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  #1  
Old 15-07-18, 19:46
rob love rob love is offline
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Default When is too much too much?

I had someone comment a month or two back that he noticed a few new pieces in the yard since last time he was by. I told him "not really, I have been using restraint the last while". But I admitted there was a pair of Limbers to go with the pair of 25 pounders, another 25 pounder chassis, another 5/4 ton (for parts), an Armstrong motorcycle (but it is in the quonset so he wouldn't have noticed), and I was picking up another MLVW from Winnipeg in a few weeks (Now home). Another guy reminded me of the HMMWV that showed up late last fall. Oh yeh, there was also the shell off an artillery tractor, which meant one more chassis must be found.

So 7 or 8 pieces more in less than a year, and that was while using restraint.

So I did a quick count around the yard of everything including trailers. Turns out there are 46 pieces in the yard including the truck I drive and the 4 cars the wife owns (A newer Honda accord, 2 older Oldsmobile Aleros, which I have to get rid of yet, and her 75 Corvette Stingray).

My list is more or less as follows:

Bofors 40mm
C1 (M2A2) 105 howitzer
90mm AA gun
25 pdr
another 25 pdr
a 25 pdr chassis
limber
limber
6 pdr (soon leaving)
M38A1CDN3 w/w
M100 trailer
M101Cdn2 trailer
15cwt Ford CMP
FAT shell
1976 5/4 ton command post
1976 5/4 ton parts truck
M135 Deuce
M135 deuce for parts
M35 MLVW
M35 MLVW
Bren carrier (restored)
carrier hull w. engine and track
carrier hull
carrier hull
Penguin snowmobile
HUP (leaving eventually)
15cwt air compressor
1956 military firetruck
1956 Civilian firetruck (for parts)
1943 MCP Ford dumptruck
1943 cab/chassis Ford MCP (parts truck)
7 ton recovery trailer
3 ton trailer chassis
another 3 ton trailer chassis
M104/cmp trailer hybrid (for firewood hauling)
Armstrong motorcycle
M998 HMMWV (hardtop w turret ring on it's way).

On top of those are my
winter/towing vehicle, a dodge cummins 2500, and
4 civilian trailers running from a 4x8 3,000 lb capacity,
a 12,000 cap equipment hauler,
a 14, 000 pd equipment hauler, and
a 14,000 lb equipment hauler.

I didn't count the BSA folding bike nor the swiss military bike I liberated from Cypress. Bikes don't count.

When I had my divorce sale back in 2001 I counted 15 vehicles/trailers then, and thought I had a problem. I divested of pretty much all of them, and had none until around 2006, when I bought my one carrier. Then a Jeep, then a...... I still check kijiji weekly (or more) for military trucks....fortunately I have been using restraint.

I turned 57 a week ago....I'll never live long enough to finish them all. I gotta say, this is one estate auction I would love to make it to, but I don't think it works that way.

To top it off, I go to work and do the exact same thing for 300 days of the year.

So do I have a problem? (At least the neighbors have not complained about all the wife's cars).
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  #2  
Old 15-07-18, 20:16
Gordon Yeo Gordon Yeo is offline
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Default Too much

Rob

It's called commitment, not a problem.

Gord

( Watch that get spun another way! )
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  #3  
Old 15-07-18, 20:22
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Wayne Hingley Wayne Hingley is offline
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Unlike many other people, you do not have a problem Rob. The fact that you know about restraint, and have obviously been using it for some time now, clearly demonstrates that you don’t have a problem.
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  #4  
Old 15-07-18, 21:04
rob love rob love is offline
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So do you think telling the wife she should go to just one car is a good idea? Every little bit will help.
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  #5  
Old 15-07-18, 21:18
Bruce Parker (RIP) Bruce Parker (RIP) is offline
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"Hello group, my name is Rob and I'm a collect-o-holic..."

No really, I think you have to look at why. If it is to truly restore it all and keep it all running and in top shape, you have to ask yourself if that's even possible. Or asking the same question the other way around, what is the number of vehicles you can adequately maintain? I expect that many of your acquisitions are for parts or just to save them so there's a chance someone will give them the treatment in the future.

This topic blends in with the other 'de-mob' thread here that asks the questions "what next?" and "what prep should I do for the eventual?" I suppose nothing so long as doing what you're doing makes you happy and is sustainable. Don't expect that everything you save will get restored, it won't. But as you say you'll never see that. It doesn't work that way.

For me, the reason to collect or restore is the joy of doing it and for the sake of the history and the veterans that used them. Second to that is running them followed by showing them off (we all like a little pat on the back now and again).
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  #6  
Old 15-07-18, 23:34
rob love rob love is offline
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Was just out putting a floor in place for the next shed, and realized the old 1949 Oliver 88 tractor is also not maintenance free. So I guess it is no47.

I don't even know how many lawnmowers and other small engines like log splitter, wood chipper, chain saw, generator, pumps etc are out there. It surprises me how I even keep going what does run.

For me, the hunt for the parts and pieces is the best part of the hobby. As soon as a restoration is completed, it's down hill from there. I have seen early restorations of mine later sell thru others. One of them, a M38A1Cdn2 w/w, was featured in one of the restoration magazines as an unrestored, unmolested example. I actually built that one out of pieces from several Jeeps.
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  #7  
Old 16-07-18, 00:06
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Robin Craig Robin Craig is offline
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Rob,

no problem at all.
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  #8  
Old 16-07-18, 00:13
Bruce Parker (RIP) Bruce Parker (RIP) is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin Craig View Post
Rob,

no problem at all.
...enabler...


KIDDING!!!
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  #9  
Old 16-07-18, 03:19
rob love rob love is offline
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Whoops, I meant to post this thread in the Sgts mess, not in WW2 military History & equipment.

Hanno (or any moderator), if you see this could you move it to the appropriate forum.

Robin
Thanks for your words of support.

Robin knows about the deal I missed last fall, and that the true number should be closer to 49. I don't get nuthin.
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  #10  
Old 16-07-18, 05:58
Barry J. Cox Barry J. Cox is offline
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My view is that if one knows how many items one has in the accumulation , one does not have enough of those items in the accumulation...

Note that this philosophy on occasion requires the expenditure of a portion of the available funds in the purchase of jewelry for the much better half of the equation. Failure to invoke such a safeguard to one's behavior will almost certainly lead to a reduction in the accumulation.

YMMV
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  #11  
Old 16-07-18, 11:51
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Tony Smith Tony Smith is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gordon Yeo View Post
Rob

It's called commitment, not a problem.

Gord

(Watch that get spun another way! )
Yes, being committed may be the solution, not the problem.

Rob, it's good that you're using restraints. You wouldn't want anything to fall off the truck when another project gets delivered.
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  #12  
Old 16-07-18, 16:52
rob love rob love is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry J. Cox View Post
My view is that if one knows how many items one has in the accumulation , one does not have enough of those items in the accumulation...

YMMV
I agree wholeheartedly. A number of years back, there was a great deal in the US on front sight guards for the no4 Lee Enfield rifles, so I ordered 20. When they showed up at my US postbox, I was presently surprised to find they were all Canadian and in their original Cdn ordnance boxes of 10. So when I got home I ordered another 80. This time, the customs guy asked me what they were for. I said personal use. He then asked how many Lee Enfields did I have? I told him "that's not really the kind of thing a guy counts". I truly had no idea. And I still don't.
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  #13  
Old 16-07-18, 20:49
John Genereux John Genereux is offline
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Hi Rob. I am guessing that you have a few lucky horseshoes hanging somewhere at your place to be able to get your hands on another MLVW. I have been keeping my eyes open out here and all I have seen are bare frames in a surplus yard or parts truck. Enjoy them!
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  #14  
Old 18-07-18, 15:58
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derk derin derk derin is offline
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Default Competition

Rob,
Remember when we were in competition for who could collect the most vehicles? Well you WON!
At least you have the property to keep all your vehicles in one spot. And one day enough buildings to store them in!
Regards,Derk
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  #15  
Old 18-07-18, 17:15
Ed Storey Ed Storey is offline
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Default When is Too Much

Rob;

All you need are some Iltis and LSVWs to round out that collection!

ED
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  #16  
Old 19-07-18, 01:00
BradB BradB is offline
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Rob,

Just curious....what would you consider selling one of your Universal Carriers for...?

Not because I have the money, but someday soon I will have more than just an interest...I like guns, (hell, love 'em) but at some point I'm going to need to buy a tracked vehicle...just because.

Brad
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  #17  
Old 19-07-18, 02:27
Bruce Parker (RIP) Bruce Parker (RIP) is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BradB View Post
...but at some point I'm going to need to buy a [insert your item of choice]...just because.
Need? NEED??? See there's the problem right there. Once you NEED it there's no power on earth that will stop you from getting it if at all humanly possible. I've tried to explain this simple, immutable point to my wife over and over and over again and for some strange reason she just doesn't get it.
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  #18  
Old 19-07-18, 02:35
rob love rob love is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Genereux View Post
Hi Rob. I am guessing that you have a few lucky horseshoes hanging somewhere at your place to be able to get your hands on another MLVW. I have been keeping my eyes open out here and all I have seen are bare frames in a surplus yard or parts truck. Enjoy them!
Yeah, horseshoes. The one I have currently complete was a parts truck but is now complete. The one I just dragged home is a parts truck, but I think I have most of whats needed to re-assemble it.

Quote:
Rob,
Remember when we were in competition for who could collect the most vehicles? Well you WON!
Regards,Derk
Yes Derk, I have enough work here for two lifetimes. I am the winner.

Quote:
Rob;

All you need are some Iltis and LSVWs to round out that collection!

ED
Ed
Some comments do not rate a response. This is one of them.
I was at an auction a year back, and Iltis's were selling from $500 to $1100. I thought of buying them to break them up, but I couldn't stand the thought of having them in my yard. People might get the wrong idea about me.

Quote:
Rob,

Just curious....what would you consider selling one of your Universal Carriers for...?
Nope, they are too important for parts. The carriers will remain where they are. Sorry. Besides, if you saw them, you would understand how much work would be involved.
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  #19  
Old 15-10-18, 04:09
rob love rob love is offline
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So thanks to the support group here on MLU, I managed to make a little headway on the "too much" problem. Not one, but two of the wife's junkers are on their way. One gone now, and one pulled from the line ready to go.
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  #20  
Old 15-10-18, 04:26
rob love rob love is offline
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Default However.....

However, even the most reformed addicts will have their relapses, so here are a few.


First, the MLVW that I spoke of earlier in this thread is now in the yard. It has some history, having gone to both Kosovo and later to SW Asia, where it got painted tan.



From there, I have been on the hunt for an artillery tractor project. One followed me home. I already have the back shell that I seized from a shipment crossing into Manitoba on the trans-Canada highway without the required permits. For shame Wayne.....


I no sooner got home with the artillery tractor than I got a phone call (literally an hour later) asking if I buy army trucks. I raced down about 25 minutes away and made a deal on a partial 15cwt. My plan is to convert the 15cwt frame into an artillery tractor frame. The frame on the artillery tractor I dragged home is, like so many of them, toast. With the mid-mounted winch, they were relatively easy to convert into tow trucks, however, that meant welding brackets and booms onto the rather thin frames, and then working them to death. Another bonus to this 15cwt chassis is that I can use the back axle to convert into an axle for the second limber I have, which has none.



Yesterday, a M38 Jeep with the arctic top followed me home. Engine is very tight from sitting, so today I started soaking the cylinders with transmission fluid.



Last new acquisition is a slant-back kit for the HMMWV. Not a vehicle per-se, but more expensive than most of the vehicles I buy. In fact, more expensive than any civilian pattern car or truck that I have ever bought. Photo is showing the start of the installation.



So I think I am cured. If I had not got rid of those cars, I would have hit 50 pieces, which would have been some kind of milestone. Instead I am actually going down from that number.
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  #21  
Old 15-10-18, 04:42
Bob Carriere Bob Carriere is offline
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Default I bow my head in reverence to you.......

Oh masterful one........

I too have been exercising restraint and trying to limit myself only to cab 11/12 .........unless some other deal shows up!!!!!

Have you ever bothered to count the miles or km for all your recoveries???

Bob C
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  #22  
Old 15-10-18, 04:57
rob love rob love is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Carriere View Post

Have you ever bothered to count the miles or km for all your recoveries???

Some things are better left uncounted. However, these were all local in province, with the furthest one being just 3 hours away each way, and the closest one being just less than a half hour away.
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  #23  
Old 15-10-18, 05:01
rob love rob love is offline
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Default Oooops

Fruedian slip...I forgot one. This is a truck I picked up in Saskatchewan decades ago. I brought it to Manitoba, sold it to Derk Derin, who sold it to Rob Fast. I bought it back....although it has lost a lot of it's jewellery, it is still a very nice straight truck. I have offered first dibs on it to the museum, as they do not have a 3 ton cargo. But if they turn it down, then it will remain here. Either way, I'll have to restore it.



It is a Ford 3 ton cargo. It has a very very straight tailgate, the spare tire carrier, the pto air compressor, and the folding troop seats are in the back. When I originally bought it, it still had the airline hanging off the rifle bracket, and came with the manual, toolbox, and trouble light.
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  #24  
Old 15-10-18, 06:03
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Wayne Hingley Wayne Hingley is offline
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Rob, you’ve been a busy boy lately! I’m glad to see you found an artillery tractor to go with the confiscated shell. I hope that project is high on the priority list... I’m looking forward to seeing it.
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  #25  
Old 25-10-18, 19:33
Dave Schindel Dave Schindel is offline
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I think the rule is that you should not be able to field more equipment than the country in which you reside. You're OK, carry on.

But don't buy any subs.
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  #26  
Old 26-10-18, 03:25
Russ Gregg Russ Gregg is offline
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Quite the collection Rob. I also have a hard top equipped M38, but the interior top insulation is in terrible shape. Curious if you have or find a source of 1/2" thick olive green closed cell foam. I believe Ensolite is the correct type.
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  #27  
Old 26-10-18, 05:17
rob love rob love is offline
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I will likely not use the hardtop, so no, I haven't looked for replacement insulation.



I have owned a M38A1CDN3 for over a decade now, and have never once installed the canvas.
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  #28  
Old 10-11-18, 17:44
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Jon Skagfeld Jon Skagfeld is offline
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Default Pioneer Tool Tray...MLVW

Rob: might you be interested in a complete tray for one of your MLVWs?

I'm in Ontario.
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  #29  
Old 10-11-18, 20:02
rob love rob love is offline
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Thanks for offering to feed the addiction Jon, but I have several beyond the ones on the two trucks. If you cut off the little pin bracket, they become regular pioneer racks for the older stuff.
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