Bedford MJ bed pushed back when crane fitted

[YurtMan]

Does anyone know whether the bed/ load area of the Mili MJ Cargo was pushed back or shortened when the crane was fitted behind the cab?

If it was shortened, was the front 'bay' shortened, thus causing the tilt to not fit?

ta

matt

Edited March 14, 2010 by YurtMan
typo

[retriever]

If you had a tilt and hoops on how could you use the crane?

[recymech66]

Does anyone know whether the bed/ load area of the Mili MJ Cargo was pushed back or shortened when the crane was fitted behind the cab?

If it was shortened, was the front 'bay' shortened, thus causing the tilt to not fit?

ta

matt

 

 

Never seen a Bedford Calm with the canopy fitted, it would render the crane and load area pretty useless.

[honeileen]

My experience was always as a flat bed or with the sides on it and sling a tarp over the load.

 

Christian

[robin craig]

There were two types of Bedfords with cranes.

 

One is different from the other as folllows:-

 

One with drop sides has a crane that folds down lower to the ground.

 

One without drop sides has a higher stowage position and the load bed is shorter that drop side version.

 

Orange Bedford shown is the without drop sides.

 

 

R

[recymech66]

There were two types of Bedfords with cranes.

 

One is different from the other as folllows:-

 

One with drop sides has a crane that folds down lower to the ground.

 

One without drop sides has a higher stowage position and the load bed is shorter that drop side version.

 

Orange Bedford shown is the without drop sides.

 

 

R

 

Ah that photo brings back memories, taken at Kinnegar Logistic Base Holywood Northern Ireland prior to the Kosovo conflict. A number of different vehicles including Snatch Land Rover, different Bedford varients were painted orange for deployment with the Kosovo monitoring force in 1998/99 just prior to the start of the conflict.

 

Caused a bit of a stir IIRC with these Orange vehicles driving to the port in Belfast:shocked:

[Richard Farrant]

There were two types of Bedfords with cranes.

 

One is different from the other as folllows:-

 

One with drop sides has a crane that folds down lower to the ground.

 

One without drop sides has a higher stowage position and the load bed is shorter that drop side version.

 

Orange Bedford shown is the without drop sides.

 

 

R

 

The version that has the crane stowed lower, was one used by the RAF and the body was a bit longer, with dropsides.

The standard army one, was ame as the orange one in your photo, no provision for dropsides and shorter body.

I used to carry out the SWL tests, calibrations and repairs on them, but never had anything to do with the RAF one.

[Stone]

There's a pic of the other type at Withams.

 

Compared to ours the bed is pushed back by the width of that double-jerry can locker behind the rear wheel (plus a couple of inches). I suspect that's a normal-length bed off a standard one, but the headboard is shorter to accommodate the crane swivel. To phrase it differently, on ours the third hook fitting from the back (for the dropsides) is almost directly over the rear wheels.

 

Stone

[LoggyDriver]

There's a pic of the other type at Withams.

 

Compared to ours the bed is pushed back by the width of that double-jerry can locker behind the rear wheel (plus a couple of inches). I suspect that's a normal-length bed off a standard one, but the headboard is shorter to accommodate the crane swivel. To phrase it differently, on ours the third hook fitting from the back (for the dropsides) is almost directly over the rear wheels.

 

Stone

 

 

 

 

 

I wonder if it's a standard chassis with an add on end piece, or whether it was a special, made to order for this vehicle?

[LoggyDriver]

Ah that photo brings back memories, taken at Kinnegar Logistic Base Holywood Northern Ireland prior to the Kosovo conflict. A number of different vehicles including Snatch Land Rover, different Bedford varients were painted orange for deployment with the Kosovo monitoring force in 1998/99 just prior to the start of the conflict.

 

Caused a bit of a stir IIRC with these Orange vehicles driving to the port in Belfast:shocked:

 

 

 

 

 

Ah, Kinnegar, that brings back memories...:-)

[Stone]

I wonder if it's a standard chassis with an add on end piece, or whether it was a special, made to order for this vehicle?

Good question. Looking more closely the one depicted has one more double-hook for the dropsides than ours (8 vs our 7). I haven't got an exactly-equivalent pic of ours to hand but the proportions don't look quite right either...

 

Stone

[Richard Farrant]

Good question. Looking more closely the one depicted has one more double-hook for the dropsides than ours (8 vs our 7). I haven't got an exactly-equivalent pic of ours to hand but the proportions don't look quite right either...

 

Stone

 

 

8 is correct on a normal dropside body, 4 for each dropside

[YurtMan]

Thanks for the many replies all...

only just logged in to my thread again...

Totally answered my question!

I plan to purchase one of the witham ones with the atlas crane as shown... and it seems as though the bed has been pushed back.

The reason I want to know if the tilt will fit is simply.... shows and covering the load.

 

Firstly, I want to use the crane on the vehicle for my business...

Secondly, I want lift a simple kitchen kit and sleeping kit into the load area for shows..

Finally, I like the idea of modifying the hood sticks with box section steel and a simply 6 way strap (octopus) for lifting off the tilt and hood sticks with the crane in one go..

 

If I can actually make this work (overcome issues with fastening to hood sticks through the tilt at the top corner of each rib), then I picture modding the stick base recess at the top hood stick mounting point of the drop sides to an open flange which may assist, like a flared guide, the return of the sticks back to the covered position.

 

Might just be a case where a second person is needed to guide the sticks back into the sides.

So, in a nutshell, I will use the truck for different situations and modify it so it can be as flexible as possible, of course, with one of my 100% plat oil veg kits and extra plant oil tanks.

 

For all this to work I would need to source some drop sides but I really like the idea of lifting the complete roof off of the load, Royal Engineers style, which in my case would be preventing the load from getting wet, Or nicked for that matter.

Cheers

matt

[robin craig]

Dear Matt,

 

Your ideas sound grand but flawed. The idea of a one piece drop on frame that sockets into receiver tubes while being dangled from the crane sounds like a crazed 1970's "Its A Knockout" or ""Jeux Sans Frontiers" event that could only be made better by having a resurrected Eddy Waring doing the commentary accompanied by Raymond Baxter for technical input.

 

In my humble opinion you would be better of with a drop on van body as per Loggy Driver has, its likely a bit more manageable.

 

From the colonies

 

R

[YurtMan]

Dear Matt,

 

Your ideas sound grand but flawed. The idea of a one piece drop on frame that sockets into receiver tubes while being dangled from the crane sounds like a crazed 1970's "Its A Knockout" or ""Jeux Sans Frontiers" event that could only be made better by having a resurrected Eddy Waring doing the commentary accompanied by Raymond Baxter for technical input.

 

In my humble opinion you would be better of with a drop on van body as per Loggy Driver has, its likely a bit more manageable.

 

From the colonies

 

R

 

Hehe. love it.i like the sound of that!# does sound a bit mental actually.. imagine the sail effect in the wind.. drag lines and all. Hmm.

Not seen loggy drivers van body.. will see if i can find a pic somewhere.

[Stone]

There's another pic of a Bedford with crane here (found while looking for something else!) This one also has the bed pushed back rather than shortened.

 

There are pics of LoggyDriver's (very nice) truck here. Rather than lift with a crane or forklift the most hassle-free way of loading and unloading them is to jack them up on legs that fit into the corners, then drive underneath it. The legs are rather like rockinghorse droppings though, our set's going to stay put

 

One of the half-length cabins as used on Ptarmigan nodes would fit nicely on a shortened-bed Bedford with crane - leaving you a couple of feet of leftover bed area for storage etc. For work use you could just crane the box off (they're quite light, approx 1.5t) but do heed the warning stamped on the sides about using spreader bars when lifting!

 

Stone

[LoggyDriver]

Thanks for the "positive comments" Stone and Robin!! (How much did you say it would cost me???):cool2:

 

YurtMan

As I mentioned in a previous post, there is a guy selling a TM with a crane for less than what you would pay for an MJ with crane at Withams and if you look at the photo he has a box body attached to the crane, maybe this is for sale too? It's on Milweb - heavy vehicle classifieds - the link is in the other post. I would seriously think about that vehicle if your serious about getting a crane.

[Stone]

Good point actually - the MJ crane can't lift straight up so it might be a bit of a hassle getting the box in the right place with it! Not sure about the TM one though...

 

Stone

[robin craig]

Re lifting,

 

The crane operation without a winch cable, such as on the Bedfords is an acquired art. Agreed it can not lift vertically up as you are moving in an arc in any direction but it is very close. We place all kinds of things on our Bedford CALM and have no problem placing them accurately, you just have to learn how to use the kit.

 

The only real defecit to the Atlas cranes is that they dont rotate as much as the cranes on a Stalwart which have 350 degrees of rotation IIRC.

 

There have been many times when I would love to have been able to slew over the cab and drop things.

 

R

[Stone]

Agreed it can not lift vertically up as you are moving in an arc in any direction but it is very close.

Thanks for the correction - I was just going from the dire warnings in the manuals! (only skimmed over as ours doesn't have a crane).

 

In retrospect we should have gone for a flat platform with crane as the base vehicle for our mods - we used a Ptarmigan relay but we already had a fitted-out cabin so the most we got out of the extra bits was the four stub mountings for the front pallet :banghead: It would have made our lives a lot easier - and lowered the blood pressure of our forklift driver!

 

Stone

[Richard Farrant]

From experience the cranes on the MK/MJ and TM 8 tonne are not really large enough to safely move one of the box bodies. I remember having to move a Commer workshop body with a TM, unloading proved a problem as the stabiliser leg was in the way, due to lack of jib length, if you extended too far, then the system overload cut.

 

Robin, the reason the cranes on the Bedfords do not rotate over the cab are is stability, the unladen weight of a Stalwart over a Bedford is quite a bit greater.

[YurtMan]

Thanks for the input fellas.

Will check out the for sale ad.

Nice one Richard for your input and clarification also.

Currently reading the VOSA operators booklet for the o license.

Managed to find commercial insurance for the vehicle with it being over 20 years old.

road tax isn't too dear either and if i'm lucky i'll get that reduced for low emissions when i make the conversion.

Tachograph looks sorted too, as i've been given info on a place that fits and calibrates them in Pevensey.

Not sure the cost to buy/fit though.

 

So, interesting about the weight of the box body... What do they weigh? couple of tonnes?

That would be tricky at full or even 3/4 extension, which you might need to clear the stabilisers.

Pretty sure the Atlas is something like 3/4 or 1 tonne at full out, and increasing as crane booms are wound in etc.

 

Anyone put a grab on the end of one of these yet?

Would be incredibly handy for loose materials and timber.

Matt

[Stone]

Ours is a CONTAINER SIGNALS TRANSPORTABLE TRUCK MTG 1 TON CB101 (FV592340) but I don't know if 1t is loaded or bare weight. We've been meaning to get it to a weighbridge to compare laden-with-box and unladen weights but struggling to get the tax sorted out so it won't happen for a while...

 

The set of legs I have for lifting a full-length box body are labelled with a SWL of 4t so you know they won't exceed that...I believe the full-length boxes are approx 2.5t empty.

 

Stone

[antarmike]

Ours is a CONTAINER SIGNALS TRANSPORTABLE TRUCK MTG 1 TON CB101 (FV592340) but I don't know if 1t is loaded or bare weight. We've been meaning to get it to a weighbridge to compare laden-with-box and unladen weights but struggling to get the tax sorted out so it won't happen for a while...

 

The set of legs I have for lifting a full-length box body are labelled with a SWL of 4t so you know they won't exceed that...I believe the full-length boxes are approx 2.5t empty.

 

Stone

Fancy a TM on Milweb?

 

http://milweb.net/classifieds/large_image.php?ad=50721&cat=4

[LoggyDriver]

Ours is a CONTAINER SIGNALS TRANSPORTABLE TRUCK MTG 1 TON CB101 (FV592340) but I don't know if 1t is loaded or bare weight. We've been meaning to get it to a weighbridge to compare laden-with-box and unladen weights but struggling to get the tax sorted out so it won't happen for a while...

 

The set of legs I have for lifting a full-length box body are labelled with a SWL of 4t so you know they won't exceed that...I believe the full-length boxes are approx 2.5t empty.

 

Stone

 

 

 

 

Stone,

 

The stated weight of my box is 3 ton. I think this would be a "fitted out" weight and not just an empty box. Hence why mine struggles up hills!!