Bren Carrier- Supreme Court of Canada decision

[maple_leaf_eh]

Upon reflection I was thinking the Private and the Staff Sergeant were riding in an open unheated armoured vehicle. Probably dressed in Battle Dress, Greatcoats, Beaver hats and wool scarves. Wearing nailed ammunition boots or maybe shoepacs on their feet. Knit wool gloves or leather gauntlets on their hands. Possibly goggles to keep their eyeballs from freezing. Damn determined men to be out in those conditions.

[Robert Bergeron]

They were tough brave men Terry.

[Robert Bergeron]

Hi all,

Happy New Year,

I went for a road test today and believe or not i lost control, skidded and went into the ditch with the Mk2 Carrier .

I was on my private road and nobody was around so no danger there.

My brother in law who was riding along got quite a surprise.

The snow on the sloping armor is from the ditch. The front went in quite deep .

I backed out of the ditch no problem but NOW i understand this Court case.

Nothing like a little experimenting.

[RichardT10829]

If your a beginner driver you need to be careful buddy, give yourself a chance...going out straight into the snow could be lethal to you.

Carriers are very unforgiving at the best of times.

Plus the added risk of throwing a track (unless you have ice scrapers fitted )

[motto (RIP)]

Originally Posted by RichardT10829

Carriers are very unforgiving at the best of times.

As a U/C driver of somewhat limited experience I think a more appropriate description of carrier steering ability would be 'treacherous'. Despite their rugged go anywhere appearance their grip on planet Earth is tenuous at best. Under the right conditions even a fresh cow pat will impede their progress.
Beware!

David

[rob love]

The truck type differential is to blame for the poor traction as far as I am concerned. They are designed to put power to the wheel/track with the least amount of traction, causing it to spin and overall loss of steering.

I remember, years back, having trouble getting my carrier to climb a 3 foot rise of manure and straw so I could park it in the cattle shed. One track would just spin and the vehicle would start to turn sideways.

While I have not driven a T-1
6, I can only imagine that the steering on those, with it's controlled differential, would be less lethal.

[RichardT10829]

Perhaps some quick tips for Robert before he goes out again gents...

My two penneth would be

1) drive no faster than walking pace until you have a full understanding of the handling characteristics of the carrier over a variety of surfaces and weather conditions.

2) your observations and decision making needs to be done WELL in advance, plan your journey then drive to the plan.

3) thumbs out !! Do not be tempted to hook your thumbs under the rim of the wheel... You get into a slide the carriers body shifts the weight over the centre axle thus spinning the steering wheel violently through your hands (unless you are Zeus you won't be able to prevent this) broken thumbs suck !

4) all tight turns are made in 1st or 2nd gear, no higher (from a ww2 vet) best to roll up to the junction, make a slight pause, gear change then turn.

The smooth gear changes come later ! But driving a carrier is a kin to driving a bus over steel ball bearings.... They are lots of fun, but caution is needed.

I am in comparison to most here, a mere learner myself, only covering 1000miles in my carrier over the last year and a half.

[Chris Suslowicz]

"Trust, but verify" is fine in principle, but not at the risk of bending yourself or the carrier!

I'm glad you're all OK.

Wishing you a happy, prosperous, and above all safe New Year.



Chris.