VICKERS MK6B's resto

[colin jones]

Thankyou for your comments. Mike they are supported by gussets underneath and I'll take a photo today so you can see the fabrication of it. As mine are not cast, I am more than confident they are more than strong enough to support the rollers.
David, ( 'Wombird' and 'Bower Bat' ) now that would be funny. I have already got a Perkins engine that is of similar size and was considering using that. I thought that full hydraulic would be very user friendly as I have no drive train at all. If I used a pair of hydraulic motors to each hub it would operate like a skid steer and very easy to drive. I would connect the valves to the original tillers so it would look totally original. I guess when that time comes, I will see what my options are. In the mean time I still have to make two 1400dia full ballrace bearings and a couple of turrets, seats, 3 reduction hubs and a few panels. Oh, and two traversing gearboxes of which I have drawings of. All are a challenge but exiting ones at that.
Colin.

[Mike Cecil]

Thanks Colin, I appreciate you going to the trouble just to satisfy my curiosity! I had no doubt there was something like that, and that your replication would indeed be strong enough - just couldn't see it on any of the progress images, and am interested to know and see what it is.

You mention you are a drive train short - hell, Colin, just make one: you've done everything but that already!! I can see by the posts we are all marveling at your capacity to 'just make it', so I don't think it would surprise any of us if you decided to do just that!!

Best

Mike

[colin jones]

Hi Mike, interesting thought to make a complete drive train but I think I'll go with plan "A" That's what they look like on the underside. It is definitely not pretty but 'What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve' and I won't tell anyone if you don't A bit of patching as well. I will be spending the rest of my day riveting.

[Mike Cecil]

Thanks Colin, I appreciate you putting up those images.

Regards

Mike

[colin jones]

I need some more 5/16 rivets for my floor and I only have a lot of 3/8 but I found a place in Australia that have them and they're only about 25cents each so I have ordered some. In the mean time I thought I better get on with refurbishing the wheel stations and what a job that has been.
These must have been on there for decades as it has taken me 3 days to get them off with the help of lubricant, porta power, Jack hammer, Swearing, sledge hammer. Without the portapower, there is no way I would have got them off.

[colin jones]

There is a combination of English wheels and Australian wheels on there. It is quite rewarding when the last one comes off and a big sigh of relief. In case you were thinking that the Porta Power was just sitting on the end of the axle, I machined up a solid spacer that held in position so it wasn't dangerous.

[Lynn Eades]

For those that don't know, The Australian Carriers and the Vickers light tank (MkVIb) had wider wheels than British and Canadian carriers.
The Wheels Colin refers to as British, are of the same style as a std. U.C. wheel, but are wider. They are the original VLT MkVIb wheels.
The track has the wider spaced horns and Australia adopted this track for its LP2 and LP2A series of carriers. (in doing so, it changed the spoke style of the wheels) This move (wider wheels/ track horns) apparently made the Australian carrier, less likely to throw its track.