Bedford RL
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bedford RL | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Bedford |
| Production | 1953–early 1970s |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Commercial vehicle, military vehicle |
| Body style | chassis cab, flatbed, troop carrier, fire engine, recovery vehicle |
| Layout | Longitudinal front engine, rear-wheel drive (4x2), or four-wheel drive (4x4) |
| Related | Bedford S type, Bedford RLHZ Self Propelled Pump, aka Green Goddess |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 4.9 L 110 bhp I6 petrol |
| Transmission | 4-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 3.962 m (13 ft 0 in) |
| Length | 6.36 m (20 ft 10 in) |
| Width | 2.39 m (7 ft 10 in) |
| Height | 2.602 m (8 ft 6.4 in) (at cap) |
| Kerb weight | 4.4 tons (empty) |
The Bedford RL was the British military's main medium lorry, built by Bedford from the mid-1950s until the late 1960s. The lorry was based on the civilian Bedford S type, first introduced in 1950. They superseded the Bedford QL, and were in turn superseded by the Bedford MK/MJ.
The Bedford 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 GS (general service) trucks in British Military service were, at a late stage in their service lives, re-rated at 4 tons without any mechanical modifications; the weight referring to its rated cross country payload weight. The last RL rolled off the production line in the early 1970s, a total of 74,000 being produced.[1]
Engine
The RL was powered by a 4.927 litres (300.7 cu in) petrol engine producing 110–133 brake horsepower (82–99 kW; 112–135 PS), although some were fitted with diesel engines.
Variants
Many specialist variants were also built; including recovery vehicles, mobile workshops, radio vans and cable layers. The Green Goddess fire engine was also based on the RL.
The RL and variants continued to serve alongside the later Bedford MK and Bedford TM trucks until well into the 1990s.
The Home Office also purchased a large number of these vehicles, kept in reserve for any national emergency. All have now since been disposed of, many having less than 2,000 miles (3,220 km) on the clock.
In Australia, R series Bedfords were used during the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s by Victoria's Country Fire Authority (CFA). They were built as 800 gallon water capacity, 4 wheel drive bushfire tankers and designated "State Spare Tankers". Considerably larger and with greater water capacity than CFA's standard Bedford, Leyland, BMC, Austin and International brand rural fire attack tankers, they were spread thinly throughout the state to bolster their smaller workmates. Most were painted in CFA's standard "Carnation (dark) Red". They were fitted with rear-mounted, British-built Godiva pumps rated at approximately 2,250 litres per minute output.
