neil0841

A bit belatedly, but many thanks to those who replied to this thread.. on the basis of the feedback I think it might be better for me to steer away from this type of Michelins especially given these being an old tyre pattern now, and difficult to come by in 'as new' condition.

I need to replace some tyres and have been looking at Michelin XL tyres advertised. The tyres that I have on the truck are labelled Michelin 12.5 R20 XL but I have noticed that there are others I've seen advertised that are labelled the same, however while the tread type is similar in appearance, it is not exactly the same. I was wondering whether anyone can explain the difference - are these sub-variants of the XL model tyre type, or what is the case? The photos below show the different tyres in question. The one shown vertically is the type I have, and the two shown side by side are the ones I've seen for sale. Notice that in the second case, the displacement of the block tread sequentially to the left then right, is much more pronounced than on the other tyres shown. I want to be able to distinguish between the two types when making enquiries so if anybody can explain the difference, I'd be interested to hear. Many thanks. Neil

Several years down the line now since my first post and the Rhodesian Army Unimog idea has come to life, and here it is ready to be delivered back to me. Essentially a replica as this Unimog, though the right type, was located in the Netherlands and was either ex-Dutch or German Army. Managed to obtain the right colour matches for a Rhodesian Army camo scheme, and found the correct pattern seating for the back, and a post for a 0.5 cal Browning was added. The restoration was ably carried out for me by Barry Ring of Whitedell Engineering - well known on this forum - and what a fantastic job he did! Though it wasn't bad for a 1978 vehicle, you can still imagine how much work was needed - Barry carried out extensive mechanical and body work, and also the work needed to have it registered as a private HGV. That created its own complications, but thanks to Barry, it has all come together..

Ammoman. . Did you get my message? Cheers.. Neil

Stanleyrf89.. many thanks for the lead. I've just bought one so job done! Neil

I wonder if anyone can help? A few weeks ago I acquired a deactivated Browning 0.5 cal MG for use on my MV however it is missing a front sight hood. Firstly, if anyone has any leads on where I might buy one, I’d be grateful for any information. However, given it might take me a while to find a genuine one, I thought that in the interim I might make one. Would anybody be prepared to supply me with the basic measurements for the front sight hood? I can gauge some of them from the front sight mounting point, however the height of the hood especially would be useful to know. And lastly.. anyone know a good (and hopefully) cheap source of inert 0.5cal belt ammunition? See attached for the part I am talking about.. Any help much appreciated.. Regards, Neil

Following up on various leads I managed to get a copy of the original Manufacture Inspection card from Mercedes Benz showing the build date of the Unimog as September 1978 together with an email from them confirming the fact. On import to the UK recently, the Unimog was registered on a 'Q'-plate. I need to go back to the DVLA to change the registration from 'Agricultural Machine' to 'Private HGV'. While not essential to get an age-related plate, I would like to have changed the registration to do this as well, but seem to remember reading somewhere that once registered on a 'Q'-plate, the vehicle cannot revert to an age-related plate? Can anyone confirm this? Many thanks..

Nick Johns, g0ozs and snowtracdave.. Many thanks for your responses - very helpful and clears up a lot of the mystery.. snowtracdave - I'd really appreciate the MB address if you are able to find it.. any photos of your 406? Cheers, Neil

I would be very grateful to any forum members for any thoughts or observations on the following vehicle registration and vehicle tax class issues. Having been after a Mercedes Unimog 416 for some time, I recently finally acquired one. It was obtained via a Unimog dealer, and as these vehicles are most commonly used in the fields of agriculture, forestry, etc, it was registered in the taxation class "Agricultural machine". Also, having prior to this been imported from Europe, it was put on a ‘Q’-plate in the absence of having the date of manufacture established for registration purposes, though if there was any advantage to this, it could be verified as having been manufactured in 1979 if necessary. The published specifications show the vehicle weight as 3500kg and it has a revenue weight shown as 6500kg. From what I have read, my intended use of the vehicle – as a military vehicle for display / hobby purposes - indicates to me that I cannot justify the ‘Agricultural machine’ taxation class? I am basing this on the intended use of the vehicle, and not anything to do with using red diesel which I wouldn't begin to consider. So, my question is: what should I have the vehicle registered as, and how do I go about this? I also understand that it cannot be registered in a historic military vehicle class because it would need to be older than 1972/1973? Do I simply phone up the DVLA to arrange for the V5 document to be re-issued explaining my reasons? Will they advise on what taxation class it should be registered? Secondly, assuming that it is registered as a private HGV or something similar, I understand that it will then need to have an MOT and that road tax will apply. I got the impression that there are specific MOT test categories – ie for cars, for trucks of differing weights, etc, and that I will therefore need to approach a garage that can accommodate a truck of this size. Are there specific MOT classes? Lastly, the vehicle was never fitted with seatbelts. Is this likely to be a problem when it has an MOT? If it has to have seatbelts fitted, is this generally straightforward or not? Any help on the above would be greatly appreciated..

Bob, Apologies for the delay in replying as I have been abroad and not on the forum for some while, but the answer is 'yes' - definitely interested. At the original time of writing, it was more speculative in the fact that I had planned to buy a vehicle. Just last week I found / bought what I was looking for, and although it will be having work done on it for a period, now is the time for me to get the storage arrangement sorted. Look forward to hearing from you.. Regards, Neil

It is interesting to hear that there is at least one Rhodesian Ferret over here. The odds on having got one over here seems quite slim given the transition to Zimbabwe and the difficulty in getting anything in the way of military equipment out of the country. Are there any features that identify Rhodesian Ferrets, specifically? The guy in the poster image is Darrell Winkler, formerly a US Army Officer and then serving with the Rhodesian Armoured Car Regiment from about 1977 onwards. If there are any genuine Rhodesian vehicles in the UK, it would be very interesting to hear about them / see some images. And if there is anybody interested in this aspect of military history, then I really would urge you to take a look at the NRF - see earlier post.

I can't assist directly, but it may be helpful to browse around the New Rhodesian Forum (NRF) and post a message (http://www.newrhodesian.ca/index.php) The site is devoted to everything Rhodesian, with a heavy slant towards military stuff and there is quite a lot of stuff on vehicles. More to the point, there are connections to people who collect in this area of interest including vehicles and so on. I'd be interested to know the background to your post if you are happy to share? My interest is in Rhodesian Unimogs..

Thanks all for responding.. I was mostly concerned with the payment aspect, but there is a very clear message coming through regarding viewing a vehicle. If anyone has found some novel way of safeguarding the payment process, I would be most interested to read your post.

In another forum post, I asked about import issues in relation to buying a privately owned 1979 Unimog that is in Germany. What I would also be interested to understand is what means of / arrangement for payment would you use to ensure that the purchase is 'safe', i.e. that you don't pay for something that then disappears.. Given that the scenario is likely to be one of having a transport company pick up the vehicle.. Ideally, I guess one would want to exchange the monies as the vehicle is loaded onto the transporter. I would be interested to hear any thoughts or experiences on the subject. What other questions should I be asking before going to far? E.g. getting proof of ownership, etc? Any advice would be gratefully received. Regards, Neil

Thank you arcot1751, cosrec and beepbeep for your replies.. Regards, Neil