I suggest a thread on longest recovery

alleramilitaria · #1 16-05-07, 03:12

I suggest a thread on longest recovery; being the type to boast heres my latest effort from last weekend

2850 km in a weekend with 10 hours spent obtaining the parts and a sticky beak at a collection + 1 night at the Pub.

Recovered engine full drive train and suspension for my Toyota FQ15.

ok im up for that.
non comercial not rail or hire truck.....

3200 miles to get 2 UC MK I carriers from north central canada to central texas 5 days driving time

and thats hopping to it

dave

Jordan Baker · #2 16-05-07, 04:10

Sorry Dave but I think Stewart Loy has you beat.

He did 7990.01km from Friday evening to the following Monday evening. All just to get a CMP.

rob love · #3 16-05-07, 04:52

Maybe not as far but a heck of a lot tougher: Back in the 90s I left from MooseJaw Sask and picked up Gordon Falk in Steinbach. From there we headed to Armstrong Ontario, north of Thunder Bay. Once we were near Armstrong, we headed down a old washed out road for a a couple kilometers. Once camp was set up,we had to go about 1 mile on the first lake, another mile through a shallow river, and then a couple more miles accross a big lake. Then we hauled the oxy acetylene torches up a 250 foot hill, along with a water pump in case of fire. There were 5 Bren carrier hulls up there, and we had gone to recover what we could find. And after the drive, the boat ride, and the hike up the hill with the oxy and acetylene bottles, I discovered we hadn't brought a stryker. A bit of salvaged wire from a carrier, and the battery from the boat solved that.

Anyway, we spent the next three days cutting, the next day dragging stuff to the shore, and the last day going back and forth with the boat. And every night we were just exhausted.
By the third day we were starting to wish we never saw another carrier in our lifetimes, but once everything got home, we had some real treasure.

Sitting in the cab of a truck is the easy way. Dragging the stuff through the bush by hand is the man's way.

chris vickery · #4 16-05-07, 14:46

C'mon Rob, you mean with all your experience and connections you just didn't req a chopper and a crew of EME guys to go in and get that stuff. Could've called it a training mission for the troops.

I heard of a certain guy on the forum that managed to pull off a similar stunt a few years back to aquire a carrier off of an island up north...

Alex Blair (RIP) · #5 16-05-07, 14:51

Quote:

Originally posted by rob love
Maybe not as far but a heck of a lot tougher: Back in the 90s I left from MooseJaw Sask and picked up Gordon Falk in Steinbach. From there we headed to Armstrong Ontario, north of Thunder Bay. Once we were near Armstrong, we headed down a old washed out road for a a couple kilometers. Once camp was set up,we had to go about 1 mile on the first lake, another mile through a shallow river, and then a couple more miles accross a big lake. Then we hauled the oxy acetylene torches up a 250 foot hill, along with a water pump in case of fire. There were 5 Bren carrier hulls up there, and we had gone to recover what we could find. And after the drive, the boat ride, and the hike up the hill with the oxy and acetylene bottles, I discovered we hadn't brought a stryker. A bit of salvaged wire from a carrier, and the battery from the boat solved that.

Anyway, we spent the next three days cutting, the next day dragging stuff to the shore, and the last day going back and forth with the boat. And every night we were just exhausted.
By the third day we were starting to wish we never saw another carrier in our lifetimes, but once everything got home, we had some real treasure.

Sitting in the cab of a truck is the easy way. Dragging the stuff through the bush by hand is the man's way.

Rob..
I have been in that area and there is an old prisonor of war camp down south of Armstrong..When I was there back in '69 the prisoner's paintings were still on the walls and it looked like they just walked out in '45..and left everything..I don't remember any carriers there but very well could be lots of stuff there because of the POW camp...You had your work cut out for you...the fishing was fabulous...
Hope you had some time to do some fishing..at least with a CIL wobbler or two...

Gunner · #6 16-05-07, 16:06

... and ya tell the kids nowadays that they've got it soft! Sheeeeeeeeeer looxurrry!

While it used commercial vehs, the journey of my carrier from Desdeash, Yukon Territories to Ottawa had a certain flair:

June 1983: found the carrier in the aforementioned Desdeash, it would only turn right so a left turn was 270 degrees right! Loaded into a dump truck going to Whitehorse, cross loaded to another dump truck going to Edmonton for warrantee servicing, dropped in a PMQ driveway at CFB Edmonton (a friend serving as an instructor at the Parachute Training Centre).

His neighbour is posted to Ottawa, so the carrier is loaded into the semi trailer as 'furniture' and delivered to Ottawa. Numpty (me!) rents a 3 tonner from a big yellow truck rental firm and we push the carrier in as now it won't start and head for Petawawa (I was in the Special Service Force at the time). No sooner do I get onto the 417 highway when the INSIDE left rear tyre blows!

Six hours later (it only took two hours to get from Petawawa to Ottawa) I arrive and the carrier is dumped beside my 1/2 track in the boat and camper trailer storage compound (with appropriate paperwork authorised by my CO).

On posting, a year later, I once again rent a three tonner from rentalex and haul the carrier back to Ottawa (by now I have some left turn ability and it runs, sort-of!) where I store it with family while I head off to the big sky country of Manitoba.

If we count the distance to and from Petwawa as a side bar, the beastie travelled 6153 km to get from the Yukon to the Swords and Ploughshares Museum.

Up hill, both ways!

Mike

rob love · #7 16-05-07, 18:42

Quote:

Originally posted by Alex Blair
Rob..
I have been in that area and there is an old prisonor of war camp down south of Armstrong..When I was there back in '69 the prisoner's paintings were still on the walls and it looked like they just walked out in '45..and left everything..I don't remember any carriers there but very well could be lots of stuff there because of the POW camp...You had your work cut out for you...the fishing was fabulous...
Hope you had some time to do some fishing..at least with a CIL wobbler or two...

Alex
Never even thought of fishing.
There were a few POW camps in the area, and logging camps as well. If you are talking about the camp I think you are talking about, it was on the south east corner of the lake. There are only remains of a large wooden wheel device they used to pull on the lake in the winter to make the winter road. While at this camp about 7 years back, Derk found what looked to be a German airborne boot. Lots of other junk around too.

The carriers were on the North end of the lake. After the big haul of stuff the first year, we went back another year and found lots of smaller treasures scattered about the bush. Things like grenade boxes, antenna mounts, good track.....you know, the kind of stuff one normally finds laying about in the Northern Ont bush.

I heard rumours of 2 more carriers in the bush up there....may be a summer expidition coming up yet.

Alex Blair (RIP) · #8 16-05-07, 19:50

Quote:

Originally posted by rob love
Alex
Never even thought of fishing.
There were a few POW camps in the area, and logging camps as well. If you are talking about the camp I think you are talking about, it was on the south east corner of the lake. There are only remains of a large wooden wheel device they used to pull on the lake in the winter to make the winter road. While at this camp about 7 years back, Derk found what looked to be a German airborne boot. Lots of other junk around too.

The carriers were on the North end of the lake. After the big haul of stuff the first year, we went back another year and found lots of smaller treasures scattered about the bush. Things like grenade boxes, antenna mounts, good track.....you know, the kind of stuff one normally finds laying about in the Northern Ont bush.

I heard rumours of 2 more carriers in the bush up there....may be a summer expidition coming up yet.

Rob..
It's been almost 40 years since I was back there..
I had a buddy Stationed at Armstromg and I was stationed at Lowther(Halfway between Hurst and Kapiskasing.)
We used to drive up to Longlac and catch the train into Armstrong and go fishing with him...Some of the trip is now hazy due to self inflicted injuries,but it seemed like the POW camp we were in was about 20K south of Armstrong..I could be wrong but it was still standing and quite complete..
Bush fires and pillagers in the past 40 years have probably changed all that now..but there were some good stuff back there..
Good hunting.

Rob Fast · #9 17-05-07, 02:11

fantastic! Cheers Rob

Rusty · #10 17-05-07, 13:59

Very Good efforts from the US and Canada, now how about the europeans maybe you guys have crossed 10 borders or taken some old truck out from under the nose of a Ukrainian boeder guard?

Mike K · #11 17-05-07, 14:36

I know of a marathon recovery undertaken around 1973 . A long distance trip to recover a Dodge 3/4 ton Dodge Command Car body up North of Cairns in QLD . The round trip from Melbourne would be quite a few miles I would think .

Mike

sapper740 · #12 18-05-07, 01:35

Quote:

Originally posted by Jordan Baker
Sorry Dave but I think Stewart Loy has you beat.

He did 7990.01km from Friday evening to the following Monday evening. All just to get a CMP.

Jordan, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to call bullshit on this supposed feat. Do the math:

7990.01/72 hrs.= 111Km. per hour AVERAGE! speed. Not counting refueling, meals and piss breaks. To maintain this average speed Stu would have to probably hit 130km/hr...and tow a CMP at the same time!! Didn't happen Jordan.

Now here's a true tale of towing tenacity: I drove to Chicago and back in 46 hours, a round trip of 1930 miles to get my CMP which equates to an average speed of 42 mph.

rob love · #13 18-05-07, 02:56

Sapper, you are right. Jordan has attempted to pull the wool over our eyes.
London Ontario to Calgary AB is only 3,310 km according to google. That makes it 6620 round trip.

8000 km almost gets you to Vancouver and back.

Jordan, you ,must be a fisherman.

Sapper....42mph only? You should have bought a Ford CMP. You could have driven it back faster than that.

Fords rule.

Jordan Baker · #14 18-05-07, 03:44

Im not pulling the wool over anyone's eyes. Maybe we shoudl be talking to Stewart about it since it was his trip. I know he went into the USA on the way there but came back along the top of the great lakes and stayed in Canada. i had never gone with him before.

He does drive fast though. You should see him move when he is carrying a Carrier. ZOOOOM

Rob Dyba · #15 18-05-07, 04:37

1,600 km to Broken Hill to purchase a carrier. My first MV and my first good look at a carrier (what have I done? they look smaller in the pictures....) 2 days to load it up with all the bits lying around, arranging tilt trays, Big fork lifts, bigger trucks etc..Trucked Broken Hill to Orange, change trucks, Orange to Sydney, change trucks, Sydney to Pottsville, change trucks, Pottsville to Brisbane, change trucks to home......I have learned a lot since then.........all up taking the long way back about 3,600km done in 5 days. But i tip my hat to Rob Love.

Rob

rob love · #16 18-05-07, 04:51

And I didn't even mention about the bears, the fox, and the skunks.

sapper740 · #17 18-05-07, 05:42

Quote:

Originally posted by rob love
Sapper, you are right. Jordan has attempted to pull the wool over our eyes.
London Ontario to Calgary AB is only 3,310 km according to google. That makes it 6620 round trip.

8000 km almost gets you to Vancouver and back.

Jordan, you ,must be a fisherman.

Sapper....42mph only? You should have bought a Ford CMP. You could have driven it back faster than that.

Fords rule.

Rob, 42mph was my average for the whole trip. When I was rolling I kept the cruise control on 60mph. Stopping for meals, power naps, and taking whizzes lowers the average speed over the whole trip. I had a Ford back then , which I used to tow the CMP with, but I kept the speed down as it was my first adventure in towing and the last thing I wanted was to break down in Bumf**k, Missouri!

Keith Webb · #18 18-05-07, 05:55

Back around 1974 I was involved in the recovery of a No9 FGT from Wiseman's Ferry to Melbourne... we drove up in a Mini panelvan and I drove the FGT all the way back. It was unrestored, had almost no brakes and no elecrics other than the ignition circuit and had a permit to drive to the border which had expired the week before.

I was doing it for the owner and it's not the sort of thing I'd comtemplate doing these days.

Suffice to say we made it and that was some sort of miracle as the clutch started to fill with oil and some of the steeper hills on the way back had to be done in first gear because of slippage.

The trip must have been around 2500ks - an overnight drive up and 5 days drive back.

Rusty · #19 18-05-07, 12:36

Now others on the 2005 Back to the track trip can vouch for me on this. I believe that I should not name the individual directly because his recovery was slightly illeagal, but I will call him Mr Potato Nuts for more reasons than one.

Mr Potato Nuts found a 6x6 ACCO at Docker River an Aboriginal community in desert country on the Western Australian Northern Teritory Border. He negotiated a purchace price and now owned an ACCO stuck in a Desert.

Mr Potato nuts then hooked up his new ACCO that weighs about 8000KG to the back of his 1965 1700KG Land Rover.
OH yes he was also towing a trailer with about 1 ton of crap on board so the ACCO was A framed on behind that. Forgot to mention he had cracked the right hand chassis rail in 2 just under the engine mount earlier on.

Mr Potato Nuts then proccced about 250KM on a coragated desert road to Ularu. Not black top Bloody 12 inch deep washboards. I will attach a photo of the road being driven on by a NM Mack for your viwinf pleasure.

Mike K · #20 18-05-07, 13:39

Quote:

Originally posted by Keith Webb
Back around 1974 I was involved in the recovery of a No9 FGT from Wiseman's Ferry to Melbourne... we drove up in a Mini panelvan and I drove the FGT all the way back. It was unrestored, had almost no brakes and no elecrics other than the ignition circuit and had a permit to drive to the border which had expired the week before.

I was doing it for the owner and it's not the sort of thing I'd comtemplate doing these days.

Suffice to say we made it and that was some sort of miracle as the clutch started to fill with oil and some of the steeper hills on the way back had to be done in first gear because of slippage.

The trip must have been around 2500ks - an overnight drive up and 5 days drive back.

Where is that particular FGT now Keith ?

MIKE

Gunner · #21 18-05-07, 14:28

While stationed in Shilo, Manitoba back in the spring of ’93 I received orders to deploy to the Western Sahara as a United Nations Military Observer (UNMO); concurrently my good friend Mark Hilash sent me information about a 1943 Ford C60LAAT for sale… in Chicago! Being the owner of a 40mm Bofors I decided to acquire the beast. The army generously allows people deploying into remote jobs to take a low interest loan to help cover expenses while gone… it was just the ticket to allow me the purchase.

The seller and I communicated, lots of pictures were faxed back and forth and I was assured that the beast would have no problem chugging from Chicago to Ottawa, but he did think I was nuts. Mark H couldn’t get free to do the trip with me but an equally nutty friend, Mark Paine agreed to help out with the long drive. I sprung for air tickets to get us from Shilo and Ottawa respectively and we landed in Chicago in mid May with only some idea of the challenge ahead of us.

The truck was everything it was advertised to be, good condition with a couple of small rust holes, engine roared to life on the first kick, new exhaust, brakes gone over with new rubber everywhere and silicon fliud… the deal was struck and the adventure began.

First problem was to get the fan belt squeal dealt with and a slight wobble at 25 mph out of the steering. So we stopped at a shop the seller recommended where a cheerful mechanic tightened up the belt (we watched carefully as we figured we might have to do this again). Just as he got the tension perfect his crowbar slipped and he holed the rad! Most redfaced he finished the belt tightening and took us across the road to a rad shop where he negotiated a good deal (he paid for removing and replacing as well as the the hole and I paid for tanking, cleaning, reassembly and painting- I figured if the rad’s out may as well get it done right. I added a better passenger side rearview mirror as it had the original 3.5” round jobbies and I couldn’t see sh*t. back to Mr Crowbar we got the front axle up and he adjusted the linkages and tightened everything up so we had a smoother ride.

On the road, again we roll for Detroit, 279 miles away… along the way we get lots of hoots and waves as we trundled along at 41 mph, engine howling, roof drumming and transfer box shifter t-t-t-t-tinging. First stop for gas a bungy cord is acquired and the transfer case lever is boinged into place to get rid of the mildly annoying t-t-t-t-ting-ting-tinging. Oil and gas consumption aren’t bad so off we go. Mark and I communicate with scuba hand signals as you can’t hear yourself think in the windowless un-insulated cab! Getting used to 1940's brakes was an adventure and I admit to running a few stops signs on rural roads before I got the full hang of it

The sun is slowly setting and we are a bit south of Detroit when we suffer a major electrical problem… the engine won’t stay running! We were stopped for gas at a small Mom and Pop service station and the owner, a kindly born again type, took a look and suggested we needed to look at the distributor. He regretted he couldn’t stay as he was locking up to go take his family to evening prayers but he offered to get us to a motel. We explained that we were self contained and would sleep in the back of the truck if he didn’t mind and he generously offered to leave the toilet unlocked for us. With a promise to be in early to fix us up he headed out. We crashed into our sleeping bags and slept the rest of the truly weary.

The story continues Monday with a surprise, an education on early Ford distributors and a border crossing… yikes!

Mike

Alex Blair (RIP) · #22 18-05-07, 15:21

Mike...
Don't forget....
"Up hill...both ways...!!"

Roland Koster · #23 19-05-07, 00:15

In 1993, just before I turned 19 I went to Norway for a long weekend, with nothing more than just a backpack, a vaguely discription of a town somewhere in Norway and a picture of a Loyd carrier who was seen there by someone in 1984. You're young and still believe in miracles...:-)
So, off I went. I did find the place but no Loyd. I found out it was sold to a well know Swedish collector; Terrang Axle. So back I went, got on the phone with the new owner who sended met a couple of polaroids the next day. Everything looked like a Loyd should be and the following weekend I went to Sweden to get my long wanted tracked carrier. Half an hour before the boat left we came to a deal (I just arrived that morning) and a few houres later I was back in class again and being a carrier richer. A few weeks later it arrived by see (very handy when the 'salesman' lives in a major port town). And went straight from the boat, on to the truck and straight into my shed. Where is still waits it's restoration....

It's is still one of my best succes stories sofar. Dreams CAN come true...

greetings,

Roland

Keith Webb · #24 19-05-07, 08:14

Quote:

Originally posted by Mike Kelly
Where is that particular FGT now Keith ?

MIKE

No idea. It may still be in the family but as you know most of the goodies were disposed of several years ago including the P40 which is in the AWM.

I'll chase it down.

Mike K · #25 19-05-07, 12:18

Roger that Keith .

I spotted Nelson W on TV a few years ago , on a kids afternoon TV program of all things . He was based at Lilydale airport at the time and he gave a reporter a tour of his hanger come shed and some old aircraft bits . I wonder if his family still have the Stuart tank, it was fairly complete from what i can remember of it . I recall him saying he discovered the P40 in an orchard in the Bayswater/Wantirna area in the early 1960's ?

Mike

Snowtractor · #26 10-06-07, 18:07

Well, the longest single recovery in a long weekend would be from Fort smith ,Nwt to Fort St James and back for the Penguin. Approx. 4000km and through the mountains . ....Nope sorry the longest would have been my carrier from the Nwt to Winnipeg and back about 6800km , mind you the M7 was 4400km from the NWT to Sask and back. Now they have all been on the move again to the tune of anther 1400km from the NWT to Alberta and they will be moving on to Manitoba soon to add another 1700km to the total. After that you can all just damn well come over to my place to see them 'cause they ain't a moving no more...bring beer!

Does going to Northern Norway to get WWII parts count?
Sean