[Chris R]

http://www.hydramaster.com/truckmounts/cds/specs.asp

Truckmounts that use the vans engine to power them.

Are they available / legal in the UK?

Anyone got one?

Chris

[Gavin Reardon]

Hi  Chris

If my memory serves me right I come across one of these whilst on hols in the States

Was impressed with it but there vans are great big trucks etc over there, the big the better! our vans are much smaller here so could they cope with it.

And I do remember thinking one thing what happens if his engine blows his truckmount is no good and  his van  :
Gavin

[adl]

Although it is legal to use these machines in the states in the uk it is illegal.

The method runs on a drive or propshaft from the vehicle engine, in the uk it is illegal to have your engine running whilst the vehicle is not being used/ driven or worked upon, unless it is running a PTO system that powers hydrolics such as skip wagons low loaders ect. That is why they are of no use to uk ccs

regards Dave ADL

[John_Flynn]

It is illegal to leave your engine running unless there is a person who holds a current driving license in the said vehicle, unless it is off the public highway.

[Fintan_Coll]

Butler Truckmounts use that system, if anyone remembers the late Brian Tilton, he used to run a Butler system. I often wonder, and I am sure there must be some way round the legal aspect of leaving your van engine running while it is powering your truckmount. I suppose if it was parked on a customers private driveway it would be ok.

[Nigel_W]

Apart from the legal position of leanvng the vehicle un-attended there is also a problem with importing a cds van system. 8 years ago I looked at truckmounts and thought the Butler system looked a great package. I investigated importing the whole system with van and system installed. In the end I could not do so because the American vans did not have approval for use in the UK and Europe. eg you would not be able to reigister it. when it arrived. There are loopholes for certain types of vehicle e.g. ambulances and fire engines. To import the machine only and engineer it into a van would be a major job probably not worth considering.

Anyway it was a lucky escape for me as the van I would have imported had a 5 litre petrol engine

Nigel

[Mike Halliday]

I've often thought about  making such a machine. If you keep an eye on Ebay (commercial motors section) you see many vehicles that come with different types of PTO systems both hydrolic and propshaft. the ones I've seen are gas board vans that have onboard hydrolics units that power heavy powertools and airport vehicles that have lifts fitted( to lift food containers upto the plane door)

If you are a fan of Scrapheap Challenge then you will often see the competitors find a 4wheel drive vehicles and use the rear wheel drive  propshaft to power a secondary machine and they only have 10 hrs to build thier machines

Mike

[magic_carpet]

you'll all be using white diesel which you must have in your van tank.
this makes it heaps more expensive to run the thing. plus what happens when you want to sell the van or upgrade your tm.
don't bother with it. not for another 6 years anyway, thats when they plan to get rid of red diesel. you gotta love em!!
jim

[Len Gribble]

Many years ago used to drive a Thames Trader van (forerunner to the transit) with a atlas copco compressor unit on the back which drove the van via some sort belt system to the gear box of the van was column change, one used to have to put a pin in the column to stop it jumping in gear, also got nicked while driving for using the two way radio, how times change.

Len

[Ken Wainwright]

And what did you think of the windscreen wipers Len

Safe and happy clearing
Ken

[Len Gribble]

Ken

Not bad were electric, on my parents van, which was also a Thames look like the popular car was vacuum total rubbish when going up a hill and no heater.

Len

[Dynafoam]

Ahh....... Manifold vacuum powered windsceen wipers - what a joy 

You sat at traffic lights with them going so fast you were sure they were about to self-destruct - then as you pulled away they stopped ! 

[Fintan_Coll]

I drove a Thames van for my first employers many years ago. Three speed column change, no heater of course and yes, the wipers were something else. Still, the memories of those times, wish I had a Thames van again.

[Martin S]

I remember those john.  Only from when I was a boy of course.   

My Dad used to have a '59 Mk2 Zodiac, still remember the number plate (XMJ 797).
I can recollect the wipers were next to useless in heavy rain when travelling at speed, (60mph, ha ha) they used to make a funny swishing noise.  Darn think would never ever start unless you put a sump heater under it the night before.  Those were the days eh!

Regards.

Martin S