Hi Andy,
What many misunderstand is that the 'Stolly', is an off-road long
distance carrier !!
Like all the multi-wheel-drive vehicles it is normal to trailer them on
hard ground (roads), whenever possible. The damage caused by hard roads
is the winding up of an individual wheel station (hence the reason for
the white paint stripe on each of the wheel-centres). Off road each
wheel station is able to re-set itself by slip. Because of the system
of drive the 'Stolly', does not accelerate or decelerate in a straight
line, making them dangerous to manoeuvre in confined spaces. If you
make a throttle change whilst loading on to a trailer the 'Stolly', is
often likely to slew off the side. Biggest problem with owning a
'Stolly', is keeping it in tyres. Tyres must all be within a matching
limit in circumference. Although it is a mega-nightmare to change a
'Stolly', wheelstation, it is a rare necessity.
To privately own a 'Stolly', is not for the fainthearted. Even the
British army de-classified them as amphibious after only a short time in
service, due to the phenominal cost of maintenance after swimming.
And finaly....because of their width, they arn't road legal in most
countries.
Colin Brookes
Invicta Military Vehicle Preservation Society (IMPS)
colin@h-bplan.demon.co.uk
-- Colin Brookes