Scammell tractor units: articulated haulage from 1920 to the S26

Scammell built articulated lorries from the very beginning: its first tractor unit of 1920 was a six-wheeler whose low axle weight let it carry 7.5 tonnes at 12 mph instead of the 5 mph limit of the day. Over the next sixty years the Watford works produced a long line of tractor units, from the Highwayman and Handyman of the Leyland years to the Contractor, Crusader, S24 and S26.

Scammell tractor units at a glance

There is no separate Wikipedia article on Scammell tractor units as a class; this page gathers what the company articles say about them.

History of the Scammell tractor units

The first articulated Scammell

Scammell began as a wheelwright and coachbuilder in Spitalfields, London, and moved into motor vehicles through the repair of Foden steam wagons. A customer who had imported a Knox Automobile tractor from the United States persuaded the firm to build something similar, and although the First World War stopped the project, George Scammell’s great-nephew, Lieutenant-Colonel Alfred Scammell, returned from the army and began developing an articulated six-wheeler. At the 1920 Commercial Motor Show Scammell took 50 orders for the design: its very low axle weight let it carry a 7.5-tonne payload legally at 12 mph rather than being limited to 5 mph. Production started in 1920, and in July 1922 the business was floated as Scammell Lorries Ltd with a new factory at Tolpits Lane, Watford.

The Leyland years

After the Second World War, foreign competition and the rationalisation of British manufacturers brought Scammell into Leyland Motors in 1955. Access to group components allowed the “lightweight” range to be replaced by the Highwayman, a bonneted 4×2; the Routeman, a forward-control eight-wheeler; and the Handyman, a forward-control 4×2. Both tractor units could be configured for trains of up to 50 tonnes and, with the full range of Scammell trailers made at the Moor Park works, they kept the company in the specialist and military markets.

Heavy tractors of the 1960s and after

The factory also designed the 6×4 Contractor, equipped with a Cummins 335 engine, a Lipe clutch and a Fuller semi-automatic gearbox, which went into production in 1964; offered with Leyland 24-tonne or Scammell 30- and 40-tonne bogies, it was popular in Britain for operation at 240 tonnes gross train weight and more. From 1968 came the Crusader, a 4×2 or 6×4 tractor in civilian use and, in army service, a 6×4 tractor for 35-tonne trailers and 30-tonne tank bridge transporters. The last two Scammell tractor ranges were the S24, specified from 40 tonnes gross vehicle weight to more than 200 tonnes train weight, and the S26 in 4×2, 6×2 and 6×4 form, built from Leyland Roadtrain components. The Watford works closed in July 1988.

Design and features

• Low axle weight: the 1920 design carried 7.5 tonnes legally at 12 mph instead of 5 mph.
• Fifty-tonne trains: the post-1955 Highwayman and Handyman could haul up to 50 tonnes with Scammell trailers.
• Scammell trailers: the Moor Park works built a full range to match the tractor units.
• Heavy haulage: the Contractor was rated for 240 tonnes gross train weight and more.

Scammell tractor units versions

• Highwayman and Handyman: the post-1955 tractor units, rated at up to 50 tonnes.
• Contractor: the 6×4 heavy tractor of 1964 with Cummins power.
• Crusader: the 4×2 and 6×4 tractors from 1968.
• S24: the heavy tractor and tank transporter of the late 1970s.
• S26: the 4×2, 6×2 and 6×4 tractors of the 1980s.

Individual tractor models are described in the Highwayman, Handyman, Crusader, S24 and S26 articles. More lorries are in the Scammell collection.

Sources

• Scammell, English Wikipedia: 1920 articulated six-wheeler, post-1955 range, Contractor
• Scammell, French Wikipedia: 50-tonne tractor rating, Crusader and S24/S26 details
• Scammell Crusader, Dutch Wikipedia: army tractor versions and load ratings