LightningCato Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 (edited) (removed) Edited December 20, 2020 by LightningCato Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin33ba07 Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 go for the BMP ,wither you can get it road legal is another matter ,tracks with pads lights indicators so and width 2.94m Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 As to legality of use on the road, I'm guessing none of us outside the U.S. will have a clue. Sad to say in the UK we have some stringent restrictions such as width which are very frustrating given our limited use of these vehicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Doesn't this also depend on the individual state in the US? Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhc Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Which ever one you decide to buy, if it goes in a container make sure you fill it with spares. Wheels, track, engine, gearbox, service items, as many bits and pieces as you can afford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauren Child Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Which ever one you decide to buy, if it goes in a container make sure you fill it with spares. Wheels, track, engine, gearbox, service items, as many bits and pieces as you can afford. I don't think any of those will fit in a normal (ISO) shipping container, but it's a very good point. Above all you need to keep the vehicle going when you get it home, so make sure you have all of the common items, special tools, consumables etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catch 22 LBDR Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 My money would be on the Abbot, Lots of info and people available to use for servicing and repair advise (no language barrier when it comes to fixing something, just post your question on hear and you are sure to get an answer from someone who worked on one). Rubber pads on the tracks means it wont rip up the road when you natural turn it and I am fairly sure they wont let you on the road without rubber pads. Best of all it shares a lot of common parts with the 432 (witch are cheep to pick up at the moment), You could get one for braking and save your self a load of cash in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhc Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Rubber pads on the tracks means it wont rip up the road when you natural turn it You can't neutral turn an FV430! Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRDM Driver Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Hi Lee, Ask yourself "Do I want something with a big gun on it?" :cool2: I vote for Abbot every time. If a T72 was an option, it might beat the Abbot but not otherwise. SA-6 looks cool I guess, BMP's go well, but Abbot is the closest to a 'real' tank and as mentioned, you will be able to get most parts without too much trouble. Many parts are available online. There are some bargain bits around at the moment too. What are you looking for in a military vehicle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeferret Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Cato in your State I would go with Historical plates...I'm sure you already thought of this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCMatt Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Hi Lee, I vote for Abbot every time. If a T72 was an option, it might beat the Abbot With a T-72, I'd be inclined to ask how tall are you? They're known for being extremely cramped inside. Certainly weren't designed with the...ahem.."generous" (:-D) American Civilian psysic in mind. Andy is correct in what can & can not be run on US roads is up to individual States to deside so check your State's DMV regs. From what I'm to understand (at least in Va-where I live), what they allow on the road has less to do with tracks and more to do with a vehicle's width & weight. Although IMHO, I don't think it would be a problem for me to register a halftrack for street use, I may be hard pressed to obtain a set of tags for say a Spartan APC from VaDMV. Matt Oh and if I have a vote, I'd go with the BMP. Yes it is also made for members of the lollypop gilde but, it is very tank like with it's full tracks & rotating turret w/ gun barrel plus you can carry some extra friends/kit with you in the rear troop compartment. ' Think it may be smaller/lighter in weight then the Abbot as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catch 22 LBDR Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 The Abbott is a self-propelled artillery peace with a 105mm gun. It has a crew of 6 (although not all of them would be in the vehicle). It large turret also traverse 6400mls (360 degrees). Over 8 and 1/2 feet wide, over 8 feet tall, with a bridge classification of I think 18 tons. Although the engine is differant to the FV432 APC it does share a lot of parts with it. The BMP is a bit lighter at 13 t, but is a whopping 9 foot 8 in wide! I don't know if this is an Issue in the us. I have had the opportunity to zip around in this beast and it is immense fun. Its lighter weight and diesel power pack might make it more appealing to a potential owner. Have you considered something from the CVRT range, a Scimitar for example, has all the characteristics of an MBT but is a fraction of the weight and size. Only 8t. CVRT's are still in service with the BA and so spares are readily available. They all went through an in-servise dieselision program but most of the ones in public hands are petrol. Because they have such a long life span they tend to have very exciting history's with examples serving in the first gulf war etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 BMP class is 9' 6" (2.9m) across the track skirts - got this figure burned into memory from arguing with VOSA for 5 years, 22 ft long (6.735m) and 6' 9" (2.068m) high max.... Running weight is approx 13.2 tons "empty" (ie no ammo, half a tank of fuel and no troops.). The tracks are all steel, no resilient pads- BUT you can plasma cut 2 holes in each link and fit the pads from a BMP-2! Pads are about £16 each these days from any of the East European suppliers. Whilst it is true that getting hold of parts will take longer than for the Abbot off-setting this is the fact you won't need them as often. Also you have the speed and agility of the BMP. It will do 40 mph on roads and on light off-road conditions dropping to 28 mph in heavy off-road conditions. Abbot is 29 mph no matter what. Also the ability to cabby 9 mates around - 8 in backm 1 in turret- 1 in the commanders seat is assumed to be a given. They don't break as easily as the FV43x series (in relative terms), require far less maintenance and are like a car with the normal 3 pedals, tiller bar and a column shift to drive as opposed to the auto trans and tiller levers of the 43x. Turret traverse should also be 360 degree. Neither vehicle will neutral turn but the BMP will lock one track and pivot on that tracks centreline - and can do this at speed. Not recommended to do it too often though! Hit the brakes hard on a BMP and the front edge of the glacis plate can touch the ground - make sure the commander is holding on tight before trying this......... Abbot is, I believe, multifuel whereas the UDT-20 in the BMP is diesel only. BMP's are fully amphibious - no external prep is required to enter water, only the commander closing the louvres over the engine intakes and the gunner ensuring the preheat exhaust is fully closed. Typically they get driven off the banks at full speed... Abbots need a floatation screen erected and then water is entered at the NATO method of crawling in at low speed. [video=youtube_share;v2Qo5HOuHeo] Lastly - most BMP's on the market are fully equipped, sometimes with the 43x series you have to add extra funds to complete the interiors. I'll admit freely to being biased - I looked at 43x's before buying the OT-90, a BMP derivative and have no regrets other than the issue over road registration with VOSA - but that's another story. End of the day its whatever floats your personal boat. Enthusiasts of all types can tell you how good they are but if you are not comfortable in entering and operating it then you will never be happy...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCMatt Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Great! Now I want a BMP! Knew I shouldn't have subscribed to this thread :laugh:. I'm not 100% on this but, I think anything over 8' wide* will require a wide load permit to transport on public roadways in the U.S. I used to own an M59APC (10' 4" wide by 18' long by 8' tall) and my "track" was pretty much a stripped hull but it still weighed in at 26,000 lbs & required such a permit to move it. Matt * Have a friend who is a State Trooper, I'll ask him and report what I find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billruston Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 What kind of money do bmp1's fo for? Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCMatt Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Bill To answer your question I guess one would have to ask where are you located? BMPs in Europe are considerably less expensive then they are in USA or Down Under (shipping is a killer ). Finally heard back from my friend the State Trooper. Apparently, 8' 6" width is the maximum width allowed on roads in Va without a wide load permit. Now that's in Virginia, I'm not sure what the regs are where you live. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billruston Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 I'm in brentwood essex (England haha) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCMatt Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 I'm in brentwood essex (England haha) Then you should be able to "pick one up" for a lot less then us unfortunate types living in other parts of the globe! if you want to see what Yanks are paying for AFVs just have a look here: http://www.armyjeeps.net Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 According to G503, she has bought an OT-90. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billruston Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 $45.000 for a fv 432 you can pick them up for around 6-7 k haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCMatt Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 $45.000 for a fv 432 you can pick them up for around 6-7 k haha Yeah, no doubt.... I guess the ,mark up is from when they fly them over in first class... Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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