julezee001

Thanks for the reply. That's why I was asking whether anyone from HMVF had been to look at them possibly with a view to buying one themselves, and might be able to say whether they are all complete. I'd rather buy one which needs a few bits fixing for £18000, than pay someone else £35000 after the work is done!

Jules

I would have thought using a propshafts with u/j's between the engine and gearbox would probably be fine if the clutch plate has damping springs, as they help prevent shock loading. On the original Meadows clutch, the driven plate is just plain steel with the linings riveted on. The "give" was in the metalastic couplings.

Personally the 220 Eagle works well for me. It goes up most hills happily in top, will pull a Scammell Crusader with a T34/85 out of the way with the brakes coming on, and will bump start a T54 in reverse with no problem. It's not quite as quick as a petrol one, but it will go three times futher on a tank of fuel!

Jules

Jules

Plating is still important for an HGV test, as it shows the axle weights, and the gross vehicle weight. These are used to calculale how effective the brakes are on an HGV. Whilst the system is computerised, occasionally someone takes an old MV/truck in for a test, which isn't pre-programmed. My Militant was downrated many years ago from 22500kg to 21500kg, specifically to help it pass the brake test, and that is the weight recorded on it's plating certificate.

Jules

Just wondered if anyone has had a good look at the 3 Foden recoveries in the latest sale?? There are photos of two on their site, but the third has no picture. Unfortunately I'm committed elsewhere this week/weekend, so haven't been able to go and have a proper look myself. Any info/ pictures would be a real help.

Jules

You are right but I too am finding it hard to provide a link

 

"To drive a tracked vehicle you will need to hold a full category B (car) licence.

Any vehicle used for category H tests must have adequate all-round visibility to enable the driver to carry out manoeuvres and deal with junctions safely. Any vehicle requiring a second person to help with observation, such as a military vehicle, is not suitable for test purposes."

How typically ridiculous of the DVLA! Not only did I get my licence through the Army by driving a 432 around the streets of Bordon and Portsmouth, but several of my friends who have no connection to the armed forces also gained their H cat through driving a 432 on the roads??

Even more daft is the fact that the same licence has been granted by manouvering a mini digger around a cone course in a field, never going on a road at all?? Where's the sense in that?

Jules

I would tend to agree that Landrover propshaft U/J's would be too small for serious work in place of the original metalastik couplings. The other problem would be that they also have no give in them at all, and if used in conjunction with an original solid (unsprung) Explorer plate, would at least probably lead to a harsh take up of the drive, and at worst break something in the transmission.

Jules

last year i did the explorer online just ticked the box saying i had a mot and it went through no probs

Likewise, my Explorer goes through with no problem having ticked the box saying it has an M.O.T.test, although it's exempt, but my Militant Mk1 actually has an M.O.T. test certificate, but that never goes through, neither when tested as an HGV, nor as a Class 4 motorhome??

It's still very satisfying watching someone in the Post Office trying to figure out a free road tax disc for an 11,300cc camper:)

Jules

I've tried to find out what year it is, but the seller can't find the chassis number. Doh! If it still had it's Atlas crane, and it were close I'd have it for spares, but as it is it seems a bit overpriced.

Jules

Great, another blow to legitimate Firearms holder, and the sport of shooting in general. More checks, and higher fees. All with the effect of discouraging people from either beginning or continuing their lawful activity. Nothing in there to say how it will protect the public from the gun crime using un-registered weapons, which is of course reponsible for the vast majority of undesirable gun use???

At least with deacs, someone must have had a close look at the figures and realised that there was no significant issue with them. Amazing!

Jules

The Honourable Artillery Company used to tow their 25 pounders through the City of London to the Tower of London and back with 1966 SWB Landrovers till the late eighties, which as far as I remember had no servo. When those Landrovers were deemed too old (about 11,000 miles on the clock), they were replaced with 5 Airportable Landrovers. When the Series Landrovers were disposed of the H.A.C tried to keep the Airportables, but were in the end told NO, mainly because of the mass of the guns, and no overun brakes. So they then changed to Pinzgauers, which are still used today. Under civvy rules even the Pinz's wouldn't be legal, but they always had/ have a police escort and the pace is usually quite slow. Eventually the 25 pounders were disposed of and the Pinz's now tow the 105 light guns instead!

There was talk at one time of converting the 25 pounders to have overun brakes retro fitted, but I think the cost was prohibative so close to the end of their useful life.

Jules

Worked on a Drops on our last Excercise which had made it back to base, but then struggled to start. It had sat at the Garrison for 3 months without anyone successfully repairing it. With a little investigation it turned out to be air getting into the fuel lines. The fault (poor design?) is on the offside at the rear of the engine where the plastic pipes from/to the fuel tank are fitted into quick fit brass couplings connected to the solid pipes over the engine. The engine vibration wears the couplings, and makes the end of the plastic pipe rough, and the seal eventually fails.

They are awkward to get to (with a basic army tool box!), but overall easy to replace.

Jules

Apparently what most upset people about this accident, was that it was posted somewhere on the web, before the "important" people had been informed, which is never good for a career!!

Jules

If you need a shorthand term for scrap metal thieves may I suggest TOTTER which is a term for a Steptoe and son style rag and bone man.

Personally I'm more than somewhat offended that a "Steptoe and Son" style rag and bone man, or totter should be considered the same as the people who skulk about in the middle of the night stealing drain covers, cars, and anything else of value that doesn't belong to them.

It certainly wasn't "Totters" who murdered a very good friend of mine 10 days ago!

Jules

And how do the latest tacho requiremnts affect these vehicles?

 

Post 1973 (HGV, taxed PRIVATE/HGV)

1986 20t Foden 8x4 flatbed carrying GMC 6x6 (private use)

ditto (hire and reward)

 

Pre 1960 (HEAVY LOCOMOTIVE, taxed HISTORIC)

1944 Diamond T 981 / Rogers trailer carrying Sherman tank (private use)

ditto (hire and reward)

 

Post 1960 pre 1973 (HGV, taxed HISTORIC)

1964 AEC 6x6 cargo truck carrying Jeep (private use)

ditto (hire and reward)

 

I'm sure that (at one time) - if for private use they didn't need tacho to be fitted or used, but if used for hire and reward they all needed tacho to be used.

 

Anyone else confused? There must be someone out there has found this out for their own purposes, and who is prepared to share the answer (please)!

As I understand the rules. You'd need an HGV licence to drive all of these as they are all carrying a load, but the Diamond T could be driven without one if the trailer were unladen. They would all need an LGV test if used commercially, including the trailer, and would also all need a Tacho if used commercially. If used privately, the Foden and AEC, and the Rogers would all need testing, but possibly not the Diamond T?

I was led to believe that a living van can carry a load, other than "pots and pans etc", but needs an LGV test if over 3500kg, but a motorhome can't carry a load, and is a class 4 test whatever size it is ( my Militant was about 17000kg for its last test).

Jules

Jules

I think the gentleman in question deserves a "Darwin" award. The funny thing is that you can be sure there are people out there stupid enough to do it for real?!?

Jules

A few pics from this years limited exploits with my trucks, the AA road run, and the Explorers playing in the Heavy Truck trials at War & Peace 2010.

Jules

I had a quick look at the linkage on the selection at work. All the vertical spindals have about an inch gap between the back of the bottom lever and the final drive casing. This is with the shoes properly adjusted and the brake pulled on. I had relatively little time, so I didn't have a look with the brakes off.

The place to start is adjusting all the shoes until they are all about to bind, using the individual adjusting rods. There is then a little adjustment in various rods between the pivots bolted to the rear differential, and the pedal itself. I think I adjusted the long rod between the brake master cylinder, and the actuator last, and that brought my pedal right up.

I'll try to have a more detailed look in the next few days and take some more photos if that would help?

Jules

Had a look at mine today. As you look at the starter from behind the drivers side wheel, the top/ furthest contact is the positive, the centre one the actuation wire, and the bottom/nearest is the negative, which on mine is bolted to the floor plate. I took a couple of photos.

Hope that helps, Jules

I have not seen the 'Top Gear' programme but the results are completely at odds with what I see everyday in my garage!!! Modern Land Rover products cannot hold a candle to Toyota's vehicles. Unfortunately they are no more AEC,s Scammells or Gardner diesel engines and there was a time when the early Land Rovers were the best in the world but sadly that is just not the case anymore. I am pleased that people buy LR products because it keeps British people in jobs.. And me busy repairing them :-).

Totally agree with these comments. I'd love to recommend modern Landrovers, but they aren't very reliable these days. Bottom of several motoring surveys, which is rather sad. I'm ever hopeful that Tata will see the bigger picture and try to recapture so much of the world market that Landrover has lost over the last 20 years. Build them easy to maintain, capable and reliable.

The most reliable vehicle I work on is an Australian version of the Isuzu Trooper, caller a Holden Jackaroo. It's been owned from new by a friend since 1998, and has now covered about 280,000km. It has the 3.1 TD Isuzu engine but it hasn't got a timing belt, instead timing gears for reliability. The brake discs are still the originals, and I would judge they'll possibly do another 200,000km before needing replacing! Bizarre but true. The bodywork and chassis haven't any significant rust yet. Even the electric aerial is the original, which despite being bent early in it's life, still makes a reasonable effort every time to fully extend itself. Why can't Landrover produce a world beating vehicle like this any more?

Jules

Given that the winch on a Pioneer is rated at 8 ton the scotches alone should be adequate for anything you would do with it.

On late Explorers the winch rating had been increased to 15 ton, the only modification being the cutout. The same winch was fitted to the Milly 3 recovery, I know of one where the winch drive was sheared when using the ground anchor (presumably the cutout was disabled) so, stong as these winches are they will break (or cutout) if overloaded. Whilst it is possible to increase the holding power, there is little point in doing so vastly in excess of the winch rating.

The reason for the extra anchoring well in excess of the winches maximum pull, is that the rating is for a single line pull. If you fit a snatch block it will almost double the pull, giving the Pioneer close to 16 tons, and the Explorer close to 30 tons. The classic training video shows a Pioneer with a series of snatch blocks in place, I think giving almost 40 tons pulling a Churchill sideways out of a ditch. Very impressive!

Jules

Wow! Your unlucky to have the pump fall apart, but very lucky not to damage anything else!

I've never seen the whole shaft come out before. The only similar one I've dealt with was on a 110 Landrover whilst on Thetford training area. It popped it's belt off late one day, which I quickly refitted, thinking it had been caught on a branch or something and flipped off. The next day the whole fan assembly came off because the shaft had snapped in two! Again fortunately, nothing else was damaged.

Jules

TV not very good tonight, so I've been looking through the Explorer gallery for my latest Explorer. Very, very sad I know..... but I did notice that it is the chassis no. and army reg no. before Crocs. Does that make them brothers or sisters? 01 BD 97 7364, and 01 BD 98 7365.

Off to get medication for my condition tomorrow. 10 litres of red oxide and 10 litres of deep bronze green!!!!!!!!

Jules

Glad to see another Mk1 Militant is good hands. Really look forward to seeing it on the road again. Good luck with the restoration, hopefully it's only the cosmetic bits which require attention as with mine, which on the whole has been very reliable over the last 20 years, allowing for the fact that she sits around so much.

Jules

Looks like all the hard work's been done already Jules, and with those tyres you'll be gang mowing the cricket pitch in no time!..

That's what I thought when I bought my other one off John Davis... 9 years on it's still not quite finished (are they ever?). I hope to buy a gang mower that will cut my field in one pass towed behind her, it'll save hours of running round and round with the David Brown!

Jules

It's a Leyland 680, which seems to have had most of the work done to fit it, just water pipes left to connect, and all the wiring to sort. It was all nicely painted silver with the sump left plain aluminium, but the rust is coming through the paint.

The tyres are the right size, just a different pattern. I now need to try to get together another matching set? The only large (ish) part missing is the front tow hitch, and pins, which I did have with my old spare Explorer, but was removed along with the radiator, gearbox, and rear hitch by another Explorer owner when I wasn't looking!

Jules