Procurement began in June 1988 and a £25 million contract for 846 vehicles followed; deliveries began in 1992. The trouble was the brakes. Permanent four-wheel drive, the rotating mass of the Phaser and front half-shafts of unequal length together gave a torque-steer effect under heavy braking: in August 1993, 37 of 57 in-service vehicles pulled left when braked at 35 mph.
£940,000 of mandated modifications had already preceded design acceptance in May 1990. The fleet was withdrawn from June to November 1992 after the Royal School of Artillery reported the problem, and fully in December 1993; it was re-accepted in August 1995. Reynolds Boughton paid £250,000 of the rectification, the Ministry of Defence about £1.5 million, and £1.7 million more to store the vehicles meanwhile. The RB44 was withdrawn in 2010 and replaced by Land Rovers and Pinzgauers.
Procurement and delivery (1988–1992)
2 VEHICLES IN THIS CHAPTERA £25 million contract for 846 vehicles, on the Dodge 50 chassis and cab.
Registry records · chapter 1
Withdrawal and rectification (1990–1995)
1 VEHICLE IN THIS CHAPTERTwo withdrawals, £940,000 of modifications before acceptance, and £3.45 million in all.
Registry records · chapter 2
Service and disposal (1995–2010)
1 VEHICLE IN THIS CHAPTERBack in service to 2010, including the Defence Fire Service batch.
Registry records · chapter 3
Base models
The structural configurations the registry and the Creator build from; each page carries the researched specification.In service
Where the registry's RB44 records worked; each opens the themed history.Sources
- Reynolds Boughton RB44 — Think Defence