polecat paul Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 Did i hear a mention of ferrets?....yes i have one of those delightfull vehices it is a mk1/2 in cyprus markings and is dated 1962 the only problem is the fluid flywheel seal has gone and i was waiting until i came back off holiday to do it so must get started this weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Grosvenor Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 Yes I mentioned Ferrets :lol: Mine is also a 1962 Mk1/2 (OO EA 07) so they must be quite close in numbers. Mine is in Gulf War colours, it's a little odd, as it has a large front bumper, no lockers, but an access ladder on the side. Both these look to well made to be "home made" . I've been told by more than one person that the bumper was for use in Belfast but I have never seen a picture of a Ferret in use in Northern Ireland to confirm this. Regards Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polecat paul Posted October 13, 2005 Author Share Posted October 13, 2005 My military reg number is 00EA89 so very close Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted October 15, 2005 Share Posted October 15, 2005 Richard. I have doubts about the front bumper I took pics of a large number of Mk 1/2s in a scrapyard in Essex after the Gulf War. Didn't see any bumpers like that. (BTW these were for cutting but AFAIK they all escaped into the market). As for NI never seen any pics of Mk 1/2. There were some Mk 1s with add-on see through "pram hoods" like the RUC used on their Dingos. But most Ferrrets were 2/3, although in 1966 the RUC had a numberof Mk 2/4 but these were not liked & within a few moths were abandoned. But never seen a bumper like that before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Grosvenor Posted October 15, 2005 Share Posted October 15, 2005 Hello Clive, No I haven't seen one like this on a Ferret, but someone I know who works "high 'up in the Military" ( don't ask to many questions :wink: ) said the first time he saw the Ferret, (from a distance and only as he walked by)- "That must have had a few petrol bombs thrown at it!" At the time no-one else had mentioned a possible use for the front bumper, so when I asked him about it he said it was normal for a NI Ferret to have that bumper. Since then I have spoken to quite a few old solders who are customers of ours and everytime, without me asking about it, have pointed out the "Ulster Bumper". But still, I have never seen a photo of another Ferret with the same bumper! I don't like asking "high up military man" to many questions because his work is a little hush hush. He did get me some very nice satellite photo's of Zil 131's and other soviet hardware though! Believe it or not, they were in a brown envelope with various details blanked out! :? :wink: Regards Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted October 15, 2005 Share Posted October 15, 2005 Richard. Yes its always difficult to know whats real & what has been done as an embellishment by a previous owner. There are strange things around I grant you. For instance I have in service pictures of a Saracen with a Pig type barricade ram, Pigs with Shorland turrets & even a Hornet fitted with a Thunderbird SAGW! I have got a lot REME SITREPs for the early NI days which lists all the mods & security gadgets they made but nothing about an 'Ulster Bumper' for Ferret. It doesn't look substantial enough to do anything tough, it looks as if it would bend. As I understand it fittings at the front were either to bash through barricades or prevent objects being hurled under the vehicle to get it to wedge underneath causing the vehicle to flounder on its belly. This gadget is far too high off the ground to do either. Well you better not give too much away about your contact bearing in mind this is a very public place! But I have spoken to a former CREME General who seemed to be unaware of what a Humber Pig actually was, even though it was in service when he was! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted October 16, 2005 Share Posted October 16, 2005 There are strange things around I grant you. For instance I have in service pictures of ..... Pigs with Shorland turrets Hello Clive, I witnessed that conversion, probably the initial one. A steel box had to be constructed on the roof first with the turret on top, so the commander could stand on the floor with turret at correct height. It was prone to rolling badly on corners as you can imagine with this extra weight high up. Richard "Kewelde" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted October 16, 2005 Share Posted October 16, 2005 Hello QLD I have seen about 8 pigs with turrets, all a bit different some had quite a substantial box for the turret other more modest. The other point is that the turrent ring cannot just be dropped on the pig roof as that sloped to an apex & the Shorland roof was flat. I notice the donor Shorlands had totally new roof. How many conversions do you think were done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted October 16, 2005 Share Posted October 16, 2005 How many conversions do you think were done? Clive, Only one done at our place. I think it was the first one and trialled at a local establishment where training was undertaken for that Theatre :wink: Richard Kewelde Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Grosvenor Posted October 16, 2005 Share Posted October 16, 2005 It doesn't look substantial enough to do anything tough, it looks as if it would bend Oh I don't think it would bend. When I drilled it to fit the bridge weight plate I found that it is made from thick metal. And I mean THICK! It's also boxed and the person who made it was a brilliant welder. It's mounted to the hull over it's full width, top and bottom. But the oddest thing about the bumper is at each end there are square holes, fully sleeved and welded, which must have been used to take something. It just looks too well made to just be something knocked up in the garage to make it look smart. It would have been much easier to put sand ladders on or even a piece of crash barrier! One point, I have a poor quality photocopy of a picture of the Ferret just after it was de-moded and it's matt black. Was this normal? Cheers Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted October 16, 2005 Share Posted October 16, 2005 Point taken if it's welded well then it sounds more official. Is the ladder of the same quality? I have the greatest admiration for anybody who can make a good job out of welding! Totally matt black? Never seen that before, although there were Land Rovers in some places in NI that were totally black & only came out for special functions after dark. So one is unlikely to see a picture of these either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Grosvenor Posted October 16, 2005 Share Posted October 16, 2005 Totally Black The ladder is of the same quality as the bumper and it certainly makes getting in easier. :lol: The holes for the periscopes in the side hatches have also been welded up to the same standard. This has annoyed me has I wanted to refit the periscopes. No problem removing the plates but the brackets inside that hold the periscopes in place have been removed. Again this has been done by someone skilled in metal working. I was unsure if the cargo rack fitted now is a "proper job", but having had a look at Duxfords Mk1/2 in Gulf Colours it has the same style rack fitted. By the way, I have enjoyed reading your articles in Windscreen magazine on Pigs. I have nearly brought a Pig on two occasions and the articles have been very useful for spotting the differences. As yet I haven't quite been able to commit to a Pig (sounds a bit funny that! :wink: ) Regards Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted October 16, 2005 Share Posted October 16, 2005 But are you really sure that it is black not green & black? Always very difficult to tell with B&W particularly with the reflections. If you look at the top section of the ladder, would you say to the right of it is a column of darker paint? If its darker its black, suggesting what's around it is presumably green. I suppose the real test is to go scratching paint of it in various places! But I don't suppose you want to do that? Thanks for the kind comments. I am glad somebody reads them, I never really know. One of those 2 monthly mags once ran article on buying a pig & one bit of advice I found extraordinary. Look for a pig with no oil underneath. I disagree if the is no oil underneath then there is probably none left in it. In general people are not very good at looking after their Humbers. There can be up to 9 lubrication points on each wheel station & these are usually ignored. The greatest error is to fail to lubricate the tracta joints. Even when they are serviced, grease is pushed in through the nipples, but they are not grease points, they are lubrication points for OEP220! This must be injected with some force through the seals. Failure to do so is a significant cause of joint failure. I'm sorry I'm getting upset but I feel sorry for the pig & the next owner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Grosvenor Posted October 17, 2005 Share Posted October 17, 2005 Well I'm not sure now having looked at the picture now it's been scanned and blown up. There does seem to be a slight two tone to the paint! But on it's V5 the colour is stated as black, I would think that camo is normaly put down as green. The Ferret is now sand colour but the black "Allied Markings" are slightly lower than the sand paint, suggesting that the black was masked up and the sand sprayed over the top. The only green found is inside the smoke luncher boxes. I am going to respray the Ferret over the winter so hopefully should be able to find out what colour it was before being spayed sand. I'm keeping it in Gulf War colour but am going to use a satin finish as the current matt is a pain to keep clean. Look for a pig with no oil underneath. I disagree if the is no oil underneath then there is probably none left in it. I agree, I always think it's funny when someone says something was leaking but then it just stopped without them having to do anything to it! I wonder why! :lol: Regards Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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