Member postings for Simon Williams 3

My thanks to Robert, who as always has pointed to the evidence satisfying my initial query. I had muddled the speed constraint with the criterion of being equipment designed for use in construction, but he has put me right. The chance observation that my digger (which is also insured for the minimum requirements for use on a public road) is also exempt from vehicle approval on the basis that it is a tracked vehicle is a delightful bonus. Having browsed Martin's links (and a few other worm holes) I now think I see my way through the bureaucracy. Thank you both.

SOD's observations about driving on a public road are useful, in that to drive on a public road the vehicle must be roadworthy, it must be insured (for the use to which it is being put), and the appropriate tax must have been paid. So my digger is OK to drive on the road as I have third party insurance meeting the needs of the relevant Road Traffic Act, but I must not dig holes while so doing as I have no public liability insurance (I was quoted £2000 a year last time I wanted to dig the footings for a garden wall).

The tax class which applies in these instances is such that the tax is zero (though neither is exempt from the requirement of being taxed). Whether the insurance is invalidated by virtue of the vehicle not displaying a registration number is debatable; of course I was endeavouring to close this element of the debate down. This begs the question of what is a registration number, if the vehicle is uniquely identifiable then I would contend that the law is satisfied. My insurer, by virtue of being happy to issue a Certificate of Insurance showing the equipment serial numbers seems to be OK with the issues arising from the vehicle not displaying a "normal" number plate. If they're happy I'm happy. However I still have rows with my neighbour who is convinced he knows better.

There is also the potential for confusion over what rules apply in the special case of construction machinery being used within the confines of work controlled under the CDM regulations; this does not apply in my case so the point is moot.

As for driving an aircraft tug on the public highway, good luck with getting that insured! My suggestion is that such a vehicle is not roadworthy for at least two reasons I can see immediately, being excess axle loading and out of gauge wheelbase.

The knotty question of young persons driving agricultural machinery is another can o' worms.

Rgds Simon

Good Afternoon, and I start this thread in recognition that it would be wrong to hijack a related one about towing a model steam lorry on an A frame. But the comments about IVA etc interest me for reasons I will try and relate below.

I have a small (1 tonne) 6 x 6 Yanmar Dumper. If you are interested video of the machine is here

I have it insured for third party risks with NFU, who seem to be happy that the serial number is sufficient identification, but (for reasons relating to some stroppy and litigious neighbours) I would prefer it to carry a "proper" registration number. I have contacted Yanmar UK for help with the date of manufacture but they declined to play.

It still ought to be possible to obtain a "Q" plate reg' number I can display. My local police connections suggested it needs to go through "Special Vehicle Assessment" which is a quite stringent process relating to approval of kit cars etc. I would be embarrassed to turn up at my local VOSA test station with my grubby dumper on a trailer.

So what is this exemption from something called IVA on the basis that its top speed flat out is about 6 mph? Is there a simple path to a number plate I can display and make it look legal?

It's illogical that I feel less necessity to go through the same process for my dumper's BFF, Little Takeuchi Digger. Top speed about 1 mph. The only rationale I can find is that the dumper's raison d'etre is to move stuff - which means using it on (some extremely minor) public roads.

Any advice would, as ever, be very welcome.

Regards as always Simon

No such luck, except for the licence exempt frequencies as discussed already. IR2030 is the legalese of interfacing with equivalent (and hopefully non contradictory) requirements in the EEC.

There is no licence exemption on the basis of low power alone, only low power AND the use of specific frequencies.

Think I'm confused too, if only because channels 8 and 11 aren't UHF, and that is part of the description. They're VHF. There is a licence free VHF frequency allocation (from memory it's 173.8 to 175 MHz which is within Ch7). I've got two separate stand alone lavalier systems on this frequency range you can have if that helps.

I'm wondering if the manufacturer isn't using the standard channel designations, but is using sub-channels within the main frequency allocation. There should be a table of operating frequencies as part of the user manual.

Failing that, I'm coming round to the "send it back to Amazon" school of thought.

Edit:  I need to check if the receivers for the two VHF systems I know I have are suitable for camera mounting

Edited By Simon Williams 3 on 22/08/2022 17:33:09

I'm with Dave, Ofcom probably won't do anything about it, but they could (and should!) As he says, there's a whole load of spurious rubbish on the airwaves which shouldn't be so. On the face of it the Comica units may be using frequencies reserved for others, and it does depend on who those others are what reaction you may get. I wouldn't chance it, but that's largely because one of the fetes for which I provide sound and public address regularly is within spitting distance of GCHQ in Cheltenham, and I'd expect a visit if I was using an unlicensed frequency.

But we haven't got a definitive answer to the question of what frequency they actually are using. There should be a type approval label on each, and it should include details of the frequency (or frequency range) of operation. For radio transmitting devices they aren't legal if they are not marked. Now we know they came from Amazon I'd kind of hope that they were set up for approved use in the market in which they are being sold.

What channel numbers do the displays show when they are in operation?

Good to hear you've got it sussed.

At risk of being pedantic, what frequencies are the two transmitters set to?

Comica's website says they operate on frequencies in the range 568 - 591 MHz. (Ch 30 to 33). Assuming you are UK you're going to get into hot water transmitting on those frequencies in the UK as they are reserved. You can transmit on Ch 70 licence free or Ch38 with a licence. Which will cost £80 for a year.

Whereabouts are you? If you want to borrow some Ch38 stuff I've got it to hand, and even better my licence would cover you using my stuff. I'm in West Gloucestershire UK, nearly Welsh Wales so if I can offer any assistance you're welcome

Copy of UK channel number allocations here

My understanding of the history of the introduction of mass production is that Marc Brunel (Isambard's dad) built the first ever mass production facility at Plymouth Dockyard making pulley blocks.

Anyone know if this trumps the Americans?

Simon

Others have already said it, but I'll add my two pennorth.

A rattle gun only gives its rated impact torque if it's adjacent to the air source (for which read receiver) AND connected by an oversize tail, not including a quick release fitting (PCL fitting, Schrader fitting etc). It depends what you want to rattle, but I guarantee you'll be disappointed by trying to run one on the end of a flexible pipe 20 metres long, unless it's way way oversized. Maurice's 25 mm blue pipe is a step in the right direction but I would double it to 50 mm or more if I could get it. The connecting pipe then becomes a significant energy store in its own right.

Robert's local air receiver suggestion is useful, but you'll need enough air stored you don't rely on the underground pipe to bring you more to achieve whatever you're giving a headache to with the rattle gun. With both air receivers charged to full pressure, the two ends of the underground connecting pipe are initially at the same pressure, so no flow takes place, It is only when the local receiver pressure has dropped significantly that air flow to refill the receiver takes place, by which time the impact wrench is a shadow of its former self.

Energy transfer by compressed air is inefficient.

Fascinating! Thank you for an introducing such an interesting thread.

The only two-pennorth I can offer is that I don't think we've said DON'T BREATHE THE FUME loudly enough. I have had zinc fever as a result of welding galvanised sheet and the experience was nasty. It's described as being a lot like 'flu, I can vouch for that. I'm not too sure of the long term effects (I've lived to tell the tale) but the short term consequences were awful. Don't go there.

Rgds Simon

Copper Hammer

Coincidence. Honestly!

Where to buy it?

And how much per (say) kilo?

Simon

Edited By Simon Williams 3 on 30/06/2022 23:20:49

And (looking at its properties on Wikiarsenic) would one be better off with the perils of 1000+ degC?

Edited By Simon Williams 3 on 30/06/2022 23:22:48

PGK's following a line of reasoning I've been chewing over most of the evening.

The problem with using lead is that, while it's cheap and easily obtained, its shortcomings as a hammer material are obvious. So what alloys with it to make a harder, more durable material without passing into the realms of red-hotness and its attendant dangers?

Tin is one such. But it's expensive and AFAIK difficult to obtain, at least in the quantities desired.

I've never worked with Woods metal - though the prospect of a hammer which melted in the sun is an interesting concept. How hard is it at room temperature I wonder?

Silver/lead solders get a rotten press, might be just the thing here! £ouch!

Do we have any metalurgists aboard?

FWIW I played much the same tune on an old (hammer), though my ambition fell short of casting copper . But I did discover that their fitting is essentially a one trick pony, as the cast iron head is crimped around the copper insert to hold it in place. Un crimping cast iron isn't going to work.

I'm guessing casting in situ with copper is dodgy. 1093C melting point is going to be interesting, no?

I imagine the insert - if annealed - would retreat into the original tapered socket if hammered home enthusiastically, I haven't tried it.

If it is of any interest I found the thread where I played with this, and got (as ever) detailed advice about what I'd taken on courtesy of the forum. Here's the link.

Thor's Hammer

Do let us know how you get on.

x

Lead's a lot easier. Just sayin'

Rgds Simon

It's not without its perils, but hammer the tube side to side to flatten it slightly. So long as it can move through the limited arc of the rocking horse movement, it won't matter if the tube is oval. The height isn't an issue as the receiving channel is open one side.

Nice exercise in planishing...

Good luck

Simon

My "source" is making them myself. If you're interested drop me a PM and I'll explain further.

For the record here's a picture of the last batch I made

The one on the right is the 17/30 tooth pair.

HTH Simon

Just a cautionary note with respect to using gear oil. For the purposes of this discussion there are two grades of EP90, differing only in the additives used in blending the oil. EP90/GL4 is compatible with bronze - as per the front tapered bearing - but EP90/GL5 is not. It rots the bronze. Or at least it can't be used in vintage gearboxes with bronze synchromesh rings, so its reasonable to suppose that it would do the same to the front spindle bearing on an S7.

No doubt the forum can explain further.

Rgds Simon

Edited for silly typo

Edited By Simon Williams 3 on 16/05/2022 23:33:37

As a fellow owner of a S7 of the same vintage, I gave up filling the reservoir with oil a long time ago. I never remembered to turn off the oil drip when locking up for the night, so the oil arrived in a puddle in the drip tray by the morning. I give mine an occasional squirt from the oil can when I remember.

I recently took the spindle out to rescue the back gear (yes, I've broken a tooth, on an interrupted cut). There is no evidence of wear or scoring or whatever evidence of oil starvation.

Still it could be premature over-confidence, I've only had the lathe since 1974, and it had a hard life in its previous incarnation in a boys technical school. I doubt it got oiled much there either.

If you want to use the lathe to make a new oiler window, a token drip or two of oil into the front bearing before you start should suffice.

Keep calm and carry on.

Simon

Try Vic Haines Transport Pershore (Worcs) tel 01386 553 288 - Fax 01386 554 615

It's what they do for a living.

I've had stuff on a return load at a very agreeable price.

Usual disclaimer - no connection, just a happy customer

Good luck Simon

+ 1 from me, come back Jenny we need you.

Hope all is well

Best rgds Simon

PS Thank you David for taking the time to give her a call.

Edited By Simon Williams 3 on 19/04/2022 14:12:43