Plantters Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Hello all, A quick introduction from the latest member of these hallowed halls. I have recently become the proud owner of a 1979 Scammell Crusader 6 x 4 CL EKA recovery truck and if the truth be told my grin could not be wider! Been chasing one of these beasts for a number of years now and finally a good one came up at Whitham so managed to snap it up before the export boys got hold of it. Drove it all the way home to very close to its Ancestral home of Watford!! The forces Reg on the old girl was 66 GT 14 for anyone that might be interested. Took all my paperwork to the local DVLA office on Monday, waited in the line for the customary 8 hours and was rewarded with a lighter bank account and the promise of a new registration number and tax disc in 3 to 5 days.... We shall see. I will post some pictures in the recovery / wrecker section a little later. My interest in the old and unusual does is not confined to military vehicles, being the owner of 5 vintage tractors, a Fordson E27N P6, W22, W6 and a 22-36 McCormick Deering as well as a late seventies Muir Hill 171 with a lovely sounding V8 Perkins. As well as these I am currently building a couple of 1/3 scale Steam engine models, a Burrell tractor and a Foden Steam Lorry!!! Where do I find the time???? Lets just say I start early in the mornings and finish quite late! I am lucky that I own and run a commercial vehicle repair business so have the facilities to sort a few things out and a little bit of freedom with regard to what I do in a working day. Hopefully catch up with a few of you over the coming months but until then be prepared to put up with my stupid questions and inane banter for the foreseeable future!! Nigel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
private mw Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 hi and welcome to the forum :coffee: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Welcome, you'll have plenty of company sobbing over DVLA and lighter bank accounts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Daymond Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Hi there, welcome to the forums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Welcome to the Friendly Forum..... Good to have you here. Being ignorant, I know nothing about tractors - so what years do your collection come from. Happy days, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantters Posted May 13, 2009 Author Share Posted May 13, 2009 Welcome to the Friendly Forum..... Good to have you here. Being ignorant, I know nothing about tractors - so what years do your collection come from. Happy days, Mark Thanks for the welcomes guys..... Mark, The oldest tractor in the line up is the 22-36, from 1935 then the W30, not W22....Doh!, is from 1938 the W6 is 1949 and the youngster is the Fordson 1951. They are all up and running apart from the 22-36 which is need of a new inlet manifold and the correct carb, sadly not the easiest parts to find these days. The muir Hill is only a baby at 1977 and is more to let me relive my early working life. My grandfather and uncle ran a farm not far from here and they had one which I loved to plough with at every oppurtunity. Interestingly hey also had three Bedford QL'S, one with a three way tipper on it, one flat bed and one with a gritting body on it which we used to spread chalk. The tipper was used at harvest for corn cart and the flat bed for hauling bags of seed and fertiliser up the field at drilling time When petrol got to expensive to run the bedfords we took out the plugs and towed it along with either a County tractor or the Muir Hill whilst in gear so all the hydraulics for the gritter part still worked! Farmers eh? I have some pictures of them somewhere and will post them up once I find them. Nigel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford 369 Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 welcome to the forum Nigel ,good to know there is another afflicted one so near, Nigel of Rickmansworth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldfinger R.I.P. Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Welcome to the forum mate, we are in Epping,Essex, badly infected with Military recovery vehicle madness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowtracdave Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Welcome from another Essex boy - also afflicted with the tractor bug amongst others ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantters Posted May 13, 2009 Author Share Posted May 13, 2009 welcome to the forum Nigel ,good to know there is another afflicted one so near, Nigel of Rickmansworth Thanks guys, very touched by the welcomes.... although the wife seems to think I am touched in the head... but hey, do we care......??? A military bike enthusiest on my doorstep!!!!! Hello Nigel, My workshops are in Rickmansworth!! Just a stones throw from the bottom of Tolpits lane, the home of Scammell. My love of two wheels has taken something of a dive recently, having to get away from the Mad sports bikes of today by order of her indoors.... But I have managed to keep hold of a little project I have been working on for about ...... well a few years!! Its a 1951 Ariel VB, 600cc SV. All just about there, just need to find the formula for more time and will be well. Drop me a line sometime and arrange a drop in for a coffee one day, plenty of old antiques at the workshop to look at!! All the best Nigel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swill1952xs Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Welcome to the forum Plantters. Be careful what you say on here. The military vehicle world is small and incestuous. You'd be surprised who knows who and who they are related to. I've put me foot in it a few times, been kicked off me soapbox a couple of times but I'm still here. :-D Just wish you lived a bit nearer me, because you have some nice toys to play with. I come from a farming background, know a lot more about tractors and civvy trucks than I do about army kit. Two of your toys are on my lottery win shopping list. Firstly the Scammell and secondly I've been lusting after a Muir Hill 161 for years. (No money dreamer :-( ). Why a 161......... well its just that I preferred the twin exhausts and horrendously noisy cab. Driving one of those brought the yob out in me. 171......... a gentlemans tractor. :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antarmike Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 I know Ricky very well having owned a narrow-boat on the lower Grand Union Canal, welcome aboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritineye Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 .... although the wife seems to think I am touched in the head... but hey, do we care......??? Nigel Nope, not one of us, :-D welcome to the friendly fourm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiomike7 Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Hi Plantters, welcome to the mad house, are you going to keep it as a green machine (see some nice examples in the Crusader section of Transporters and Wreckers) or might you be tempted to do something like this one that lives next to my S26: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantters Posted May 14, 2009 Author Share Posted May 14, 2009 Welcome to the forum Plantters. Be careful what you say on here. The military vehicle world is small and incestuous. You'd be surprised who knows who and who they are related to. I've put me foot in it a few times, been kicked off me soapbox a couple of times but I'm still here. :-D Just wish you lived a bit nearer me, because you have some nice toys to play with. I come from a farming background, know a lot more about tractors and civvy trucks than I do about army kit. Two of your toys are on my lottery win shopping list. Firstly the Scammell and secondly I've been lusting after a Muir Hill 161 for years. (No money dreamer :-( ). Why a 161......... well its just that I preferred the twin exhausts and horrendously noisy cab. Driving one of those brought the yob out in me. 171......... a gentlemans tractor. :-D Its nice to know that the Vintage Agricultural Psycosis is not just reserved for me alone!! The 161 was indeed an impressive beast and looked wonderful with the straight through twin stacks and the sound was out of this world even though it would deafen you after a few hours in that "Q" cab. Trouble with them was that very few came with a three point linkage as they were originally designed as an industrial tug for quarry work, usually kitted out with huge dumper trailers. There used to be a great one parked up in the front garden of a house alongside the A1 near Sandy. Have not seen it for a while but I bet its still about. My 171 is on the button but in need of some TLC... Yet another one on the list of things to do!! However it doesnt stop me from firing her up every now and again and was even used a few months ago to pull an 8 wheeler out of a ditch when nothing else would touch it!! All the best Nigel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantters Posted May 14, 2009 Author Share Posted May 14, 2009 Hi Plantters, welcome to the mad house, are you going to keep it as a green machine (see some nice examples in the Crusader section of Transporters and Wreckers) or might you be tempted to do something like this one that lives next to my S26: Hi Mike... Great picture of a great truck... The coulour question is a good one.... Not really sure where to go with that at the moment. Part of me wants to leave it as a "Green Machine" and another part of me would love to have a truck looking as spick and span as that lovely example.... Decisions, decisions........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantters Posted May 14, 2009 Author Share Posted May 14, 2009 I have finally amnaged to put up a few pictures of the old girl in the Crusader Gallery under Transporters and Wreckers If you want to see a few more take a look here.... http://www.scammell-crusader.co.uk Nigel, It was great to see you and your dad earlier this afternoon, feel free to drop by and have that coffee when you have a bit more time. All the best Nigel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford 369 Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 good to meet you too Nigel I will call in again soon and take you up on the coffee,not about for a few days now but will try to bring one of the bikes next time Nigel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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