Scammell Pioneer

Scammell Pioneer
A British Army Scammell Pioneer towing an 8-inch howitzer of 1st Heavy Regiment, near Calais (12 January 1940)
Type	Tractor unit
Place of origin	UK
Service history
In service	1932 - 1980s
Used by	British Army
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Scammell Lorries Ltd
Designed	1927
Produced	1927 - 1945
No. built	3,414
Variants	Heavy artillery tractor, Heavy recovery vehicle & Tank transporter
Specifications
Weight	Unladen: 8.38 long tons (8.51 t) Payload: 2.95 long tons (3.00 t) Max towed: 19.64 long tons (19.96 t)
Length	20 feet 7 inches (6.27 m) Tank transporter: 22 feet (6.7 m), with trailer: 36 feet 6 inches (11.13 m)
Width	8 feet 6 inches (2.59 m) Tank transporter: 9 feet 5 inches (2.87 m)
Height	9 feet 9 inches (2.97 m)
Engine	Gardner 6-cylinder diesel 102 brake horsepower (76 kW) at 1,700 rpm
Transmission	6-speed constant mesh gearbox
Suspension	Walking beam, 6x4
Operational range	430 miles (690 km)
Speed	24 miles per hour (39 km/h)

The Scammell Pioneer was a British 6x4 tractor unit used in the Second World War as an artillery tractor, recovery vehicle and tank transporter.

Designed as a 6×4 off-road vehicle for use in Britain's colonies where sealed roads were scarce, the Pioneer was first produced in 1927. Though lacking all-wheel drive, its combination of a suspension with great travel, excellent traction, and a low-revving engine gave it impressive pulling power on rough ground at low speeds.

Though not designed for military use, the British War Office purchased a single petrol engined example in 1932. Equipped as a tank transporter with a permanently coupled 18t semi-trailer, it was assigned to a training unit but did not initially catch on. Additional transporters were not purchased until 1937.

With the exception of the single 1932 tank transporter, all Pioneers purchased by the British Army were equipped with a 102 bhp Gardner 6 cylinder diesel engine, driving the rear wheels through a constant mesh gearbox and fitted with a power take-off driving a Scammell winch.

Introduced in 1935, the Pioneer R100 heavy artillery tractor was used throughout World War II to tow medium and heavy artillery pieces, it had accommodation for the gun's crew, tools, equipment, and ammunition.

Typical early war use included towing such medium pieces as the 60-pounder, 6-inch howitzer and even the 4.5-inch gun and 5.5-inch howitzer until the AEC Matador medium gun tractor was issued in sufficient numbers. Heavy artillery pieces towed included the 6-inch gun, 8-inch howitzer, 155 mm Long Tom and the 7.2-inch howitzer.