6 X 6
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Posts posted by 6 X 6
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A very nice find. I love stuff like that.
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The Millitant at Hatton Cross
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.
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I forget where the seller came from Belgium, Holland or some such place. I got the impression he had more or could get them, they are new, still got stickers on them, had flaps as well when I paid for them, some of these were missing when I got back to pick them up!
Some one who goes to W&P must know his name, he wasn't in the traders area, I think it was Americas field 2007
That's well worth knowing and another good reason for going to W & P. Cheers.
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Didn't know that about the Militant. Guessing that happened in Kibworth... But at least my old Explorer is safe at Duxford.
John.
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".
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These tyres should be quite easy to find NOS.
Where from Bernard ? Thanks.
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As Antarfan says Its in the Antar book by Pat Ware page 38, but I don't want to breach copyright...do you have the book?
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.
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I looked high and low for bar grips for years and in the end went onto Michelin XL -
By this time I was out of options so had to move to the ones I have now. I know its not orignal but you just can't get them:)
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 ?"
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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.
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Just been out on the mountain bike gettin muddy over Hounslow Heath when on my way back along the A30 past Heathrow i got the shock of my life. There was a Mk1 sitting behind a stack of hay bales. Didn't stop to inquire as i was in a hurry.I think it had an Atlas Crane on the back. Looked in alright condition. Maybe the owner is gonna restore it.
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.
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He sold it to Bernie Jones who immediately swapped it with Duxford for a Militant MK1 6X6 Gun Tractor.
John.
"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.
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I am shocked that you managed to leave this poor old Scammell in pain as she was Tom !
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.
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Another satisfied customer and all in the space of 24 minutes.
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Sorry, dont know about that one, the only other one which was in the Wrexham area about that time was complete and original and owned by the same guy my M578 and Stormin's Ward La France came off. That went to ...... Kibworth. It has moved on a couple of times since. I will ask around and find out about the one with the concrete block.
John.
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.
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It is now owned by Peter Doe in Hampshire who also has an Explorer and a Handyman.
John.
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.
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I knew the couple that owned this rig at the time the picture was taken. Unfortunately it was stolen from them and the police were unable to help - it was apparently never seen again.
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.
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So is it likely then that the 6x4 were found to be lacking for HAA use, which is why no more were made for that role?
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.
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Guesswork:-D, prototype photo and technical spec. I remember the Mogul but haven't got any photos or spec for it but it could be as Richard suggests that there was input from both companies.
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.
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although I think the design owes a lot more to the prototype AEC I mentioned .
Based on what information ?
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Someone posted a comment to one of my YouTube vids mentioning the 6x6 Pioneer and said it was called a Scammell Prospector, has any one heard of this name before? I haven't.
Called the Prospector because they're like gold dust.
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I do recollect from my years of working on them whilst in service, that a lot of their parts were marked with Maudsley inspectors stamp. The fact that Maudsley built a lorry named Militant, for the army during WW2 and were part of AEC, think the group was called ACV......could it be that they were a combined effort between AEC and Maudsley?
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 ?
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why did they make a 6x4 militant? Surely a 6x6 is better?
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.
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Scammell Vertical Winch
in Transporters & Wreckers (All Nations)
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Mike, just out of interest, what is the purpose of propeller shaft BB and could the winch be operated if this shaft was absent ?