Sean N

Is this the same one that used to go to GDSF about 15 years ago?

If they're anything like the penthouses / tilts for 1950's vehicles I'd guess the 'windows' would be a piece of light undyed canvas, to let some light in rather than for visibility. On the '50s vehicles there was a roll down canvas flap to act as a curtain / blind. See the photos in this thread: http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?22324-Penthouse-shelter-for-Commer-Q4&p=242427#post242427

What a stupid bunch of dangerous idiots. Likewise...

If this is the amp that comes up when I do a Google image search, it looks to me like a standard MIL spec (possibly MIL-D-38999) connector - bayonet fitting, five keyways unequally spaced, one of which is larger - is that the one? If so, plugs are still available from manufacturers such as Amphenol - possibly RS components or Farnell might be able to help. Alternatively, with a quick search I've just found a site called www.armyradio.com which is advertising Clansman power leads - which look to be original army surplus ones - for £10 each. Google is your friend... hopefully.

Bump bump ... any more news on this yet?

980 / 981 only?

The title of Lee's thread about manuals seemed to beg a number of other questions and answers of a much wider nature, so... ...Why are MV owners?

I think it's the author's word, not Hobart's. Not too sure about that site, I think I'd take it with a pinch of salt. I don't know enough about the subject to be sure - it might be right, it might not - but it comes across as an individual viewpoint with an axe to grind rather than a dispassionate and well researched argument. The page is very graphics / video heavy as well - be careful unless you have a modern computer, it locked mine up for ages while loading.

That's the one, if anyone can dig up some photos or specs I'd be interested to see them; it's so long ago now I can remember nothing about it. Do I remember right in thinking that it had a rather square, functional cab in the style of Unipower, Stewart and Stevenson or Oshkosh?

The Austin is a Series 3 Truck, built from the mid to late '50s; they later became the BMC WE and then WF. They had the same cab as the Series 2 / Loadstar but with the nose stretched, I think to accomodate the BMC 5.1 diesel though they were also available with the 4 litre petrol. The WF had a single piece screen.

If they're modern tyres they may also have a load index which will give you a guide. I don't have a load rating for 14.00 x 20 12 PR but the load rating in the VOSA table I have for 11.00 x 20 12 PR (the biggest 12 PR tyres listed) is 5350 kg per axle on single wheels, and generally speaking for a given ply rating the load index increases with increasing tyre size, so I'd have thought 14.00 x 20 should be fine unless you're using the truck (heavily) laden. If I remember right (again not on my list) 14.00 x 20 20 PR rate about 10 tonnes per axle.

Is there still an M2 bridging rig there?

I've never been that impressed with the Japanese 4x4s - they always seem very thirsty and expensive to run, except for the Isuzus and the old Daihatsu Fourtraks. Discoveries never had that great a reputation, but that does mean you can buy a perfectly competent and quite tidy vehicle for not a lot of money.

My experience they're not too difficult, and often better than smaller vehicles, particularly if all wheel drive. Deep snow tends to be alright as there's grip there, it's compacted icy snow and ice that are more problematic; the key, as others have said, is remember the amount of mass / inertia you're driving and take things very cautiously and gingerly, because if it gets away from you it'll be a while before it stops! I'm not a great fan of bargrips either. I also think trucks such as RL, K9 etc tend to be better behaved than, say, Explorers and the like; my experience (on mud as well) is that Explorers tend to skate about on a slippery surface rather than cutting through to the grip. I think this might be a ground pressure thing - or maybe it's just the bargrips! Steve, why the downer on Goddesses? - OK the body's ugly as sin, but it's still an RL...

How does a vintage motorbike help clear icicles?

It's a legal requirement that drivers have third party insurance; that is, insurance that covers other people you injure or property you damage if you have an accident. That's why it's often featured on these police reality shows; because it's an offence not to have insurance. Normally you are covered to drive a particular car, the registration number of which will be shown on the insurance certificate. You might also be covered under this insurance to drive any other car with the owner's permission, or you might have 'named drivers' on your insurance; for example, you might have your wife or girlfriend insured to drive your car and they would be named on the insurance certificate. More rarely, a policy might cover any person driving that car with the owner's permission. A 'driver policy', naming you but not a particular car and allowing you to drive any vehicle, is much less common and typically held by people in the motor trade. As Degsy says, your Dutch licence would be valid in the UK, but you'd only be insured if you held valid insurance, if you were a named driver on the policy that covered that car, or if the policy covered any person driving with the permission of the policy holder.

I seem to remember DRA / DERA built an HMLC prototype, I think using pretty much all off the shelf components from various manufacturers, back in the '90s. If I remember right, it looked something like a 6x6 version of a modern Unimog with a forward control Unipower cab on, but it's a long time since I saw it so I may be remembering wrong. From the photos and spec it looked absolutely terrific and very capable, but obviously nothing ever came of it.

That explains it, Richard, I thought you were referring to a Ministry weight. IME a K9 with a flat platform or truck body normally runs around 2.5 - 3 tonnes ULW so 4630 would be consistent with a 1.5 ton load; if I remember right Austin marketed the civvy version as a 1.5 ton 4x4. Hospital1926, I'd still be interested to know what the plate in the cab is. 5 ton load might be about consistent with the civvy 4x2 twin wheel Series 3 / WE / WF. I'm guessing this was converted to twin rear wheels after disposal; at least, I've not come across a twin wheel Series 3 4x4 as originally built.

What Richard said. Richard, you sure about that 4630 gross though? I don't know about the Series 3, but VOSA say the Series 2 K9 is 6200 gross. Be interested to see that plate in the cab - is it a Ministry plate, MoD or something else?

Will a CJ3 on bargrips not grip OK without chains?!

£4k a bit optimistic? Post the pictures! K9s are 1 ton (WD / MoD rating) not 5 ton though.

On the series 2 trucks, and I think also on the series 1, Austin used to put their own chassis plate on, but they're only small and in my experience are flimsier and tend to disappear quicker than the brass plate! I've seen them on the top of the o/s chassis rail near the steering box, on the outside of the o/s chassis rail behind the cab, and inside the cab in various positions.

'Fraid not. Planning permission doesn't relate to rates, and they can charge because the legislation (as modified by case law) allows them to - it's non-domestic rate, not business rate. The only ways around it that I know of are to have the building within the curtilage of a domestic building, or to set up a charity.

One thing no-one's mentioned is rates. Once the building's up you'll almost certainly be liable for business rates as the building is not within the curtilage of a house.

You can't go wrong with an RL, even with a silly body on it ...