Bedford RL: the British Army’s medium lorry

The Bedford RL was the British Armed Forces’ main medium lorry, built by Bedford from the mid-1950s until the late 1960s. It was based on the civilian Bedford S type, superseded the Bedford QL and was in turn superseded by the Bedford MK.

Bedford RL at a glance

History of the Bedford RL

From the SCL

The RL was based on the Bedford SCL, a civilian 7-ton truck. The military version had all-wheel drive and bigger wheels to increase ground clearance. Originally conservatively rated at 3 tons, all RL general service trucks in British military service were re-rated at 4 tons at a late stage in their service lives without any mechanical modifications, the weight referring to the rated cross-country payload. The first RL was completed in May 1951, and the last rolled off the production line in the early 1970s, by which time 73,135 had been produced.

The RL was powered by a 4.927-litre petrol engine producing 110-133 bhp, although some were fitted with diesel engines. The cab held a driver and a passenger and had a roof hatch for a machine gun. The load bed was 4.26 m long and 2.18 m wide. The vehicle came on a long or short wheelbase: the RL, where L stands for long, had a wheelbase of 3.96 m, while the RS, for short, had 3.35 m. The fuel tanks held 118 litres, giving a range of about 400 km.

Variants and service

Many specialist variants were built, including recovery vehicles, mobile workshops, radio vans and cable layers. The Green Goddess fire engine was also based on the RL; more than 3,000 were made between 1953 and 1956 for the Home Office, with the first 1,300 rear-wheel-drive examples using the 110 hp engine and a 1,800-litre water tank, and 1,800 four-wheel-drive vehicles with the 130 hp engine and a smaller tank. The Home Office also kept a large number of RLs in reserve for national emergencies; all have since been disposed of, many with less than 2,000 miles on the clock.

The RL and its variants continued to serve alongside the later Bedford MK and Bedford TM trucks until well into the 1990s. Outside Britain the type served in Belgium, Ireland, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Pakistan and South Africa. In Malaysia it was used from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, and in Singapore from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s. New Zealand used the RL as its main medium truck from 1958 to 1989, built under licence and replaced by the Unimog family. In Australia, R series Bedfords served Victoria’s Country Fire Authority as 800-gallon four-wheel-drive bushfire tankers.

Design and features

• 4×4 military version: all-wheel drive and bigger wheels for ground clearance, based on the 7-ton SCL.
• Petrol six: a 4.927-litre engine of 110-133 bhp, with diesel fitted to some vehicles.
• Re-rated payload: originally 3 tons, later 4 tons without mechanical changes.
• Long and short wheelbase: the RL at 3.96 m and the RS at 3.35 m.
• Green Goddess: the Home Office fire engine version, with more than 3,000 built.

Bedford RL versions

• RL general service: the standard cargo lorry with canopy.
• Recovery vehicle: with a crane and winch.
• Mobile workshop: a workshop body for field repairs.
• Radio van: a signals body.
• Cable layer: for laying communications cable.
• Green Goddess: the Home Office fire engine.
• RS: the short-wheelbase version.
• Australian bushfire tanker: an 800-gallon 4×4 tanker used by Victoria’s Country Fire Authority.

The RL replaced the Bedford QL and was itself replaced by the Bedford MK. More military Bedfords are in the Bedford collection.

Sources

• Bedford RL, English Wikipedia: history, engine, variants, users
• Bedford RL, German Wikipedia: production and variants
• Bedford RL, Dutch Wikipedia: dimensions, Green Goddess, exports