Mark Ellis

3 hours ago, radiomike7 said:

A Hooke's joint or simple universal joint is not constant velocity and would create vibration on the steering axles similar to those on a series Land Rover. I would be surprised if this modification was a success.

I can't find any modification mention in V647 Modification Instruction or V649 Miscellaneous instructions, but don't think I have the final versions of those EMERs. 

Wonder if anyone knows anything about these Hookes joints for the Stalwarts?

In 1985, DGFVE approved the modification to replace the Bendix Tracta joints with Hookes Joints.

Bearing in mind that all Stalwarts were disposed of in 1993, I've yet to see a single preserved Stalwart with Hookes joints - and I wonder why that is.

The Standard Tracta joints

The Hookes Joints

The DGFVE approval 

Thanks

5 hours ago, Adrian Dwyer said:

Drill version of the carrot-shaped ELSIE ap mine.  Something odd about a laying drill that required the application of downward force via boot.

A

Wasn't there a longer carrot one as well? So long ago now

On 8/28/2018 at 8:33 PM, Dan77 said:

may be a silly question but.....

why do some stollies have bolts around the cab windows and some not?  Some also have the swim board fittings and some not?   Have these been removed during the life of through refurbishment or are these some variant?

dan

Alvis occasionally used sub contractors on the Military vehicles, right from the start of the Saladin and Saracen.

The Stalwart cabs with rubber around the glass instead of bolts to hold them in were made by Motor Panels Limited of Coventry, who were literally across the road. Over the years they made cabs for a number of companies, as well as designing their own cab. They produced the Bedford TL cabs for Marshall's made Bedford TLs

The Stalwart cabs with rubber around the windows seem to rust out a lot quicker than the bolted ones made by Alvis

On 8/22/2018 at 10:55 AM, David Herbert said:

I notice that the lower wishbone is much more substantial on the Saracen, is that standard ?

David

Notes I have from Alvis showed that they had to shave more weight off the Stalwart tare weight, hence the smaller wishbones. Without digging through, I think the metal mix is different as well

9 minutes ago, Quadman42 said:

Hi, I have a selection of manuals from when I had a Saracen if they are of any use

 

steve

Hi Steve,

Loan of any manuals is greatly appreciated. I've sent you a message. Thank you

Can you help?
I'm now in a joint venture with the Alvis Archive, a part of the Alvis Trust.
When I'm past it, my Stalwart Bedford website will be passed over to the Trust to keep it alive. Google have decided that any account not active for 2 years will have all content deleted, so that includes; videos on YouTube, Google Sites websites, Google Photo photos, etc. So passing mine to the Trust keeps all the gathered info online.

I now have the full set of Stalwart EMER manuals and other bits on the website, all free to download.

So I'm now expanding the website to include manuals for all Alvis fighting vehicles.

If you have any manuals or user guides for any Alvis products, and you're prepared to share it - then I would appreciate the loan of your publications. Just drop me a line. Thanks.

https://sites.google.com/view/alvis-stalwart-hmlc-files/alvis-stalwart-hmlc-section/stalwart-files-manuals

On 11/23/2023 at 7:16 PM, Adrian Dwyer said:

Of the British AP mines, I always rather liked the No7 Mk1 - Digbat.  Not biodegradable.

 

Weren't they the one with the arming key, like a U shaped Allen key ?
And the Carrot AP.

Ranger made life so much easier.

2 hours ago, 10FM68 said:

Were those RE RL Tippers in the convoy or are they from a 1(BR) Corps RCT Tipper Sqn?  The top photo, of course, being RAF.  The RCT had large quantities of tippers for supporting RE in route repair & maintenance and in providing hardcore for approaches to river crossings etc.

I think the RCT had those Bridging Bedfords, to bring the pontoons up

Top photo from my last is from the FVRDE catalogue of 1966, so generic.

Middle photo is unit 2/78, a 2 Div Field squadron from Osnabruck, but long before my time

The Ranger (Thorn EMI) also had mounts for the Stalwart/Bedford. We had a mount still in its crate at the back of the HQ MT Land Rover bays, until it was finally returned to RAOC in 82 or 83.

I-Ranger-text-with-pictures.pdf

1980 - We lost an MGB into the gap at Hawley one night, because the S/Sgt got the centre of gravity wrong. Fun days.

Some of the RE RL tippers. Not sure if the tipper with fixed sides is as versatile as a Drop side flatbed

Cardboard bar mines,

40 minutes ago, 10FM68 said:

The model of Bedford RL used by RE had, among other variations, a reinforced front bumper with fitted tow hitch.  A similar arrangement to that on the RL light recovery vehicle less the vice, obviously and there were light gurds fitted at each end of the shortened bumper (see photos which I can't credit as I don't know where they came from).  I can't remember now, but I think they were all w/winch as well.  They also had trays under the bed for stowing the tilt hoops.  The reinforced bumper enabled them to be used for push-launching bridges for example (to find the centre of gravity on a Bailey - push until it tips, then pull it back a foot)!

I wonder if the reinforced front tow hook was for the pontoon trailers.

The RE M type 4x4s had strengthened tow hitches for the MGB trailers.

Trucks are generally classed as too light for nosing bridges, and 432 or bigger tracked vehicles are usually used. 

In Canada, we grabbed this passing Chieftain ARV as we only had empty MKs

We had 11 Bedford per Field squadron in Germany, 1980. I think there were 6 winch and 5 GS. In 82 / 83 the 6 MK winch wagons were replaced with 6 MJ GS.

The MKs, being the 1970 batch had superstructure stowage, with feet on front of the bulkhead to stow the centre and rear hoop, and stowage bin underneath the body on the driver's side to stow the longitudinal, and extra tool bins that one is supposed to fold the canopy sheets small enough to fit in. The 1980s MJ/MK batch didn't have the superstructure stowage. Cheaper I guess.

My wagon in Canada, showing the superstructure stowage bin.

On 1/23/2020 at 4:34 PM, radiomike7 said:

So if the grader blade managed to trap a rock directly above the mine there was a good chance of an explosion?

Waking an old topic here.

When I arrived in Germany in 1980, the Mk 7 Beast was parked in Resources compound. I can't remember if it was still there in 83, but the ammo box that the tilt fuses came in was the right size to sit between MJ cab and body. Distinct reduction of tool bins on the batch of M types delivered in the early 80s compared to the early 70s order.

Being Land mines, they don't go off if you step on them and need the weight of a vehicle to go off. No point wasting all that explosive on one person - that's what Anti personnel mines are for.. 

We had cardboard Mk 7 practice mines during basic training, the cardboard being full of sand. The idea being that once it's ploughed in it stays there and improves the soil drainage.

In Germany we had cardboard practice bar mines, and the squadron laid pallets and pallets of those in the fields every year. The problem with the cardboard bar mines is they can bend and split open if not handled right - which is kind of messy.

We still had the concrete Mk 7 practice mines in Germany for the route denial training, with the short rope handles that took the skin off your knuckles.

You can see the plough between the wheels.

The dozer was to ensure the Beast's plough ripped the ground open - which would leave a truck's wheels spinning on some ground. I guess a 432 would replace the dozed in the 80s. The Bedford being swapped out when empty of mines. 

Can't find any photos of the cardboard Mk 7 or bar mines.

2 hours ago, wally dugan said:

two more that l only have a small amount on

 

mmm, MGB trailers. There's some memories 

4 minutes ago, Tarland said:

I don't think the still and the video are connected. The video is definitely set somewhere in scandinavia - theres a Swedish or Danish pennant on the patrol boat. Theres also Sam Browne belts worn by the observers - our vaguely south american friends in the still don't have a Sam Browne in sight.

Portugese maybe - I don't think we selling military hardware to the Franco goverment in the 60's......

Tarland, the video is Sweden's Kustartilleri - in response to Mk3iain's suggestion that the photo was Scandinavian - to show that the photo isn't Scandinavian.

17 minutes ago, Adrian Dwyer said:

Still can't quite place the moustache . . . 

 

I think it's a thin D 😉

29 minutes ago, Adrian Dwyer said:

Spanish forage cap 50s/60s vintage.  Looks similar? ($135 on ebay, if anyone was wondering.  Moustache available separately).

 

Guy with moustache looks like he could be in a different uniform, so perhaps a British spy in the camp

41 minutes ago, Adrian Dwyer said:

South American?

No evidence of any going to South America, especially PV 2.
It was trialled in a number of European countries

6 hours ago, Mk3iain said:

Sweden or Finland maybe ?   Just guessing...

This is Sweden's Coast Artilleri's film of the trial, in March 1962. Longer than the clip that Pathé released.

It shows the Coast artilleri uniform of 1962. 

Can anyone please tell me which European country this uniform is?

It's around 1962 / 63.

Thanks

7 minutes ago, fv1609 said:

...

Many many years ago DefStans anyone could download them & that was before FOIs started. But there are many firms who sell Def Stans which seems a cheek as they are Government publications & not theirs to disseminate, particularly with all the hoops that have to been jumped through to get legitimate access.

The biggest joke is a couple of companies and military museums selling restricted manuals, when you can get de-restricted AESP free from MOD

Thanks Clive.

I have a password for Def stan website, but often find things that I'm referred to by DES Sec are inaccessible. Your comment probably explains why 

26 minutes ago, fv1609 said:

I have these:

JSP 314 Joint Service Catalogue of Tyres, Tubes, Valves, Wheels, Tyres & Wheel Ancillaries (less Aircraft) Nov.1975

JSP 314 Joint Service Catalogue of Tyres, Tubes, Valves, Wheels, Tyres & Wheel Ancillaries (less Aircraft) Dec.1985

JSP 314 Joint Service Catalogue of Tyres, Tubes, Valves, Wheels, Tyres & Wheel Ancillaries (less Aircraft) Sep.1993

The newer one does list the screws used for clamping but be wary of the units used.

 

The Stolly part is or was LV6MT14/2530-99-809-2685

38 minutes ago, fv1609 said:

Although some of the info I have is on FAESPs I have found the printed AESP series. Inspection Standards merely refers to other Inspection Standards for individual components in very general terms and no help at all.

As is so often the case more meaty information is to be found in the EMER. See the note at the bottom of the page. Bear in mind this was published 63 years ago so it would be prudent to check what is said on an individual vehicle particularly if it was manufactured after 1960.

 

Thanks Clive.
I've been through EMER V640, 642, 647, 648 and 649, as well as the User manual and Crew guide, and there's nothing about the divided disc wheels, other than they they are used.
Being from 1963 onwards, the parts list is 5/8th

1 minute ago, fv1609 said:

Yes see what you can do, I have a feeling what I have are FAESPs which are tedious to search. If it is just a question of divided rim torque then I assume that would be in the Inspection Standards.

I seem to recall that everything touched by a driver, is as tight as they can get it with the relevant wheel brace or spanner provided with the vehicle to do that job.

Will be interesting to see what's in those manuals, if they decide they have them

1 hour ago, fv1609 said:

EMER WHEELED VEHICLES A 409 Pneumatic tyres, inner tubes & associated road wheels. Identification, Care & Maintenance. Sep.1974

A 417 Road wheels – Divided disc type. New clamping bolts & clearing hole in knave of wheel. Mod Instr No.1. May 1960

2610-A-409

Many thanks, Clive.
I'll put in an FOI when the current one finally comes back.