For sale at Withams

[Metroman]

http://www.mod-sales.com/direct/vehicle/,37,/16971/CET.htm

[sirhc]

They've been selling those for about 4 years!

[Lauren Child]

Bonus points if you can work out which side is the front/back.

[Richard Farrant]

Bonus points if you can work out which side is the front/back.

 

The bucket is the rear

[antar]

All four speeds are avaliable in both directions, but when travelling inthe direction of the bucket all gears are aproximately half speed, they will do about 35 mph travelling in road drive mode, thats travelling in the direction of the splash board. Coincidently I was out in mine yesterday !

[84KB11]

Anyone know if you can get them road registered, and if anyone has done it?

[antar]

Anyone know if you can get them road registered, and if anyone has done it?

 

Not registered mine yet but intending to over Christmas period, if you can register a Chieftain for road use can see no reason why not.

[AndyFowler]

Don't start Neil (ArtistRifles) on this again I think his blood pressure is still way to high !:shocked: :-D

[Marmite!!]

Don't think they can be road registered anymore since the width restrictions came in... ask Neil..

[Stormin]

Surely there's a chance of registering a CET as an agricultural vehicle and getting round the width restriction.

I know there's then other limitations on use but better than not being able to use it at all.

[50 cal ( † RIP † )]

why would you want to get one of these on the road they are c%!" do what i did buy it then scrap it

[AlienFTM]

Bonus points if you can work out which side is the front/back.

 

Some 30 years ago I once saw one tear past our Battle Group HQ and asked myself the same question: "Is that going backwards or forwards?"

 

Whenever I see one, I still wonder.

[ArtistsRifles]

Short - and stress free answer right now is No.

(unless you can find a very understanding DVLA clerk who'll turn a blind eye to the width.... More chance of seeing a Sqdn of flying pigs pass overhead!!)

[antar]

why would you want to get one of these on the road they are c%!" do what i did buy it then scrap it

 

Thats choice coming from someone with a yard full of non-running junk !!! you just have to have the technical know how and perseverance to get these things running anyone can use a gas axe !!!

[antarmike]

When towing "Giant Viper" the front is the bucket end, because the tow hook is on the other end.

Note extra (temporary) lighting hanging off the bucket, since this is not normally the front...

The rocket propelled ground anchor is fired away from the bucket end so when winching itself out of the water, clearly the bucket is at the back. Front/ back depends on what it is doing....

Firing the Rocket propelled anchor up a bank, to winch CET up a slope it can't climb.

Edited December 16, 2008 by antarmike
Adding images to support text/ spelling

[antarmike]

I point out that it has the Rolls Royce C6RFL engine, my Antar has the C6TFL. It is hard enough finding spares for the Left hand engine, God knows where you start to look for Right hand engine parts for these....I am not aware of any other vehicle installation of this engine

Edited December 14, 2008 by antarmike
added comment

[antarmike]

Surely this falls firmly into the Engineering plant category, I can't see why one couldn't be registered as such, although this automatically means a 12 MPH limit to road speed....

[antar]

Will let you all know how I go on with the registration in the not too distant future. I am also going to try and register my M578 at the same time, that is 10 foot wide. John

[antar]

I point out that it has the Rolls Royce C6RFL engine, my Antar has the C6TFL. It is hard enough finding spares for the Left hand engine, God knows where you start to look for Right hand engine parts for these....I am not aware of any other vehicle installation of this engine

 

Mike,

Spares are not a problem for this engine as so many CETs are cut up. I have plenty of parts stashed. Some of the parts are also quite unique, such as the waterpump. Talking to Paul at Whithams a couple of weeks ago he recons that there are another 60 CETs to come through their disposal in the not to distant future.

John.

[N.O.S.]

I point out that it has the Rolls Royce C6RFL engine, my Antar has the C6TFL. It is hard enough finding spares for the Left hand engine, God knows where you start to look for Right hand engine parts for these....I am not aware of any other vehicle installation of this engine

 

Mike - are that many parts different? My (admittedly somewhat skimpy) understanding is that the block was designed so that it could be built up using the same components to drive from either end, thus making it easy to configure as RH or LH :???

[N.O.S.]

As an aside, Track Drives - a question:

 

It is common practice on construction equipment (slow speed, no suspension but with track tensioning) to place the drive sprocket at the rear of travel. This way the mimimum number of track links are in tension as the rear sprocket effectively pulls the track from underneath the carriage - the track is then running 'no load' over the top to the front idler and down to the leading lower carriage roller, any slack being safely taken up by the tensioner

 

But on tanks (high speed, suspension, and - I assume - tensioning??), it seems the norm to drive from the front. Here the top section of track is pulling the lower track around the rear idler and out from under the carriage. So, except for the short section between the front drive sprocket and the leading carriage roller, the whole of the track is under load.

 

In the latter set-up, any slack in the track drive caused by poor tensioning or suspension travel can cause severe bunching of track plates over the short length between drive sprocket and leading lower carriage roller, which I would not have thought a good idea :???

 

Is it the case that for high speed working the front drive is considered more reliable, or what?

Edited December 14, 2008 by N.O.S.

[sirhc]

It seems to depend on the size of vehicle and where they put the engine and gearbox. Smaller tracked AFVs, CVRT, FV430, M113 etc have the drive sprocket at the front. Heavier AFVs, Chieftain, Challenger 1/2, M1 Abrams etc have the sprocket at the rear. I guess this just depends on where the steering box or gearbox is. The lighter vehicles have it at the front, heavier at the rear. AS90 and Warrior are heavy vehicles, with the box at the front as space is needed at the rear, so the sprocket is at the front. All the vehicles have track tensioners.

 

Chris

[N.O.S.]

Thanks Chris. Didn't realise there was so much variation.

[Richard Farrant]

As an aside, Track Drives - a question:

 

It is common practice on construction equipment (slow speed, no suspension but with track tensioning) to place the drive sprocket at the rear of travel.

 

Tony,

 

For your interest, as a Plant man, the CET has a system of suspension locks for when doing digging operations. We had one come in with problems in this department, years ago now. I do recollect it was a hydraulic ram in connection with the torsion bars in the bottom of the hull and the engine had to come out to access. I think it might have ended up as an internal ram leak on the piston as it would not stay locked.

[antarmike]

Mike,

Spares are not a problem for this engine as so many CETs are cut up. I have plenty of parts stashed. Some of the parts are also quite unique, such as the waterpump. Talking to Paul at Whithams a couple of weeks ago he recons that there are another 60 CETs to come through their disposal in the not to distant future.

John.

 

Good to hear that there are plenty of engine bits around. I personally like the CET and would love to own one, but to be honest I have got more than I can really afford to keep running already. One would make a nice load for the Dyson, and keep it a legal axle weights. But I'll have to enjoy other peoples won't I.

 

Thinking about it spares might be easier to find for the TFR than the TFL.

 

I had real trouble finding an injection pump for the C6TFL, because later Rolls had the pump on the other side of the block anyway. I could have put an Eagle or 290 Pump on the C6TFL if they had been the correct handing.