wanted Bedford OX or OY

Hi all

The Danish air force has a Queen Mary trailer in their historic collection, that they really would like an appropriate tractor unit for. They used Crossleys and Bedfords.

Does anyone know if there are any Bedford OX in reasonable condition, available or a Bedford OY that could be converted?

Anyone ?

Neils,

I can't point you at an O type tractor unit, unfortunately. I do know of a couple, but they would not be for sale. However, they do come up now and again - occasionally even examples for restoration, though these are getting increasingly few and far between. I would think it's a matter of keeping an eye on the usual sources to see what turns up.

Have they contacted other museums who might have information or sources, such as IWM, RAF Museum or Bovington?

If I remember rightly, there is a lot of difference between the truck chassis and the tractor chassis, which might make it impractical to convert a truck.

Somewhere I have an original book of Bedford drawings for the tractor, though I have a feeling it is for the Scammell coupling version not the fifth wheel version; I will try to dig it out and have a look.

Several Crossleys have come up recently and been discussed on this forum, and I think there were a couple for sale though in extremely poor condition. It would be worth doing a search here to see what you can find. Here are a couple to get you started:

http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?54107-Crossley-Q-Type-Chassis-%A31000-(nr-Bristol)

http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?19324-Crossley-Q-type-4x4

Hi Sean

Thanks for you reply.

I have adviced them to try and contact some of the british museums.

I would be very interested if you had any documentation on the tractor/lorry differences on the Bedford.

I showed them the crossley threads but they feel that the task would be to great for them and they are more going for the bedford since that was the most used type.

cheers Niels

Hi Neils,

The chassis for the Taskers coupling OXC would have been a standard OX but the suspension, braking system, coupling would have been supplied by Taskers i would guess.

I have seen a few Scammell coupling variants up for sale over the last few years but never any Taskers Coupling type, would probably be better to take a Bedford Scammell truck and convert it. There is one in Ciney Belgium that needs restoring but i don't think the guy will sell.

Here is the diagram of the Scammell coupling OXC showing which parts were Bedford, Scammell or modified.

Hi Barry

Thanks for the information.

I think the connection on their trailer might have been modified since it has been dragged about with a Mercedes 911. Converting a Scammell Bedford, seem wrong in my mind but it might just be me, and my Scammell illness

i understand where your coming from, good luck on your search.

this picture popped up today on facebook, looks like a Bedford Tasker OXC with the light recovery trailer.

Hi Neils,

 

The chassis for the Taskers coupling OXC would have been a standard OX but the suspension, braking system, coupling would have been supplied by Taskers i would guess.

I have seen a few Scammell coupling variants up for sale over the last few years but never any Taskers Coupling type, would probably be better to take a Bedford Scammell truck and convert it. There is one in Ciney Belgium that needs restoring but i don't think the guy will sell.

 

Here is the diagram of the Scammell coupling OXC showing which parts were Bedford, Scammell or modified.

Hi coming late to this thread only the Q-Mary trailers I have seen have not had Scammell couplings, that is to say they didn’t only I have not seen one on any wartime/post war Q-Mary trailer. I have seen permanently fixed ball couplings and several that uses a twin rail slide on the tractor unit to locate the ball coupling shoe attached to the trailer much in the same way as a fifth wheel coupling and pin. Once the trailer was located on the tractor unit the moving jaws closed behind the shoe arrangement by means of a hand wheel acting on a spindle cut with left and right handed square cut threads acting in correspondingly cut sliding jaws on cross slides locking the trailer in place. Retract the landing wheels attach the vacuum pipe and electrical connector your ready to drive away.

Hi coming late to this thread only the Q-Mary trailers I have seen have not had Scammell couplings, that is to say they didn’t only I have not seen one on any wartime/post war Q-Mary trailer. I have seen permanently fixed ball couplings and several that uses a twin rail slide on the tractor unit to locate the ball coupling shoe attached to the trailer much in the same way as a fifth wheel coupling and pin. Once the trailer was located on the tractor unit the moving jaws closed behind the shoe arrangement by means of a hand wheel acting on a spindle cut with left and right handed square cut threads acting in correspondingly cut sliding jaws on cross slides locking the trailer in place. Retract the landing wheels attach the vacuum pipe and electrical connector your ready to drive away.

I have here the large ball shoe socket that you are speaking about, it's made of brass .........and a big lump too.