Poor old gal
sandway:
When I posted the photo of Mitchell & Robertson’s Scammell Crusader RR220 I drove back in the early to mid 70’s I didn’t make my feelings known for the lorry. Once the newness had worn off I was left with an imposing vehicle that garnered much attention from other drivers. Little did they know the engine wouldn’t pull the skin of the proverbial rice pudding and the driving position especially the accelerator caused pain that is still felt by my body to this day. Once on a motorway or dual carriageway I had to jamb a piece of wood between the bottom of the dash and the accelerator to take the strain off my body. I complained and complained to the point where John Mitchell, normally a very placid guy, lost his rag and threatened to put me back on rigids. However, after he thought about it he decided to install a sprung Bostram seat which was shoehorned into place and it did marginally improve the driving experience.I had that Crusader for almost three years but relief finally arrive in the shape of a Mercedes 1924. It was like going from a farm tractor to a saloon car. It’s impossible to describe the relief I felt as soon as I climbed into my new lorry.
I’ve attached some photos from the web. The Snaylam Crusader is fresh out of the paintshop whilst the wreck in Hull docks needs a bit more than a lick of paint to get her back on the road.
I found that if you shoved your boot toe forward on the accelerator you could wedge it under the heater and, hey presto - cruise control! There was a massive drawback however, when it rained the leakage from the windscreen dripped into the lace holes on your right boot in this position, hence Crusader drivers went thud, squelch, thud, squelch across the cafe car park.
stevecook:
I found that if you shoved your boot toe forward on the accelerator you could wedge it under the heater and, hey presto - cruise control! There was a massive drawback however, when it rained the leakage from the windscreen dripped into the lace holes on your right boot in this position, hence Crusader drivers went thud, squelch, thud, squelch across the cafe car park.
The accelerator pedal comments seem strange when referenced to the actual set up.
I’m sure that linkage can be adjusted to raise the angle and position of the pedal at full travel if needed.
It also has a stop on the front of the pedal to stop your foot overriding it.
youtube.com/watch?v=QeC-ame7HOU 0.36
Which just leaves the question of the strength of the pedal return system acting against the pedal from the pump.
But that Crusader organ brake and accelerator type pedal set up as shown looks perfect to me and sure that accelerator could be adjusted even more upright if needed.
I seem to remember the sleeper cab units had a tendency to wax up overnight on winter ME work, mainly due to the cut away at the rear of the cab (exposing the air filter) allowed freezing blasts around the pump & filters.
That meant the night heater stopping (Rolls or Whatever) & the driver having to get up out of a warm bed to change the filters & bleed the system - just what you wanted at 3 in the morning.
Had it once with a Merc that were usually OK - think it was 78 just into Iran & it was F****ing Cold, even burning trousers dipped in diesel didn’t keep me warm although they did warm up the fuel tank 
whisperingsmith:
I seem to remember the sleeper cab units had a tendency to wax up overnight on winter ME work, mainly due to the cut away at the rear of the cab (exposing the air filter) allowed freezing blasts around the pump & filters.That meant the night heater stopping (Rolls or Whatever) & the driver having to get up out of a warm bed to change the filters & bleed the system - just what you wanted at 3 in the morning.
Had it once with a Merc that were usually OK - think it was 78 just into Iran & it was F****ing Cold, even burning trousers dipped in diesel didn’t keep me warm although they did warm up the fuel tank
It were so cold, we 'ad to set fire to us trousers, just to keep lorry warm. You tell that to the youngsters of today, and they won’t believe you.
Carryfast:
stevecook:
I found that if you shoved your boot toe forward on the accelerator you could wedge it under the heater and, hey presto - cruise control! There was a massive drawback however, when it rained the leakage from the windscreen dripped into the lace holes on your right boot in this position, hence Crusader drivers went thud, squelch, thud, squelch across the cafe car park.The accelerator pedal comments seem strange when referenced to the actual set up.
I’m sure that linkage can be adjusted to raise the angle and position of the pedal at full travel if needed.
It also has a stop on the front of the pedal to stop your foot overriding it.youtube.com/watch?v=QeC-ame7HOU 0.36
Which just leaves the question of the strength of the pedal return system acting against the pedal from the pump.
But that Crusader organ brake and accelerator type pedal set up as shown looks perfect to me and sure that accelerator could be adjusted even more upright if needed.
Best film I’ve seen all week! 
Seen at Stena Birkenhead yesterday. NMP.
sandway:
Seen at Stena Birkenhead yesterday. NMP.
Very smart. The owner has put some effort into it- the headlamp mountings and wheelarches look home-made, and quite tidy too. Those wide fronts look good, with the Crusader step ring. You probably need to be wearing winkle-pickers to use the step ring though. Maybe that would make it easier to wedge your foot under the heater?
stevecook, you`re so right about the Wet Right Foot. One solution I tried was a plastic carrier bag, not
one of the budget brands though, we Geordies try to inject a bit of class. However, the only problem was
when you exited the cab, usually in full view of numerous passers-by, & you FORGOT THE BAG.
cheers pushrod47
Carryfast:
stevecook:
I found that if you shoved your boot toe forward on the accelerator you could wedge it under the heater and, hey presto - cruise control! There was a massive drawback however, when it rained the leakage from the windscreen dripped into the lace holes on your right boot in this position, hence Crusader drivers went thud, squelch, thud, squelch across the cafe car park.The accelerator pedal comments seem strange when referenced to the actual set up.
I’m sure that linkage can be adjusted to raise the angle and position of the pedal at full travel if needed.
It also has a stop on the front of the pedal to stop your foot overriding it.youtube.com/watch?v=QeC-ame7HOU 0.36
Which just leaves the question of the strength of the pedal return system acting against the pedal from the pump.
But that Crusader organ brake and accelerator type pedal set up as shown looks perfect to me and sure that accelerator could be adjusted even more upright if needed.
I can’t see anything strange, just advance your foot over the raised stop on the pedal and your boot toe wedges nicely under the heater. Worked for me in many different Crusaders!
pushrod47:
stevecook, you`re so right about the Wet Right Foot. One solution I tried was a plastic carrier bag, not
one of the budget brands though, we Geordies try to inject a bit of class. However, the only problem was
when you exited the cab, usually in full view of numerous passers-by, & you FORGOT THE BAG.
cheers pushrod47
I hope you used a Harrods bag not an Aldi one pushrod47!
stevecook:
Carryfast:
But that Crusader organ brake and accelerator type pedal set up as shown looks perfect to me and sure that accelerator could be adjusted even more upright if needed.I can’t see anything strange, just advance your foot over the raised stop on the pedal and your boot toe wedges nicely under the heater. Worked for me in many different Crusaders!
Look on the bright side on the Merc 2534 we kicked the inner lining trim panel through just to make some leg and foot room.
Your toe caps literally jammed against the inner trim panel even if your foot was just a slight bit over the front of the pedal.It got uncomfortable quick on a 4 hour + run with your knee joint vertical and almost bent backwards.As shown here the rhd version was no better.
youtube.com/watch?v=bK_BVFq8Prk
But that Crusader accelerator pedal design looks second to none from memory similar to the Foden . 
ERF-NGC-European:
ERF-NGC-European:
No mention of 4x2s with more than 290BHP. The 287bhp rating on the 6x4 page must be the installed output of the RR305. 318 has to be Detroit. The twin stack versions may be DD.
Nice work. Yes, we can ‘park’ the Detroit for now.
Well before we ‘park’ the Detroit; I’ve thought about your comment, Anorak, about the twin stacks possibly denoting Detroit and looked through all the pics that I have. You may well be right. I’ll keep an eye on this one.
Interesting Anorak and Robert your thoughts that a Detroit V* 2 stroke should have 2 inlet filters but ours only had one large Donaldson unit that had a secondary filter inside the primary filter,they did a good job and there was rarely any dust on the inner filters but the outer certainly had plenty,it wasn’t unusual for us to blow the dust out of the outer filters if we were shifting cattle in drought areas which had little grass to hold the ground from going to bull dust after a couple of trucks had travelled over it.
Just to put my 2 bobs worth in on the throttle pedal angle ours were adjustable on the linkage so no problem except what suited me may not sit the offsider but I never heard any complaints.
Dig
That’s a super article. Ta Dean. At the end of it, they mention another Crusader, of an even rarer variety, that the same restorer is working on. That could only be a Samson, I would have thought. Does anyone know more?
mike-taylor-haulage.com/photo2_2.html
A great article about Crusaders there^. Interestingly, his opinions about the ride vs. that on Scanias are the diametric opposite of those expressed by the Commercial Motor bloke in the Middle East report.
His opinions on the RR engine are less than complimentary. From what I’ve read on here, that engine was a proper dog, until about 1985, after which it was probably about the best.
sandway:
Not a lot of rope being used on this NZ rig.
Hiya,
Now would I like a go in this.
Just found this on Flickr:
LHD, Leyland badge, US-style mirrors, TIR plate. I’m going to guess- it’s an aircraft refueller destined for the Middle East, and the TIR carnet was used to get the vehicle itself to its destination. I expect to be proved 100% wrong.
[zb]
anorak:
Just found this on Flickr:
0LHD, Leyland badge, US-style mirrors, TIR plate. I’m going to guess- it’s an aircraft refueller destined for the Middle East, and the TIR carnet was used to get the vehicle itself to its destination. I expect to be proved 100% wrong.
Thanks for posting that little gem! You are almost certainly right. It was quite common then to deliver new lorries overland. ERF delivered 50 4MWs to Jordan in 1969/70. Even Coales cranes went overland (see the Promotor thread). I would have enjoyed popping that Crusader down to the Gulf and flying home in comfort! It would have purred down there like a Rolls Royce (whoops!).
Row