Driving a Blitz in Europe

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Richard Notton
(My anorak is better than yours, McSpool)

Yes.
And so is David's.
Hats off to you, gentlemen.

H.

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Hanno, I am no anorak! I did however think that I knew people who were, but now we have a Super-Anorak! My goodness.

Seriously, your suggestions were justified but we on MLU have proven that there is arguably a "more correct" answer to both. If you had not stated your justified opinion then I would not have provided counter-evidence. My justification for my opinion is not set in stone. I suppose that's 20 or so years as a lawyer...an age ago now (15 years).

[Rob Beale]

but I know the C8AX chassis is different to the C15A chassis. Mine is humped (arched) over the rear axle, whereas the bigger one is straight through behind the cab to the rear end, and a deeper section.

Yes the NZ Army did call them 15cwt trucks. The Ambulance was rated at 1 ton, (when in fact it should be less due to a higher tare weight with the extended deck and beefier canopy frame and stretcher gear).

My point is that Chris can legally drive a F15A with a half ton payload, or a F15 with about a ton on board.
Neither is a problem if you are rallying it, but could be so if carrying a load of parts. At the end of the day we want to enjoy using them rather than worry about consequences.

BTW I'm off tomorrow to the NZMVCC national rally with my C8AX ambulance, and will travel alongside my brothers C8AX GS around the South Island's west coast for a week afterwards, all told over 2000km

Rob

[Tony Smith]

Originally posted by Richard Notton
Ballard snr put his F15 Polsten on the public weighbridge:

3t 4cwt 3qtr 1st 9lb 4oz

R.

Mother and father doing well.

[zemsi]

Originally posted by Lang

Tell them nothing, take them nowhere! Obeying every rule only encourages the bastards. If your local inspector knocks it back take it to the next town until you find someone who will pass it or go Lichtenstein or Bulgaria - I am sure an MLU member will forward registration renewal letters each year from his address.

Chris, if you want to just ship the truck to Alexandria, I will drive from Alamein to Europe with you (if you pull the front axles out the 15cwt 4x4 is quite a nippy little machine on the highway. Well, sort of)
Lang

Hi Lang

Thank you for your recommendatioins. You're right, the Swiss Authoroties know nothing about the Blitzes, so I can only tell them what they want to hear. Keefy is looking into getting an F15 for me.

Unfortunately, I haven't received yet a feeback from my road office contact.

I've never been to North Africa, but a drive through the desert and all the battle places you read in the books would be fantastic. But I guess the correct vehicle would be a Blitz Buggy ;-)

I had a look at your website. Wow, a trip in this little Fiat. Unbelievable! Wish you good luck.

Chris

[zemsi]

Originally posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Chris, 15-cwt CMPs are available in Europe, but complete and runing ones come at a cost. It took me several years of searching to find my F15A. So if you come across a nice 15-cwt in Australia, go for it. Drive it back with Lang for the journey of your life!

H.

Hi Hanno

Thank you for your information. I had a look at Dirk's website. The non-restored Blitzes he offered where quite expensive if you compare it with Aussie. But I have to say I don't know the market prices well. I contacted Dirk to get some parts.

Max and Keefy are going looking for a Blitz for me, probably Keith is going to restore an F15 for me. Excellent! I decided not to get a 4x4 because of the weight probleme mentioned above.

So, if everything goes well the next 2 years, I will be able to drive my one Blitz to Corowa and then take it back to Switzerland. How exciting!

Does anybody know a transport company who could bring the Blitz form Antwerp to Switzerland? I don't wanna drive it with the Aussie registration plates, think they woun't be valid in Europe (insurance cover?).

Greetings
Chris

[zemsi]

Originally posted by Lang
Chris,

By the way, if you are shipping vehicles the ONLY way to go is roll-on roll-off ships.

... that looks good for me. Thank you for the tip. I just looked at German Company

[Lang]

Does anybody know a transport company who could bring the Blitz form Antwerp to Switzerland? I don't wanna drive it with the Aussie registration plates, think they woun't be valid in Europe (insurance cover?).

Greetings
Chris [/B][/QUOTE]

Chris,

Australian plates are valid for 6 months in EU as a visitor so you can drive from Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg or wherever the car comes in to Switzerland. No carnet now required, Green Card insurance only (your insurance company should give you this or I can give you the name of a German company who issues them on line.)

Lang

[zemsi]

Australian plates are valid for 6 months in EU ...

Lang

... excellent, thank you for that information, Lang.

Chris

[Tony Smith]

Originally posted by Rob Beale
the Kiwi puddle jumper is the ultimate little big truck.

The C8AX is 7250 lb gross, ie 3.35 ton loaded. It still looks like a C15A but has the benefit of being within the rules for a car licence.

Here in NZ we are saved the hassle of drivers log book, hubodometer and road user charges, and restricted driving hours. Warrant of fitness checks are less than half that of a large truck too.

Rob

Rob, I guess you're going to tell us that the Chev's don't require a lot of maintaining, either

[Tony Smith]

And that getting them running smoothly is a one-man operation too, I suppose? I'll stick to a Ford!

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Originally posted by Tony Smith
Rob, I guess you're going to tell us that the Chev's don't require a lot of maintaining, either

Now Tony, don't be a snot. Those laddies are only looking for brown snakes before setting off across the continent in their fine Chev Blitz.

[cliff]

Originally posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball
Now Tony, don't be a snot. Those laddies are only looking for brown snakes before setting off across the continent in their fine Chev Blitz.

Ah but there are no brown snakes or for that matter any snakes at all in New Zealand which is the one thing NZ has over Ozzy! so I am more likely to believe Tonys' explanation

cheers
Cliff

[Gunner]

Hi Zemsi:

Join your local volunteer fire brigade and have them pay for the training and licence upgrades so you can drive great big red trucks that go "nee-nar". Then all the fuss over car licence is moot!

Driving big red trucks that go "nee-nar" is almost as much fun as playing with CMPs!

Cheers, Mike (no longer melting in Ghana... now chillin' in Ottawa)

(army officer, rusty truck fixer, scuba instructor, volunteer fire fighter, all around nice guy!... oh, and scrubber of toilets 'cause none of the other museum volunteers will do it!)

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Lang
Australian plates are valid for 6 months in EU as a visitor

Only for an Australian driver - not for Chris with his Swiss driving licence. I drove my F15A on UK registration, my insurance company was o.k. with this for a short while in transit from UK to Holland. But according to the Dutch law, I can only drive a car with Dutch plates (unless if it's a rental car). Can't think of a reason why the Swiss government would be easier on this.

Not trying to discourage you, Chris!

H.

[Rob Beale]

Originally posted by Tony Smith
Rob, I guess you're going to tell us that the Chev's don't require a lot of maintaining, either

Yes Tony, they do require a bit now and then, but at least they can be fixed readily, even when 600km from home!

Tony is alluding to the fact that I lost a fan blade, (but due to good planning I had a spare fan with me)

We also had to replace a broken gear selector in my brother's PJ, with a spare one sent over from Wellington on the car ferry with a friendly truckie.

And just to show that good things come in threes, I had to A-frame his PJ over on the ferry as he was laid low by an insect bite and had two nights in hospital, but was able to fly over Friday.

So Geoff, we do have some biting nasties here, but they may have been brought over from Oz by the likes of Tony!
We also have Wallabies and Possums too, but they are shot and poisoned on sight!

Rob
ps safely home at 4am this morning after 14 hrs trip

[Tony Smith]

Originally posted by Rob Beale
We also have Wallabies too, but they are shot and poisoned on sight!

Rob

Just 'cos Kiwis don't make good Rugby players, there's no need to go shooting and poisoning ours!

[Phil Waterman]

I’ve been reading with interest what license you need to drive what size CMP where. Just wanted to add a comment though a C60 at 17,000 to 20,000 lbs doesn’t require a commercial rated drivers licenses’ to drive here in the states (the lower limit it is 26,000 or trailer over 10,000). I opted to keep my heavy commercial drivers licenses’ just in case I do have a problem and start having some Police officer start questioning if I qualified to drive a rig like a CMP. Figured big ugly and right hand drive was enough going against me.

In another issue regular vs commercial driving licenses is one that has come up with some of M series trucks which even though the data plate says less than 26,000 lbs is the air over hydraulic brakes. Some of the Highway Enforcement Officers think that this requires a commercial license with the air-brake endorsement. We have also run into a problem with military vehicles that qualify for antique license plates but weigh over 26,000 lbs some people and some Police think they can be driven with a regular license and others think that it requires a commercial driver’s license.

The fun really starts though when one of our Club Convoys comes up on a toll gate the attendants invariably wave us through and when we come up on a weigh station they get really confused do they stop us or not.

[zemsi]

Originally posted by Gunner


Join your local volunteer fire brigade and have them pay for the training and licence upgrades so you can drive great big red trucks that go "nee-nar". Then all the fuss over car licence is moot!

Hi Mike

Thank you for that input. However, that's another bad issue in Switzerland.

If I go to the fire brigade or Swiss Army and the a licence there for heavy vehicles, I'm not allowed to drive them in private issues. I would be only allowed to drive them in the service.

My brother can drive trucks up to 7 to in the military Service (Mowag Duro), but his private licence is only up to 3,5 to. So the army give you an education to drive heavy vehicles, but the goverment woun't trust you that you can drive them privately :-( Very strange...

cu
Chris

[cliff]

Originally posted by zemsi
So the army give you an education to drive heavy vehicles, but the goverment woun't trust you that you can drive them privately :-( Very strange...

cu
Chris

LOL glad to know that that rule applies over there to. Govt's must think the same way the world over

cheers
Cliff

[Lang]

Hanno,

I have just refreshed on the EU rules for our current FIAT 500 trip and they say that the 6 months applies for people domiciled outside EU. They can be EU citizens living abroad or foreigners. Last time I looked Switzerland was not a member of the EU. Should work for Chris should it not?

Lang

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Lang
I have just refreshed on the EU rules for our current FIAT 500 trip and they say that the 6 months applies for people domiciled outside EU. They can be EU citizens living abroad or foreigners. Last time I looked Switzerland was not a member of the EU. Should work for Chris should it not?

Lang, you're right, Switzerland in still not a member of the EU.
But while this rule may apply for you as an Australian citizen with an Australian driver's licence driving a car with an Australian registration, this - as far as I understand - does not apply to Swiss Chris with a Swiss driver's licence driving a "car" (it is a car and not a truck as long as it's less than 3500 kgs) with an Australian registration. I'm sure this does not work for me as a Dutchman. My sister is a Dutch citizen living in Germany, but she needs a German driver's licence and a German registration on her car. And Dutchie here is legally not allowed to drive his sister's car.

Not sure if this cleans up things, but I'm not making the rules!

H.

[Lang]

Hanno,

Your rules with your sister's car probably don't have much bearing on Chris' situation as you are talking about people permanently living inside the EU.

Chris will need an International Drivers Licence when he is in Australia "practising" on his new toy and can also use that legally in EU (even though they are happy to accept his Swiss licence just as they are happy to accept my Australian licence).

I could not believe that any cop could have the motivation to do anything other than say "Have a nice day" when he pulls up a Swiss citizen, driving an Australian registered vehicle - with his name on the owners and registration papers - and is shown a current legal International Licence and a proper Green Card insurance.

Anyhow, it is up to Chris but you know me, having all that stuff above is way beyond anything I would contemplate having if I was him. It is so much easier to be forgiven than get permission. They will still be trying to sort out the legality of the operation long after Chris has died of old age in the unlikely event he is even pulled over for a check in the first place.

Lang

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Lang
I could not believe that any cop could have the motivation to do anything other than say "Have a nice day" when he pulls up a Swiss citizen, driving an Australian registered vehicle - with his name on the owners and registration papers - and is shown a current legal International Licence and a proper Green Card insurance.

Lang,

In that case you have not met a Belgian, German or Swiss cop. "Ze rulez are ze rulez, meinherr Lang!"

But I agree on the act first and apologise later. That is what I did when I drove my F15A from the UK to Holland. As long as your vehicle is properly insured you will go a long way in court in case someone decides to make a point of it in an effort to become part of legal history.

H.

[zemsi]

G'Day mates

I'm looking for a good and reliable shipping company who'll ship the old girl from Sydney (or Melbourne) to Switzerland (in March or April 09). I don't wanna have shipped her just to Rotterdam or Hamburg and than drive her down to Switzerland. Too many kilometres, to many things can happen and I woun't have any spare holidays next year.

Does anyone have any experience with a shipping company? I'll think I'll opt more for a container than RoRo (roll on, roll off). The shipping prices should have been going down in the last few weeks because of the stock crash etc.

Would appreciate any input.

Thanks
Chris

[Lang]

Chris,

Your timing matches up with our ANZAC Normandy convoy. Why don't you join us from Istanbul and drop off in Switzerland instead of going all the way to France?

Bill Nicoll, our shipping man in Melbourne, will be able to find an extra container to go with our group.

Lang

[zemsi]

Hi Lang

I woun't have any holidays left for this trip. What a pity But I hope to meet&greet the convoy in Switzerland.

Chris