44GPW Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 I've been considering for some time buying a Universal Carrier. Not having any knowledge of them whatsoever it would be nice to have an insight from someone that knows regarding ownership. For instance the transportation needed to take to shows, read legal tracks availability and cost etc, spares availability. Any other do and dont's, what to look for when buying etc etc. Any info would be very much appreciated. Thanks Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lssah2025 Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 (edited) Well they are awesome to drive and depending on the make, model etc. parts are pretty easy to get or not, again depending on the overall condition of the vehicle, is it 100% restored or is it a work in progress. I know Ford engines and parts can be expensive there, but over the pond they aren't bad. We can't drive metal tracks on the road, so I can't give you any advice there, but I have seen some lovely videos of the little buggers cruising around the UK, which makes me jealous, I have driven them off road and they are a blast. They fit in a garage, you can trailer them pretty easy, depending on your vehicle and local laws, they weigh about 9500 pounds for T16 and 8500 pounds for Bren, only 12 feet long and less than 7 feet wide. I know people that just use a roll back to move them, others just use a truck and 10K pound trailer, maybe some of the carrier owners can jump in like Rick, Shaun or the others.. I am one of the stupid ones that has owned armor, and has had to hire a special truck and trailer, get wide load permits and pay extra money to move them heavy bastards, not counting maintenance, fuel cost and the continuous issue of additional cost for storage!!! Edited May 18, 2014 by lssah2025 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferret Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Hi, Carriers are great fun to drive. They can be road registered easy enough. I use a Mitsubishi Canter to move mine around. Smallish truck but still 7.5 ton. Parts are not too difficult to source. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 i have trailered mine around on a 3.5 ton plant trailer, a carrier only weighs 3 ton so with a little modoification to the trailer you can tow it legally, i often use a freinds RB44 and it tows it easily. they are road legal and can be registered as such. in my opinion they are the most fun and practical tracked ww2 armour you can buy, (trouble is they seem to be getting more and more expensive). there is a very active group of like minded carrier owners in the uk and i'm sure you would not struggle to find what you need. good luck with the search rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Hi Rick, have you actually weighed your carrier as according to Bart they weigh 3.75 to 4 tons according to model. If Bart is correct you might just have a little problem:stop: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfire Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I'd love to own one, but wheeled armour is much more user friendly and things from WWII attract quite a premium. For the cost of a good carrier, you could buy a Ferret and a Saracen and have plenty left over... Cheers, Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REME 245 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Only some of the Japanese trucks or others with alloy bodies are light enough to carry a Universal Carrier. A Mk1 Carrier may be closer to 3.5 Tons but a Mk2 would be closer to 3.75 ton unladened. By the time you add your tent and spares kit of all types there are a lot of people driving round with illegal truck's. The most an average production 7.5 ton truck will carry is 3.5 ton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
44GPW Posted May 19, 2014 Author Share Posted May 19, 2014 Thanks for all the useful info so far...much appreciated. What about tracks? How much are rubber tracks (assume i need rubber for the road?) How long do they last and whats the cost? Cheers Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 degsy i went off the user handbook for the weight, before that i toyed with the idea of taking the tracks off and carrying them in the towing vehicle which is another option but a bit of a faff. you don't need rubber tracks to go on the road as the carrier tracks meet the requirements for road use but you are limited to 5mph (ish) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 More than a bit of a faff I'd have thought:sweat:but as the weight seems to be in doubt it might just be worth putting it over a weighbridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Johns Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 (edited) i have trailered mine around on a 3.5 ton plant trailer, a carrier only weighs 3 ton so with a little modoification to the trailer you can tow it legally, i often use a freinds RB44 and it tows it easily. The towing capacity of an RB44 is listed as only 2200kg but I suppose it will be within the train weight of 7500kg if the RB is empty Edited May 20, 2014 by Nick Johns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 tows very well with the rb44 although a little under powered on the hills. the pintle is very close to the rear axle so it's really solid with a trailer on. it's all a little academic for me as i will buy a TM calm when i can scratch up enough cash for one and with a gross train of 24 ton it should cover it rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardT10829 Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 3.75 T and combat weight which is the same as W&P weight puts ten up to 4T.... So 18T truck minimum, if you can get your hands on an 18T skip lorry, your laughing !!! Speed limits for carriers are actually 20mph as you have suspension and resilient material (rubber) present, which has to either be on the wheels or the tracks, otherwise it's 5 mph as Rick has said.... Mind with steel tracks it's like driving a bus over sheet glass covered in marbles ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Herbert Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Ignoring the law, it is quite possible to drive a carrier flat out on a publc road. It is very exciting and look great. The only problem is that if someone pulls out in front of you, you will find that you are piloting a four ton sledge whith absolutely no directional control and very little slowing down happening. If you touch a curb it will spin and if you run into something, be it a hedge, a car, a house or a person, it will go straight through. The resulting mess is not good. The level of grip once it is loose is like driving a car with bald tyres on ice. Driving on an unmade road or off road is much safer as the tracks can get a grip and then you can almost stand it on its nose by braking hard. This is what they were designed for and they are great fun. Personally I prefer T16s because of the controlled differential steering but there are plenty of people who like the track warping/braked differential system. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monty2 Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 come to the new Facebook group UK/Commonwealth TANK / CARRIER Society https://www.facebook.com/groups/662015590520225/ lot on tanks and carriers in only one week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanE Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 i have trailered mine around on a 3.5 ton plant trailer, a carrier only weighs 3 ton so with a little modoification to the trailer you can tow it legally, i often use a freinds RB44 and it tows it easily. they are road legal and can be registered as such. in my opinion they are the most fun and practical tracked ww2 armour you can buy, (trouble is they seem to be getting more and more expensive). there is a very active group of like minded carrier owners in the uk and i'm sure you would not struggle to find what you need. good luck with the search rick Don't intend being a killjoy but I would point out an RB44 is totally unsuitable as legally they can only tow a maximum of 2.2 tons on the road , they will pretty much pull what you want but check the weight plate in os footwell train weight is 7.5 tons , gross vehicle weight is 5.3 tons and my GS with full tank of diesel spare wheel and driver weighs off at 3.5 tons. Maths done you can't tow a 3 ton carrier , also there won't be a trailer with this payload that doesn't take you over the 3500kg limit for overrun brakes . I just wouldn't wish anyone to fall foul of the law . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 thanks for the advice guys but i always use mind over matter. i don't mind and you don't matter. :-D seriously though it's possible, you just have to use your imagination as long as the gross train is within limits and the trailer is under 3.5 ton then you are ok, how you go about that is up to you, i removed the engine armour, batteries and anything else that was easily removeable and put it in the towing vehicle and it towed fine. we might have been over, we might have been under, i didn't go on a weigh bridge so can't say for sure but it felt good to me. how anyone else does it is their concern but you could buy a 4t daf and chuck it on the back, insurance for me was £130 and 19mpg makes for a good alternative . rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Pearson Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Im new to this. Just thought I would mention that I have for sale, a British made 1941 mostly complete for restoration, Mortar Carrier. Please inbox me if interested. Cheers Mark......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catch 22 LBDR Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Don't intend being a killjoy but I would point out an RB44 is totally unsuitable as legally they can only tow a maximum of 2.2 tons on the road , they will pretty much pull what you want but check the weight plate in os footwell train weight is 7.5 tons , gross vehicle weight is 5.3 tons and my GS with full tank of diesel spare wheel and driver weighs off at 3.5 tons. Maths done you can't tow a 3 ton carrier , also there won't be a trailer with this payload that doesn't take you over the 3500kg limit for overrun brakes . I just wouldn't wish anyone to fall foul of the law . I was thinking of getting an RB44 to tow my Ferret to shows. While doing some research I found the ridiculously low 2200kg towing capacity. I can't get my head around why a vehicle that is more powerful, heaver and larger would have a lower towing capacity than a Defender. (A 110 Defender can tow 3500kg). Can the vehicle's performance be enhance to increase it's towing ability. eg; up rate its braking ability? I dont wish to hijack this thread so you can reply on this page. Thanks http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?44825-Towing-casipity-of-a-Reynolds-Boughton-RB44 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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