Eager Beaver record Cards

[antarmike]

Has anyone any ideas. I wrote to RLC museum deepcut, to find the record card for my Eager Beaver. After some time they wrote back saying they did not hold any record cards for the APFLT. They said RE Museum, Chatham held the cards. I wrote to RE Museum and it has taken them six months to come back saying they don't hold any record cards for Eager Bearvers, but they have some general technical information on the model.

 

If RLC and RE Museums dont hold any record cards for any of the Eager Beaver Fork lift trucks, who else might?

[antarmike]

The attached photo was taken in 2003 near Beechy, Saskatchewan, Canada. I was there for an auction, but the Eager Beaver was not on the block.

Regards, Al

 

Seems like the wings over the wheels were either optional or an unloved part of the kit for the vehicle from all the photos posted so far.

 

Robin

 

00 FU 99 appears to be one of the prototype or preproduction machinese that was rebuilt into a mark 1 Eager Beaver. (The Mark 1 was a rebuild of the pre-production version to remove the worst of the "bad engineering", and performance vices, but the end result did not incorporate all the modifications recommended by field testing, these changes were not implemented until the Mk2)

The Mk1's were not fully brought up to the specification of the Mk2 Production machines. A give away feature is the hydraulic oil filter, on the outside of the chassis, beside the rear wheel. Mk2 machines have a shorter (?) version of the filter re-located further forward, and inside the chassis rails just ahead of a cross member, and under the Hydraulic oil reservoir.

 

 

This E.B. therefore would never have had wings or mudguards.

Edited December 5, 2009 by antarmike

[antarmike]

Oh Al,

 

would you ever be able to find your way back to that location or be able to find out if it is still there?

 

Would be very interested to know more.

 

Robin

 

Ritchie Brothers, Vancouver (http://www.rbauction.com/index.jsp )were selling this one in auction earlier in the Summer, (mid June 2009)

Could it possibly be the same one?? This is a mark 1 also and there weren't many of them (especially I guess in Canada).

 

Al Nickolson's post clearly has the radiator removed, no forks and has no seat, but I suspect, that the one Ritchie Bros had in auction is one and the same.

 

The camoflage pattern seems identical.

 

I guess it was put back together, a new (non original)seat fiited and it finally went into auction.

 

(It is no longer listed, on their site, so I guess it sold)

Lucky to find one still with the fork/ tine extensions and the crane hook adaptor still with the APFLT.

Edited December 1, 2009 by antarmike

[robin craig]

Well Kids, are you sitting comfortably? Let me tell you a story.

 

I owe a huge debt to a man I have never met (apart from Jack who founded this whole forum and to whome we should all send a Christmas card but probably wont get around to doing so) and that is Al Nickolson.

 

Dear Al, bless your cotton socks and your background in detecting things!

 

I spoke with the ex owner of the Eager Beaver that was potographed in 2005 and yes it did go through Ritchie brothers in running condition earlier this year for a criminally low price of $1700 Canadian. Sadly he took a bath on it.

 

We talked for nearly an hour tonight and have struck a deal on the remainder of his Eager Beavers, two of them, that should with Gods help make one and possibly a second if parts are forthcoming.

 

As for pictures the owner is on dial up and would be quicker for him to walk to my location with a print than wait for it too upload.

 

Also considering it is around minus 50 degrees celsius with the wind chill at his location he wont be going outside to load them up tommorow.

 

I think at 47 I am going through a severe mid life crisis in taking on an Eager beaver project as well as two Canadian Ferret restorations in the same time frame.

 

I have no clue on the military registrations but the guy was so super helpful it was amazing.

 

Antar Mike you are not alone, yes we are both nuts but at least we will have fun in what we do in life.

 

Anyone want to send me C/O Santa a pdf of anything related to Eager Beavers as I need to get reading?

 

With the biggest smirk from ear to ear, its Good Night from me!

 

Regards

 

Robin Craig

Canada

[antarmike]

Military registration should be on the brass plate on the back of the seat base, if the seat base is still with the APFLT's

[Ex Army FV434 Instructor]

I havent seen one of them in years, Didn't they used to have a sort of motorcycle windshield on the front of them with a single wiper? (i'm sure they did) I remember talking to someone who remembers them coming into service with the RCT in the early 1960's. He said that originally you had an electrically heated suit that plugged in to the cab somewhere. (I think he said that it heated pipes throughout the suit a bit like the old electric blankets). I thought he was winding me up until I saw an old black and white picture of him wearing it, also the socket was still marked on the vehicle conection as well.

[antarmike]

I havent seen one of them in years, Didn't they used to have a sort of motorcycle windshield on the front of them with a single wiper? (i'm sure they did) I remember talking to someone who remembers them coming into service with the RCT in the early 1960's. He said that originally you had an electrically heated suit that plugged in to the cab somewhere. (I think he said that it heated pipes throughout the suit a bit like the old electric blankets). I thought he was winding me up until I saw an old black and white picture of him wearing it, also the socket was still marked on the vehicle conection as well.

The socket on the console, which is the only possible socket I can see is marked "Inspection switch" on one of the circuit diagrams I have and "INSP.SKT." on the other.

The User handbook says this socket "Inpection light socket"can be used for an inspection light or for a windcreen wiper when a cab is fitted.

Most sources I can find say that ROF Nottingham started work on the Eager Beaver project in 1968, so your mates memories of Eager Beaver driving in the early 1960's seems unlikely.

The first issue of the technical manual was Dec 1968, and the first issue of the provisional user handbook was issued in Sept 1968, being replaced by the handbook proper for the Eager Beaver in August 1970.

Edited December 19, 2009 by antarmike

[Ex Army FV434 Instructor]

Like i said this is mostly second hand information, the picture of him, sitting plugged in to the eager beaver while wereing an electricaly heated suit which was wired in to to the machine was real enough, it seemed the main pipe ran under his seat to a conection on the chassis floor. (maybe it was late 60's not early, i'm trying to recall a conversation i had 20 years ago!) Again as best as I can recall the conection for it was under the drivers seat.

Maybe this was trials kit that never made it into full production, does anyone have any more info on this?

[antarmike]

Or is it possible he had got hold of an airmans electrically heated flying suit, and was using it off his own back, and had worked out how to lash it into the wiring because he was sick of being cold. There has always been a history of service personnel sourcing their own kit to make up shortfalls and deficiencies in standard issue equipment?

 

The American wartime flying suit was powered at 24-26 Volts and the Eager Beaver is a 24 Volt system....

Edited December 19, 2009 by antarmike

[antarmike]

 

Re the windshield, I have never seen one with a wiper, Being Acrylic sheet? I imagine it would scratch.

[antarmike]

That army roll cage again!

[antarmike]

Robin Craig drew my attention to three eager beavers currently being sold by Leavesley international

Yet another one with the British Army retro fitted roll cage!

[antar]

Or is it possible he had got hold of an airmans electrically heated flying suit, and was using it off his own back, and had worked out how to lash it into the wiring because he was sick of being cold. There has always been a history of service personnel sourcing their own kit to make up shortfalls and deficiencies in standard issue equipment?

 

The American wartime flying suit was powered at 24-26 Volts and the Eager Beaver is a 24 Volt system....

 

Does it have an inter vehicle start socket ? perhaps he was plugged in there, hope he never got a short circuit in the suit !

[antarmike]

I wondered about that... It woulde be one way, but the socket is on the side of the engine, You can't reach it from the seat, so you would have to plug in before you climb up, and live with a long cable....

 

Re my last post....Leavesley, don't have any Eager Beaver's, They have them for sale on their website, but when you talk to them they say they no longer deal in them....

[antarmike]

Leavesley may not have any for sale but there is one on Milweb

[antar]

I wondered about that... It woulde be one way, but the socket is on the side of the engine, You can't reach it from the seat, so you would have to plug in before you climb up, and live with a long cable....

 

Re my last post....Leavesley, don't have any Eager Beaver's, They have them for sale on their website, but when you talk to them they say they no longer deal in them....

 

No their website seems a bit out of date, they are still showing my M746 Ward La France which I bought off them about 8 years ago !!!

[antarmike]

I am 99% sure this shows Eager Beaver unloading stores, Falklands campaign.

Edited January 10, 2010 by antarmike

[antarmike]

I have been looking for one of these to go behind the APFLT Eager Beaver for some time.

[antarmike]

Finally found one, yet to pick it up but here are some piccies.

 

It will be good to get an Eager Beaver reunited with its dedicated trailer!

[AndyFowler]

Well done Mike !:-D

[antarmike]

Well done Mike !:-D

It is the one off this board!

[AndyFowler]

I guess you'll be having a look at a Pioneer in pieces when you collect the trailer then mate !:cool2:

[antarmike]

I guess you'll be having a look at a Pioneer in pieces when you collect the trailer then mate !:cool2:

 

Assuming everything is at the same yard, then yes, would love to see ongoing Pioneer.

[robin craig]

Is the trailer equipped with brakes and lights to enable road use?

 

If so are the brakes over run type or electric?

 

Robin

[antarmike]

Equiped with lighting, but only over run brakes, so not legal for road use. My plan is to break it into packaged loads and carry it to the rally on the Forks of the EB, and build it up again when i get there!! Yes I am mad!!

[robin craig]

Hmm me thinks you will be a bit bouncy on the front end at times especially when you hit a pot hole or the like!

 

Thankfully here we could get away with "as fitted at time of manufacture" and as long as weight it was licenced for didnt get too high it wouldnt matter, then I would put a shelter unit on it and turn it into a "pikeys palace"!

 

For here I plan to tow a Sankey and camp out of that at the Coe Hill event this September if I get mine up and running by then, it will be five hours each way on B roads.

 

R