Hello there, thanks for starting a great thread. I was too young to ever drive a Crusader (honest) but my old firm had three of them in the 1970’s, two day cabs and one sleeper I remember them having Rolls-Royce 220 h.p. engines and would pull the “harris” of the Mercedes 14-18’s ! When I started doing long distance in 1985 I remember very well on a trip to Scotland a haulier who’s name I can’t remember had a B and C reg Crusader, a few months later they were featured in Truck and Driver mag-apparently they were the last ever Crusaders- I’m sure this is correct but if you know different please do correct me!!
TautlinerTerry:
Hello there, thanks for starting a great thread. I was too young to ever drive a Crusader (honest) but my old firm had three of them in the 1970’s, two day cabs and one sleeper I remember them having Rolls-Royce 220 h.p. engines and would pull the “harris” of the Mercedes 14-18’s ! When I started doing long distance in 1985 I remember very well on a trip to Scotland a haulier who’s name I can’t remember had a B and C reg Crusader, a few months later they were featured in Truck and Driver mag-apparently they were the last ever Crusaders- I’m sure this is correct but if you know different please do correct me!!
terry thought i would correct you on one point sir parfitts had a 290 rolla in my boy and one of the last hauliers i remember having them was sissons from sherburn could be wrong
when i left SCA freight in the early 1970s i went to work for kwikasair when they first came to the uk based at greenford.
we had 4 crusaders, 2 with proper factory sleepers and 2 with aftermarket sleepers
i drove UGH947M from new and was the first one to take a load abroad for them.
used to do geneva most weeks with the odd benelux and germany as well
a great truck pulled like a train with a very comfy sleeper but moved on when they bought there first F88 and drove that till i stopped driving and went into the office for them
if i could work out how to do it i will post a couple of pics i have of the old girl
Not the bonniest of the Motor Panels cabbed variety (along with the ERF) but a real wagon and with a tried and tested drive line, couldn’t go wrong, the 6x4 layout appeared before the 4x2 tractor with four versions at different GCW, same wheelbase length. The lightest being powered by the AEC V8 (not sure how it performed in the Scammell) and the Detroit in the others, the 4x2 also had Rolls lumps. JR Adams ran them in the Northeast and they were popular with the drivers. Franky.
I still like these wagons and it was a pity they never got around to doing some upgrades and taking them forwards as you were always able to get through a good days work with them and I never had any problems with them and they were very sharp from a standing start with the Rolls Royce 280 and fuller box.
S J BECKWITH CHELMSFORD ran a few,a lot of them had a home made sleeper pod on them copied of the original .they were made from fibre glass cast in a mould and done in there own workshop done by a chap called PETER cant rember his second name who worked for them on a self employed basis
I took my class one in a military Crusader - with a low loader on the rear - round the clock gear change now that was interesting when doing the gear change exercise - double declutching and praying all at the same time - having been driving an S26 previously which was a standard 4 over 4 box with no synchromesh lol
brings back memories though
cheers
Steve
A great looking truck the Crusader and also a popular heavy in NZ.
I don’t think the sleeper cab was avalable,nor was the RR motor,or the 4x2 tractor. The big banger 8V71 Detroit with a 15 speed Road Ranger was the power unit of choice,many were bandged as ‘Leyland’ and had twin round headlights. The 8x4 was also an option.
I met a bloke a few months back called Stan Wiliamson,a real good old bugger,who’s a bit of a trucking legend in NZ,he’s in his 80’s now and still has a 6x4 Crusader tractor unit that he still enjoys driving for fun. He opperated a total of 73 crusaders over the years and loved 'em,nothing better for logging trucks he reckoned.
He went on to tell me that back in the early 70’s a bunch of guys from the Britsh army,stiff upper lip and all that,came over to see him opperating the Scammells on logs out in the bush,he said he took them to some pretty out of the way places with some big loads and up some big pulls,realy went to town with them.
Apparantly after their visit the British army were that impressed by the Crusaders capabilities that they placed a big order for new tank transporters.
Anyhow he’s some pics
This one is an absolute ripper.
This was one of Stan Williamsons logging trucks.
just thought of the fitters name at S J BECKWITH it was PETER JORDAN .a lad called COLIN KNAPP drove for them ,i think he works at ARLA at HATFIELD PEVEREL if anybody knows him he will have lots of photos of the scammells before BECKWITH he was at J A WILKINSON HATFIELD PEVEREL for a lot of years
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