Designing my Recovery Truck

[surprisingskoda]

Nov 16, 2016 23:21:37 GMT Rich said:

Nov 16, 2016 23:02:43 GMT vulgalour said:

On the subject of Bedfords, you've got the TK. These might be 7.5 rather than 3.5 though so possibly unsuitable.

You can down-rate a TK to 3.5 tonne. Not 100% sure on the ins and outs of it but it is possible. The downrated ones are quite saught after as show trucks I believe.

I'm not in the classic truck scene anywhere enough to know, but I was under the impression that a classic lorry was exempt as long as it was historic and not used commercially, so a 60s 7 tonner for shows etc could be driven on a 3.5t licence.

I may be spouting, but I think I heard that before.

[vulgalour]

From what I remember, and what I can find online after a brief search, if it's pre-1960 you can drive it on a regular license if you're permitted up to 3.5t providing it's unladen. Post-1960 you can't, unless you've got an older style license that permits you to drive up to 7.5t For business use and laden you need the relevant license, I think.

Hopefully someone will be along that's more knowledgeable to clarify and point to exact info on this one. I'm running from a fuzzy memory that comes from notes in either frankenhealey's Goddess transporter thread or glenanderson's Noddy Van thread. Not sure I've got the usernames right there either. Wow, I'm being useless, but then it is past my bedtime.

[Rich]

Nov 17, 2016 0:28:16 GMT surprisingskoda said:

Nov 16, 2016 23:21:37 GMT Rich said:

You can down-rate a TK to 3.5 tonne. Not 100% sure on the ins and outs of it but it is possible. The downrated ones are quite saught after as show trucks I believe.

I'm not in the classic truck scene anywhere enough to know, but I was under the impression that a classic lorry was exempt as long as it was historic and not used commercially, so a 60s 7 tonner for shows etc could be driven on a 3.5t licence.

I may be spouting, but I think I heard that before.

Pre- 1st Jan 1960 has a GTW exemption provided it and it's trailer are unladen. The reason people downrated the TK is because most fall the wrong side of the exemption cut-off. I read into the licence laws on this because I do a lot of work and restoration on WW2 era British lorries and obviously being able to drive them legally is a perk.

[lufbramatt]

Surely a down plated TK will have virtually no payload capacity left? Must be right on the limit unladen.

Have another pic though:

[stealthstylz]

I looked into building a recovery truck and ended up realising that unless it's 7.5T it's not worth the effort. 3.5T means you're pretty much always borderline on the legal limit and it only takes a cop to add the plated weighs of the vehicles up and you're screwed.

[surprisingskoda]

Very true, it is rather wishful thinking to be fair.

In other news, would totally sacrifice bullnose style to have a Barkas cab, thanks @automatik

[kevins]

You could start with one of the heavier Iveco dailies, even the vans have a separate chassis and it doesn't take much body damage to write them off.

[generally01]

I had this for a few years;

The route 9 recovery truck by Dave Campbell, on Flickr

The route 9 recovery truck by Dave Campbell, on Flickr

According to the builder it had been a mobile police office.

Cab was bolted to the bed and unladen it was very bouncy, the rear axles were torsion sprung in the same way as a big trailer. Unladen but with all my tools and 2 people in the cab it weighed 2.2ton so anything on the back was borderline.

[daslandroverman]

I must admit I do like the look of the 3 race Transporters (in concluding the merc one) that were posted on the last page, but as has been the main concern here, all up weight and carrying capacity is always going to be the biggest issue unless you start with a 7.5 tonner as a Base, and things just end up getting bigger.

My suggestion, as you're already running a van/trailer for recovery work would be to go with something along the lines of the cab overs -such as this one you found- with a box or pickup body behind.
Kit the rear body out with some suitable recovery gear, perhaps even go as far as front/rear winches and use it as your towing vehicle.
Added bonus you can also go for rear/four wheel drive quite and some bigger/more interesting engines quite easily.



Best of both worlds, to some extent.

[lufbramatt]

Yep, a Grenade style body swap on a heavy duty 4x4 chassis would work well with a suitable trailer, would need a towing licence though.

[Littlepixel]

I love the livery and feel of the Thornycroft 'Mighty' Antar tank transporter:



Scale that down to one of those Bedford long-bonnets and you'd be golden

[kevins]

The other way around the weight problem is to go for a 3.5 Ton short wheelbase chassis cab with a 5th wheel and articulated trailer, this takes a transit type vehicle up to the gross train mass typically around 7 Tons.

[Rich]

Nov 17, 2016 21:57:58 GMT kevins said:

The other way around the weight problem is to go for a 3.5 Ton short wheelbase chassis cab with a 5th wheel and articulated trailer, this takes a transit type vehicle up to the gross train mass typically around 7 Tons.

Like using a bigger vehicle as a base, it's over the 3.5t MAM that the OP wants.

[miaspa]

Nothing like your original drawing and I can't photo shop or draw, but hey ho.

Just off on a tangent and taking ideas from Dream Factory Blow.

I love to see one of these merged with an Isuzu.



Ford Econoline



Or maybe an oversized porter.

[surprisingskoda]

Nov 18, 2016 8:10:55 GMT Rich said:

Nov 17, 2016 21:57:58 GMT kevins said:

The other way around the weight problem is to go for a 3.5 Ton short wheelbase chassis cab with a 5th wheel and articulated trailer, this takes a transit type vehicle up to the gross train mass typically around 7 Tons.

Like using a bigger vehicle as a base, it's over the 3.5t MAM that the OP wants.

The ideal scenario would be keeping it down at 3.5, but I will forego that if needs be. I don't know the weight of the COE cab but I suspect it will be heavy and probably necessitate going to 7.5t just to be of any use at all.



If, and here's another big if, I could find a pre-'60, in the 7.5t category, and not alter it beyond 8 points, would in theory I be able to drive it unladen, and the guy with the C1 be able to use it for work with a car on board?

And if that's possible, I wonder how far unladen stretches. Would I be able to carry my c.400kg Austin 7 around?

[Rich]

Nov 18, 2016 11:41:36 GMT surprisingskoda said:

Nov 18, 2016 8:10:55 GMT Rich said:

Like using a bigger vehicle as a base, it's over the 3.5t MAM that the OP wants.

The ideal scenario would be keeping it down at 3.5, but I will forego that if needs be. I don't know the weight of the COE cab but I suspect it will be heavy and probably necessitate going to 7.5t just to be of any use at all.



If, and here's another big if, I could find a pre-'60, in the 7.5t category, and not alter it beyond 8 points, would in theory I be able to drive it unladen, and the guy with the C1 be able to use it for work with a car on board?

And if that's possible, I wonder how far unladen stretches. Would I be able to carry my c.400kg Austin 7 around?

Not sure on the modified part. But you can get someone with the relevant license to drive it loaded, yes. But unladen is unladen. No load. So you can't drive it on a B with a car on board, however light the car is.

[kevins]

Bare Mk1 and 2 transit ccabs weigh around 1700kg, a basic alloy bed will not be more than 500kg so you could easily accommodate a Austin 7 on something like this.

[optimusprime]

Nov 18, 2016 11:44:48 GMT Rich said:

Nov 18, 2016 11:41:36 GMT surprisingskoda said:

The ideal scenario would be keeping it down at 3.5, but I will forego that if needs be. I don't know the weight of the COE cab but I suspect it will be heavy and probably necessitate going to 7.5t just to be of any use at all.



If, and here's another big if, I could find a pre-'60, in the 7.5t category, and not alter it beyond 8 points, would in theory I be able to drive it unladen, and the guy with the C1 be able to use it for work with a car on board?

And if that's possible, I wonder how far unladen stretches. Would I be able to carry my c.400kg Austin 7 around?

Not sure on the modified part. But you can get someone with the relevant license to drive it loaded, yes. But unladen is unladen. No load. So you can't drive it on a B with a car on board, however light the car is.

Would that require tacho ?

[welshpug]

yup.

[optimusprime]

Thought so to, but brain not working tonight ....and couldn't remember ..........

So to the OP that would mean CPC as well .......