Recently in Military vehicles Category

"G'day Brian," says AtkiPete Lynch in that chirpy 'she'll be right' manner which we've all come to know and love. "Have been out enjoying the sunshine lately and got some photos of these trucks down at the HMAS Cerberus open day.The 6x6 Mack looks like it can handle the rough going." Indeed I'd suggest it could be used to cart Gary Richards around while he's got his gammy leg---some invalid carriage eh 'Two Hats'?

Pete continues: "And the best looking fire truck...not that I am biased!" Of course not Pete although surely this is a wind-up. An AEC/Leyland 'Ergo' cab on an Atkinson...is it a joke or am I not getting something? Now click through here for morer Aussie army kity (and pie quiz too for all you armament experts) 

Danny has e-mailed me these pictures and says: "Dear Biglorryblog, I found this lorry lurking in the Toddington services last Friday afternoon and wondered if you knew what it was and what it does ? It looked very sure of itself so I thought it must be rather important!
Lorryday http://danny-lorryday.blogspot.com/ Well I was going to answer but frankly I think I'll leave it to the experts like Brian 'Mr Foden' Lomas... And the rest of the military wing of the Biglorryblog anorak army... And click through here to see what was on the back...

It's funny the things you learn from your parents isn't it? There was I sitting next to my 88-year old mother (who still as fit as the Butcher's Dog) in the outpatients' department of the William Harvey Hospital - she was there to have her eyes checked out. And the conversation turned to AEC Matadors! And if you don't believe me click through here...

Biglorryblog's 'Good Man in Africa' Jerry Burley needs YOUR help! He writes: "BLB, we have three of these things now, but no parts book, nor workshop nor even user (least of my concerns as we've found out the hard way how to use them!) manual for either truck or engine. I've had a look at e-Bay and Amazon, but nothing there and Milweb nigh on useless for technical stuff beyond user level booklets. Getting from the military obviously still a non-starter but someone out there must have them by now I would have thought? Any suggestions as to anyone you know that may have any - or all of the above for sale? regards, JB" OK anorak army... Who knows where to get Bedford TM 4x4 and 6x6 technical bumf? If you know e-mail JB on jerry.burley@bmsminerals.com.

Ten hut! David VandeBerg has e-mailed me to say: "Hello BLB! I never thought I'd have anything to submit [aw go on Dave, you're justy beign modest BLB]. The first ones are (as we class them in the Air Force) 10 and 20-ton dump trucks. The pictures were taken while I was stationed at RAF Alconbury. I was a 'Pavements Maintenance Buck Sergeant/E4' at the time. We maintained the base property and would have fixed the runways in time of war."

Now here's a line-up you don't see every day! Dave continues: "The lineup is of the British trucks we used. I really enjoyed driving the Seddon Atkinson we had (2nd from the left). One memorable day was when we were working a construction job at another base and I swapped from the Seddon Atkinson to the GMC Astro that is sitting next to it several times going between bases. (Left-hand-drive to right-hand-drive) Can you believe the smaller truck to the right, I forget what kind it was, but classed as a 5 tonner, was hooked to a 60-ton tri-axle trailer in that picture? Just for moving things around of course, but it sure looked funny at the time." So for an 'American' pie LBL army, what's the liitel 'un wiht the low-loader? Now click through here for more...

Biglorryblog's 'Good man in Africa' Jerry Burley has e-mailed me these pictures from the Withams website to say: "Latest big Withams ex-military auction only a couple of weeks away now, with all the usual suspects up for grabs, plus one or two not so usual, including some historic and rare stuff." And why not visit the Withams website at http://www.mod-sales.com/

JB adds: " I am humming and aahing as to whether to chance my arm and fly back as there a couple of items of particular interest that really shouldn't be bought 'blind'. I guess all the 8x8 DROPS units must have come from Germany as they are left hookers?" Actually JB I thought all the UK DROPS trucks were left-hookers. Can any 'military' members of the beloved anorak army help out here? Now click through for more...

"Hit the beach you guys!"  hang on..this isn't an American truck so why is Biglorryblog sounding like Sgt John L. Stryker!? (And a pie for anyone who can tell me what film that comes from) Anyroadup I'm delghted to welcome Natasha Booker to the anorak army, not least as she and her partner Julian own a pair of Hippos..and that's Julian's up above storming the beach at Arromanches. Natasha says: "Hello, I joined  your blog yesterday because I have a keen interest in lorries. I looked at your Leyland section and your military section to see if you had any Leyland Hippo's on there. But I saw none." Well not any more Natasha.  And click through here for the full story plus more Hippo shots..

Picture by Pat DeMoss

It seems we've finally nailed this one down as Gill confirms its an M426 International Harvester and has forwarded this shot by Pat DeMoss to me. I trust Pat won't mind us using his photo  to prove the point. "Brian," says Gil, my additional searches revealed that this tractor was manufactured no later than 1945. I served in 1950-1951-1952. Gil." And Biglorryblog's thanks to all who answered the call tom identify Gil's mystery truck -- if you said IH you were right!

I thought it was a while since we featured anything on the mighty Mercedes Zetros, the 4x4 and 6x6 truck launched at last year's IAA Hanover Show (was it really that long ago?) Anyway I found these pictures of the 6x6 in action. and as if to remind my Biglorryblog faithful the Zetros is based primarily on the standard production four-wheel drive Axor/Actros series (specially modified for off-road use, of course) but with it's own bonneted and normal control layout. I've a feeling that it's powered by Merc's 7-litre 330hp straight-six engine....

According to Merc..."The Zetros is designed to meet the most demanding of missions, whether it be disaster relief or military and peace-keeping operations.  It's available in both a three-axle version (Zetros 2733 A 6x6) and a two-axle version (Zetros 1833 A 4x4) depending on your needs, with the first offering a payloads from 7 to 10 tons and the second two-axle model offering payloads of 4 to 6 tons." Now click through here for more...

"Hi Brian," says Ed Burrows, "Delighted to oblige with a brochure (which I've had since the late '50s) on Rotinoff Atlantic and Super Atlantics. You could have a lot more, but it would cost you more pies than Melton Mowbray's entire annual output! Wonderful photos. Not totally convinced about the tyres on Mr. Weedon's though. Ahh, Rotinoff... If only the market had had an appetite for more than 35. If Rotinoff had been American instead on a down at heel Brit, where would KW and the like be today? Ed."

Now click throug here for more...

Meanwhile, on the subject of Rotinoff, Jerry Burley has got involved and says: "B, I noted your bit on Rotinoff's. This unit (a Super, rated at a reasonable 330 tons rather than the "frankly pathetic" 140 tons of the standard unit) is ex-Swiss Army (so hasn't been to too many wars in the last 50 years!) is up for sale on Milweb for a cool UKP80k, with a modest trailer and Centurion tank thrown in for free to help block up your housing estate car park. Which is roughly enough to buy Swindon at the moment I would guess. Nice rig and would be a helluva talking point in your vehicle collection but what size of house and garden do you need to keep one of these in, and driving it, even under STGO, in UK......? Mmmm. I bet I could cause a proper "Only in England" moment with this lot!" He also adds that there's a whole shed load of stuf on Rotinoff on Wikipedia.

Ron Johl has sent me these terrific shots and says: "Hello Brian, it's almost that time of the year for the fair at Dorset (2nd to the 6th of September) where admirers of steam and diesel will congregate in their masses to see these fine machines showing their prowess in the play-pen."

"So just to whet your appetites here from last year is John Attlee's Scammell Contractor kicking up the dust near the top of the pen with some 70-tons in tow. More to follow. All the best, Ron." And click through here for one more...

Clearly Macks are flavour of the blog at the moment....and Ron Johl has added his two pennorth with this picture and comment: "Hello Brian , having a look through my old pics i found these two old timer's first one is a Mack NM 6x6 ('A tiny of' lol) and a Karrier.
There was no problem in finding details on the Mack but found nothing about the Karrier.
The pics were taken at Stockwood park Luton , May 1994. The combat "N Series" were the first military 6x6 trucks by Mack. The NM-1 (87 built) appeared in early 1940, followed by the NM-2 (107 built) and NM-3 (104 built) all with enclosed hard cabs. The NM-5 through NM-8 did away with the metal cab, replacing it with the military soft canvas top. There was no NM-4 produced. The arched front bumper -- to clear a pintle hook -- first appeared with the NM-3. Approximately 10,000 of these trucks were produced in total The engine for the Mack NM 6x6 trucks was the 6 cyl. 707 cid Mack EY, that developed 159hp@2100 rpm and provided 530lb-ft of torque@1000rmp. The transmission was the 5-speed Mack TR36 and the transfer case the 2-speed Timken-Detroit T77. The truck had a net weight of 22,659 lbs., could carry almost 10 tons (never mind the 6 ton rating) and could tow 30,000 lbs. such as field artillery or ammunition trailers. A Gar Wood capstan winch was mounted behind the cab. The cargo body was steel for the NM-1 through NM-3, then wood. All the best , Ron. he then asks me: "PS. When did Commercial Motor stop using Bison hill to do their road tests?" Search me mate anyroadup click through here for the mystery military truck

"Hi BLB" says Paul Cronin, "I really enjoy the website and having found this article about Russian military trucks I had to share it with you, there are some great pictures of 10x10, 12x12 and even 24x24 trucks, there is even a video of some of them in action. It looks like they were basing their designs on Thunderbirds, which they probably thought was a documentary. Regards Paul." And that link Paul refers to in his e-mail to Biglorryblog is here http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/03/russian-ballistic-missile-carriers.html The YouTube clip on the dark roasted blend website is certainly well worth watching. The truck above looks like an MZKT...although I am sure Vladimir Chekuta can tells me the full story..now click through here for more...

Biglorryblog's military expert Vladimir Chekhuta has very kindly provided me with some more information (and pictures) on former Soviet bloc motors after having seen the pictures recently supplied by Massimo he says. "I'd like to correct a couple of suppositions the first posted up on the original blog truck is a BAZ-135 MBP with military system 'Loona' (Moon)."

"The second is BAZ-135 MBP with Transport Charge System"

This big BAZ looks like it could happily ford a small lake.....nwo click through here for more..

Massimo Pezza has sent me some more pictures of ex-Eastern Bloc military kit he found at a museum in the Czech Republic starting off with this hefty eight-wheeler...anyone know what it is? Interesting that middle axles are closer together...

Now click through here for more...