nptimber

Happy birthday Wincher fincher

Now that Howard has started a blog on the Dyson radar, or possibly searchlight trailer, I thought I would raise a question about the Dyson Trailer that it was sitting on. I am sure that it is an ex British Army trailer of WW2 vintage, is only 15' long, and 7'6 wide. It has individual axles with two hubs, mounted on each set of leaf springs, giving it eight wheels but I believe should have two wheels per hub. The trailer is of incredibly heavy construction, and looks like a mini Rogers trailer it had been used to carry a Caterpillar D6 on a farm.

 

My question is, what would a trailer of this size with sixteen wheels have been made to carry?

I have a trailer the same as the flat bed dyson it is exactly the same in its design and build as to the one pictured it carries a red livery but under this it is dark blue with white lettering possibly ex pickfords ?i have quite a few pictures of Pickfords AEC Matadors running with similar trailers transporting trams . We also have a pair of solid rubber tyred bogies made by Cranes of Dereham which are ex pickfords which are of similar design with the sliding bolster mounted across the middle these are rated at 35tons payload each and were mostly seen with a Scammell 45 ton chain drive tractor hanging on the front .

:cry:

That means you've got my doors ! And quite a few other bits a I gave to Bernie while he was restoring this lorry. Was it just the rear bogie and may be the transfer box that ended up in Bongoland ? Do you still have the cab with the two oil filters mounted on the front ?

The gas axe man had been very busy before i saw what was left ,what normally happens is a complete militant is loaded up with the remains of several less fortunate examples i bought the front of the chassis complete with engine gearbox everything else went on the banana boat or to that great motorway in the sky!:cry:

Photos from my collection, taken from a scrap yard in Kolossi near Akrotiri Cyprus.

 

Is that Dave Harcus ?

605 abm loading elm at chicksands about 1973 driver bernard berrows

Great picture i bought 605abm from NPtimber 23 years ago along with 618ayd for spares i made one motor out of the two this is why CR Jackson ended up with the spare jib .NP also had bcs675 i found this 2 years ago and bought it it now stands next to 605abm once again

i know this is an old post but i am sure that this is a pic of the explorer xsk460 anyone else agree ?

This is XSK 460 thats paul piggy thompson standing in front of it

C r jacksons matador still at work

Jacksons converted this about 20 years ago i sold them the jib and anchor from my scrap matador that came from NP Timber at Kettering ,they sold the same matador to NP 20 years before that .Hows that for a bit of recycling!

Douglas simply turned the shaft around. However the rear bearing cap needs modifying to take an oil seal. you can't just swap housings as the rear one incorporates an gearbox mounting point. Some gearboxes had a double ended shaft, with a spline to drive the turner winch at the front, and a flange to take a hardy spicer coupling at the rear. They take some finding but they are out there. I have only ever seen two and I have both of them!

I have one in my matador 774 fbd and another for spares the one fitted in the matador drives a short drive shaft with a drum brake on the end

From what I've heard you don't really want original weights on the front all the time anyway makes the steering a bit heavy. A lot of people apparently make copies from wood. Look the part but a fraction of the weight.

If you can't drive a pioneer with the weights on then you shouldn't own one!

You need to weigh at least 15 stone! Or eat 10 shredded wheat before driving. Having said this spike milligan said that all pioneer drivers were the smallest people in his artillery unit.

The other firm, famous for shortening matadors and converting them to timber tractors was A. K.Cooper.

 

Their trademark is the removal of the original Turner winch and the fitting of a Unipower winch in it's place.

 

Here are two of their products.

Has anyone got any pics of the transfer box of one of these convertions or a douglas with a matador transfer box and rear mounted winch . How does the drive shaft drive to the rear instead of to the front?

Hi Jimmy

I was at FEC from the tender age of 16 to 1984 ending up in the test section for six of them, testing Antars and Stalwarts and all the other Tonkers that past our way. I had to pinch myself some times after a day of playing with some of the equipment in the name of proof testing and being paid for the pleasure.

What's your Dads name I will have worked with him?

I own a Scammell Pioneer SV/2S BUILT IN 1945 it was rebuilt in 1958 at Fazakerly . i am searching for the history about its last unit it was attached to it was 910 squadron R.C.T /R.E.M.E L.A.D workshops T.A i think these were based in Liverpool anyone got any info

On my various meanderings I came across these on Sunday. They are 20 Inch Wheels n tyres. Dunno what they're off but they look solid enough still and are only a sandblast and lick of paint away from being useable. They're dumped with a load of crap on waste ground between Kendal and Lancaster. They may be of use to someone here before they get slung on the scrap pile. The tyres are Dunlop Track Grip 14.00 x 20 T24C/2

PM me and I'll let you know where if they are of interest. They aren't mine or anything to do with me but i can put you in touch with the site owners. There's 2 of 'em

These wheel centres will fit a Scammell Pioneer / Explorer or AEC Matador /Militant they are AEC centres as they have four extra holes in them to allow for the AEC brake drum retaining bolts

We were doing that with a Matador and a Unipower 30 years ago at Worminghall steam Rally!

If i had a matador or a unipower i dont think i would pull them in half with a wlf !

What's this all about?

 

Is it steve austin AKA(the bionic man) with the plastic back panel removed :-D

Yes, The Royal Corp of Signals musuem at Blanford Dorset have one.

My grandfather was a driver with the leicestershire yeomanry (guards armoured division ) and landed in normandy about 10 days after D day he often told my father that he drove an armoured matador ,he drove onto a grass verge to let a on coming tank pass by and the matador slipped into a ditch which was later recovered by a canadian sherman .

I wish he had bought it home with him after he was de mobbed :cool2:

With the Austin K2 I bought today http://www.hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?t=15126 I was given a free trailer... can anyone identify it please? age?

 

U/L Cof G unladen centre of gravity

I have a Scammell Pioneer Tank transporter (30 ton) which like most of them out there does not have the 5th wheel coupling still in place. Does anyone out there know of or have any plans for the correct 5th wheel coupling which is unique to this vehicle. I am thinking of getting one made up but need to have some plans to work from.

I spoke to several people on the Scammell register but with no luck , and also seen the bottom half of the one at Cobbaton in Devon .

Can anyone out there help ???

Theres one in the REME museum this might be worth a look

bloody horid thing but it could sure winch. best job was recovering a r.b. dragline that had pulled itself into the river. also used john huckles martian 'animal'. we rebuilt the rear suspension but i cannot think of what happened to it when we left hanslope.

It now resides on my brothers farm nr desborough we bought it a few years ago from a farm nr Towcester its very rough but is ideal for spares

When you worked for spire can you remember an AEC 0854 6X6 (MATADOR) with twin boom garwood recovery kit on it ?

While on the subject of recovery vehicles can anyone remember Midland fuel injection from duston northampton they had a scammell pioneer that later went to Blucars of Bugbrooke northants any ideas anyone?

Thanks Rick, I knew Gordon when he worked for Spire many years ago. His boss Terry bought my Martian 10 ton GS which was stored at Bletchley Park for a while.

 

When and where is John's meet, I have never been?

When you worked for spire can you remember an AEC 0854 6X6 (MATADOR) with twin boom garwood recovery kit on it ?

Pic of frame from Explorer manual.

 

I am sure the roller tube of the A frame would rotate round that axle when the tractors brakes are applied, it would be better with a I beam axle though.

I use this a frame when suspend towing with the pioneer ,the frame is only 4 ft long so if used as shown in the manual the casualty would be to close to the rear of the scammell and there would be no clearance for turning .

I position the roller against the front bumper/drawbar then strangle reevable chains around the bumper/drawbar and the roller of the A frame,these are then hooked onto the crane hook when lifted the roller is pulled tight but the A frame can still move up and down ,i have lifted GMC cckw AEC Matador Austin K6/K9 Ford D series etc and have never had any problems

Do you have any pictures of the scammell parked next door?

A friend of mine was issued with a parking fine on his ford d series which he used to transport his vintage tractors , it was issued at 2.00 am and the offence was parking a vehicle over 1500kgs without it being lit front and rear

The following week he attended a vintage tractor rally in his AEC Matador, it rained from the friday night to the sunday morning and on sunday afternoon he was the hero of the show winching out trade stalls and the complete fairground from the show which had become a complete washout .

When asked by the local constabulary if he could assist in recovering there mobile community police station (which was the last thing on site ) he told them in his broad northamptonshire accent that he was not interested in offering his assistance in any form (or words to that affect) and drove off in the matador :iloveyou: on his way home he passed the local recovery firm on there way to rescue the peelers JUSTICE !

An ex RAF Germany Uranus recovery is on the show circuit in England. Owner Chris Thomas. I'll put some pictures up later.

This one ?

hello everyone, how are you all? my name is greg, im 16 but i have been into any thing military for a fair few years now ive applyed to join the army but i was told i cant because im a type 1 diabetic, so i was a little upset about that. . so now im trying to get into the police force. .

 

at the moment i am trying to keep myself busy by restoring my mini, nearly finished the welding

 

i know im only young but i realy would love to own a ural lol :shocked:

 

ok many thanks

 

greg

Hello greg welcome to the forum,when i was 16 i saved up enough money to buy a motorbike but was told by my dad that there was no way i was riding around on one :stop:, i would have to wait until i was 17 and save my money for a car so i went to the local sawmill and bought two derelict AEC Matadors rebuilt one of them which i still have today 22 years later!

Good Luck