Recovering an abandoned Chieftain ARRV

Saw this and thought I’d share for your entertainment

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That was interesting to watch, but they made a bit of a dogs dinner out of it.
Not sure about the back story to the ARRV or why it was there, but the Army dont just abandon things like an ARRV in the middle of a training area for no reason, and it was a pretty simple task to recover it and any quarter decent recce mech would of been able to remove the quill shafts out for it to be towed ?
Also, I am not sure why they tried to use a Foden and a 434 to tow it ? Why didnt they use the Chieftain straight away ? The Chieftain alone would of been able to tow the ARRV ? And Fodens were not designed to tow heavy tracked vehicles, especially an ARRV … that will be needing a new clutch soon …

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I think the guys at the Tank Museum pulled a similar vehicle out of the area near one of the Lulworth Ranges in Dorset. Did exactly the same procedure in order to move the tank to their facilities.

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You mean this video?

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Yup; that’s the one. Looks like the some of the tanks are Chieftain-based Bridge-layer tanks.

image

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Hi Johnny
Apparently that ARRV was a training Hulk, for the recovery of…by REME, but had sat there 30 yrs, cos REME couldn’t move it.
As you said, it shouldn’t have been a problem if you knew what you were doing. (Which would have excluded me, up to several recovery videos back)
Re the Foden, they have an “I Identify as a Foden” vibe going, appears on their JCB & now on a sweatshirt too. They actually have 2 Fodens, make use of them a lot. Probably used them because they were ready to hand. Given the amount of work they’ve put into the Chief, probably didn’t want to break it.
Plus they have a stable of Chiefs, Cents - Gun, AVRE 165, ARV Mk2, BARV, Test Hull, Scorpions, an Abbot, 432’s, a Warrior, T34 - probably missed some.
I’ve kept an eye on them, hoping to get a shot of the inside of both the fwd & T/C’s stowage box lids, to replicate on my 1/16th Chief.
Something that never ceases to amaze (Yep, seen it enough that it’s actually THE standard) in the comments of YT vids, the number of different people asking the same question over & over again, all failing to read the answer already posted.
Probably says something about the human condition?

Mal

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Ab-so-lu-te-ly

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Thats the part I find very hard to believe. I think they have used a bit of artistic licence to describe why it was there - It was probably left there as it wasnt needed anymore, not because anyone couldnt move it.

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That was very educational. Now the pictures of three Famos towing a Ferdinand make a whole lot more sense.

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Guess it depends on who they talked to…

A better analogy re the Foden, the guy who has a hammer, treats every problem like a nail

Mal

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lol … I thought the same when I watched the clip …

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That reminds me (as does so much of the interaction on here) that back in the day, I recall reading a treatise on Soviet military doctrine, apropos the idiom “using a sledgehammer to crack a nut”; it was pointed out in the article that to the Soviet military mind,” that is exactly what a sledgehammer is for”.

As a description of how the then Russian military saw tactical problems, this analogy takes some beating I feel!

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and I thought nuts were cracked using two bricks …

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Absolutely this, I know recce mechs who wouldn’t have broke a sweat on that especially with the kit they have now (think CRARRV).

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Yeah and these guys are either crazy or stupid. Or both. Standing between the vehicles while winching/towing. Haven’t they ever seen video of a guy being cut in half by a snapped winch line?! Even the lowly Private knows that safety tip. That’s why the control box has such a long cord.
There were a bunch of things they did that just made me go “Duh.” I agree with you John.

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Yeah, I was thinking there’s an accident waiting to happen here… You never ever stand that close to a wince cable that is already probably over its limits …:see_no_evil:

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[quote=“SSGToms, post:15, topic:30675”]
Standing between the vehicles while winching/towing.
[/quote] - Yep that made me cringe, way too close

never ever stand that close to a wince cable - That just made me wince…

Saw that happen - rope breaking while a Unimog tried to pull a Landrover out of a quarry tailings pond. Luckily our flack jackets had been placed over the roll bar on the open top rover, so no damage apart from the rope breaking.

Mal

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Yeah! That was totally cringe-worthy. I’ve seen people get hurt badly when a winch cable snaps.

Now, see what happens when an arrestor wire on an aircraft carrier snaps.

Several sailors were injured and the Hornet went into the drink; luckily, the pilot ejected before the plane went in. You can even see one sailor jumping twice to avoid the wire as it recoiled back.

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Ouch

Mal

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The only thing that moved anything worth its while is a Cent arrv due to its gearbox ratio and its torque,they are a still a bit clueless to this day,battle of britian quote"you can teach monkeys to do that."
Beggars belief that they can still fry an egg banjo and keep the bread white while you eat it,it always turned black in my day.
For the unitiated,an egg banjo is a fried egg sandwich,and when it bursts you look like your playing the banjo trying to clean it off your what your wearing,when your well shitted up and havnt had a shower in 3 weeks.
Love that humour.

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