swords into ploughshares

raafif · January 26, 2012, 09:23:07 PM

there's a thread over on Armorama on the M-113 Bucket fire-engine versions
http://armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=187827&page=1

A link sent me to this Logging site where there are quite a few photos of these Madill machines ...

http://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/showthread.php?16539-S.-Madill-Blacksmith-Founded-in-1911-in-Nanaimo-BC

This history of turning military vehicles into civil ones has been a favourite subject of mine for many years.
Can you come up with a crazy idea that HASN'T been done in real world ?

kerick · January 28, 2012, 08:24:58 PM

I recall that after one of the nuclear disarmement treaties Soviet missile launchers were converted to heavy duty crane trucks.

Hobbes · January 29, 2012, 04:13:28 AM

Earlier discussions:

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,10357.0/highlight,plowshare.html

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,27721.0/highlight,plowshare.html

There's quite a few real-world examples too: DUKW for harbour tours, APCs as novelty limos, tank chassis for firefighting (oil well fires)...

Mossie · January 31, 2012, 03:35:35 AM

One I might join in with, I've got a Fairey Gannet which I fancy giving the ploughshares treatment.

Quote from: Hobbes on January 29, 2012, 04:13:28 AM
There's quite a few real-world examples too: DUKW for harbour tours, APCs as novelty limos, tank chassis for firefighting (oil well fires)...

Been on the Boston Duck Tours when I holidayed there a few years back. There's a Haaglunds BV206 locally that's been converted into a limo, I see it trundling around occasionally.

raafif · January 31, 2012, 01:52:34 PM

Re: swords into ploughshares -- how do you use a Fairey Gannet to plough a field ??

I know some Yanks tried using biplanes (Curtiss Jennys?) for that in the '20s

PR19_Kit · January 31, 2012, 02:52:31 PM

Quote from: raafif on January 31, 2012, 01:52:34 PM
Re: swords into ploughshares -- how do you use a Fairey Gannet to plough a field ??

Mount the lead-in blades on the dustbin radome and the main blades on the arrestor hook. Then you fly VERY low with them both down, with full power on both engines of course. You could even use the radar to line-up on the preceeding furrow with an offset to get the correct spacing.

Simples!

Mossie · January 31, 2012, 03:02:23 PM

Nuclear depth charge set to explode on conact, that should make a good job of it!

pyro-manic · January 31, 2012, 03:05:19 PM

What would you plant in the resulting "furrow"?

Mossie · January 31, 2012, 03:07:04 PM

Mushrooms!!!

PR19_Kit · January 31, 2012, 05:45:30 PM

Quote from: Mossie on January 31, 2012, 03:02:23 PM
Nuclear depth charge set to explode on conact, that should make a good job of it!

Better be dropped from a LONG way up to give the Gannet time to escape, it's not exactly the fastest kid on the block!

Alvis 3.14159 · January 31, 2012, 06:06:06 PM

Raafif, thanks for that link to Madill's Logging equipment. I actually don't live that far from them, and the area is full of tales about the Shermans they brought in to convert. Seems they couldn't bring them in as "vehicles", so they took the engines out, cut all the lines, hoses, etc, then replaced the engines in backwards. The now unrunnable vehicle classified as "scrap metal" and once they had been brought across the border, said engines were returned to running status. I've no idea what happened to the turrets.
A customer at the hobby shop brought in an ad from the early 60s from Madill as they were trying to unload the Shermans at a bargain deal. Seems they'd bought a bunch to use as spar vehicles, only to find out they weren't able to be converted: something about the transmission housing being in the way. I didn't think to make a copy before the resident neat freak recycled the ad...grrr.

Alvis 3.1

scooter · January 31, 2012, 07:23:30 PM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on January 31, 2012, 05:45:30 PM
Quote from: Mossie on January 31, 2012, 03:02:23 PM
Nuclear depth charge set to explode on conact, that should make a good job of it!

Better be dropped from a LONG way up to give the Gannet time to escape, it's not exactly the fastest kid on the block!

Same thing if you're using a Skyraider or Tracker

raafif · February 01, 2012, 01:24:47 PM

Quote from: Alvis 3.14159 on January 31, 2012, 06:06:06 PM
Raafif, thanks for that link to Madill's Logging equipment.

Seems that most of those Shermans still in use are the Easy-8 suspension types. The old VVSS one above was still in service when the pic was taken just 2yrs ago !!

Found several videos on u-tube of my fav. trucks -- Russian tracked Trans-Siberian ones ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B_H-82OZxc&NR=1&feature=endscreen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3VX8c109Xs&feature=related

jcf · February 01, 2012, 01:54:09 PM

Quote from: Alvis 3.14159 on January 31, 2012, 06:06:06 PM
Raafif, thanks for that link to Madill's Logging equipment. I actually don't live that far from them, and the area is full of tales about the Shermans they brought in to convert. Seems they couldn't bring them in as "vehicles", so they took the engines out, cut all the lines, hoses, etc, then replaced the engines in backwards. The now unrunnable vehicle classified as "scrap metal" and once they had been brought across the border, said engines were returned to running status. I've no idea what happened to the turrets.
A customer at the hobby shop brought in an ad from the early 60s from Madill as they were trying to unload the Shermans at a bargain deal. Seems they'd bought a bunch to use as spar vehicles, only to find out they weren't able to be converted: something about the transmission housing being in the way. I didn't think to make a copy before the resident neat freak recycled the ad...grrr.

Alvis 3.1

Madill used to have a facility in Kalama, Washington, just down the road from Longview where I grew up, and it
was always cool to see the converted yarders when driving by on the way to Portland.

Jon