheels - they're not Blindos.

     

    Is it a genuine Wolf or a replica? Any thoughts or opinions?

     

    It is rather nice!

     

     

    http://www.stratstone.com/vehiclesearch/used/VehicleDetails.aspx?registration_number=p216pda&marketingsourceid=256

  13. A friend of mine is hoping to get an ex-military 109 GS hardtop Landrover painted in an authentic military camouflage scheme, either standard or possibly exercise Bright Start '85 style, however she doesn't feel confident enough to tackle this unaided and is looking for someone or somewhere to help.

     

    Can anyone recommend somewhere or someone, preferably in the Plymouth area, which or who might be able to do a decent quality, good value repaint?

     

    Many thanks.

  14. I'm gald I wasn't the only one puzzled by it!

     

    The canopy end must be for stowage only since the canopy is not strong enough to pull anything from. The smokebox end is odd, since the attachment bracket doesn't look particularly strong, and the shackle has no movement in the vertical plane (it can swivel hoizontally but vertically). It wouldn't be suitable for pulling unless the rope ran out level from the shackle, especially with such a long shackle, and this seems an unlikely scenario. I suppose that both ends may be stowage points and the rope comes off for use, but if so it is an odd place to keep the rope.

     

    The contemporary photo is fascinating, since I initially assumed that the rope was there for the Bovvy run and was a modern thing, but clearly someone has done some very careful homework. This needs more research!

     

    Could it be something as simply as a handhold for climbing up to the tank-top toolbox?

  15. And here is another clip. I see what you mean Heff. The front wheels of the McLaren are jumping off the ground

     

     

     

    If we can keep this up we can probably get the whole journey recorded.

     

    What's the purpose of the rope visible in this clip running from a long (piling) shackle on the side of the McLaren's smokebox up to the canopy? Anyone know?

     

    I have an idea but it may be daft!

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