Big wheel Ferret Mk 4

[uk 75]

Does anyone know whether any Mk4 big wheel Ferrets served with the British Army and if it did how many and with which units?
The only other big wheel Ferret Mk 5 carried Swingfire and replaced the Hornet with Malkara in 16 Para Brigade.

 

[Foo Fighter]

As far as I can recall, they all went on to become Fox's, and not the glacier mint either.

 

[uk 75]

Thanks that would explain their disappearance .

 

[CJGibson]

Speaking of Ferrets. What was the advantage, if any, of a backward-sloping steering wheel on wheeled armoured vehicles such as the Ferret? The worst vehicle I have ever driven is a Saracen with the backward-sloping steering wheel forward of the steering column.

I was thinking it was a space-saving configuration, certainly not down to ergonomics, but hasn't been used on other wheeled AFVs such as the BTR series or the Stryker.

Chris

Ferret


Saracen

 

[Foo Fighter]

These are really tiny inside so space saving would fly for me. Having driven them a few times the wheel is not a problem but the pre selector gearbox did misbehave time to time. At the age they were when I drove them I am not really surprised.

 

[riggerrob]

Speaking of Ferrets. What was the advantage, if any, of a backward-sloping steering wheel on wheeled armoured vehicles such as the Ferret? The worst vehicle I have ever driven is a Saracen with the backward-sloping steering wheel forward of the steering column.

I was thinking it was a space-saving configuration, certainly not down to ergonomics, but hasn't been used on other wheeled AFVs such as the BTR series or the Stryker.

Chris

Ferret
View attachment 677213

Saracen
View attachment 677212

Laying the steering wheel flat on the sloped front armor saves valuable internal space.
Remember that Ferret was designed to be the smallest possible target.

 

[CJGibson]

Cheers Riggerbob, makes sense.

Chris

 

[Foo Fighter]

Saladin.

 

[CJGibson]

Interesting. Completely different to Saracen, which is, of course, a backwards Saladin.

 

[Foo Fighter]

Essentially the Saracen attaches the driver instruments and wheel to the firewall. A vertical facet.

 

[Stovepipe]

also in Panhard armoured cars