Scammell Constructor Gallery.

[6 X 6]

[N.O.S.]

Great pics of the M.O.S. Constructors, Lance Corporal 6 X 6, keep them coming :tup::

[6 X 6]

Where are they now ?

 

Edited May 2, 2008 by 6 X 6

[6 X 6]

Shortly after being released through Ruddington YFO 311 was owned by Howard Rees of Monmouthshire who subsequently sold it to a commercial recovery operator in Hull where it was known as the "Terminator". Unlike many Constructors used for recovery work the body was not butchered in any way and YFO 311 used only a straight bar, or it's winch, to get the job done. It then went into retirement with Laurence Davison of Hexham who owned it for about 10 years up until 1998. It is powered by a 680 powerplus in place of the original Meadows. I took the following three photographs while it was owned by Laurence when I visited him.

 

Edited May 7, 2008 by 6 X 6

[6 X 6]

[6 X 6]

[6 X 6]

[6 X 6]

[Bodger Baz]

Have been relaibly informed that these pictures are of a Constuctor, taken in Malaya in the 50/60's

 

Bazza

Edited May 4, 2008 by Bodger Baz

[radiomike7]

Have been relaibly informed that these pictures are of a Constuctor, taken in Malaya in the 50/60's

 

Bazza

 

Tractor, 30 ton, GS, semi-trailer, 6x6, Scammell Constructor to give it's proper name. One of fifty odd used by RE for plant and exactly the same as my old one 83BL02. Their main claim to fame was breaking gearboxes, not bridges.

 

Mike

[AndyFowler]

Tractor, 30 ton, GS, semi-trailer, 6x6, Scammell Constructor to give it's proper name. One of fifty odd used by RE for plant and exactly the same as my old one 83BL02. Their main claim to fame was breaking gearboxes, not bridges.

 

Mike

When we gonna see the pictures of yours Mike ? :-D

[6 X 6]

Tractor, 30 ton, GS, semi-trailer, 6x6, Scammell Constructor to give it's proper name. Their main claim to fame was breaking gearboxes, not bridges.

 

Mike

 

Only because of driver incompetence, inexperience or inadequate maintenance. Both Constructor drivers I have spoken to, Stan Wass and Bert Paul, praised the gearbox. When you think about the punishing payloads civilian Constructors undertook while operated by Pickfords, and others, and see how many of these vehicles have survived into preservation still with their original gearboxes. I was requested, via my weegie board, to post this rebuttal by Scammell craftsmen who have passed on to the other side and are pretty irate at this unfounded slur. I'll go back on there tonight and try to calm them down a bit.

[LeeEnfield]

Have been relaibly informed that these pictures are of a Constuctor, taken in Malaya in the 50/60's

 

Bazza

 

 

 

Now thats an impressive series of pic's..........

[N.O.S.]

I was requested, via my weegie board, to post this rebuttal by Scammell craftsmen who have passed on to the other side and are pretty irate at this unfounded slur. I'll go back on there tonight and try to calm them down a bit.

 

While you're at it, see if you can find out which one of them left a spanner in the box section chassis of 10580 when tightening up the body bolts.......(April 1960)

[radiomike7]

When we gonna see the pictures of yours Mike ? :-D

 

 

Sorry Andy, but we never took any pics of it and I don't know if David has any other than the one his son took when we unloaded it using my Martian cargo. As I mentioned previously, it was sold to a recovery outfit close to Market Deeping and may still be there.

 

Mike

[radiomike7]

Only because of driver incompetence, inexperience or inadequate maintenance. Both Constructor drivers I have spoken to, Stan Wass and Bert Paul, praised the gearbox. When you think about the punishing payloads civilian Constructors undertook while operated by Pickfords, and others, and see how many of these vehicles have survived into preservation still with their original gearboxes. I was requested, via my weegie board, to post this rebuttal by Scammell craftsmen who have passed on to the other side and are pretty irate at this unfounded slur. I'll go back on there tonight and try to calm them down a bit.

 

 

I was referring to the RE experience with both Constructor types. A good friend of mine drove the 20 ton version and at one time in his unit, 6 out of 8 vehicles were U/S with broken gearboxes.

 

L W Vass had a mountain of almost new faulty Constructor 'boxes which on inspection had failed due to incorrect assembly and substandard parts. I should know as I bought many of them to liberate parts to keep dozens of other Scammells on the road, as Bernard and others will confirm.:-D

 

You have to remember that this gearbox was designed in the late 1920s and was being pushed to the limit and beyond when asked to cope with 200bhp engines and greater speeds.

 

And don't get me started on the subject of Explorer/Constructor rear propshafts or 630 petrol engines...

 

Mike

[6 X 6]

I was referring to the RE experience with both Constructor types. A good friend of mine drove the 20 ton version and at one time in his unit, 6 out of 8 vehicles were U/S with broken gearboxes.

 

On reading your post I unreservedly apologize to you, and the RE, and completely withdrawn my comment that any gearbox problems experienced by the RE was due to drivers, or those responsible for maintaining these vehicles.

 

Having apologized, I now must thank you, because until I learnt though your post of the pile of defective Constructor gearboxes at Vass's, I had been unable to understand how Constructors gained this reputation for breaking gearboxes. I mean, if I had a quid for every time someone's said to me of the Constructor something along the lines of "you know it's got the same gearbox as the Reliant Robin" I could retire tomorrow. The way some people talk about these vehicles you'd think they could hardly go for 5 miles without spewing their guts out all over the road.

The Explorer doesn't seem to have the same bad name and yet I would have thought an Explorer gearbox driving it's winch while recovering a heavy, bogged down payload is under similar stress as a Constructor gearbox would be while towing a heavy trailer through it's transfer box. Then there are the many examples, some on this very thread, of Constructors working quite happily with 100 ton plus loads.

On the two opportunities I have had to talk to "proper" Constructor drivers both men praised the gearbox and both said any problems in the past may have been caused by drivers unfamiliar with the Scammell gate. Thanks to you, radiomike7, I now know it was Poor Quality Control at Watford effecting a particular batch of defective gearboxes that was inexcusably to blame. Talk about give a dog a bad name. That one episode has saddled the Constructor with a reputation for frail gearboxes in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.

Edited May 6, 2008 by 6 X 6

[radiomike7]

(got to leave for work now but, if I may, I'd like to add a bit to this post when I get home late tonight.)

 

Ditto - I believe we may both be articulate people in more ways than one. I'm off to Devizes to pick up tomorrow's cream cakes for a green striped supermarket chain.

[6 X 6]

Well at least you did something useful. I took 26 pallets of "Heat" magazine, the entire supply for Scotland, up the wall of death as far Liverpool. Came back MT. 198 litres of Diesel. What a waste, what we could have done with that.

[radiomike7]

The Explorer doesn't seem to have the same bad name and yet I would have thought an Explorer gearbox driving it's winch while recovering a heavy, bogged down payload is under similar stress as a Constructor gearbox would be while towing a heavy trailer through it's transfer box.

 

Actually no as an Explorer winch drive is taken from the gearbox first motion shaft via the reverse idler with the 'box in neutral. Constructor winch is driven by a duplex chain from a pto on the transfer 'box (which must be in neutral) and via the main gearbox giving a choice of winching speeds.

 

Back in 1985, my Explorer had only recorded 6000 miles, but the gearbox needed a total re-build due to the common problem of the case hardening breaking up on one set of needle rollers. The resulting (case hardened) swarf had scored several journals and destroyed the output shaft, while one of the gears had so much play that it had begun machining the outer casing.

 

Have a look at Bernard's thread http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?t=7123 of his gearbox stripdown with some excellent pictures to get an idea of how the 6 speed 'box works - it really is quite clever with 4 pairs of gears dog clutched together in various ways to give 6 ratios. Replacement parts supplied by yours truly.:-D

 

Mike

Edited May 7, 2008 by radiomike7

[Guest catweazle (Banned Member)]

If the case hardening is braking down is it not a case of poor manufacture in the first place.i think its remarcable they did some of the things that were asked of them.with modern oils etc later vehicles stood a beter chance,one of the biggest advances has been in oils and fuel,anyone remember what a decoke was:rofl:

[gritineye]

Description of vehicle, Para 1: ............it is capable of hauling a towed load of 15 tons. :shocked:

 

Perhaps another reason for Explorer boxes having an ever so slightly longer life, but then only under the watchful eye of a jobs worth!

[6 X 6]

QUOTE:

Actually no as an Explorer winch drive is taken from the gearbox first motion shaft via the reverse idler with the 'box in neutral.

 

 

To progress my education a bit further....how does one, or can one, vary the winch speed on an Explorer ? I'm assuming the Explorer has a hand throttle on the steering column like the Constructor, is this the only means of controlling

the winch speed ? Thanks.

[radiomike7]

QUOTE:

Actually no as an Explorer winch drive is taken from the gearbox first motion shaft via the reverse idler with the 'box in neutral.

 

 

To progress my education a bit further....how does one, or can one, vary the winch speed on an Explorer ? I'm assuming the Explorer has a hand throttle on the steering column like the Constructor, is this the only means of controlling

the winch speed ? Thanks.

 

 

Correct, the only way to control the drum speed is with the throttle, although the rope speed can be slowed down by using one or more snatch blocks.

 

A slight drawback with Explorer is that if you are winching a heavy casualty up a long steep slope and decide that it is all going wrong, the only way to slowly release is by slipping the winch handbrake. With Constructor, it would be possible to lower the casualty under full control by using reverse gear, although great care must be taken not to allow

loose coils on the winch drum.

 

Mike

[6 X 6]

Thanks for a nice clear explanation. Just one more Scammell gearbox question, how many usefully interchangable parts do the Constructor and Explorer gearbox have in common ? I mean, if one had the job of reconditioning a Constructor gearbox, would an Explorer gearbox in good condition yield up many useful parts ? Cheers. (this maybe a simple question with a more complicated answer but I thought ask it anyway)