Life
in a
Tank
Living & working
with the Soviet T-34/85 Tank
Part Two in a Series. (Part One can be found in Volume 1 Issue 3 December 2002)
by
Hans Beerbaum
with
Ray Lovesee
Buying and Owning a Tank
Privately owning a tank can be described as the ultimate macho expression. Halftracks are nice and functional, as are trucks, jeeps, bren carriers, etc. However, a tank projects power - even though it is impotent and has no practical use.
It's just plain cool.
Some tanks look better than others and fortunately the Soviet T34 is abundant and looks terrific.
Hans Beerbaum is the President of West Coast Armor and Artillery Museum, Inc. (WestCAAM) located in Petaluma California. Ray Lovesee is a member of WestCAAM and a driving force to keep the machinery moving.
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In the absense of snow in California, we have to settle for a heavy frost for our winter pictures.
Article and Photographs copyright Hans Beerbaum and Ray Lovesee, 2002
There are a lot of practical problems to owning a tank of any type. The good news is that they are cheap, compared to airplanes. Our local airport has a P-51 Mustang and I think its name "Million Dollar Baby" reflects its price. By contrast, a working tank can be had for as little as $25,000. Care must be exercised in buying a tank. They really have little or no value because they are not good for much. For this reason they should not cost a lot, unless they are Wehrmacht. However, when I discuss such a purchase with people in Russia or Ukraine they immediately want a huge sum. If it has a $25,000 value in the US, they want $25,000 in Russia.
Try to remember this about armor - it has no practical use. Of the hundreds of thousands of tanks that have been produced, only a few can be reused as demolition vehicles, firefighting machines, etc. The rest are eventually cut up and turned into bedsprings, can openers and railroad ties. All across Europe hundreds of thousands of US, Soviet, German and other tanks were scrapped. Now, when one is found, the finder wants tons of money. For old T34s and T54s, etc, they are really only worth a few cents per pound - over there. Scrap steel in the US is worth ZERO (I just called a scrap dealer and found that out). At 5 cents per pound (over there) a T34 is worth perhaps $2800. So, if you give an owner or a government $25,000 for such a machine you've just made them a very rich individual/entity.
Any amored vehicle that you buy in Russia must be trucked to the border, put on a ship, brought through US customs and then trucked to your home. All this travel costs a lot of money which the average Russian does not understand. So, if dealing with Eastern Europeans, be aware of this. The key is to not "fall in love" with the tank. If they want more than I'm willing to pay I can walk away. I don't need the tank, per se, and they are going to have a hard time finding another foreigner who has what it takes to own one (see below). If you have one tank already you will find it much easier to walk away from the next one. Normally I'd say "who needs more than one T34" - but I really want four. That, however, won't stop me from walking away from one if the seller wants more than its worth to me.
Any tank that I would consider owning would have to be in running order. This solves a real problem of loading it onto the truck and off, or onto the ship and off. A non-functional tank is a 30 ton dead-weight load which is very difficult to move. It can be done, of course, but having to hire special equipment for a move simply jacks the cost of ownership up - dramatically. A non-runner that was cheap and rare would be worth the trouble but it will be expensive to get it to where you could work on it.
You want one.
Once you have found your "runner", you are faced with the following requirements:
SPACE. First, you need to space to park it. Plus some extra room to work on it. Storing it outside has its problems. Things get rusty, internally and externally. The cold and wet slowly compromise fuel lines, fuel tanks, kill batteries, and stick the clutch together. The oil drains out of the top of the engine, leaving it dry. Many tanks have pre-oilers so that you don't start a dry engine. Starting a large engine like this when it is dry can accelerate the process of degrading more rapidly than it should. A private museum owner made the comment once, as someone observed his 100 or so vehicles on display, "Well, they all ran at one time.". This means that they had been rebuilt and driven into the musuem, but without regular use, they become more and more difficult to start. These are vehicles that are kept inside and they are still a lot of trouble.
MONEY. Second, you need some money. As mentioned earlier, they are cheaper than airplanes, but they are like buying a car. Be prepared to pay $20,000 plus for Soviet vehicles. I've seen Shermans for $25,000-$85,000, depending on condition. At one time they littered Europe. When they are found now, often in lakes and rivers, they will likely cost $100,000-$250,000. Forget Tigers. Only 1500 were built. Most common are the Sturmgeschutz models. Anyone selling a German tank, no matter where, wants to hit the lotto. I was offered the hull of a small German halftrack (a SdKfz 250) for $50,000 (this was in Ukraine). I offered $600 and it was eventually sold to some fool for $8000. So much was missing (engine, transmission, half the tracks and wheels, etc) that it would cost a small fortune to make it look complete. There is a German Panther in California and the owner estimates that it will take $1 million dollars and 3-5 years to make it a runner. One reason for the high cost is that its original crew blew it up before they abandoned it. The engine and transmission are salvageable, but the hull is going to take a lot of work.
YOUR OTHER HALF. Third, if you are married, you need a spouse who will tolerate it on your property. What you consider to be a thing of beauty, she, and most everyone else in your neighborhood, will consider an eyesore. Tanks are designed to be very functional. No tank was ever designed for eye appeal - so you either love 'em or hate 'em.
MORE SPACE. Finally, you need the space to drive it. If you put it in your back yard you can't drive it anywhere. You can store it elsewhere or put it on display. I've seen privately owned vehicles at National Guard Armories or Army bases where the commander is sympathetic and thinks it is cool. But if you need to hire a tractor with a low-boy trailer to take it out for a spin, then you are going to need a whole lot of money just for transport.
It really helps to have interested friends. Left to my own devices my own tank might have been driven for a few years and then kept as a static display as I pursued other interests and was overwhelmed by the problems of keeping a tank running. Fortunately, I've met a few people who continue to light a fire under me and help out a great deal. Together, we are keeping this machine in motion.
That story will be told in future articles.
