6 X 6

Mike, just out of interest, what is the purpose of propeller shaft BB and could the winch be operated if this shaft was absent ?

A very nice find. I love stuff like that.

Mike, thank you for posting this 'photo. An interesting find. It looks fairly complete from what one can see from the picture and, like you, I wonder what it's fate will be.

That's well worth knowing and another good reason for going to W & P. Cheers.

You've guessed correctly. Ironically, Bernie's gun tractor, 37 BM 19, is still being described as a "surviver" on militantgraham's wondrous website. A more appropriate description might be "this very rare and extremely original AEC, well known on the rally circuit and thought to be safely in preservation was cut in half and exported to work in timber extraction". http://www.aecmilitant.co.uk/militant1/home.html

Where from Bernard ? Thanks.

What a stoke of luck ! Pat Ware just happens to be a member of this very forum. Does anyone know his username ? I'll PM him and ask if he minds if we post said 'photo.

Like I say, we'll be on them eventually. When owners start going on to me about how original their lorry is I always sarcastically ask them, "and is that also the original air in the tyres ?"

It took me years to acquire good sets of bargrip tyres. May I suggest to anyone looking for a set of tyres to buy when you can even if it's just a single tyre. That's what I did. I was never offered a complete set but over a period of time by buying single tyres, or pairs of tyres, built up a complete matching set. I really look after what tyres I have by keeping them correctly inflated, rotated around the vehicle and completely shielded from sunlight when the lorry is parked up. Long term we'll all by running on those Russian tyres or something like them.

It's always nice to come across an interesting vehicle unexpectedly like that. Personally, I'd prefer to spend an hour looking over something found behind a barn than see 50 lorries all lined up at some show. I hope you'll have your camera with you when you're next over that way. Cheers.

"Who immediately swapped it" .....not a very happy affair. This Militant Gun Tractor was subsequently cut in half and exported to Bongoland for timber extraction. The body ended up on the Militant Gun Tractor that Richard Grosvenor recently sold.

It's a very long story. My friend 'Professor' Johnny Squirrel decided, after helping me out with and driving my lorries for a number of years, that he would like to buy and restore his own Constructor. That's what me and 'Professor' Squirrel where doing in Wrexham looking at this Scammell. It was intended to be a lorry for him to buy and restore. When his Mrs. got wind of what was going on to say she EXPLODED would be something of an understatement. We thought we'd go anyway and I did make the seller a cash offer which, thankfully, he declined. The problem is Andy, the Constructor is a fairly rare lorry and you don't want to end up owning all of them, even if that was possible, as you wouldn't have any mates who also own Constructors who you could chat with about them. That must be true of any rare vehicle. You've got to leave a few of them out there for other people to own or you won't have any special mates. I hope you don't think I've taken your comment too seriously but what I say is true.

Another satisfied customer and all in the space of 24 minutes.

Thank you for your reply. When I saw this Constructor the front half wasn't too bad having been stored nose first in a shed but with the rear end still sticking out in the open and, consequently, very badly weathered. Although, the concrete block had gone there were very substantial steel plates that had supported it and they were still welded to the chassis and body. It had been fitted with a diesel and the cab and body were painted with a camouflage, black and matt green, scheme. Parked next to this lorry, in very poor condition, was the correct type of low loader trailer that this ballast tractor would have towed in it's army days. I should say it was located in a yard, reached through a archway, behind a garage in the main street of a small country town close to Wrexham and not actually in Wrexham. It's a pity I didn't take a camera but I've always thought, with some justification, that bringing out a camera makes you look like a "tyre kicker" in the eyes of the person trying to sell the lorry. As it was, I thought that this Scammell would be difficult to get back to original so I didn't buy it. I wonder if anyone did.

John, I wonder if you might also know the present whereabouts of a 20ton ballast tractor I last saw about 7 years ago in Wrexham when it was being offered for sale. The significant feature of this lorry was that, although it was reasonably up together and original in appearance, the rear end had been modified to carry an enormous concrete block that could be raised and then suddenly dropped. The idea was to crush scrap car bodies with this block in a breakers yard. I've always wondered what happened to this Constructor. Maybe you might know. Sorry, no 'photos or chassis number. Cheers.

Grey Area, it's nice to have another traveller on the forum. I can only imagine there were very unusual circumstances when this Explorer 'disappeared'. There was a lot of UFO activity at around this time. It's not a coincidence Glastonbury Tor, Avebury Stone Circle and the old Scammell factory at Watford are all on the same ley line. Quite a few of us on here are fans of Dave's wondrous website. http://www.travellerhomes.co.uk/

http://www.scammellregister.co.uk/history-of-scammell.html

Simon, I think you're probably right. If you think how your own 6 X 4 might perform on very soft ground as it is, and then throw in the added disadvantage that towing a HAA would add. It makes you wonder why all of this wasn't sorted out at the prototype stage. Unless, of course, the designers envisaged the AA gun being deployed in locations such as dockyards etc where off road conditions would not likely to have been expected. Even so ! I've written a letter to Mr.Harrington asking about both an updated list and also what he thinks about the 6 X 4 vs 6 X 6 gun tractor conundrum. I'll report back when I have a reply.

Fair enough. I just wondered if you had any further info that would be of interest. Radiomike7, no wonder I failed the 11 plus ! :red: I once bought a reconditioned Militant MK 1 gearbox from a bloke who had expected it to fit his 1950's Mammoth Major. It didn't, it was miles out, which surprised me as well as until then I'd always thought of the Militant as a Mammoth Major with boots on.

Based on what information ?

Called the Prospector because they're like gold dust.

I seem to remember once hearing that the Militant was based, in part, on the Maudsley Mogal. As you will know, AEC acquired the Maudsley Motor Company in 1948. Radiomike7, you beat me to it with your post 333. What about the Mogal connection ? Does that sound right to you ?

Here are the first two pages of a list of chassis numbers I was given by John Harrington of the AEC Society some years ago. I'll try to get in touch with John to ask if there is an updated list and whether he would mind if the entire list was posted on this forum. Looking at this list it would appear that the first 6 X 4 (0859) Militants were produced between Dec 1952 and March 1953. The earliest 6 X 6 (0860) Militants are listed as being built between Dec 1953 and Feb 1954. That both 6 X 4 and 6 X 6 chassis were manufactured concurrently for a number of years suggests that some were intended for certain roles while others were not. Probably, for the reasons outlined by Antarmike in post 13 on this thread.

More here. http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.eightharmy.co.uk/hippo%2520002.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.eightharmy.co.uk/transport.htm&usg=__AmWJ0qy6o1qGBNUOJJhvSqkYE4w=&h=232&w=378&sz=27&hl=en&start=10&sig2=xKPocbpdRH6stJWSr9T7Xg&tbnid=lkDbbhq3SEce3M:&tbnh=75&tbnw=122&ei=7QxtSf-5J4HCjAe6kMGCCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3DLeyland%2BHippo%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

A nice project for someone. http://www.anarchadia.co.uk/2008/10/vintage-thing-no27-leyland-martian.html