Can I buy one?
truck for the British forces. Although the
Bedford candidate had performed equally
well as its main rival in extensive testing, the
contract eventually went to Leyland DAF –
despite the Army expressing a preference
to continue the trusted relationship with
Bedford trucks.
Personal experience with
the MJ
Going to show my age now, but when I
was serving with 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
our MT was made up of Series III Land
Rovers, Alvis Stalwarts (one of my all-time
favourites and a future article!) and Bedford
MJs. Bear in mind that these vehicles had to
cross terrain that regiments of Challengers,
Chieftans and all manner of other heavy
armour had churned up, in all-weather
conditions, to replenish us with essentials
such as fuel, food and other goodies
(absolutely no beer, honest!). They always
made it through.
My first proper drive of an MJ was
when I was spammed (sorry, volunteered)
to do a stint in MT on an exercise. Fullyloaded, driving at night with just tactical
lighting, we were to rendezvous with a tank
squadron coming in for their fuel and food
requirements. All we had to go on was a sixfigure grid reference on the Saltau-Luneberg
training area and with little sleep, off we
went.
The Bedford MJ never missed a beat
throughout the journey. The ride off road
could best be described as bone shaking
and between exercising my left leg working
the clutch pedal and shifting gears, all I could
see to follow was a tiny convoy light. The MJ
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March 2012
had several steep muddy inclines to surpass
which she crawled up faultlessly, and then
picked up speed going down the other side
crossing tank tracks. While it seemed like
the whole thing was swinging from side to
side with the tailgate chains chinking away
you felt it wasn’t going to let you down, and
no matter what the conditions or terrain you
would get there in the end. After the replen
and with no payload it was back to our start
point to load up and get ready to do it all
again.
And so on it went, two weeks spent
behind the wheel of an MJ.
If I’m honest, at the time I really missed
my Challenger and was glad to get back
behind the tillers of a 70-tonne death and
destruction machine, but retrospectively it’s
an experience that has stayed with me.
The 21st century
Since a majority of MKs/MJs have gone
through the MoD disposal procedure many
trucks have found new lives both at home
and abroad. In the UK, some have been
converted into horse boxes and campers
as well as used by farmers and other
agricultural-based companies. Some have
been bought and run by military enthusiasts
(that’s us) and if you attend any military
show you are guaranteed to see a Bedford
or two.
But many more have traded the roads
and tracks of Western Europe for dust trails
out in Africa and other far-flung lands after
being purchased by United Nations charities
such as Christian Aid, to get food, water and
other humanitarian aid to disaster areas and
throughout the Third World.
The simple answer is: yes, you can!
Withams recently sold off 12 MJs with
HIAB cranes and there are plenty for sale on
Milweb as well as other military/truck/private
ad websites. Expect to pay around £4,000 for
one in OK nick, going up to around £8,000 for
a mint one. As ever do your research – don’t
rush in and buy the first one you see because
it has a great camo paint job!
Parts are readily available and are
still reasonably priced. Everything from
wheel bearings to a complete backend
(and everything in between) is for sale. I
know I say this every month but joining an
association such as the Military Vehicle Trust
(MVT) is always a big help, not just with
sourcing a vehicle and parts but also for help
when it comes to insurance (membership
will get you a large discount from some
companies).
Do your research and speak to owners to
get their viewpoint. If it is a ‘team’ purchase
and costs are split then day to day running
costs are minimal – and how cool is it when
a load of you arrive at your local skirmish site
in something as awesome as one of these
beasts. MPG is not outstanding (hey, it’s
no Prius!) but on £100 of diesel you should
see nigh-on 200 miles depending on how
hard you work it and how much kit you are
carrying. The last thing to say is that you will
need an HGV Class 3 on your license to drive
an unmolested one. If not then the only other
option is to have it worked on and reclassified
down into the same category as a 7.5-ton
truck which you can drive on a car licence.
Summary
The fact they are still working in some of
the harshest climates in the world, some 40
years after they were conceived, is testament
to the Bedford’s design, British engineering,
build quality and reliability. The Bedford MK/
MJ series are often overlooked for more
glamorous military vehicles, but if you want
an affordable, dependable and big piece of
British military history, for less than £10,000,
then these, just as in their 30 year military
working life, will take some beating! ■
Military Vehicle Trust: www.mvt.org.uk
MilWeb: www.milweb.net
Witham Specialist Vehicles:
www.mod-sales.com (at the time of
writing, Witham was selling 50 (yes, 50!)
Bedford MJ Series trucks, with a guide
price of £4,500 plus VAT)