neil mitchell Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Hi all, has anyone any interest in the one off runway friction testing vehicle that was in wheels and tracks many years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogman Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Hi Neil, I can recall seeing this vehicle in the Aircraft Engineering hangar at Cranfield Institute of Technology in the mid '80s. At that time Cranfield were testing the suitability of radial tyres for use on aircraft and I remember seeing it being driven up and down the runway conducting tyre tests at that time. I have found an article in a copy of "Aerogram" which was the in-house newsletter of CIT at the time that mainly describes the tyre test, but also give a brief description of the vehicle. Quote:- The tyre temperature trials were performed using the MOD Heavy Load Friction Vehicle (HLFV) which is based at Cranfield. The vehicle is a 12 tonne 6x6 chassis normally seen on Saracen armoured cars and fire tenders. Major modifications to the vehicle have seen the removal of the centre pair of wheels and the installation of a centrally mounted pantograph jacking system on to which an aircraft wheel can be mounted. The wheel can be loaded up to 44kN and driven along the runway at speeds up to 90km/h. I can't find any other info on the vehicle, but I'll walk over to the hangar next week and see if anyone remembers anything else, or even where it is now. Cheers, Barry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil mitchell Posted May 28, 2012 Author Share Posted May 28, 2012 hi barry,all info greatly recived,thank,s neil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogman Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Hi Neil, i can't find the guy that would know more about the HLFV, but I'll keep trying. I did find a photo of the beast with the ground crew. Note the Aerodynamic cab.......! Cheers, Barry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbo Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Odd looking vehicle - not what I expected at all..! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogman Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 A photo of the beast in action! Barry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil mitchell Posted June 15, 2012 Author Share Posted June 15, 2012 Hi guy's thanks for info,i have had the vehicle parked in my yard for several years now,it has NASA ,wallops island Viginia USA stenciled on both sides of it and ministry of aviation on both doors,can anyone shed any light on the NASA part of it's life. thank's neil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbo Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Try this link... http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690011113_1969011113.pdf If you google nasa friction testing you will see that they have done a great deal of this sort of thing over the years, but the above paper refers to tests at Wallop Island in 1969. There is a picture of the heavy load friction vehicle, and some of the test data refers to the 'juggernaut'. There is also a photo but it is wearing ministry of technology markings... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil mitchell Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Try this link... http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690011113_1969011113.pdf If you google nasa friction testing you will see that they have done a great deal of this sort of thing over the years, but the above paper refers to tests at Wallop Island in 1969. There is a picture of the heavy load friction vehicle, and some of the test data refers to the 'juggernaut'. There is also a photo but it is wearing ministry of technology markings... Hi all,yes on the doors you can still see the ministry of technology markings and below the college of aeronautics stencil, it also has wallops island on the side. The vevicle is 95% complete even down to the test equipment and comunication equipment in the cab, as a one off unique vehicle ,should this not be in a museum rather than sat in my yard,cheers neil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbo Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Got any pics Neil...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 More to the point - is it operational??? :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil mitchell Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 More to the point - is it operational??? :laugh: Hi, yes it was running three years ago, i removed the rear hub reductions to enable it to freewheel when i towed it in behind my crusader, all parts removed have been stored away. It still has a wheel and tyre up in its centre section. I have also got some test records that came with it,i think they were for a lightning,would have to have a look. overall in good shape,i have purpusly left it original but very easy to restore. cheers neil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogman Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Hi Neil, Is this the logo on the HLFV door? It was interesting to read in the NASA report that the HLFV was operated by the College of Aeronautics for the American tests. The College of Aeronautics was a department within Cranfield Institute of Technology when I joined in 1979, but Cranfield was started in the late '40's as the College of Aeronautics. The college became CIT in the '50s, I believe. Cheers, Barry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil mitchell Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 Hi Neil, Is this the logo on the HLFV door? It was interesting to read in the NASA report that the HLFV was operated by the College of Aeronautics for the American tests. The College of Aeronautics was a department within Cranfield Institute of Technology when I joined in 1979, but Cranfield was started in the late '40's as the College of Aeronautics. The college became CIT in the '50s, I believe. Cheers, Barry Hi, yes the college of aeronautics markings are under and lower than the ministry of technology stencil on both cab doors.cheers, neil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willys Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 should this not be in a museum rather than sat in my yard Yes, agree. What is the status now - sold? Any pictures of current status? As a one of its kind and closely linked to UK aviation history, it should be in a museum. Got to know it through the literature as there exist several research reports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil mitchell Posted August 8, 2012 Author Share Posted August 8, 2012 Yes, agree.What is the status now - sold? Any pictures of current status? As a one of its kind and closely linked to UK aviation history, it should be in a museum. Got to know it through the literature as there exist several research reports. Hi no not sold but could be but only to the right person and obviously the right price, must end up in aviation museum preferably in this country,but have had interest from USA,cheers neil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willys Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Have you contacted any UK museum? I think I know one that might be (should be) interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil mitchell Posted August 9, 2012 Author Share Posted August 9, 2012 Have you contacted any UK museum?I think I know one that might be (should be) interested. Hi, no not done that but could be worth doing,if you have one in mind feel fee to contact them, i would like it to stay in this contry as i feel it is a very inportant vehicle in it's day. As an ex rolls royce aircraft engineer i have a feeling for it's preservation, cheers neil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willys Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Hi, no not done that but could be worth doing,if you have one in mind feel fee to contact them, i would like it to stay in this contry as i feel it is a very inportant vehicle in it's day. As an ex rolls royce aircraft engineer i have a feeling for it's preservation, cheers neil. From another thread on this forum it is informed that the Alvis Juggernaut went to an UK Museum, but did not specify which. So the question is; at which museum can we find the Alvis Juggernaut now? Best regards Willys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnwardle Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 This is the last photo of the "Juggernaut" in the U.K. It was sold to the new museum in Cairns, Australia so it will be a bit of a trek to see it when it is restored. Yet another unique bit of British history lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbo Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Oooh I came within a gnats whisker of bidding on this, but at least it has hopefully gone to a good home. If you would go to the trouble of carting it to the other side of the world then hopefully it will be looked after when it gets there. Given it's globetrotting history its somehow seems appropriate it has gone abroad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RattlesnakeBob Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I had a bid in the online auction for the Series One Landrover ....I've not heard I was successful so guess I wasn't ! Any ideas of what she went for ?...roughly ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnwardle Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I had a bid in the online auction for the Series One Landrover ....I've not heard I was successful so guess I wasn't ! Any ideas of what she went for ?...roughly ? I take it that was the Series 1 Hardtop, I don't know many of the prices as I was on a cruise when the auction happened, I had booked it well before the online auction was even thought of, I will chase up Neil, and get a list of what sold and the selling prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willys Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 [ATTACH=CONFIG]104871[/ATTACH] This is the last photo of the "Juggernaut" in the U.K. It was sold to the new museum in Cairns, Australia so it will be a bit of a trek to see it when it is restored. Yet another unique bit of British history lost. What a loss for UK! It is definitely unique. Hopefully all the loose parts were shipped together with the "Juggernut" so that it can be restored as a complete unit and tell the fascinating UK friction testing story from 1960's and onwards. Kind of sad to see this "last" photo. Anybody else who have photos from it's working life and can tell a story from the projects it participated in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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