radiomike7

Nope, got a stroppy neighbor in the village....

Don't suppose you could sort me out with a couple of rocket propelled ground anchors John?:cool2:

Hi Sean, I mentioned this the other day on the S26 thread, after some detective work it turned out to be a Haulamatic prototype which Unipower took over and developed into the 8x8 bridge carriers.

Looks like it, available as 3 ramp and 2 ramp bees knees type. Photos from Sean Mc Cargo including an underside for the rivet counters.

Thanks Paul, I will contact one of my Scammell contacts and report back. It seems strange that they went to the trouble of building a unique cab when both Scammell and Foden had existing designs that the military were familiar with. The reg. number is logged with Swansea as a Leyland incidentally. OK, mystery solved with help from Clive at Protruck, they are Haulamatic 8x6 prototypes that Unipower redesigned to become the 8x8 bridging units that are still in use now. The cabs appear to have been knocked up by the apprentices during their lunch break.

Has anyone seen this alleged Leyland DROPS prototype before? Note the huge 20.5x25 tyres like the Foden but a strange looking cab. http://www.milweb.net/webvert/76940

Agreed, here is an extract from VRNARMY: 55BK14 Albion 10 Ton 6x4 GS 55BK17 Albion 10 ton 6x4 Machy Wagon 55BK25 Albion 10 ton 6x4 Machy FV11102

Robin, the Foden crane has the same rating as you suggest giving a capacity of 6.3 ton metres; the 101 weighs circa 2 tons so could be lifted at a radius of 3.15m which should be enough to lift and place it on the rear of the truck.

Read the thread, datadawg was asking about a Saracen or Fox.

Unless you need the off road capability a DROPS is the wrong vehicle of choice, a simple beavertail 8x4 would be lighter and the load bed lower than a DROPS. You could PM Bran D on here as he has carried a Saladin on his DROPS for a number of years, I'm sure he would share his knowledge with you. http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?48708-Alvis-Saladin

Looking at their website it still seems to be for sale but having tried to buy something from them many years ago I can confirm they are as mad as a box of frogs. http://www.rushgreenmotors.com/menu/trucks/fullsizetrucks/46B.jpg

Indicators were in the middle of all the ones I have seen: http://whitelabel.globalauctionplatform.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/wca/catalogue-id-witham1-10000/lot-54c82988-4100-478c-96f1-a42d01158821?clienturl=wca

They are rear lights which can be fitted to any towed item, part of the CES on a Foden recovery. In the UK a pair of reflective red triangles is mandatory on a trailer.

118 was my local TA Recovery Company at Northampton.

What on earth was he thinking of, he had done the difficult bit then ran out of movement on the main lifting strop due to poor rigging and decided to use a low level pull which raised the rear of the recovery and caused it to slide back.

Thanks for the correction John, the Chertsey book gives the winch capacity in lb/f and my mental arithmetic is not what it used to be.:nut: I found a good in service photo of a Leyland heavy, probably grossing a similar weight to the one you mentioned: To put things into perspective that outfit is effectively powered by two bored out Champ engines nailed together. Off topic but any updates on the Antar refurb? Mike

Just leave early and take your time, they are easy to drive and no wider than a modern LGV.

IIRC the transfer is unique and the 4 speed main 'box is a Leyland part. REME were issued with recovery vehicles not wreckers!! The 2 speed main winch is 15 ton which can be used with a snatch block and return to the vehicle for 40ton pulls. There is a small capstan winch to draw the main cable out. The gun tractor/cargo versions are fitted with a vertical spindle Scammell type winch circa 15 tons but with a 450ft cable. The hydraulic pump runs from a PTO, no separate power pack.

Which variant are you thinking of, there were 2 10ton GS cargos, a crew cabbed gun tractor, a Howitzer tractor and a recovery; the recoveries are quite common but the best looking and most desirable is the crew cab. The mechanics are somewhat Heath Robinson, the portal front axle with bevel gears in the king pins, the steering system and the compressor drive being prime examples. The 3 speed transfer box can develop a self destructing vibration above 30mph and the twin plate clutch will stick together if you leave it parked up for more than a few days. Spares are difficult to find but the B81 should not be a problem as they were used in other vehicles. It looks like there will be a recovery in the Wiltshire Land Rovers sale at Melksham in the next few weeks. Have a read in the Martian section which includes a photo of my 10ton cargo that was disposed of in 1989 for £1400 with just 1200 miles on the clock. http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?8975-Leyland-Martian-Gallery

Can do but using different colours for different circuits will make fault finding easier at a later date. You will obviously need thicker gauge cables for the ammeter/charging circuit and the main feed to the light switch; note that twice the cable size does not equate to twice the current capacity.

Bernard, up to a point where the insulation breaks down you don't need to consider volts, just the current carrying capability of the cable. For DC, Watts=Voltsxamps so your 36W bulbs draw 36/6=6amps each 5W .............. 5/6=0.8amp 21W ............. 21/6=3.5amps I would strongly suggest using modern thinwall cable, it has a high temperature outer sleeve with a high purity copper multistrand conductor and a 0.75mm is rated at 13amps continuous compared to the old 1mm British cable which was only 8amps. Used at half its capacity for each headlamp you should have an almost unmeasurable volt drop. I use Pole Volt for any specials I am wiring up as they can supply cut lengths in a variety of colours to order. http://www.polevolt.co.uk/acatalog/Thinwall_cable_cut_to_length.html From a mechanical strength point of view I would use a minimum of 0.75mm even on the lower wattage bulbs.

Presumably converted vehicles will be known as WORS rather than WOLF:cool2:

Found this photo on ebay, it looks like a Scammell publicity shot of a new vehicle but is it one of the MOS ones? Looks to have a Rolls diesel, wooden ballast box and a civilian tow hitch so not an RE prototype.

Our local TA Recovery Company were taught to use the pans flat side down on hard surfaces, engaging the front axle drive would then complement the braking effect on the rear wheels and help to hold the vehicle while winching. This was in the days of Scammell Explorers which did not have powerful brakes. The Foden recovery vehicles also had the hook arrangement but for use on roads carried a set of 'elephants feet', large pads which were fitted to the crane outriggers and rear ground anchors.

The seller was suggesting only running the pump when the brakes are applied, there would be a huge delay while the pressure dropped, the equivalent of only running the compressor on an air braked vehicle when pressing the brake pedal with no air in the tanks. The vacuum pump would have to be connected with the keyswitch in the running position to provide a vacuum at all times when the vehicle was being driven.