Treewolf

In another forum I belong to someone recently posted a link to an amazing photo thread with countless photos of heavy equipment that was abandoned in Alaska when the logging industry collapsed. The amount and diversity of machinery simply left behind is staggering. Trucks like the astonishing Hayes HDX-1000, Hayes HD, Peterbilts, and Kenworths, bulldozers, graders, mobile skyline spars. You name it, it's there! This is extremely remote logging country and in most cases the cost of recovering the equipment was far greater than the value of the equipment. Sadly the guy who started the thread eventually stopped posting photos because it seemed to be encouraging the theft of machinery for scrap. Although it is a bit off-topic compared to the UK arb scene I thought that some here might find it interesting, so here's the link:- Alaskan Logging Equipment, Left to Rust

I have nothing but praise for Austin & McLean - I have used their services several times and always found them to be very helpful.

If the photo has expired the licence is no longer valid and if stopped you will be done for driving without a licence. Be warned! Also since technically you don't have a licence your insurance will most likely be reduced to 3rd party RTA cover only.

VOSA unfortunately has no authority to determine the law and is as susceptible as any other organisation to misinterpretation. Only the courts have the authority to make definitive interpretation of the law. Whilst it is entirely reasonable to expect VOSA to know the law, and having such a letter from VOSA may be taken into account in mitigation, it does not constitute a valid defence since it is well establish in UK legal precedent that ignorance of an offence is not a defence (it undoubtedly shows that you have been diligent and taken reasonable steps to act within the law, however). There is always, and has always been, and probably always will be huge confusion about what a "dual-purpose vehicle" actually is in law, but the definition - the ONLY legal definition - comes from the Regulation 3(2) of the Road Vehicles (Construction & use) Regulations 1986 which states that a DPV is "a vehicle constructed or adapted for the carriage both of passengers and of goods or burden of any description, being a vehicle of which the unladen weight does not exceed 2040 kg, and which either..." and then goes on to list various other conditions (such as full or part time all-wheel-drive etc). There are no exceptions to this, and all other regulations (such as the Road Traffic Regulation Act (1984), which is the legislation which determines speed limits) use the C&U definition. So, unless the unladen weight is 2040kg or less the vehicle cannot be a DPV and nothing that VOSA says makes the slightest difference to this. Without being privy to the correspondence between Ray and VOSA it is pointless to speculate how and why they advised him as they did, and I don't even know the ULW of his RB44. All I can say is that if his RB44 has an ULW over 2040kg then I believe that he has been wrongly advised and he can, if he wishes, seek further advice. Alternatively he may choose not to, and since anyone who stops him at the roadside is likely to know even less about the situation than VOSA then showing them the VOSA email is likely to satisfy them anyway. I seem to recall that VOSA has a disclaimer to the effect that they cannot offer specific legal advice.

Because it wouldn't be the first time that VOSA had got things badly wrong, and the fact that "VOSA said..." is no defence in a court of law. The ULW for a 3.3m wb Ford-engined RB44 chassis only seems to be 2049kg, with basic body the military spec gives an ULW of 3000kg, so it is extremely unlikely that it falls under the C&U Regs definition for a Dual Purpose Vehicle.

What's the unladen weight of an RB44? If it's 2040kg or more it cannot fall within the C&U Regs definition of a DPV and does need an O licence.

Now this IS Landrover porn:- Laird Centaur Half Track Imagine what you could have done with a tipper on the back of that!

That's what I want to stop my kit being knicked! You could also try a sign saying "DANGER - WOLVES"

I have often washed ropes but only to get mud etc off, I doubt that you'd be able to wash oil off at all effectively (or if you did, you'd have to use a detergent that would damage the rope). If it was my rope, I'd buy a new one and either scrap the old, or cut the oily bit off and have a shorter one. It really isn't worth the risk (and it might not be your life it costs).

Nice Matador! Do you still have it?

In my experience there is nothing that compares to a Husky if you want a good, near-industrial-quality, electric winch. I simply wouldn't bother with anything less now.

The most famous faked sequence on the web. The last crane did not fall in.

As TwistedHC said the problem is that you need enough grip on the trailer wheels to operate the release mechanism in the drums. If there isn't enough grip (if you're in mud or on wet grass) the brakes come on and simply lock up. It isn't a malfunction with the brakes, simply a shortcoming with the design of auto-reverse. It's a major PITA and a problem we never used to have before Johnny Europe said we had to have auto reverse brake. There is usually some way to rig an old-fashion reverse stop on the coupling like the one we used before auto reverse. Alternatively buy yourself a Mog and use a trailer with coupled air brakes!

I believe now that to claim adverse possession now you need to show not only that you have had uninterrupted and uncontested occupation of the land for something like 12 years, but also that you have made efforts in that time to find out who is the owner. I know that the law was revised a few years back to make it harder to claim. I am sure that if you google "adverse possession" you'll find out more.

But he must be a pro because he's using a top-handled saw!

I'll second that. Also keeping the threads clean and lightly lubed will reduce damage to the thread and prolong its life. On a normal wheelnut (ie not a self locking type) it should be possible to tighten it up snugly agains the wheel with your fingers. Torquing it down to the correct figure will then secure it. Wheel nuts should however be checked and retorqued regularly. Remember that what actually holds the nut on is (in very simple terms) the elastic stretching of the stud pulling the nut against the wheel. If overtightened, the stud will be stretched to its yield point and permanently damaged. if undertightened the nuts will work loose. If the thread is stiff, a false torque reading will result due to the extra force needed to turn the nut on the thread, and the nut will not be exerting the correct force on the wheel.

Yes, I have had it, very unpleasant indeed. It is the same virus as chicken pox, although I don't think you have to have had CP in order to get shingles but you are more likely to. Since it is an infection of the nerve system, one of the characteristic symptoms is that only one side of the body is affected, and there is a very clear cut-off along the centreline! Wierd. Stress is a factor, but probably because if you're stressed your resistance to just about anything is reduced. I had it about 10 years ago and was in very considerable discomfort (only someone who's had shingles will know how painful it is). It took nearly a fortnight to get a doctor's appointment (it was just after the idiot government had set targets to mean that GPs had to see all patients within 24 hrs, so the surgeries were only taking appointments for that day - you couldn't make appointments more than 24hrs in advance since they would cause the target to be missed. Result, everyone rank up at 0830 and it was impossible to get through). When I saw the doc and he said what it was, he said I could have had an appointment since it was considered an emergency since it can be spread, but how the **** was I to know that?? He then told me that is was nearly gone and there was nothing he could usefully do at this late stage! He also told me that for the last two weeks I shouldn't have been going to work! So I got through mine without any medical help at all, but I will know better if it happens again. Anyway, you have my sympathy and I hope you recover quickly. It is very horrible!

For stump pulling a Trewhella beats a Tirfor hands down, but it is a little less portable! Any "mandraulic" method is going to be hard work!

On the T516 the spare shear pins are stored in the rope release lever (not the handle). A genuine handle has some advantages (light, telescopic, fits well, and locks on) but isn't essential. Imho it's worth the money, but a plain tube can be used. The load is held btw if the shear pins fail.

I was a little disturbed at this thread - it wasn't clear which equipment you were asking about at first!

Yes, one day I shall have one. Also a Unipower! I like dreaming sometimes.

Contact tractel (details below), they will tell you who is your nearest service engineer:- Contact | TRACTEL® | United Kingdom

It's very difficult to get spares (other than things like handles and shear pins) since Tractel has a policy of only supplying parts to approved service centres. I have rebuilt two Tirfors completely but have the advantage of a very friendly and understanding local service centre who have sold me the parts. It isn't an easy job to do (lots of springy bits etc) and unless you are really confident or have done it before you might be better off getting a dealer to do it. If you contact Tractel they'll tell you the nearest dealer to you.

Link -> TELES-2-man-chainsaw Scary looking machine but nice museum piece! Same seller has the Danarms.

National-Geographic-pictures-Sierra-Nevada