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What could possibly go wrong?
A post by Mike Kelly on the C15A running down veterans on ANZAC Day has inspired this thread about disasters or near disasters involving collecting, rebuilding or operating old military vehicles.
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There are many good recovery stories - I can think of one where an enthusiast (no names no pack drill) decided to salvage a 6X6 ACCO in the outback. He thought he had worked out the ownership which was disputed as he towed it a long distance in low range first gear using a Land-Rover. Not to mention the stories like Mike tells of disintegrating cutting disks. So think of this thread as sharing your experiences to help others avoid the same mistakes. So what's your story?
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Film maker 42 FGT No8 (Aust) remains 42 FGT No9 (Aust) 42 F15 Keith Webb Macleod, Victoria Australia Also Canadian Military Pattern Vehicles group on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/canadianmilitarypattern |
#2
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How could you be talking about?
We could fill pages with stories from this one "Annonymous" enthusiast alone, couldn't we?!
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Howard Holgate F15 #12 F15A #13 (stretched) F60S #13 C15A #13 Wireless (incomplete) Last edited by Howard; 14-07-11 at 11:41. Reason: Spellen |
#3
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OK, Ive got one
Ford 5000 Tractor we were trying to jump start yesterday. Battery had been in it since Moses played fullback for Jerusalem.
Crank it and cranked it and cranked it. Bastard would not fire. Took the inadequate leads off for a moment to let them cool off. Noted funny smell coming from battery on tractor. Shouldve known better, as the song goes...but we tried to put the leads back on the battery didnt we??? One small spark and BOOM!! Not just a small one either...a real, ringing in the ear boom. Not to mention myself and the bloke that attempted to put the leads back on got hot acid in our faces. Washed that off very very quickly and had a look at the battery. Half the top completely blown off!!! Lesson learnt...wont be doing that again in a hurry...
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Pax Vobiscum.......may you eat three meals a day & have regular bowel movements. |
#4
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tank accident
I may be shot for this but:
A enthusiast playing with a Centurion tank in NSW got into strife . On a hill top, he missed a gear . It became a 50 ton billy cart and this chap was alone . It rolled down the hill and hit a small farm bridge over a creek at high speed . The driver was knocked out . He recovered .
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1940 cab 11 C8 1940 Morris-Commercial PU 1941 Morris-Commercial CS8 1940 Chev. 15cwt GS Van ( Aust.) 1942-45 Jeep salad |
#5
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You can never be too careful - the older I get the more paranoid I've become.
A lot of you will remember Bob King, who was the president of the Australian Military Vehicle Collectors' Society - on a particularly rainy night while trying to negotiate the road into his property, his Landcruiser became stuck on a log (from what I remember) - Bob jacked it up and the Toyota slipped and killed him. It was a serious shock for everyone - Bob, ex ARES Major, owned a whole host of MVs - Studebaker, Acco Tipper, Land Rover Fire tender, Haflinger etc. been the club president for years, always led convoys on his army motorbike (Triumph I think - maybe even a WLA) and he'd be the first person to get stuck into you about vehicle safety. He chiaked me about not having flashing indicators on my jeep - his death has always stuck with me. How bloody terrible, awful and unlucky... I love my vehicles - but there's a lot of metal in them...
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C60X M3A1 Scout Car Willys MB Ford GPW |
#6
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My father had a rear wheel bearing on a 1954 'R' type Bentley seize up and after removing the rear axle, placed the axle in a press and proceeded to try to press the bearing off.
He had the press up to 60+ tons when the phone rang in the house. Mum answered it and called Dad to the house to talk on the phone. As he walked back to the shed across the back yard, there was a massive bang in the shed and bits of schrapnel came flying through the steel walls. The bearing cup had exploded into many, many bits and would have killed the old man had he have been there and not called to the phone. He was very lucky. Regards Rick
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1916 Albion A10 1942 White Scoutcar 1940 Chev Staff Car 1940 F30S Cab11 1940 Chev WA LRDG "Te Hai" 1941 F60L Cab12 1943 Ford Lynx 1942 Bren Gun Carrier VR no.2250 Humber FV1601A Saracen Mk1(?) 25pdr. 1940 Weir No.266 25pdr. Australian Short No.185 (?) KVE Member. |
#7
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yes
Quote:
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1940 cab 11 C8 1940 Morris-Commercial PU 1941 Morris-Commercial CS8 1940 Chev. 15cwt GS Van ( Aust.) 1942-45 Jeep salad |
#8
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Mine is simmilar to Ganmain Tony's, I was modifying a front end loder from a Fordson to fit a Nuffield when a spark frim the angle grinder flew straight across the top of the battery, all the caps blew out and some of them ended up in three pieces. Fortunately the bonnet caught the flying parts and Dad and I escaped injury.
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Robert Pearce. |
#9
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Regards, Hanno -------------------------- |
#10
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a simple test we should all do is make sure that the brakes work
many a time I have jumped in an old vechile that has sat in the shed for a while and drove off to find out the fluid has drained from the master cylinder one I recall was when we needed to jump start a car so a mate went and got the blitz from the shed and drove down our driveway to fast (ford ya see) and then no brakes, he took the corner at speed with the front wheels hiting a bump and then he managed to bounce around the corner we rushed over to him he was white as a shet but ok |
#11
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Electrolysis Derusting
Hi all - the above procedure results with hydrogen gas being emitted. If this is not vented it can easily explode from a spark from one of the battery terminals. I know it to have happened, not me but another person who is lucky to be alive.
Bob
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Chevrolet Blitz Half-Track Replica - Finished and Running Ford F15 - unrestored Ford F15A X 2 - unrestored Website owner - salesmanbob.com |
#12
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This is a good thread for farmers.
Over the years I've had several close calls, I had a straight grained tree slab on me while falling it for a log. Broke all the wheel studs and lost the rear wheel on a tractor. Spun a rock out of the ground with a tractor that left me un two wheels for a frightening moment. Almost had a dozer vertical climbing a creek bank fortunately the weight of the blade brought it back down with a bone shaking thud. I now have a bad back as a result of falling 16' when the hay bale I was standing on rolled off the stack, I was 12 at the time. And I have three pieces of metal and six screws in one finger after jamming it in a wood spliter. After all this I'm still a farmer
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Robert Pearce. |
#13
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Max, you're so right about the brakes. Recently my brother and I towed my Willys MB out of storage with my Land Rover Defender - all very gentle and proper etc - to put on a trailer. Checked the jeep for everything, air in the tyres, made sure all the red back spiders were comfy - all good until we dragged the jeep up the hill, over the crest where despite my brother's best efforts the brakes had gone on leave, stopped only by Solihull Birmingham steel. Ouch. Defender okay but the jeep needs new bumper gussets - they're now a kind of steel/origami creation.
As for the '8 year old driving the tank' clip - apart from someones MV crunched - all those people wandering around as if it was some jolly funniest home video scenario. Lucky it happened to be an MV in the path of the 8 yo driver rather than someone's family...
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C60X M3A1 Scout Car Willys MB Ford GPW |
#14
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That's right Mike - Bob was captain (I think) of his local bushfire brigade.
Warwick Lord when he had his property up at Lue near Mudgee had a kind of tourist military-vehicle-experience operation where you could ride tanks and other MVs (before public liability insurance went to infinity and beyond) - he had two Centurions amongst other things, a Saracen, Blitzes, Studebakers, L Rovers etc. and whenever he had a group for a tank ride ride, beforehand he went to great pains in explaining how to correctly board the tank, the dangers in being out of sight of the driver and crew commander, how bloody finger-choppingly dangerous hatches and doors were on all the vehicles - I remember him saying something about 'while they look like big toys - they're anything but'. He did all this without losing his sense of humour or instilling fear - but everyone had a profound, newfound respect for the vehicle and somehow that made the whole experience that much more special. I rode on a Centurion - not a toy - kind of thing...
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C60X M3A1 Scout Car Willys MB Ford GPW |
#15
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Aaaarrrrggghhh
Then there was the time whilst riding our old chain drive ride on mower. At the top of our driveway the chain broke and I started hurtling down a steepish driveway, the end of which ended up on a main road with a paddock and dam on the other side. Not having the presence of mind to use the handbrake, I executed a left hand slide turn on the gravel at the bottom of the driveway. The mower then skidded onto the road ending up in the middle and throwing me off. Thankfully no traffic came along and hit me. However a motorcylist came along, made sure that I was ok and then grinned and said that is why he rode a motorcycle. We traded this mower in shortly afterwards.
Bob
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Chevrolet Blitz Half-Track Replica - Finished and Running Ford F15 - unrestored Ford F15A X 2 - unrestored Website owner - salesmanbob.com |
#16
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Driveway terror
I know your driveway, Bob and I can imagine your feelings as you hurtled down towards that road!
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Film maker 42 FGT No8 (Aust) remains 42 FGT No9 (Aust) 42 F15 Keith Webb Macleod, Victoria Australia Also Canadian Military Pattern Vehicles group on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/canadianmilitarypattern |
#17
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Coke bottles are for coke.
There's another MLU-er who may care to comment on the excitement gained from pouring a greenish liquid from a coke bottle straight into the carby of a Ford CMP whilst being tow started.
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Film maker 42 FGT No8 (Aust) remains 42 FGT No9 (Aust) 42 F15 Keith Webb Macleod, Victoria Australia Also Canadian Military Pattern Vehicles group on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/canadianmilitarypattern |
#18
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High octane coke
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Lesson learnt, don't poor fuel in while the engine is running.
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Euan McDonald 4? C-GT (Aust) #8 44 C-GT (Aust) #9 42 Jeep, Trailer Aust 3 Welbike MK2 complete Welbike MK2 inconplete under resto C15A x3 C60S x1 ex ambo F60L x3 LP2a carrier SAR #4993. Trailer No27 Limber Trailer, Cario cargo Trailer, Pontoon semi Wiles Cooker 2 wheeled (jnr) Last edited by Euan McDonald; 16-07-11 at 10:59. |
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I was climbing a gravel creek bank in my carrier, fairly steep. On the way up I found out that the gravel was much looser than it appeared on the way down...well about halfway up she started to spin, loose gravel filled the tracks between the horns, and she drove right out of the tracks...then rolled backwards down the gravel slop on the bogie wheels for about six feet before they sunk into the gravel. As the tree at the base of the creek bank were too close I had to pull the carrier up the slop to level ground to reinstall the track...easier said than done.
My Chev 3/4 ton couldn't budge it. Neighbour came over with a giant Fendt tractor and pulled it up the slop onto level ground where I could reinstall the track. Then she wouldn't start...had to jump start it. Then the fan belt disintegrated. What a day...and worse, my wife who was riding with me (smart enough not to say "I told you so") had to take pictures... And no I won't post them. |
#20
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Post pictures Hans it's part of the fun.
First look at crossings after a flood it will save you a walk Second it's easier to drive on rough ground if you tie the seat to the chassis
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Robert Pearce. |
#21
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Hans
c mon Hans post the pics or send them to Me.
Before a parade I needed to adjust the track so I moved the Carrier to Dry Ground but only made it to the deepest part of the Mud and threw a Track ,Great fun putting it back on Jeff |
#22
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This goes with First rule of working on or recovery of any vehicle "Check the Brakes"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmBmZ...3B1C1E1FB26697 |
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Whoops!
But where's the CMP or other MV??
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Film maker 42 FGT No8 (Aust) remains 42 FGT No9 (Aust) 42 F15 Keith Webb Macleod, Victoria Australia Also Canadian Military Pattern Vehicles group on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/canadianmilitarypattern |
#24
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Not disconnecting the power cord to the sander when changing the disc,sander started and cut through the overalls, jersey,t shirt,and singlet AND THEN SKIN,but thankfully not the last layer of skin,got a nice scar now.
Also the time a mate and i were out shooting and we were walking side by side until a narrow spot and he went in front of me ,shot gun loaded barrell closed,NOT cocked and the bloody thing went off,finger wasnt on trigger either!,missed my mate thank goodness,we tried later to set of the shot gun and it wouldnt do it. Dont shoot now!
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kenney |
#25
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Learning the ropes.
I think it was my last year of high school when I went to work for my uncle on the farm. Being a city slicker I got a lot of rubbing from my cousin who worked the farm also. I was always trying to show my uncle that I was alert and could be counted on to find and solve what might be dangerous situations. One day, I noted that I had a good sized rock in my rear dual wheels. This I pointed out to my uncle. He told me not to worry and that the rock would find it's own way out. The next day, we each took a load of grain into the flower mill. Uncle followed behind me all the way. As we entered the weigh scale, I desembarked from my truck and went to the rear. It is then that I noticed a fist size hole through the passenger side windshield of my uncle's truck. He never admitted to me that the rock came from my duals but when I looked on the seat of the cab, I saw a rock sitting there....and it looked much as I had seen it the day before.
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#26
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I guess I could state once more that there are many old pilots and many bold pilots but very few old and bold pilots.
I am human as is everyone else here. We all make mistakes. Those of us who are lucky get to learn a lesson and our friends are not hurt. Others are not so lucky. I have had some accidents which were CAUSED by errors I made, they did not just "happen". Steel tracks on a steel deck nearly cost a friend his life during load up. I had experienced the same a few years before and offered snow mobile tracks for grip. . . . . Sadly, those of us who have grey hair are not always listened to by others. That child driving the APC is negligence, period. Should not have happened. R |
#27
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I bought a whipper-snipper (line-trimmer thing) - fired it up first time, lowered it into the grass and it hit gravel shooting a stone about a quarter inch big through the back window of the Land Rover - smashing the glass to smithereens. They are one dangerous power tool! Very glad it didn't hit someone though - it'd be like being shot with a .22.
My other close call was a hill start with the Blitz - I was in the cab talking to the local copper in the main street, the truck pointing uphill the policeman standing next to me - unbeknownst to me, while we were talking, two friends of mine decided they'd stroll behind the truck (on the hill!) and stop to have a chinwag. Said goodbye to the copper, revved engine, released the handbrake and moved forward - fortunately I'm not bad at hillstarts - but they jumped 30 feet in the air. Frightened the living daylights out of me too - could have been catastrophic. Note to self - always bloody check!!!!! We do have to be careful if we wish to continue with our vehicles. Some years ago the Veteran Car Club went on a run to the NSW Southern Highlands and a 1910 SCAT tourer was cleaned up on the expressway - several people killed. At the newspaper where I worked, there was (naturally, in typical Australian knee-jerk fashion) a call to ban old cars from our roads. A similar discussion to the Blitz on Anzac Day tragedy. It's probably fair to say modern traffic is way too fast and thick on our roads now and there are a lot of very agressive drivers out there. The other weekend I happened to catch up with a few vehicles from the AMVCS returning to Sydney on the expressway - slow of course - and vehicles like the M37 Dodge with its high canvas tarp were easy to see. Not so the WWII jeep however - tiny and slow compared with the rest of the flat-out Sunday arvo traffic doing at least 110 kmh. Cars roaring up behind - the stop lights suddenly on the brakes hit hard, swerving into the overtaking lane...Very, very scary stuff. My blood ran cold.
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C60X M3A1 Scout Car Willys MB Ford GPW |
#28
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Always make sure the ignition is OFF before trying to free seized ignition points.
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Howard Holgate F15 #12 F15A #13 (stretched) F60S #13 C15A #13 Wireless (incomplete) |
#29
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mowers
lawn mowers :
When I was a kid in the 1960's a friend two houses up had a very lucky escape . His old man was mowing in the back yard , as my friend walked out onto the back verandah , a blade flew off the mower ( probably a Victa 2 stroke foot chopper ) , the blade embedded itself in the wooden verandah post about 10 inches from my friend, at head height
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1940 cab 11 C8 1940 Morris-Commercial PU 1941 Morris-Commercial CS8 1940 Chev. 15cwt GS Van ( Aust.) 1942-45 Jeep salad |
#30
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I still promise H, that will be the only time I will be very pleased at your misfortune....at least it meant we'd found why we had no spark in the old girl
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Pax Vobiscum.......may you eat three meals a day & have regular bowel movements. |
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