I have begun my carrier's transformation

[Jon Bradshaw]

I have been working away on the reproduction tank for a while now. The engine has been sorted by an actual mechanic. It has had it's first and second test drives and then gone out for an hour long field test to see what it will do. I am happy to say that it is now at a metal shop getting steel cut for all the outside armour. The plywood is only temporary to give the metal guys a good idea of what it looks like.I have high hopes for the final product.
Thanks Peter Duggan for the poke to remind me to post pics.

Pictures are very hard to upload. Seems only the ones off my phone will go.

[Peter Duggan]

Jon,

Great looking replica. This is a period in the evolution of light tanks that doesn't have many survivors. Looking forward to your updates.

Peter

[gary_bath_jr]

Hey Jon

The project is looking great so far, I have a tub of a carrier that I should do the same thing with. As to your pictures not loading the issue could be the file size, I have found that if they are too large they simply do not load and you never get an error or anything. If you can try reducing the size and try again.

Gary

[20387774]

Jon-I went thru the same learning curve with a panzer mk1 I built on a carrier chassis. I ended up building a second panzer tank and in order to get the drive right, I flipped the axle upside down to reverse the direction. this saved having to go thru another transmission that was put in reverse. I like the new driveline a lot better. I also used hydraulic steering on the second one-a big improvement!

John

[Jon Bradshaw]

If I could post the pics I could show you how I did the drive-line. The original plan of using the second tranny was a bust when I did the math on the gearing ratio it worked out to a very slow machine. I used an engine and trans out of a 1996 Jeep Cherokee (4L inline 6cyl) and left the transfer case attached. This machine runs on the front wheel drive portion of the T case and has plenty of power and speed. I will likely do another one in the future but need to decide on a model of tank..... This one is on a T16 chassis so the steering was no issue as it is already tiller bars. The driving in reverse on the diff only worries me in that the steering brakes are "grabbing" in the wrong direction. Any thoughts on this are welcome.

[20387774]

Jon-the brakes might be grabbing due to rust, oil contamination or lack of use. Or maybe you could use some new brake linings. I wouldn't worry about it. You can check them the next time you break the track for some reason.

John

[Ron Pier]

Originally Posted by Jon Bradshaw

If I could post the pics I could show you how I did the drive-line.

Jon, I'm no expert on computers, but I usually have the same problem posting pictures here and other forums, as my camera takes pictures that are too high a resolution. I simply email the desired pictures to myself first and reduce the size of them to medium (in my case) then save them and use those smaller pictures for posting.........Maybe a computer whiz can explain an easier way?

Ron

[hrpearce]

Originally Posted by Ron Pier

Jon, I'm no expert on computers, but I usually have the same problem posting pictures here and other forums, as my camera takes pictures that are too high a resolution. I simply email the desired pictures to myself first and reduce the size of them to medium (in my case) then save them and use those smaller pictures for posting.........Maybe a computer whiz can explain an easier way?

Ron

Ron, right click on the photo in your album, select EDIT, select Resize, select Pixels, in the horizontal and vertical fields replace the largest number with 700, click OK, Save the new picture and it will fit on MLU.

[Hans Mulder]

Jon, can you switch the pads to opposite ends of the axle to rectify how they "grab" to ensure they have effective braking for the new "forward"? I have a T16 axle on my carrier, so maybe I'll have a look next time I break track and see if it can be done, if you haven't already considered it.

[Jon Bradshaw]

The brakes I am referring to are the steering brakes inside the differential housing. I see no way to change them around without redesigning the mounts on the inside. They work OK but it is noticeable that they work better when I back up.
The normal drum brakes are just fine for stopping. I made pedals for the drum brakes instead of using the 4 tillers of the T16. I then joined the pedals together to give me straight stopping rather than run the risk of one turning me at a time when I need to stop. I made them separate in case I decide to try steering with them, don't see the need most of the time but if I broke a linkage pin....... might be the only way to get back to the barn for repairs. I am always planning for worst case scenarios....