Mk3iain Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 On looking through the user handbook dated June 1970 for the AEC Mk3 recovery, section 5 is reserved for "Back-Acter". In another handbook dated Oct 1970 this section is for the "Load reactor". I believe that the load reactor was retrofited to some vehicles to try to avoid the wheelies when suspended towing and so was not planned from the start. So what was the "Back-Acter" all about? There are some unused brackets/mounts ect in the rear of the vehicle around the tow hook , could this have been something that was planned for but never actually made? A Milly with a back-Acter....now there is a picture!!!!:shocked: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antarmike Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 Also called Donaldson reactor, there has been a thread on here about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antarmike Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 (edited) They were definitely fitted to some Mk3 Millys but I can't say for certain that they either all had the reactor fitted or kept them for all their service life. Edited April 30, 2011 by antarmike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mk3iain Posted April 30, 2011 Author Share Posted April 30, 2011 Also called Donaldson reactor, there has been a thread on here about them. Cheers Mike I was wondering if the "Back-Acter" was a planned item (not the load reactor) that did not make it, any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mk3iain Posted April 30, 2011 Author Share Posted April 30, 2011 (edited) They were definitely fitted to some Mk3 Millys but I can't say for certain that they either all had the reactor fitted or kept them for all their service life. Thanks Mike, I had not seen that item before, very interesting. I have heard from an ex. REME guy that a number of vehicles were returned to AEC to have the load reactor fitted after experience in the field. So it was not planned before construction, I think! Also that they tended not to be used as it was the last thing to do after rigging the casualty and by that time no one could be bothered rigging the load reactor. Edited April 30, 2011 by Mk3iain more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antarmike Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 The Chassis was completely overloaded as it was, I cannot see there was any spare capacity to fit anything else. The Mk3 definitely had the Donaldson reactor and my June 1970 manual does not mention the Donaldson reactor by name. I assume that the Back actor it refers to is the Donaldon reactor, since it would make sense to say in a manual that a device that was known was on the way would be covered by a later amendment and that it would be made clear that instructions would be issued. What I am trying to say is the Donaldson was fitted and is not referred to in the manual unless it is by reference to the Back actor. It would be sensible to assume that the Donaldson Reactor would have a reference in the manual, and the only reference can be to the back actor to be covered by a later addition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antarmike Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 I seem to remember reading somewhere that the reactors were removed in service because operators were exceeding recommended loading, that they were so increasing Militant front Axle loadings that the power steering was failing on a regular basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mk3iain Posted April 30, 2011 Author Share Posted April 30, 2011 The Chassis was completely overloaded as it was, I cannot see there was any spare capacity to fit anything else. The Mk3 definitely had the Donaldson reactor and my June 1970 manual does not mention the Donaldson reactor by name. I assume that the Back actor it refers to is the Donaldon reactor, since it would make sense to say in a manual that a device that was known was on the way would be covered by a later amendment and that it would be made clear that instructions would be issued. What I am trying to say is the Donaldson was fitted and is not referred to in the manual unless it is by reference to the Back actor. It would be sensible to assume that the Donaldson Reactor would have a reference in the manual, and the only reference can be to the back actor to be covered by a later addition. I suppose the correct name came about by the time the manual update was issued. I had this vision of a Milly with a digger on the back, very surreal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tacr2man Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 I had occassion to move a bedford pantech may years back with a Morris commercial , which not realy capable of doing a front suspend tow on such sized vehicle , but it had to be moved (blocking A4 ) original call said a bedford van ! . as we lifted the front was going up , so we used 2nd winch via snatch block fixed to lower tow jaw , to wind the front down , it worked OK for the 2mile we had to move it, (very slowly) hate to think what would have happened if the cable had broken !! Didnt know it was called a donaldson reactor :nut: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean N Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 They were definitely fitted to some Mk3 Millys but I can't say for certain that they either all had the reactor fitted or kept them for all their service life. I don't believe they were all fitted with them; certainly when they were being cast I saw some with and some without, and the ones without bore no sign that they were ever fitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Crosbie Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Mine has all the plumbing for the load reactor and the anchor for the tail end of the wire rope, but the actual ram is missing, and the pulley wheel that must have been fitted to take the chain to the towed vehicle. Sounds like the usual MOD cock-up to me, where they identified the problem on the prototype, ordered the vehicles nevertheless, then designed and retrofitted this expensive and complicated mod which only added about 3/4 ton to the capacity and was so difficult to rig no-one used it! I've never seen any reference to a back-acter, and would assume it is just another name for the load reactor. If you'd like to see how the load reactor worked you are very welcome to lie underneath my Milly some time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smudge Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 the donaldson load reactor-/back actor are one and the same -the aec mk3s were retro-fitted with this useless item they were hardly used as they either bent the crossmember on the vehicle or the hydraulic ram by which the system worked bent depending on how it was set at the time the system worked as i recall like this ---the casualty was chained and lifted as usual-the rear axle was chained and attached to the reactors rope - the rope passed inside the aec chassis -along to a wheel and back to an anchor point at the back of the chassis the wheel was mounted at one end of a long hydraulic ram ie:-ram extends rope is pulled back into chassis pulling casualty axle towards the back of the aec result front of casualty forced upwards pushing the aec front axle down (you get the steering back ) the ram had a damper system to absorb the shock loading on the rope ---all ok yes???? NOOOOOOO the buffer was not man enough and the whole shock was imposed on the ram causing the ram to bend --if the ram was partially extended the result was the ram was ok the shock was taken by the cross member bending it result the use of this device was banned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Crosbie Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 Smudge, can you shed any light on these items listed in the Servicing Schedule? Operation number 116: Check and if necessary top up the crane overload warning test pump reservoir, and Operation number 137, Check the operation of the crane overload warning test pump. Do you know if these things are items of additional equipment, or how they are supposed to be used? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smudge Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 hi lian i asked some fellow recovery mechanics on another site and no one can give any more info -can i suggest it may be equipment that was fitted to the ROYAL ENGINEERS bridging crane but this was on a mk1 or 2 chassis i will do some further research and if i can glean anything i will let you know -i have used the militant mk3 recovery truck and i must confess i have never heard of such a thing --! best of luck mate :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Crosbie Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Thanks Smudge. It is definitely quoted in the Mk 3 Recovery Truck Servicing Schedule, but there are plenty of mistakes in some of the Mk3 literature I have seen, so it may indeed actually refer to another vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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