N.O.S.

That's true, Grumpy. I guess if driven by someone with a B licence it should be unladen, but then again even if you have a HGV licence it should still be unladen for the Historic taxation class. So back to Eastblock's question then - what constitutes UNLADEN?............

I thought the subject was pre-1960 large vehicles (presumably taxed as Historic ?), and what constituted 'unladen'? I'm sure that for most of us minions it will be quite acceptable to regard Scammells, Wards etc as just that - not recovery or locomotive. :-)

Nurse 1: "However did you manage to get a forum up there, sir?" :shocked:

Have we not established that the pre-1960 MOT exemption is for any vehicle over 3.5 tonnes, not just goods vehicles? I refer you to the conversion of Antarmike to this philosophy in the MOT Exemptions thread - somewhere around the page 11 point?

Washing cutlery won't be a problem - remember those mauve coloured multi-purpose eating utensils which came with the HMVF overalls? I suspect there might be several thousand tucked away somewhere.....

Thanks for that, Howard. It seemed logical to me for it to be red, but I've yet to find any evidence of wartime colour as yet.

John, here is the Autocar set - less the shipping data plate which I accidently sent with a second set to Roy who is restoring the Beke U-7144T. Also the Chev M6 set. Note the variation in font style on the Chev plates. The Autocar set was produced from artwork I sourced from the tech. manuals and parts book, backed up by outline dimensions from my set of original plates which came on the truck - the set Robert produced matches this artwork exactly. Depth of etch matches that of the originals. The original plates on the truck are not in great condition, and interestingly some of them show a similar variation in font style from the manual images (see comparison of two plates - the original comes a very poor second). I guess they would have been sourced in a rush from a number of suppliers who produced something that looked as if it would do the job! I had one air buzzer warning plate supplied in red as per your DT set - I reckon the original would have been black, but I liked the look of your red plate!

Best way to remember it is like this - If a truck passes an HVG test it gets a certificate of roadworthiness, if a person passes an HGV test they get a driving licence - which in a way is another form of 'certificate of roadworthiness'....

Around these pasrts a lorry test is commonly referred to as 'HGV test' or 'Ministry test', very rarely as 'HGV MOT' or 'MOT test'. But then we still look up at aeroplanes.........

My last magazine was completely flat when it arrived in the post (first one had a creased corner).

John - I've just received some sets of data plates for Autocar U-7144T and Chev M6 bomb truck from Robert in Poland. Thanks for the recommendation - they are superb quality and very prompt service! Tony

Hey - good question!!! Each of the three WLF transfer box shaft is supported at both ends by two bearings (top/bottom are timken tapers, centre shaft rollers/balls). Surprisingly the front axle declutch unit (which is a short shaft with a propshaft flange at one end and a sliding dog clutch at the other end, which mates to its alter ego on the transfer box shaft) is also independent (i.e. the short shaft has two timken tapers and does not rely on the end of one transfer box shaft for total support). However - the transfer box shaft has a hole in one end, in which sits a spigot of the front axle declutch and drive shaft unit (for additional support when under front axle drive load). Both shafts would normally rotate at a similar speed, and would only rotate relative to each other when the rear axles had lost traction when not in 6 wheel drive, or front axle was turning very tightly). With no gearing in front axle the plain spigot bearing shaft would rotate continuously against the idle front axle shaft spigot, and could well be liable to seizure in the transfer box shaft, at which point the propshaft would then simply rotate at same speed as if in front wheel drive. You could always cut the spigot off the declutch shaft, but I don't think it would then be suitable for use in front wheel drive without the benefit of the extra support which the spigot offers.

I think a friend of mine might have bought a secondhand Volvo articulated dumptruck off you recently......:cool2:

Mike - according to the wording above, you cannot use a lift-and-tow method (e.g. underlift) or a drawbar for longer than essential journeys. So best to use a good old tow rope, that way you will be able to go as far as you wish :D Suppose some bright spark will tell us that a tow rope is a drawbar next........

So what did you read on this site that made you spit it all out? :whistle:

I like pictures of boxes........ not that I can talk........:blush:

IIRC, those London DUKWs have Perkins Phaser engines, auto boxes and (at one time certainly) no drive to 3rd axle.

Do you have a link to the relevent Regulations, Mike? It seems a little strange that a haulage company operating its own recovery vehicle would be obliged to recover its own disabled truck to the nearest commercial vehicle repair business rather than its own workshops. :shocked: And what about recovery from abroad - are they all supposed to dump the trucks at the nearest repair company to the port/tunnel? What a business opportunity for someone with a seaside shed and spanners! :-D Or are the Regulations governing the use of commercial recovery vehicles, which the above scenarios envisage, perhaps a little different to the Regulations covering simple emergency towing by vehicles other than those taxed as Recovery Vehicles? :-)

"Tamworth Reds, 12 O'Clock High!"

Well by now it must be apparent to the authorities reading this thread that there are already a number of preserved mvs out there which technically fall foul of the width restriction of 2.55m, despite being taxed. So it would not be giving anything away to highlight the plight of owners of such vehicles, and owners of similar vehicles who may wish to put them on the road in the future. Therefore you COULD ,if you were sympathetic to the plight of certain mv owners, use these discussions as an opportunity to bring up the subject of wide vehicles and this possible solution, and request that consideration be given to recommending that this possible solution be taken into account when contemplating how to prevent certain preserved mvs from falling foul of this hgv-based MOT round-up. Surely this is not too much to ask? After all, you could argue it is relevant to the MOT review, since such wide vehicles could not be readily MOT'd.

So Paul - do you have another vehicle to add to your list? :-)

Thanks Dave. Yes, it was the tall concrete post war USAF MATS tower which was demolished by Fred in the '80's - I found a photo in a book on him, showing it at 45 degrees with one of his pit prop / tyre fires blazing well!!

Yes, you guessed it - our friend Fred Dibnah. Not that I admire him any the less for it - someone had to do it :cool2: A big futuristic-looking concrete tower - anybody got any pictures or info on the date this tower was built? Could it have been post war?

OK not military, but you have to admnire the skills demonstrated here!