Bedford RL

Bedford RL
Owerview
Manufacturer	Bedford (General Motors)
Production	1953–early 1970s
Bouk an chassis
Cless	Commercial vehicle, military vehicle
Body style	chassis cab, flatbed, troop carrier, fire engine, recovery vehicle
Layoot	Longitudinal front engine, rear-wheel drive (4x2), or four-wheel drive (4x4)
Relatit	Bedford RLHZ Self Propelled Pump, aka Green Goddess
Powertrain
Ingine	4.9 L 110 bhp I6 petrol
Transmission	4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	3.962 metres
Lenth	6.36 metres
Weenth	2.39 metres
Hicht	2.602 metres (at cap)
Crib wecht	4.4 tons (empty)

Bedford 4WD chassis cab wi a chassis mounted drilling rig bi Ruston-Bucyrus

The Bedford RL wis the Breetish military's main medium larrie, biggit bi Bedford Vehicles, frae the mid-1950s until the late 1960s. Thay superseded the Bedford QL.

History

The Bedford RL wis based on the Bedford SCL, a civilian 7-ton truck. The military version haed aw wheel drive an bigger wheels tae increase grund clearance. Oreeginally conservatively rated at 3 tons, aw RL GS (general service) trucks in Breetish Military service war, at a late stage in thair service lives, re-rated at 4 tons wioot ony mechanical modifications; the wecht referring tae its rated cross kintra payload wecht. The last RL rolled off the production line in the early 1970s, a tot o 74,000 bein produced.

Design

The RL wis pouered bi a 4.9 litre (299.0 cu in) petrol ingine producin 110 brake horsepower (82 kW; 112 PS), awtho some war fitted wi diesel ingines.

Variants

Mony specialist variants war an aw biggit; includin recovery vehicles, mobile workshops, radio vans an cable layers. The Green Goddess fire ingine wis an aw based on the RL.

The RL an variants continued tae serve alongside the later Bedford MK an Bedford TM trucks until well intae the 1990s.

The Home Office an aw purchased a lairge nummer o thir vehicles, kept in reserve for ony naitional emergency. Aw hae syne been disposed o, mony haein less nor 2,000 mile (3,220 km) on the clock.

In Australie, R series Bedfords war uised during the 1960s, 1970s an early 1980s bi Victoria's Country Fire Authority (CFA). Thay war biggit as 800 gallon watter capacity, 4 wheel drive bushfire tankers an designated "State Spare Tankers". Considerably lairger an wi greater watter capacity than CFA's standard Bedford, Leyland, BMC, Austin an Internaitional brand rural fire attack tankers, thay war spread thinly throughout the state tae bolster thair smawer workmates. Most war painted in CFA's standard "Carnation (dark) Red". Thay war fitted wi rear-mounted, Breetish-biggit Godiva pumps rated at approximately 2,250 litres per minute output.