A fine example of the Scammell here
Star down under.:
For some reason only the in view part of the picture downloaded.0
Thanks for posting those, StarDownUnder! Most revealing. I’d forgotten that the early Detroit only delivered 290 (though that’s nothing to be sneezed at for the period). I loved the reference to the Crusader being ‘indestructible’ - possibly a reference to its slightly over-engineered spec (again, not to be sneezed at).
The most interesting reference was to the swing-out radiator arrangement being an acceptable alternative to a tilt cab. Wow! In these days of ‘every cab tilts’ it is difficult to imagine justifying a fixed cab when the rest of the world is tilting. Yet, that’s exactly what a significant number of operators did: bought Crusaders for UK domestic 32-tonne general haulage or ran them to the Arabian Gulf for years on end.
I still still think they are marginalised by mainstream historians. These were terrific motors for their time. Personally, I would have chosen the Rolls 265 option with 9-sp Fuller, but there was a choice, however narrow.
Rowena
ERF-NGC-European:
Star down under.:
For some reason only the in view part of the picture downloaded.0
Thanks for posting those, StarDownUnder! Most revealing. I’d forgotten that the early Detroit only delivered 290 (though that’s nothing to be sneezed at for the period). I loved the reference to the Crusader being ‘indestructible’ - possibly a reference to its slightly over-engineered spec (again, not to be sneezed at).
The most interesting reference was to the swing-out radiator arrangement being an acceptable alternative to a tilt cab. Wow! In these days of ‘every cab tilts’ it is difficult to imagine justifying a fixed cab when the rest of the world is tilting. Yet, that’s exactly what a significant number of operators did: bought Crusaders for UK domestic 32-tonne general haulage or ran them to the Arabian Gulf for years on end.
I still still think they are marginalised by mainstream historians. These were terrific motors for their time. Personally, I would have chosen the Rolls 265 option with 9-sp Fuller, but there was a choice, however narrow.
Rowena
We owned and operated 2 318hp 8V71 units and in reflection I think the Rolls powered units with 13 speed RR boxes and the Leyland heavy duty rear hub reduction would have been better for what we did pulling triples in the cattle industry of WAs north.
Having said that what we had competed with most of the american makes powered with similar engines quite well but when they started to appear with 335hp ■■■■■■■ power and then the 375hp V8Macks we had no answer and the 305hp Rolls would have been a better option…
Dig
Indeed, 290 horses was very respectable back then. An 8-71T was only 318 HP, but not offered in the Crusaders, apparently.
8-71(T)/Roadranger/Rockwell was a very popular and economical spec for premium trucks (White, KW, Atkinson, Diamond Reo) back in the day.
Was the Detroit/Roadranger spec offered there?
There was 2 Whites a Hayes and a Diamond Rio with rock well diffs based in Broome our 2 Crusaders in Derby all 8V71 and 15 speed R/Rs one Crusader with Maudsly hub reduction diffs and one with the heavy Leyland hub reduction diffs and hubs plus 2 Kenworth body trucks with 8v71s and twin stick spicer boxes and rockwell diffs I don’t recall any Eaton bogie diffs at that time all had the larger injectors to get the hp up to 318 no turbo models at that time.
Dig
Rolls was a pretty uncommon choice here, although Caltex ordered some early Road Bosses with them. It was a once off spec. The only one I’ve ever seen was driving a generator at Nanutarra RH.
Heavy Eaton diffs weren’t a standard spec usually, due to the price premium over Rockwell.
That said, Eaton 40,000 lbs were reputed to be the equivalent of Rockwell 44,000 lbs.
Star down under.:
Rolls was a pretty uncommon choice here, although Caltex ordered some early Road Bosses with them. It was a once off spec. The only one I’ve ever seen was driving a generator at Nanutarra RH.
SDU We had a Super Hippo with the Rolls fitted ex factory in Perth but Leylands in their wisdom thought the Hippo radiator would handle the job, the Rolls engineers told them they wouldn’t accept warranty on the engine if it had less than one thousand square inch of rad the end result was we had a truck that at night would eat anything else on the road but an hour after the sun came up the billy was boiling which eventually led to a dropped valve.
A shame really I still think fitted into a Crusader chassis it would have been a very good unit in the road train industry at that time.
In the early 70s the double decker trailers were just arriving and the Detroit was struggling so ■■■■■■■ and Mack had it to themselves as high torque engines were needed.
Dig
The 2 Crusaders and the Rolls powered hippo.
Sorry Dig, no offense intended, but Hippos were well before my time. 
The only one I ever saw, was when I was an apprentice. It was being retired by Shell and we were stripping the pumping gear from it.
Are you still in the Territory or Kimberly?
Star down under.:
Sorry Dig, no offense intended, but Hippos were well before my time.
The only one I ever saw, was when I was an apprentice. It was being retired by Shell and we were stripping the pumping gear from it.
Are you still in the Territory or Kimberly?
No problems, SUD,
I would say that Hippo with the Rolls was probably one of the last sold out of the Perth Leyland group and I.m pretty sure that was late 1973,the Crusader with the A/c on the roof we took that in April 1973 although it and the first one purchased were built on the assembly line in Perth in late 1971,the second one stood on the forecourt for 12 months.
We left the Kimberly in the 80s mainly for the kids education but I went back and worked the seasons for several years.
I worked at Shell north Fremantle in 1969 soon after we arrived here as 10 pound poms a good job but I was offered a position at Leylands where they flew me all around WA so I couldn’t refuse.
Which side of the planet are you.
Dig
Just west of Brisbane now, but I worked for Caltex in Pt Hedland.
Not a Crusader but a Scammell anyway. Found it whilst trawling through old editions of “Leyland Torque”. Don’t know if it has been posted before.
Look at the tyres on the Trunker Mk1- about the same width as the rear tyre on a modern motorcycle!
These photos and the little anecdote are courtesy of Dave Stroud who worked for BRS in the mid 70’s driving a Leyland Marathon to Iran. The vandalised Crusader had been dumped in Tehran and Dave brought it back to the UK.
sandway:
These photos and the little anecdote are courtesy of Dave Stroud who worked for BRS in the mid 70’s driving a Leyland Marathon to Iran. The vandalised Crusader had been dumped in Tehran and Dave brought it back to the UK.
Great pics, Sandway! I know lots of day-cabbed ‘ancient Brits’ headed east back in ’75 but it still amazes me that BRS sent down day-cabbed Crusaders. There’s some youtube footage showing glimpses of one (or two) heading down to the Gulf on here somewhere – possibly on this very thread. The demise of this particular Crusader didn’t deter them from setting up their ill-fated Iran service with sleeper-cabbed Marathons a bit later.
Ro
ERF-NGC-European:
sandway:
These photos and the little anecdote are courtesy of Dave Stroud who worked for BRS in the mid 70’s driving a Leyland Marathon to Iran. The vandalised Crusader had been dumped in Tehran and Dave brought it back to the UK.Great pics, Sandway! I know lots of day-cabbed ‘ancient Brits’ headed east back in ’75 but it still amazes me that BRS sent down day-cabbed Crusaders. There’s some youtube footage showing glimpses of one (or two) heading down to the Gulf on here somewhere – possibly on this very thread. The demise of this particular Crusader didn’t deter them from setting up their ill-fated Iran service with sleeper-cabbed Marathons a bit later.
Ro
If it was hired out to a company why was it running in BRS livery?