Now here's a fne looking machine! Biglorryblog's 'Good man in Africa' Jerry Burley is back after a break and says: "I noticed with interest a mention of one of these recently on a BLBlog post. We have recently disposed of one such unit ourselves, which as you may be able to see from the plate spent a (difficult) period in Southern (New)
Jerry continues: "Just yesterday it was enjoying a comprehensive 5-litre 'yellow' [paint] rebuild before rain stopped play. Looks like the operators seat may have a small tear in the fabric too..... Eager Beaver used to mean an active end to a good night out when I was significantly younger but I have no idea of the origins of the name when applied to this strange machine."
He then adds:" I honestly never paid ours a seconds attention, as it arrived with a bunch of other stuff we inherited a few years back and we never used it once, but I have been told (correctly or otherwise, as the military to my knowledge don't often design and build vehicles themselves) that these were built by British Army apprentices (or again whatever the correct name was at the time) in the 1970's."
"The main ladder chassis as can be seen is fabricated from billet and section steel and the engine looks suspiciously Perkins (or is it Long Repair 2.25 under an inch of yellow disguise - I cant remember?) diseasall, with again what to me look like Bedford RL/TK shortened 4wd axles driven through a Bedford drop box. Pathetic how little I know about it really, but then I set the lowest of personal standards and invariably fail to achieve them......"
Apparently, says Jerry, the Eager Beaver has "Very low capacity in terms of lift (well under 2 tonnes I think they were rated at) but quite handy off road for small loads and could even pull a small trailer between work sites and of course bits are still relatively easy to find - even in 
Here's what makes it go...
And here's the yard too. Thanks JB and if anyone knows anything about Eager Beavers (the forktruck not the other) post a comment....
The Eager Beaver was built by ROF Nottingham using a Perkins 4.236 engine and Bedford RL transmission parts etc. Jerry's example is quite an early model as later ones had a tubular steel roll cage added around the driver's seat (apparently after a visit from your friends in Elfin Safety!)
Short history of the type and a bit about my ones.
http://www.hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?t=10336