What could possibly go wrong?

[Keith Webb]

A post by Mike Kelly on the C15A running down veterans on ANZAC Day has inspired this thread about disasters or near disasters involving collecting, rebuilding or operating old military vehicles.

Around any machinery we all have to be extra carefull. Some of us have had close calls while restoring vehicles and even at work . I've had cutting discs fly apart ( the ones you buy at the warehouse ).

Many years ago, I pulled into a petrol station in my restored WW2 Jeep, filled up , went inside to pay . As I walked out, my Jeep was rolling across the court towards a busy road. I ran after it , jumped in and saved the day . 10 seconds later and it would have been disaster time.

I had a c15 wireless van . Trying to move it , we pointed its nose downhill and it took off .. Off it went into a creek, at high speed ! The front springs sheared off , a clean break.

Be carefull .

I've heard stories of tanks rolling sideways off ramps, and was almost killed myself many years ago working under a car on timber blocks. I went in for a cuppa and came out to find the vehicle had slid sideways off the blocks and would certainly have flattened me had I been underneath. I learned a lesson that day.

There are many good recovery stories - I can think of one where an enthusiast (no names no pack drill) decided to salvage a 6X6 ACCO in the outback. He thought he had worked out the ownership which was disputed as he towed it a long distance in low range first gear using a Land-Rover.

Not to mention the stories like Mike tells of disintegrating cutting disks.

So think of this thread as sharing your experiences to help others avoid the same mistakes.

So what's your story?

[Howard]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

...I can think of one where an enthusiast (no names no pack drill) decided to salvage a 6X6 ACCO in the outback. He thought he had worked out the ownership which was disputed as he towed it a long distance in low range first gear using a Land-Rover...

We could fill pages with stories from this one "Annonymous" enthusiast alone, couldn't we?!

[Ganmain Tony]

Ford 5000 Tractor we were trying to jump start yesterday. Battery had been in it since Moses played fullback for Jerusalem.

Crank it and cranked it and cranked it. Bastard would not fire. Took the inadequate leads off for a moment to let them cool off. Noted funny smell coming from battery on tractor.

Shouldve known better, as the song goes...but we tried to put the leads back on the battery didnt we???

One small spark and BOOM!! Not just a small one either...a real, ringing in the ear boom.
Not to mention myself and the bloke that attempted to put the leads back on got hot acid in our faces. Washed that off very very quickly and had a look at the battery.

Half the top completely blown off!!!

Lesson learnt...wont be doing that again in a hurry...

[Mike K]

I may be shot for this but:

A enthusiast playing with a Centurion tank in NSW got into strife . On a hill top, he missed a gear . It became a 50 ton billy cart and this chap was alone . It rolled down the hill and hit a small farm bridge over a creek at high speed . The driver was knocked out . He recovered .

[warren brown]

You can never be too careful - the older I get the more paranoid I've become.
A lot of you will remember Bob King, who was the president of the Australian Military Vehicle Collectors' Society - on a particularly rainy night while trying to negotiate the road into his property, his Landcruiser became stuck on a log (from what I remember) - Bob jacked it up and the Toyota slipped and killed him. It was a serious shock for everyone - Bob, ex ARES Major, owned a whole host of MVs - Studebaker, Acco Tipper, Land Rover Fire tender, Haflinger etc. been the club president for years, always led convoys on his army motorbike (Triumph I think - maybe even a WLA) and he'd be the first person to get stuck into you about vehicle safety. He chiaked me about not having flashing indicators on my jeep - his death has always stuck with me. How bloody terrible, awful and unlucky...
I love my vehicles - but there's a lot of metal in them...

[lynx42]

My father had a rear wheel bearing on a 1954 'R' type Bentley seize up and after removing the rear axle, placed the axle in a press and proceeded to try to press the bearing off.
He had the press up to 60+ tons when the phone rang in the house. Mum answered it and called Dad to the house to talk on the phone.
As he walked back to the shed across the back yard, there was a massive bang in the shed and bits of schrapnel came flying through the steel walls.
The bearing cup had exploded into many, many bits and would have killed the old man had he have been there and not called to the phone. He was very lucky.

Regards Rick

[hrpearce]

Mine is simmilar to Ganmain Tony's, I was modifying a front end loder from a Fordson to fit a Nuffield when a spark frim the angle grinder flew straight across the top of the battery, all the caps blew out and some of them ended up in three pieces. Fortunately the bonnet caught the flying parts and Dad and I escaped injury.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by warren brown

You can never be too careful - the older I get the more paranoid I've become.
A lot of you will remember Bob King, who was the president of the Australian Military Vehicle Collectors' Society - on a particularly rainy night while trying to negotiate the road into his property, his Landcruiser became stuck on a log (from what I remember) - Bob jacked it up and the Toyota slipped and killed him. It was a serious shock for everyone - Bob, ex ARES Major, owned a whole host of MVs - Studebaker, Acco Tipper, Land Rover Fire tender, Haflinger etc. been the club president for years, always led convoys on his army motorbike (Triumph I think - maybe even a WLA) and he'd be the first person to get stuck into you about vehicle safety. He chiaked me about not having flashing indicators on my jeep - his death has always stuck with me. How bloody terrible, awful and unlucky...
I love my vehicles - but there's a lot of metal in them...

It was a Harley WLA and he used to always wear those horsy riding britches or Jodpurs . I recall him driving his M37 Dodge with a 318 Chrysler V8 in it . It was the test M37, imported for evaluation in the late 1950's. He was a character for sure . We heard that he was coming home from bush fire fighting when the incident happened .

[jeff davis]

c mon Hans post the pics or send them to Me.

Before a parade I needed to adjust the track so I moved the Carrier to Dry Ground but only made it to the deepest part of the Mud and threw a Track ,Great fun putting it back on
Jeff

[Yeo.NT]

This goes with First rule of working on or recovery of any vehicle "Check the Brakes"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmBmZ...3B1C1E1FB26697

[Keith Webb]

But where's the CMP or other MV??

Originally Posted by Yeo.NT

This goes with First rule of working on or recovery of any vehicle "Check the Brakes"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmBmZ...3B1C1E1FB26697

[Ken Hughes]

Not disconnecting the power cord to the sander when changing the disc,sander started and cut through the overalls, jersey,t shirt,and singlet AND THEN SKIN,but thankfully not the last layer of skin,got a nice scar now.
Also the time a mate and i were out shooting and we were walking side by side until a narrow spot and he went in front of me ,shot gun loaded barrell closed,NOT cocked and the bloody thing went off,finger wasnt on trigger either!,missed my mate thank goodness,we tried later to set of the shot gun and it wouldnt do it.
Dont shoot now!

[guyvapeur]

I think it was my last year of high school when I went to work for my uncle on the farm. Being a city slicker I got a lot of rubbing from my cousin who worked the farm also. I was always trying to show my uncle that I was alert and could be counted on to find and solve what might be dangerous situations. One day, I noted that I had a good sized rock in my rear dual wheels. This I pointed out to my uncle. He told me not to worry and that the rock would find it's own way out. The next day, we each took a load of grain into the flower mill. Uncle followed behind me all the way. As we entered the weigh scale, I desembarked from my truck and went to the rear. It is then that I noticed a fist size hole through the passenger side windshield of my uncle's truck. He never admitted to me that the rock came from my duals but when I looked on the seat of the cab, I saw a rock sitting there....and it looked much as I had seen it the day before.