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Bridges & Equipment of an Engineering Regiment

When I joined 6 Fd   in 76 we had a 2 1/2 T dump that was older than I was at the time (52 for the dump,me 53) and I had great times driving her and the old deuce and halves never let us down not like the shite we have to day.
The trick was using the stick and the only down side was the non directional tyres.
We tried to save her as a working piece of kit but alas we lost her.

Yup the old deuce and halves were great truck's and ran for ever and then they gave us that crap out of Quebec,the ML's which are a piece of shite and we are still stuck with them.Never mind the CEV version!!
 
So Earl.. These,,, errr,,,, newer trucks. What would you replace them with? What's the biggest fault with them - STAR makes a military truck here - seems to be tough as nails.... They are probably 5 tonners. I think there still is a need for a 1/4 ton - the old '67 jeep was a great design. http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/woundblstcs/default.htm . This web-site, among other rather graphic medical details, show their use as casualty transport vehicles - basically mechanical mules...... Can anything today do what the original jeep did?
 
Jack I have not been part of the Army since 98, but still wear green, I now belong to 4 A.E.S. out of Cold Lake.So I can't comment on the new Vehicles.
 
darn - it would have been nice to get your opinion - Supposedly new trucks are on the way I read.... i wonder, do you think Sappers need to be in LAVs or better in an armoured - or could-be armoured trucks?  I guess in a way this question is about the role of sappers - brigade/ division/ task force support or battalion/battle group support - and therefore what equipment and what type of vehicles are necessary. Comments any-one?
 
From what McG has posted about the dispostion of 1 CER now just and of the top of my head for an example but I don't know who 1 Tp is attached to., 1 Tp with 3rd Bn Pats,I agree with that as the Tp is working with the same Inf.Bn all the time and each gets to know each others weakness' and strength's and can improve on them.

Not like the old day's where we never worked with the other Units,we just laid a mine field,dug a anti tank ditch and watch the buggers ignore all and carry on and we sat and watched all dejected and wondered why the F'k were on the Ex.
But all has changed now from what I have heard as the rest of the Army has woken up as to why we exist.

Even my Tour in 97, I could not believe how much in demand the ordinary Sapper was.
In Corolici we did quite a bit for the Camp even towards the end our Hot Tub ended up as a medical facility,oh yeh the M.O. did give shits out for the tub for bruised and hurt muscles.
 
Earl,
While I am not a great fan of the MLVW... I do not think it makes a difference that it was built by someone in Quebec. That POS LSVW came out of BC - and that "pig" even squeals!
POS kit is not the exclusive domain of any one province.

Nuff said

Chimo!

 
geo said:
Earl,
While I am not a great fan of the MLVW... I do not think it makes a difference that it was built by someone in Quebec. That POS LSVW came out of BC - and that "pig" even squeals!
POS kit is not the exclusive domain of any one province.

Nuff said

Chimo!
Click to expand...
Geo,my apologies, I should have been more precise in that the present generation of 6x6 vehicles are crap.When the SEV first came out we were choked literally,when in the back with the door flaps rolled up and our own exhaust coming in the back,that's when we started to roll up the side's of the tarp just even part of it.Never mind the prob.'s we had with the hydraulics and the trouble with tire rims,body rusting etc, which amounted to all being grounded for over a year untill all the cock up's were fixed.Remember that?

As too the LSVW and the squealing like a pig when braking is because of the compostion of the brake shoes,the compostion has steel with in them ergo steel on steel squeals like a pig.
I have no complaints about the LS or Iltis but our 6x6's,yes loads of complaints.

Hope I have cleared the air.

UBIQUE
 
NP Earl,
WRT the LS.. ever hear about the arm breaking spare tire mount on the LS, pull the release & have the whole tire assy jump out at ya?
Also - some of the LS were already rusting before they even got delivered to their units.

Now, when you start talking about the SEV......yeah - there were a lot of hydraulic problems but I am not certain that the SEV mods were done at the Plant.... possibly 202 workshop might have had a hand in our grief. Note that the SEV was sort of a work in progress vehicle; didn't have that variation on the old GM 2 1/2 and we decided to cobble something together that might not have worked very well at 1st.
CO2 in the box was a problem we also experienced with the dodge 1 tons and the GM 5/4s remember having to roll up the tarps in those vehicles too.....

I would say that the problem is prolly more with the procurement system than it is for the vehicle and it's provider.... when it takes 12 years from the time that 1st tender requests go out to delivery time; a lot of things fall by the wayside and get the chop by admin weenies who wouldn't know the 1st thing about digging a trench (let alone putting up a Bailey)
 
Goe,now that you mention it yes re; "WRT the LS.. ever hear about the arm breaking spare tire mount on the LS, pull the release & have the whole tire assy jump out at ya?
Also - some of the LS were already rusting before they even got delivered to their units."

Also the block heater?
What it amounts too is our Gov. going cheap and expecting long term use which has ended up costing more than it would have spending the money in the first place. :(

We are known as as fly by night just because our Gov. won't spend the money to make us a good effective Force the only reason why we are is beacuse of our People and we have learned how to work with nothing! :salute:
 
HI! In regard to that SEV and the hydraulics -Ii do remember a 21/2 ton test vehicle  - with a hydraulic tank in the back, hydraulic fluid every-where and so on.. parked near the fuel bunker in 1 CER's old compound around '78 - '80 - I assume that it was used to try out the concept - although to tell you the truth - it just sat there and sat there and sat there... So the concept was "sort-of" tested out... I errrr... think I borrowed it's winch to replace the one in 1 troop that was N/S and I think someone else borrowed bits of it for the other two troops....  How often are these augers used? A dedicated light tractor - based on a skidder perhaps - would I think have been more useful...
 
Earl - you're right - the Gov't procurment office has gone "cheap" more times than I care to think - and then paying top dollar for it :( ... based on the recent purchase of the LAVIII, Coyote, G Wagon, the Nyalah, the MPEV and now the M777 155mm gun I can only presume that we have received some better guidelines in procurment. New men at the top - I think we have a fighting chance

Chimo!
 
hi! Since it's been a while - any news on recent sapper kit or recent changes in kit? What's going on these days in the world of the Canadian sapper?
 
Found this - ironically from the artillery column on this website - i think it will be of interest to current sappers http://www.defensetech.org/archives/cat_bomb_squad.html
 
Hello Geo - Thanks for your thanks - I also spotted this article in the Los Angeles Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-ied12feb12,0,288814.story?track=tottext - a remote controlled functionable -errr - 'bomb destroyer" . Perhaps  a good emergency purchase for the current deployment?
 
Interesting gadget
while the marines seem keen on it, the army appears to want to give the new jammers time to prove themselves.
I can appreceate the poor SOB in the field who keeps getting, every week, some new gadget to "test out" and report on... would probably be mumbling to self saying something about getting their act together and giving him "the" piece of kit he needs... and last week even.
 
Yes I agree with you - but of course if it is explained why and if there is feed-back - something not always the case - then I'm sure the users will comply. I hope the powers-that-be in NDHQ are watching developments (lessons learned?) in Iraq quite closely ( I hope) so that the wheel is not reinvented so to speak... In light of developments in Afghanistan, and Iraq, what issues would you say need working on regarding the Combat Engineering Regiments equipment and functions?
 
With the EHE op right in the front of the battle we need new equipment like the D-9 armoured dozer. Like the IDF and the US Army and Marines are using. If the CF are buying RG-31 Nyalas why not these. We will also need the trucks and trailers to haul them around.


 
Even with the army wanting to retire the Leopard MBT. The Engineers should buy the new AEV 3. We need a breaching veh. So we can support the troops that need it.
 
yeah.... something like the Badger.... just 20 to 30 years more modern
 
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