Tinbasherdan
Bodger in chief
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Cvrt scorpion by the looks of it, doesn’t have the long 30mm barrel of the scimitar. Fun things to drive!In fairness that is the Action Man tank
- Thread starter Ali
- Start date
Jaguar petrol engine. Fastest tank in the World.
Ton-up
Member
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- Essex, England.
Little story -
When he left the Army after WW2, My Grandad managed to somehow acquire an old Morris C4 lorry with a hoist on the back. He then started a little garage behind the house he built, doing car and agricultural repairs, recovery, etc. He then bought a Matador with winch, and built his own cable hoist on the back with spades, etc. I used to go out in it as a kid, he was only a little fella and used to drive this standing up!!
In the late '60s he had some petrol pumps put in and had a Fina franchise and did MOT's. His son, although he starting working with my Grandad, left to go to bigger garages but came back in the late '70s.
They then bought a old 'Mickey Mouse' Foden with a big hydraulic hoist on the back, after a couple of years this wasn't big enough so they built another Foden, this one was a 8 wheeler with massive hyd hoist, spades, winch in the middle, etc. I remember him returning back from a police call with smashed up cars just swinging in the air!!
He had a couple of Land Rovers with Harvey Frost type cranes, a little Seddon Atkinson lorry with hyd hoist, and then my Favourite, a Ford County tractor. They fitted a Matador winch on the front and another on the back, it had double wheels on each corner and he built it to pull plant machines out of the marshes down here on the Essex coast. It used to be quite a sight to see the anchored Matador, spades dug in, with its long winch cable out, to the County's fully out front and rear winch cables, then long extension cables added to get to the Drott or whatever had sunk in the mud!! You could hardly see it sometimes!
Unfortunately, they did not really modernise, the police were going to the flasher company's with beavertails, etc. (they didnt like the cars swinging around as mentioned earlier) and my Grandad passed away, he was still driving the lorries shortly before he passed away in his mid 70's.
My Uncle carried on with the little garage, but didn't do any recovery.
My Mum and Uncle didn't really get on, my Nan still lived in the house and when she passed, they sold the house and land and he took everything from the garage. I wish I had pics of this stuff, I know my Mum had a couple but not much. I will try to get them.
I found this pic on the net of Grandads Fodens in a yard somewhere looking sorry for itself -
When he left the Army after WW2, My Grandad managed to somehow acquire an old Morris C4 lorry with a hoist on the back. He then started a little garage behind the house he built, doing car and agricultural repairs, recovery, etc. He then bought a Matador with winch, and built his own cable hoist on the back with spades, etc. I used to go out in it as a kid, he was only a little fella and used to drive this standing up!!
In the late '60s he had some petrol pumps put in and had a Fina franchise and did MOT's. His son, although he starting working with my Grandad, left to go to bigger garages but came back in the late '70s.
They then bought a old 'Mickey Mouse' Foden with a big hydraulic hoist on the back, after a couple of years this wasn't big enough so they built another Foden, this one was a 8 wheeler with massive hyd hoist, spades, winch in the middle, etc. I remember him returning back from a police call with smashed up cars just swinging in the air!!
He had a couple of Land Rovers with Harvey Frost type cranes, a little Seddon Atkinson lorry with hyd hoist, and then my Favourite, a Ford County tractor. They fitted a Matador winch on the front and another on the back, it had double wheels on each corner and he built it to pull plant machines out of the marshes down here on the Essex coast. It used to be quite a sight to see the anchored Matador, spades dug in, with its long winch cable out, to the County's fully out front and rear winch cables, then long extension cables added to get to the Drott or whatever had sunk in the mud!! You could hardly see it sometimes!
Unfortunately, they did not really modernise, the police were going to the flasher company's with beavertails, etc. (they didnt like the cars swinging around as mentioned earlier) and my Grandad passed away, he was still driving the lorries shortly before he passed away in his mid 70's.
My Uncle carried on with the little garage, but didn't do any recovery.
My Mum and Uncle didn't really get on, my Nan still lived in the house and when she passed, they sold the house and land and he took everything from the garage. I wish I had pics of this stuff, I know my Mum had a couple but not much. I will try to get them.
I found this pic on the net of Grandads Fodens in a yard somewhere looking sorry for itself -
Bobupndown
What could possibly go wrong?
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I'm a bit too young to remember seeing Harvey Frost type break downs in action. I certainly remember them on the back of Series Landrover 109s and the like but don't recall how they lifted. Was it basically just a hook and chain / cable around a bumper or chassis leg and lift, letting the vehicle 'swing' behind? There weren't 'spectacles' for under the wheels?
I remember seeing 2 rubber flaps on some of them which obviously gave a degree of protection but I'd imagine they could cause damage in use?
I remember seeing 2 rubber flaps on some of them which obviously gave a degree of protection but I'd imagine they could cause damage in use?
colnerov
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The hook went onto a spreader bar that had the reinforced rubber flaps that were anchored to the chassis or suspension under the casualty, which then lifted it up. This of course only worked best with 'proper' bumpers on it.
Not so much nowadays with plastic affairs. 
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Don't forget cars in those days were all made of metal with a strong steel bumper so not much to damage
Bobupndown
What could possibly go wrong?
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Yes I'm thinking something with dumb irons, front leaf springs would suit that set up best? Modern plastic bumpers with spoilers and splitters wouldn't fare too wellThe hook went onto a spreader bar that had the reinforced rubber flaps that were anchored to the chassis or suspension under the casualty, which then lifted it up. This of course only worked best with 'proper' bumpers on it.
They were designated CVRT which is combat vehicle reconnaissance tracked so needed to be nippy to go ahead, look at what needed dealing with and then get out of the way. Lovely sounding engine.
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Yes, the old cushion trick comes in handy
this was me recovering a broken Mini with a Harvey-Frost trailer.After pulling it out of a ditch.
Should have used a TirforYes, the old cushion trick comes in handy
View attachment 483812
After pulling it out of a ditch.
View attachment 483813
View attachment 483814
Bullet2012
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at least with its race number it didn't matter which way up it was !Yes, the old cushion trick comes in handy
View attachment 483812
After pulling it out of a ditch.
View attachment 483813
View attachment 483814
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I did carry a Tirfor, used it a couple of times to tweak a cars course when pulling with the main winchShould have used a Tirfor
I love Tirfors. I have 5 of them from the little 500kg one to the biggest. Slow thoughI did carry a Tirfor, used it a couple of times to tweak a cars course when pulling with the main winch
8ob
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Cant beat a decent winch mounted on something with spades on the back, got spades/Boughton pto winch on an old Nuffield winch tractor, that thing takes some stalling. Also got spades and a twenty ton hydraulic winch up the chuff of an Iveco 6X6.
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No idea of how old this trailed winch is I saw at a show, 40's, 50's?
Tinbasherdan
Bodger in chief
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Bullet2012
Member
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- on average about 200 miles from the ISS.
if any one wants to buy a recovery vehicle, Brightwells have one for sale.
