Getting Seb’s Chieftain ready for the show fixing some problems and doing some finishing touches for the Centurion AVRE. Including a bonus mystery will it start vehicle…
Your land is across the earth, not under it! Has water somehow learned to curve around a spinning ball without being flung off? Of course not! What a preposterous notion! LOL!
Top tip: We NEVER tried to start our Chieftains (ARRV, in my case) without firing up the genny 1st. Unassisted battery start was a big no-no. The main reason was that your DEF (dust extraction fan) uses a huge amount of Amps to run, and you have to switch that on before you engage the starter to flush the air filter cyclones. If you don't do that, your roots blower and L60 engine will breath in about 0.5kg of dust and sand on its first breath, which isn't too good for the life of the engine.
Those urban paint jobs, can be a bit of a nightmare, when serving in Berlin as an infantry battalion we still had a number of armoured vehicles that needed to be painted in urban cam. Prior to The Queens Birthday Parade, we had to repaint all the vehicles, normally a bit of a pain, but as they were going to be on parade, detailed guidelines were provided showing in detail the paint patterns for each vehicle, we spent hours measuring up, masking taping up the blocked areas, making sure every nut bolt & fitting were painted to the standard required, when inspected anything that was not precise would have to me repainted. On the day of the parade the vehicles parked up in again in precisely marked spots, I think they were about 250-300m back from the front of the parade & spectators, never to be moved or be seen close up by anyone!!!!! That was the army then…good times 🤪
That's reminded me of having to do my Armoured Engineer (Chieftain AVLB) D and M course at Bovington TWICE! We learned our "trade" specific skills on an engineer variant in a hangar/classroom, but to keep the hours down on the AVLB fleet the purely driving phase was carried out on a Mk 10 gun tank and/or the 'Chieftain GTi' (or wedge - just a hull, plated over, with neither a turret nor the AVRE/AVLB kit on it). One day, after a day on the cross country driver training area, and washing down, we were back on the tank park, post use servicing. There was a lot of chitter-chatter about what pub we were going to drink at before heading to The Venue at Tower Park in Poole, and the usual banter. There was also an element of "too many cooks" on the rear deck. In short, we were distracting one another. As the radiators were stowed by another student, it was left to me to finish off by closing the engine deck panels. That's when I looked up at my mate, who was standing on the top of the turret, and I dropped a panel into the well, whereupon it bounced out of the well, it's progress into the stowed position having been hindered by my big toe (right foot) overhanging the corner of the well. Well, bugger me if that didn't smart a little! I hopped alongside the (stowed in the crutch) gun, up the mantlet, over the roof of the turret, and somehow got off the turret onto the track guards, and down the front hull. Turning the air blue, I continued to hop and swear my way across the tank park. Eventually I sat on the tarmac and people began to realise I was in serious pain. And that was that. I was so close to finishing the course but there was no way I was in a fit state to complete it. I was posted at the time to 23 Engr Regt in Osnabruck, and they didn't want to fly me back only to fly me to the UK again on sick leave, so I was sent home instead, and as soon as I was fit to return to duty I was loaded onto the next available course to finish what I'd started. Ironic, too, that after only a short three year stint as an Armoured Farmer I was posted back to the UK as a Draughtsman and drifted away from tanks to never again drive a tracked vehicle bigger than an FV432...
The Chieftain has such a cool sound. Your content is awesome man, it's pretty cool seeing all the intricacies that go into maintaining and repairing these beasts. Thanks for bringing us along. From Michigan
An interesting fact for you is that the "noise box" (exhaust resonator/expansion chamber) not only increases the power, but made a sound that was very hard to 'direction find'. When a Chiefy was bumbling around the training area at night, the infantry soldiers would shit themselves because they could hear it, but had a hard time actually working out where it was. I can assure you that it is quite a spooky experience.
One of the advantages of not using an autoloader is having an extra man in the vehicle crew to help with maintenance tasks which on a tank is almost always big and heavy!
This brought some memories back! Hefting batteries in and out of Mk5 Chieftains in Osnabruck in 78/79, and I was scrawnier than Seb. Can still remember the vein standing out on my neck - my Troop Sergeant thought I was about to have an embolism! 🤣🤣🤣
Changing batteries on the Chieftain what fun. We did use a large bent tube bar with 2 simple brackets that hinged and twisted on its axis. The brackets simply sat on the battery handles and the weight of the lifting kept them secure. The driver sat in his seat as you did and then another crewman or ' volunteer' lifted them into the cab. Because of the shape of the bar and the bracket spinning 360 degrees, it wasn't really the hardest job to remove or replace them. The gun was obviously over the front of the tank to do this job. Worst job was deffo realising you'd removed the last track link before a track change was gonna be on the horizon.....really enjoying your channel.
Watching you shift those batteries reminded me of when back in the 1990’s I used to have to change the batteries on Boeing 747-200’s (I was an aircraft engineer) they had two huge batteries the same size as those Hawker batteries, they weighed 90 pounds each, one for the APU and a main battery in the rear of the flight deck. The APU battery was fitted in a bay under the tail, this meant having to lift the battery above your head up through the hatch. Oh nearly forgot to mention the hatch for the APU battery was around 30 feet from the ground! The later 747-400 had the same sort of battery, but their positions were changed to something as awkward as the ones you were trying to fit, which meant lifting them over all sorts of structure in confined spaces. I feel your pain!
Us colonial outcasts in the great land down under really appreciated the clip you filmed especially for us, in fact you guys should come on down to see life from our perspective, I think you would feel quite at home. I always thought working on boats was the worst pain in the ass but whoever designed the interior of tanks had a particularly warped sense of humour.
You lads have some good stuff going on down there too - recently watched the recovery of three Grant tanks by the Australian Armour & Artillery Museum.
Absolutely love the Australian view. As an Australian, this makes it easier to watch! 🤣🤣🤣 Hurt my knee badly yesterday and this just made me laugh and made my day - thank-you so much.
True story & I love old Landrovers to bits , they are tanks . . had a Leyland truck whilst working for a blasting mob . . that was designed apparently for Lovecraft old ones , no handle or control was designed to be used by a human . . the cab access handles were only an octopus could use . . going in backward
Brilliant video guys,love hearing the old beast starting up and revving up, nothing like it, still makes me shiver 30 years after I last served on Chieftain.
So glad there are people like you around that have the time, patience and money to keep these old heroes going so people can see them working. Thank you.
The Chieftain engine sounds much happier. But being a 6 cylinder 12 piston two stroke it’s going to sound very revvy even when it’s not revving too much. You should fit 2 micron oil bypass filters. They take a small %age of oil flow and hoover up the crud that degrades to oil. Then you test the oil at service intervals (or more often if you like) and only need to change the oil when it’s quality drops.
I feel your pain on the batteries mate. I have a 1954 PD 4104 Greyhound bus that takes a pair of 8D batteries. I don't know about the weight, but they appear to be the size of two of those NATO batteries side-by-side. Luckily, it only takes two and they side-load into a bay from outside and only need to be lifter a foot or two. And god _damn_ I love the sound of a two stroke diesel. FWIW, the bus mentioned above is powered by a Detroit Diesel 671.
Bedford M Type, when I worked for Thames Water we had a fleet of them. They had a flame heater using diesel fuel from the return line to assist starting and an electric motor like an extending car aerial to stop the engine. They never went wrong. Pretty reliable engines simple layout. Biggest thing to maintain was brakes as they where off road most of their lives spreading sludge. Getting access under cab was a pain until a aftermarket cab tilt kit became available. Much easier after that, front mounts changed out for pivots and a mechanical screw jack jack kit fitted a lot easier to maintain! It is possible to hone or even re-sleeve rare brake cylinders, there are companies that specialise in it. All over forty years ago. Pretty rugged off road truck.😊
Bedford M Type four wheel drive worked on them for years, they used to have a very reliable electric stop that worked like a car aerial mounted in the chassis with a Bowden cable to the fuel pump. Ignition on it extended stop to run position Ignition off it retracted inner core and engine stopped, never went wrong in a fleet of them. Air stops are the worst water gets in and freezes or rust unit slight misalignment they jam, take a lot of maintenance to keep them running. The electric stop used on the Bedford worked all year round no problem. Matra joints on front axle simple reliable, do not use non genuine studs on housings, one site did and nearly lost the swivel axle, they are high strength studs. There was a company that put hinges on the front of the cab mounts so you could undo the rear ones and tilt the cab with a screw jack fitting they supplied. Tight to get in a service access to thermostat was tight. Pretty reliable beast if serviced properly. They where used in fields every day spreading sludge and where good off road. Flame heater for starting, some leaking ff diesel returning to tank filled a little reservoir, operating cold start heated a coil and the heat shrank (yep shrank) some teal and allowed fuel from reservoir to leak onto heater coil igniting it heating the air drawn into the engine. A little disconcerting with air pipework removed seeing a small flame burning away when you operated the cold start device, stop sing it and it dies down as the metal pin expands again and shuts of the fuel. Happy Days😀.
That battery tester will still show 12v even when"flat"(ie battery 12.0v is 40% charged 12.6v fully charged) - A load tester needs to be applied for approx 10 seconds to display a drop, a good battery will hold a voltage with no drop for 10 seconds, a bad one will start to fall within 10 seconds. A quick flick of that switch is not a proper test. The batteries do need to be fully charged before applying that test too, otherwise you may write off an otherwise good battery - which would pass your test once charged properly. When charged, do the test twice, the first just to take the excess voltage from charging off (it may be up to 13.5v depending on your charger)
I love this channel..! Joe and crew are so funny but do a great job on their toys and is very interesting to see how they revive all these old gals of great machinery!
British military equipment designers never have to actually work with their designs in the field. If they did they might think a bit more about the position of things like batteries and filters! I worked with the US Navy Phalanx Close In Weapon System for ten years, all filters were easily accessible and a very heavy transformer rectifier was mounted on PTFE runners and held in place by two bolts, both at the front! Advice on the physical layout was received from US Navy Chief Petty officers who would have to maintain and use the system. Coolant and hydraulic hoses had self sealing quick disconnect connectors, so no mess, no fluid loss. All it takes is a bit of thought.
It may look like things are being given to you, but I bet whoever is “giving” it just wants whatever it is out of their way, and how much would it cost them to get it shifted. So just the time effort and expense of moving some of these vehicles make it far from free. And then if the vehicle is “given” I expect they’ll be an owed favour for the future. So not completely free then!
Muscle can fair surprise you sometimes. Used to climb and the little scrawny looking dudes were the best at it. Probably one of those kinds of situations haha
Bad batteries mean slower cranking rate lower voltage and higher current, that kills starter motors. The starter rotates at slower speeds meaning each set of coils is subject to higher current for a longer period of time causing the starter to cook. To test batteries charge them fully at max one tenth of their AMP HOUR capacity until fully charged the disconnect charger and allow to settle for two hours then do a load test. Nice toys to play with! Lifting batteries can someone standing outside somewhere pull with rope while you guide out
When you mentioned half a carburettor on the intake, that butterfly controls the vacumn governor on the injector pump. I believe the 2 wires you were touching together are for the heater plug in the manifold. love the videos by the way.
Those NATO batteries are nails. When I worked for MOD, I ordered a couple of batteries to power ECM kit (24V). I was expecting leisure batteries, but a pair of those big angry cubes arrived. They outlasted my MOD career.
Bad batteries at cranking means low cranking speed, low cranking speed means high current flow through the windings in the starter with no time to cool. That’s when the smoke leaks out and the starter is toast. Consistent cranking a low speed smokes starters. Love what you do you just keep going guys. Lifting batteries how about a bit of rope through the loops and buddy standing on deck takes the weight and you guide it in or out.
From an old Chief/ Cr crewman When changing or lifting the drivers batteries it’s easier to use the track rope and pass it through the battery lifting handles then pass it up through the hatch. Easy peasey.
As an ex-Chieftain crewman, I can assure you that you don't need a sense of smell to know when your batteries are cooking, as your eyes start streaming, your larynx melts and your nostrils burn! BTW, if you can smell, it smell like a mix of rotten eggs and burnt cordite, with a hint of caramel ... sort of.
Fun, fun, fun. I feel your pain. Me & a mate have a rally car (mid engine Toyota MR2 Mk1). The gearbox used to have to come out with monotonous regularity. If we had sense, we would have bought a transmission jack, but we don't, so I was the jack. I'd just lay under the car and they'd drop the gearbox out onto my chest. Putting it back ment bendh pressing it into place and waiting for someone to get a couple of bolts in. Not much room, working with the car only up on axle stands. Also fun when someone drops a 22mm socket through the engine bay which hits you in the face whilet you're holding the gearbox. I kept all my teeth, but my top lip wasnt so good. When I got out from under the car, everyone agreed that I looked like Mr. Burns from the Simpsons.
Thank goodness the Chieftain started, before then you didn't sound like you'd last the day Joe! This show isn't sponsored by Monster energy drink, but if anyone's watching from there, I'm sure a few gallons would be greatly appreciated! 😁👍👍👍👍🙃😁
When testing batteries, they should be properly charged before testing otherwise you might get a bad reading from a battery that's ok. Those testers are awesome for a bit of warmth in the winter as they use a heating element as a load. 👍
If you overtighten banjo bolts on fluid system you crush the flat faces and cause leaks. Brakes, Fuel systems, hydraulics, Have seen it many times. Anneal the copper washers or fit new and tighten firmly but not super tight. If someone has done it previously it’s a pain.
I’m Down Under and I’m finally glad that for a second you put the video up the right way, but then I had to turn my iPad around again so I could see things properly
Leaving batteries sitting on cold concrete will destroy them. A piece of ply or wooden packing will prevent this from happening. Great viewing, always have time for you guys over here in Australia! Lovin it!
We had Napier deltics on ton class minesweepers in the RN. Awesome engines but no room to work on them. Deck area above engine room could be removed and engines lifted out. Navy kept a supply of spare engines and the exchange took just a couple of hours. 36 pistons on 3 crankshafts give tremendous power. Rumour was that they were copied from a German bomber that crashed intact early in the war.
Been enjoying all the chieftain ( urghhh ) vids , whilst at shrivenham the lesson learned on the chieftains was the best tool for removing theveginesvwas a fork, helps shovel,out all the shrapnel debris when they exploded . Another time we was up on the ranges at Warminster,the MOD range setter was the mighty and anti hum@n Johnny Weiss, last time we went to his yard was to harvest a load of parts from his “stolly wall “ about 60 stalwarts piled up to form a wall . Outside the yard at around 07:00 were three mk11 chieftain hulks that had been APFSDS,d , the three foot thick chobham armour did SWFA to repel the penetrators, these un fortunate MBT,S were dragged back dead ( tracks wheels etc blown away ) the humble “leyland” DROPS was used to drag the hulks back to the yard . “Jonny , did them drops struggle dragging these back across the muddy ranges ? “ Arrrrrrrrrrrr, gearbox got hot , boiled it a few times , but here they is
As Another ,I appreciate you thinking of us down here.Just watching while having dinner and a beer..Love the sound of those big engines,,,you must have so much fun driving those beasts around.Regards Steve down under.
I agree with what "Not-Much-To-Suck" said but with a slight difference. Being an Aussie also, when I go to watch a Pommie video I just turn the TV upside down! Nice little joke though, mate. Nice to be recognized. A bit of trivia for you. I had a cousin who was in the Australian Army in the 70's and 80's. He was a driver of the Centurion tanks. I was a little over 5ft 7in and he was a head shorter. He told me he , and others, had to really work on their thigh muscles because the clutch, in a Centurion, was as heavy as all sh .... um ... 'get-go!' But it was a lot of fun as well. Also, could you talk up a little louder. Because, with the machinery in the background and the wind, you were a little hard to hear. But love you videos though.
The machines are becoming so many changes... - parts, liquids and more... I need also a change, a big one !! I'd like to change from Germany to England 🏴 !!!❤ Vivian Hyde 😊
I dislike those types of battery testers. Sometimes they just don't put enough of a load on a battery to see if it's truly bad. I had a dump truck here that would stall when you went to put the bed up with the electric lift. I tested the batteries independently and both came back good. The truck would start fine, and the hydraulic pack was relatively new. It ended up that the batteries just couldn't handle the current load from the lift. New batteries solved the problem.
The Arabs used to check theirs using a big thick piece of cable and shorting the terminals together briefly, a big spark on contact meant the battery was ok, no spark meant fu***d
I don't know what I watched to get this content to show up in my feed but from what I've watched so far you seem to be very good at what you do you have a new sub
Tips and Tricks ,If you put a hose that sits firm on Brake bleeder nipples then into a container bottom as the oil goes into the container it`ll be sucked back up the hose providing a do it yourself brake bleeder system No air goes back in just tighten nipple before removing hose , Air goes out oil goes back ..- PS - Wouldn`t having a portable hoisting lift on the tank barrel help lifting and lowering the batteries ?
As a portable starter, you should get yourself a 5p6s or 5p12s LTO battery. LTO are a kind of practically indestructible lithium battery and you should easily get plenty of cranking amps out of them.
A lovely electrolyte bath when changing the hull batteries, before the introduction of sealed batteries. Quick shower (if in camp) followed by a visit to the QM's to get your clothing exchanged. Happy day's
When I go to bed, I look always outside the window into the sky to the English planes and do dream from my beautiful island.... !! The English planes are easy to see, cuz they fly on the other side, like the British traffic is 😅 Vivian Hyde 😊
I crewed the M60A1 in the 70's, where your batteries are was ammo racks on both sides and fire extinguisher tanks on the left of the driver., batteries were under the turret floor, turn the turret and remove a panel. Not a bad job all told.
All good with your Aussie viewers. We always watch TV here with our TV's turned upside down so everything overseas looks fine lmao. As the batteries go, try two different things. First, hook something like a amber rotating beacon ( they draw 5 amps) to the battery for quite a few hours to flatten it, then recharge it. Or second, if you are able to remove the battery caps, drain out all the acid and replace it with fresh acid and then recharge it.
Man, when you were jerking the engine cover open with your back, my back started hurting for you. I know, you know, but shit like that is gonna make for a very uncomfortable late 30’s and beyond. Ask me how I know.😂😂 love the videos, keep it up 🤘
I used to make NATOs every now and then for the US military. Theirs are brown/tan. I was interested to see if those batteries had the blind man strips on them and they do. The American version has a smaller textured square right under the positive. On yours it's a strip running the entire length of the positive side. The case walls are about twice as thick as a normal battery. The government also requires virgin plastic used so they can take a bit of abuse. Comparatively the only other battery with similar case thickness and cell wall thickness are labeled Mercedes batteries. The aftermarket Mercedes uses half the amount and uses recycled plastic.
Busting a foofer seems common place working on tanks, even the seemingly simple tasks like changing batteries tests the strength of ones inner workings
Just a quick note when testing batteries they should be fully charged first and if possible a hydrometer should be used to test the specific gravity. Putting a drop tester on an unknown battery can kill a good battery it if not fully charged. Also electronic drop testers are better than the “ Heath Robinson unit” you have. Did you also try testing the Tank batteries in situ and connected?
Well that’s a nice modern battery discharge meter lol 😂 when I done my apprenticeship in auto electrics we used a funny looking device it was to long prongs connected with a zigzag bit of metal between them with a gauge in the middle , you just stabbed the battery terminals with the probes given off sparks good enough for any firework display 😳🤨😂😆 great video as always lads keep up the amazing work 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻❤️
got a new old-stock one of them, nowt to go wrong, sorts out those batteries that don't know if they are faulty or not, fine or f**ked, no messing about...
Those 6TN batteries are a pig. I was always having to swap the NATO ones out - they just never really seemed to last. Even just changing them on the REOs was an arse ache, and they have a pull out battery box.
Having been in the drivers seat of a 432 when the batteries suddenly got 40 Volts from a faulty alternator, I can confirm that it is very unpleasant.🇬🇧😀
i believe it was Archimedes, who said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and i shall push it with a telehandler.” it was either Archimedes or me
Oh and when we had to restore Scania and Volvo doors back to rights after wind had caught them we stuck a 17 mm socket in the bottom hinge and leaned into the door. I would try lifting the door before removing cab panels ...
That huge spanner had just the right way ajust the track. Is the torque over a thousand? Yes😅 You need to make a clever hoist for things like those batteries. Low low clearance swing arm.
As an Australian thank you for thinking of us but we normally just lock the screen and flip it ourselves 😂
Ha ha ha
Your land is across the earth, not under it! Has water somehow learned to curve around a spinning ball without being flung off? Of course not! What a preposterous notion! LOL!
Opening sequence a bucket on the back of the tank, all tanks need a back end bucket to be complete, it’s the law
Awesome that had me laughing 😂🤣✅💪
And don't forget our clocks 'down under', being in the southern hemisphere they turn anticlockwise compared to the clocks in the northern hemisphere..
Top tip: We NEVER tried to start our Chieftains (ARRV, in my case) without firing up the genny 1st. Unassisted battery start was a big no-no. The main reason was that your DEF (dust extraction fan) uses a huge amount of Amps to run, and you have to switch that on before you engage the starter to flush the air filter cyclones. If you don't do that, your roots blower and L60 engine will breath in about 0.5kg of dust and sand on its first breath, which isn't too good for the life of the engine.
It would be like you would give a baby a cigar for his first breath 😮 Vivian Hyde 😊
It would be like you would give a baby a cigar for his first breath 😮 Vivian Hyde 😊
Those urban paint jobs, can be a bit of a nightmare, when serving in Berlin as an infantry battalion we still had a number of armoured vehicles that needed to be painted in urban cam.
Prior to The Queens Birthday Parade, we had to repaint all the vehicles, normally a bit of a pain, but as they were going to be on parade, detailed guidelines were provided showing in detail the paint patterns for each vehicle, we spent hours measuring up, masking taping up the blocked areas, making sure every nut bolt & fitting were painted to the standard required, when inspected anything that was not precise would have to me repainted.
On the day of the parade the vehicles parked up in again in precisely marked spots, I think they were about 250-300m back from the front of the parade & spectators, never to be moved or be seen close up by anyone!!!!!
That was the army then…good times 🤪
That's reminded me of having to do my Armoured Engineer (Chieftain AVLB) D and M course at Bovington TWICE! We learned our "trade" specific skills on an engineer variant in a hangar/classroom, but to keep the hours down on the AVLB fleet the purely driving phase was carried out on a Mk 10 gun tank and/or the 'Chieftain GTi' (or wedge - just a hull, plated over, with neither a turret nor the AVRE/AVLB kit on it). One day, after a day on the cross country driver training area, and washing down, we were back on the tank park, post use servicing. There was a lot of chitter-chatter about what pub we were going to drink at before heading to The Venue at Tower Park in Poole, and the usual banter. There was also an element of "too many cooks" on the rear deck. In short, we were distracting one another. As the radiators were stowed by another student, it was left to me to finish off by closing the engine deck panels. That's when I looked up at my mate, who was standing on the top of the turret, and I dropped a panel into the well, whereupon it bounced out of the well, it's progress into the stowed position having been hindered by my big toe (right foot) overhanging the corner of the well. Well, bugger me if that didn't smart a little! I hopped alongside the (stowed in the crutch) gun, up the mantlet, over the roof of the turret, and somehow got off the turret onto the track guards, and down the front hull. Turning the air blue, I continued to hop and swear my way across the tank park. Eventually I sat on the tarmac and people began to realise I was in serious pain. And that was that. I was so close to finishing the course but there was no way I was in a fit state to complete it. I was posted at the time to 23 Engr Regt in Osnabruck, and they didn't want to fly me back only to fly me to the UK again on sick leave, so I was sent home instead, and as soon as I was fit to return to duty I was loaded onto the next available course to finish what I'd started. Ironic, too, that after only a short three year stint as an Armoured Farmer I was posted back to the UK as a Draughtsman and drifted away from tanks to never again drive a tracked vehicle bigger than an FV432...
The Chieftain has such a cool sound. Your content is awesome man, it's pretty cool seeing all the intricacies that go into maintaining and repairing these beasts. Thanks for bringing us along. From Michigan
The boxer rumble that subaru guys only can dream about lol
An interesting fact for you is that the "noise box" (exhaust resonator/expansion chamber) not only increases the power, but made a sound that was very hard to 'direction find'. When a Chiefy was bumbling around the training area at night, the infantry soldiers would shit themselves because they could hear it, but had a hard time actually working out where it was. I can assure you that it is quite a spooky experience.
One of the advantages of not using an autoloader is having an extra man in the vehicle crew to help with maintenance tasks which on a tank is almost always big and heavy!
He also makes the tea with the BV
@@Blagger3000 And uses the BV to make hard boiled "Egg Banjos" 😂
This brought some memories back! Hefting batteries in and out of Mk5 Chieftains in Osnabruck in 78/79, and I was scrawnier than Seb. Can still remember the vein standing out on my neck - my Troop Sergeant thought I was about to have an embolism! 🤣🤣🤣
These boys are good ... but I'd like to see them put the Old Girl on the back of an ANTAR ... squeaky bum time 😜
It amazes me they are 20 years old and still good 👍
They will be fine all while you don't let the volts drop below 11 and keep an eye on the SG (Specific gravity) :)
The battery I changed out in my truck this year was 20 yrs old. Spent its life year round in Alaska weather, Diehard gold.
I reckon he’s 28
Changing batteries on the Chieftain what fun. We did use a large bent tube bar with 2 simple brackets that hinged and twisted on its axis. The brackets simply sat on the battery handles and the weight of the lifting kept them secure. The driver sat in his seat as you did and then another crewman or ' volunteer' lifted them into the cab. Because of the shape of the bar and the bracket spinning 360 degrees, it wasn't really the hardest job to remove or replace them. The gun was obviously over the front of the tank to do this job. Worst job was deffo realising you'd removed the last track link before a track change was gonna be on the horizon.....really enjoying your channel.
Watching you shift those batteries reminded me of when back in the 1990’s I used to have to change the batteries on Boeing 747-200’s (I was an aircraft engineer) they had two huge batteries the same size as those Hawker batteries, they weighed 90 pounds each, one for the APU and a main battery in the rear of the flight deck. The APU battery was fitted in a bay under the tail, this meant having to lift the battery above your head up through the hatch. Oh nearly forgot to mention the hatch for the APU battery was around 30 feet from the ground! The later 747-400 had the same sort of battery, but their positions were changed to something as awkward as the ones you were trying to fit, which meant lifting them over all sorts of structure in confined spaces.
I feel your pain!
Us colonial outcasts in the great land down under really appreciated the clip you filmed especially for us, in fact you guys should come on down to see life from our perspective, I think you would feel quite at home.
I always thought working on boats was the worst pain in the ass but whoever designed the interior of tanks had a particularly warped sense of humour.
I want to come to Australia! You lot crack me up!
@@MrHewesit’s a shit-hole but don’t let me put you off.
You lads have some good stuff going on down there too - recently watched the recovery of three Grant tanks by the Australian Armour & Artillery Museum.
I love the sound of tanks in the morning 👍🇬🇧😎
Absolutely love the Australian view. As an Australian, this makes it easier to watch! 🤣🤣🤣 Hurt my knee badly yesterday and this just made me laugh and made my day - thank-you so much.
2:20.. thanks for the change in aspect view, it made it so much easier to watch. I didn't have to keep standing on my head. 🤣
🤣 don’t mention it
True story & I love old Landrovers to bits , they are tanks . . had a Leyland truck whilst working for a blasting mob . . that was designed apparently for Lovecraft old ones , no handle or control was designed to be used by a human . . the cab access handles were only an octopus could use . . going in backward
Brilliant video guys,love hearing the old beast starting up and revving up, nothing like it, still makes me shiver 30 years after I last served on Chieftain.
Thank you so much guys for showing us everything , the work and the mechanicing I am learning from your videos all the time
might be the most work sebs done in one video so far; lifted a couple batteries for 10 seconds and some powerwashing. He's really come a long way :D
Ouch! I’m too busy filming ahahah
To you guys, there is no such thing as a problem. Merely a challenge to be overcome.
So glad there are people like you around that have the time, patience and money to keep these old heroes going so people can see them working. Thank you.
Especially money!! 😂
The Chieftain engine sounds much happier. But being a 6 cylinder 12 piston two stroke it’s going to sound very revvy even when it’s not revving too much.
You should fit 2 micron oil bypass filters. They take a small %age of oil flow and hoover up the crud that degrades to oil. Then you test the oil at service intervals (or more often if you like) and only need to change the oil when it’s quality drops.
🤣cheeky bugga , im used to watching everything upside down , that 3 seconds of the right way up hurt my eye's
I feel your pain on the batteries mate. I have a 1954 PD 4104 Greyhound bus that takes a pair of 8D batteries. I don't know about the weight, but they appear to be the size of two of those NATO batteries side-by-side. Luckily, it only takes two and they side-load into a bay from outside and only need to be lifter a foot or two.
And god _damn_ I love the sound of a two stroke diesel. FWIW, the bus mentioned above is powered by a Detroit Diesel 671.
Bedford M Type, when I worked for Thames Water we had a fleet of them. They had a flame heater using diesel fuel from the return line to assist starting and an electric motor like an extending car aerial to stop the engine. They never went wrong. Pretty reliable engines simple layout. Biggest thing to maintain was brakes as they where off road most of their lives spreading sludge. Getting access under cab was a pain until a aftermarket cab tilt kit became available. Much easier after that, front mounts changed out for pivots and a mechanical screw jack jack kit fitted a lot easier to maintain! It is possible to hone or even re-sleeve rare brake cylinders, there are companies that specialise in it. All over forty years ago. Pretty rugged off road truck.😊
The door on the lorry looks like it needs shimming under the bulkhead area/bolts, Good luck guys 😊
Bedford M Type four wheel drive worked on them for years, they used to have a very reliable electric stop that worked like a car aerial mounted in the chassis with a Bowden cable to the fuel pump. Ignition on it extended stop to run position Ignition off it retracted inner core and engine stopped, never went wrong in a fleet of them. Air stops are the worst water gets in and freezes or rust unit slight misalignment they jam, take a lot of maintenance to keep them running. The electric stop used on the Bedford worked all year round no problem. Matra joints on front axle simple reliable, do not use non genuine studs on housings, one site did and nearly lost the swivel axle, they are high strength studs. There was a company that put hinges on the front of the cab mounts so you could undo the rear ones and tilt the cab with a screw jack fitting they supplied. Tight to get in a service access to thermostat was tight. Pretty reliable beast if serviced properly. They where used in fields every day spreading sludge and where good off road. Flame heater for starting, some leaking ff diesel returning to tank filled a little reservoir, operating cold start heated a coil and the heat shrank (yep shrank) some teal and allowed fuel from reservoir to leak onto heater coil igniting it heating the air drawn into the engine. A little disconcerting with air pipework removed seeing a small flame burning away when you operated the cold start device, stop sing it and it dies down as the metal pin expands again and shuts of the fuel. Happy Days😀.
That battery tester will still show 12v even when"flat"(ie battery 12.0v is 40% charged 12.6v fully charged) - A load tester needs to be applied for approx 10 seconds to display a drop, a good battery will hold a voltage with no drop for 10 seconds, a bad one will start to fall within 10 seconds. A quick flick of that switch is not a proper test. The batteries do need to be fully charged before applying that test too, otherwise you may write off an otherwise good battery - which would pass your test once charged properly. When charged, do the test twice, the first just to take the excess voltage from charging off (it may be up to 13.5v depending on your charger)
I love this channel..! Joe and crew are so funny but do a great job on their toys and is very interesting to see how they revive all these old gals of great machinery!
I was an M60A3 driver, gunner and Commander in the US Army. The Cheiftan is so similar. These videos bring back some great memories!
British military equipment designers never have to actually work with their designs in the field. If they did they might think a bit more about the position of things like batteries and filters! I worked with the US Navy Phalanx Close In Weapon System for ten years, all filters were easily accessible and a very heavy transformer rectifier was mounted on PTFE runners and held in place by two bolts, both at the front! Advice on the physical layout was received from US Navy Chief Petty officers who would have to maintain and use the system. Coolant and hydraulic hoses had self sealing quick disconnect connectors, so no mess, no fluid loss. All it takes is a bit of thought.
Weirdos keep going on about ‘everything gets given to you’ but from where I’m sitting the only things you’re given are problems to mend 😅
@Landon-si5xcthis isn't the comedy section
@Landon-si5xcbuggar off with your Islamic bs
It may look like things are being given to you, but I bet whoever is “giving” it just wants whatever it is out of their way, and how much would it cost them to get it shifted. So just the time effort and expense of moving some of these vehicles make it far from free. And then if the vehicle is “given” I expect they’ll be an owed favour for the future. So not completely free then!
That's been my experience also
Those batteries weigh 88 pounds each so somebody who hardly has an ounce of flesh on him he did really well
The lads an skellington but a bloody strong one!
Bet they cost more than 88 pounds!
@@johnnunn8688 £300 ea armasafe 12fv120
which, given the cost of AGM car batteries these days is honestly a bit of a bargain.
Muscle can fair surprise you sometimes. Used to climb and the little scrawny looking dudes were the best at it. Probably one of those kinds of situations haha
Bad batteries mean slower cranking rate lower voltage and higher current, that kills starter motors. The starter rotates at slower speeds meaning each set of coils is subject to higher current for a longer period of time causing the starter to cook. To test batteries charge them fully at max one tenth of their AMP HOUR capacity until fully charged the disconnect charger and allow to settle for two hours then do a load test. Nice toys to play with! Lifting batteries can someone standing outside somewhere pull with rope while you guide out
When you mentioned half a carburettor on the intake, that butterfly controls the vacumn governor on the injector pump. I believe the 2 wires you were touching together are for the heater plug in the manifold. love the videos by the way.
Those NATO batteries are nails. When I worked for MOD, I ordered a couple of batteries to power ECM kit (24V). I was expecting leisure batteries, but a pair of those big angry cubes arrived. They outlasted my MOD career.
I bet the Foden was pissing itself laughing when it heard that Bedford roar into life ;)
Bad batteries at cranking means low cranking speed, low cranking speed means high current flow through the windings in the starter with no time to cool. That’s when the smoke leaks out and the starter is toast. Consistent cranking a low speed smokes starters. Love what you do you just keep going guys. Lifting batteries how about a bit of rope through the loops and buddy standing on deck takes the weight and you guide it in or out.
From an old Chief/ Cr crewman
When changing or lifting the drivers batteries it’s easier to use the track rope and pass it through the battery lifting handles then pass it up through the hatch.
Easy peasey.
I love it when a plan comes together. Good work chaps.
Theres a plan?
Hi guys, I’ve come across your videos today and really enjoyed them.
I’ve done nothing today I set out to do, but well worth it. Cheers guys. 👍👍👍
As an ex-Chieftain crewman, I can assure you that you don't need a sense of smell to know when your batteries are cooking, as your eyes start streaming, your larynx melts and your nostrils burn! BTW, if you can smell, it smell like a mix of rotten eggs and burnt cordite, with a hint of caramel ... sort of.
Fun, fun, fun. I feel your pain.
Me & a mate have a rally car (mid engine Toyota MR2 Mk1). The gearbox used to have to come out with monotonous regularity.
If we had sense, we would have bought a transmission jack, but we don't, so I was the jack. I'd just lay under the car and they'd drop the gearbox out onto my chest. Putting it back ment bendh pressing it into place and waiting for someone to get a couple of bolts in.
Not much room, working with the car only up on axle stands.
Also fun when someone drops a 22mm socket through the engine bay which hits you in the face whilet you're holding the gearbox.
I kept all my teeth, but my top lip wasnt so good. When I got out from under the car, everyone agreed that I looked like Mr. Burns from the Simpsons.
Chief still sounds great
Thank goodness the Chieftain started, before then you didn't sound like you'd last the day Joe! This show isn't sponsored by Monster energy drink, but if anyone's watching from there, I'm sure a few gallons would be greatly appreciated! 😁👍👍👍👍🙃😁
Brings back memories of tightening the tracks, changing batteries and looking like the swamp thing from the oily swamp
When testing batteries, they should be properly charged before testing otherwise you might get a bad reading from a battery that's ok. Those testers are awesome for a bit of warmth in the winter as they use a heating element as a load. 👍
Also, when you use the tester, ALWAYS connect the positive ( + ) first !
@@gregk.6723 ... especially on lead acid batteries!
The miles I've done in Bedford MK 4 tonner trucks, on the back loadbed, in a sleeping bag. Asleep. Happy days...
If you overtighten banjo bolts on fluid system you crush the flat faces and cause leaks. Brakes, Fuel systems, hydraulics, Have seen it many times. Anneal the copper washers or fit new and tighten firmly but not super tight. If someone has done it previously it’s a pain.
I’m Down Under and I’m finally glad that for a second you put the video up the right way, but then I had to turn my iPad around again so I could see things properly
That chieftain sounds pretty evil at the end 👍
Nice, good timing for some quality content
Leaving batteries sitting on cold concrete will destroy them. A piece of ply or wooden packing will prevent this from happening. Great viewing, always have time for you guys over here in Australia! Lovin it!
Yep 100%. & If possible store them in your house over winter ( and summer in UK) when not in use.
Your batteries draining on cold concrete . sure cold = positive charge . . maybe something to it , talk to Andrew hall
That is a myth. Plastic cased Batteries are fine to leave on a concrete floor
another poor soul believing that old wives tale, you have been listening to too many americans...
Love the L60! Can’t beat a 2 stroke diesel noise. And who says BL were crap? Napier Deltics also sound pretty good.
We had Napier deltics on ton class minesweepers in the RN. Awesome engines but no room to work on them. Deck area above engine room could be removed and engines lifted out. Navy kept a supply of spare engines and the exchange took just a couple of hours. 36 pistons on 3 crankshafts give tremendous power. Rumour was that they were copied from a German bomber that crashed intact early in the war.
39 minutes?! Hang on, let me get a beverage 😁👍
I didn't skip a second, really good mix of interesting and entertaining.
It better be an adult beverage.
@@cogboy302 It’s only 10:40am, I have to wait for pm at least 😅
@@alxgu198 , it's ok to start drinking at dawn when there's a World Cup on. Cheers!, ladies.
@@alxgu198mate in Glasgow that's 3 hours late for ur first adult beverage
Hope you use a imperial 8 inch adjustable and not a metric 200 mm on the batteries. 👍
Heresy
Nothing like a good tank crawl to start your morning! A great job as always, it`s always the simple things that drive you crazy!!!!!
Been enjoying all the chieftain ( urghhh ) vids , whilst at shrivenham the lesson learned on the chieftains was the best tool for removing theveginesvwas a fork, helps shovel,out all the shrapnel debris when they exploded .
Another time we was up on the ranges at Warminster,the MOD range setter was the mighty and anti hum@n Johnny Weiss, last time we went to his yard was to harvest a load of parts from his “stolly wall “ about 60 stalwarts piled up to form a wall .
Outside the yard at around 07:00 were three mk11 chieftain hulks that had been APFSDS,d , the three foot thick chobham armour did SWFA to repel the penetrators, these un fortunate MBT,S were dragged back dead ( tracks wheels etc blown away ) the humble “leyland” DROPS was used to drag the hulks back to the yard .
“Jonny , did them drops struggle dragging these back across the muddy ranges ? “
Arrrrrrrrrrrr, gearbox got hot , boiled it a few times , but here they is
The girls look amazed by the Bedford, queuing up for it.
they heard there was a new "bed" round the back, with a bloke in it testing it out...
@@paulriggers1558 yeah was relieved to get around there and find out it wasn’t you 🤷🏼♀️
@@tayahwheatcroft you must of heard of my reputation, as you know, i'm not into half measures...
As Another ,I appreciate you thinking of us down here.Just watching while having dinner and a beer..Love the sound of those big engines,,,you must have so much fun driving those beasts around.Regards Steve down under.
4:21 That colour and the what I believe is laminar flow or at least something similar is BEAUTIFUL!
I agree with what "Not-Much-To-Suck" said but with a slight difference. Being an Aussie also, when I go to watch a Pommie video I just turn the TV upside down! Nice little joke though, mate. Nice to be recognized.
A bit of trivia for you. I had a cousin who was in the Australian Army in the 70's and 80's. He was a driver of the Centurion tanks. I was a little over 5ft 7in and he was a head shorter. He told me he , and others, had to really work on their thigh muscles because the clutch, in a Centurion, was as heavy as all sh .... um ... 'get-go!' But it was a lot of fun as well.
Also, could you talk up a little louder. Because, with the machinery in the background and the wind, you were a little hard to hear. But love you videos though.
The machines are becoming so many changes... - parts, liquids and more...
I need also a change, a big one !!
I'd like to change from Germany to England 🏴 !!!❤ Vivian Hyde 😊
I dislike those types of battery testers. Sometimes they just don't put enough of a load on a battery to see if it's truly bad. I had a dump truck here that would stall when you went to put the bed up with the electric lift. I tested the batteries independently and both came back good. The truck would start fine, and the hydraulic pack was relatively new. It ended up that the batteries just couldn't handle the current load from the lift. New batteries solved the problem.
The Arabs used to check theirs using a big thick piece of cable and shorting the terminals together briefly, a big spark on contact meant the battery was ok, no spark meant fu***d
I don't know what I watched to get this content to show up in my feed but from what I've watched so far you seem to be very good at what you do you have a new sub
Tips and Tricks ,If you put a hose that sits firm on Brake bleeder nipples then into a container bottom as the oil goes into the container it`ll be sucked back up the hose providing a do it yourself brake bleeder system No air goes back in just tighten nipple before removing hose , Air goes out oil goes back ..- PS - Wouldn`t having a portable hoisting lift on the tank barrel help lifting and lowering the batteries ?
Is there a reason you are pouring oil from that barrel, with the spout at the bottom? Pours better with spout up.
As a portable starter, you should get yourself a 5p6s or 5p12s LTO battery. LTO are a kind of practically indestructible lithium battery and you should easily get plenty of cranking amps out of them.
Brought back so many bad memories changing them dam batteries 😂
A lovely electrolyte bath when changing the hull batteries, before the introduction of sealed batteries. Quick shower (if in camp) followed by a visit to the QM's to get your clothing exchanged. Happy day's
@andyt3304 yes think we have all had 1 drop on us . The coveralls never liked the acid much lol
Changing batteries once after being on soltau, just about to put spanner on clamp. Some f...or set off a thunder flash! Unf..kingbelieveable!!
When I go to bed, I look always outside the window into the sky to the English planes and do dream from my beautiful island.... !!
The English planes are easy to see, cuz they fly on the other side, like the British traffic is 😅 Vivian Hyde 😊
I used to love having the gearstick by my elbow. Superb!
I crewed the M60A1 in the 70's, where your batteries are was ammo racks on both sides and fire extinguisher tanks on the left of the driver., batteries were under the turret floor, turn the turret and remove a panel. Not a bad job all told.
Christ, that's some outrageous way to tension the tracks, XD Loved it.
All good with your Aussie viewers. We always watch TV here with our TV's turned upside down so everything overseas looks fine lmao. As the batteries go, try two different things. First, hook something like a amber rotating beacon ( they draw 5 amps) to the battery for quite a few hours to flatten it, then recharge it. Or second, if you are able to remove the battery caps, drain out all the acid and replace it with fresh acid and then recharge it.
That Bedford looks like the design team spent a lot of time saying 'Oh $hit, we forgot the ....'
Man, when you were jerking the engine cover open with your back, my back started hurting for you. I know, you know, but shit like that is gonna make for a very uncomfortable late 30’s and beyond. Ask me how I know.😂😂 love the videos, keep it up 🤘
I feel your pain Joe, I changed all 4 drivers batteries on a Chieftain once, still traumatised over 40 years later 😀
When I was told this was a, squirting video, I wasn't prepared for graphic images of bleeding Chieftain steering cylinders. 😳😳
I thought it was a Moped until you gave me the down under Australian view, it’s a bloody Tank!
Excelente trabajo. Me encantó ver el chieftain con ese nombre de un héroe Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar" El cid"
I used to make NATOs every now and then for the US military. Theirs are brown/tan. I was interested to see if those batteries had the blind man strips on them and they do. The American version has a smaller textured square right under the positive. On yours it's a strip running the entire length of the positive side. The case walls are about twice as thick as a normal battery. The government also requires virgin plastic used so they can take a bit of abuse. Comparatively the only other battery with similar case thickness and cell wall thickness are labeled Mercedes batteries. The aftermarket Mercedes uses half the amount and uses recycled plastic.
Busting a foofer seems common place working on tanks, even the seemingly simple tasks like changing batteries tests the strength of ones inner workings
The previous owners 'bodgers incorporated' mods worked back in the day. It still moves!.🤣🤣 Nice one!. Nuff said.
keep them coming amazing videos and work. cant wait for the next installment
Nice MK, my dad used to have one but it needed a new cab so he flogged it sadly. One of my favourite lorries.
Just a quick note when testing batteries they should be fully charged first and if possible a hydrometer should be used to test the specific gravity. Putting a drop tester on an unknown battery can kill a good battery it if not fully charged. Also electronic drop testers are better than the “ Heath Robinson unit” you have. Did you also try testing the Tank batteries in situ and connected?
Well that’s a nice modern battery discharge meter lol 😂 when I done my apprenticeship in auto electrics we used a funny looking device it was to long prongs connected with a zigzag bit of metal between them with a gauge in the middle , you just stabbed the battery terminals with the probes given off sparks good enough for any firework display 😳🤨😂😆 great video as always lads keep up the amazing work 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻❤️
Thats we used to call a Cruel Aunt
Funny you should mention the shunt battery tester that's what we used in the RAF for testing batteries. Plenty of spark's
got a new old-stock one of them, nowt to go wrong, sorts out those batteries that don't know if they are faulty or not, fine or f**ked, no messing about...
Those 6TN batteries are a pig. I was always having to swap the NATO ones out - they just never really seemed to last. Even just changing them on the REOs was an arse ache, and they have a pull out battery box.
Final tip buy some flare brake spanners to tighten the small pipes you attacked an adjustable is a disaster tool!
i have subtitles on and after the batteries change and the Chieftain started the subtitles stated "music"- too right!
Good God! I sprained my spleen just watching that battery change.
If i remember correctly from working at the Depot in Bicester 20+ years ago them batteries are about 40kg each. Always fun! :D
The buzzer on the Bedford is for the air brake
Having been in the drivers seat of a 432 when the batteries suddenly got 40 Volts from a faulty alternator, I can confirm that it is very unpleasant.🇬🇧😀
Ideally you’d hold the load on for 5-10 seconds on that tester. I’ve seen batteries stay in good for 3 seconds and then the arse drops out of them.
i believe it was Archimedes, who said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and i shall push it with a telehandler.” it was either Archimedes or me
fairy washing up liquid is great for softening brake seals
That Leyland engine, like the Deltic is awesome British engineering
It feels oddly satisfying to see an AVRE without any sort of add-ons
(War Thunder Flashbacks)
Oh and when we had to restore Scania and Volvo doors back to rights after wind had caught them we stuck a 17 mm socket in the bottom hinge and leaned into the door. I would try lifting the door before removing cab panels ...
That huge spanner had just the right way ajust the track. Is the torque over a thousand? Yes😅
You need to make a clever hoist for things like those batteries. Low low clearance swing arm.