A few years ago, at my request, Martin Phippard sent me an envelope with a dozen fine pictures of Sugar Tankers. I thought it was a good opportunity to start a thread about that kind of lorry.
that looks like a syrup tanker , the length of the pipe carrier and the box on the chassis would probably be a discharge pump . no sign of a tipping ram either . dave
Well spotted, Rigsby.
Would my powder tanker count, given that I regularly loaded sugar after the customary “Quick Brush-out”!. 
Thanks. Now, this one is definitely a tipper, and subsequently carrying powder sugar, I guess!
Retired Old ■■■■:
Well spotted, Rigsby.
Would my powder tanker count, given that I regularly loaded sugar after the customary “Quick Brush-out”!.
we got a load of the ex tate and lyle tanks when the ici cement job took off . welded up where the front loading hatch had been , they were useless on cement as they only had 3 ram tippers and the cement wouldn’t slide to the back . most of them had longer rams fitted eventually .
I did a bit with sugar tankers when I was at BRS. They had some blue lorries painted up in the colours of the British Sugar Corporation; based at Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich. The Bury fleet was P and R reg Leyland Buffaloes. Ipswich had some old Foden 8 wheelers. Turners of Soham also had AEC Mandators painted up in BSC blue. Another lot was Silver Roadways, part of Tate and Lyle, they had a fleet based at Bury St Edmunds that used to take raw sugar from Peterborough down to Sivertown for refining. This was in about 1976-77.
How raw sugar was shifted in Aus.
The bins were originally designed for rail wagons, horrid things only about 7’ wide so trailers had to be specially made.
A bin tared at 1-ton and carried 5-ton of raw sugar.
Early days of single bins was in the late 50’s when bagged sugar finished up and bulk handling took over. Those were crazy days, Hell Drivers had nothing on those trucks. The more you carted, the more $$ you made. Quite a few accidents but then things finally got organised and it became a taxi run, 6-days a week.
As production increased, the loads got bigger, hence two bins and later three.
Then in late 70’s the bin concept was dumped in favour of tarped-top tipping semis and these days it’s purpose built alloy “B” double side tipping semis grossing 65t.
Bit of a jump from the Austin Loadstar.
Don’t have many photos, was too expensive back then.
Ended up with all Ergos, but can’t find any photos with them and bins on, had moved to 8mm movie by then.
A keen eye will see the odd offset of the combing rails, mudguards chopped etc. to suit the crazy bin width.
Interesting to see how transport could be achieved using different ways according to the country! I suppose the Commer (18 ton load) had a more powerful engine than the Rootes TS3?
I must confess that, if I have very good recollection of British sugar tankers during the period I lived in London (1965-73), I have no idea how sugar was carried in France, my own country. Certainly as syrup in standard food tanks. Possibly the powder was packed where it was produced.
robert1952:
0
Sweeteners? Then probably just chemicals such as Aspartam. I never saw that scale model before; Leyland Octopus?
Froggy55:
robert1952:
0Sweeteners? Then probably just chemicals such as Aspartam. I never saw that scale model before; Leyland Octopus?
Or molasses? And yes, Octopus - looks like a Dinky! Robert
I’ve got a “Matchbox” model of a Tate and Lyle 8 wheeler somewhere from my 1st childhood.
As far as I can remember it’s still full of sugar too! 
Froggy55:
Interesting to see how transport could be achieved using different ways according to the country! I suppose the Commer (18 ton load) had a more powerful engine than the Rootes TS3?I must confess that, if I have very good recollection of British sugar tankers during the period I lived in London (1965-73), I have no idea how sugar was carried in France, my own country. Certainly as syrup in standard food tanks. Possibly the powder was packed where it was produced.
No, just the small 100hp two stroke although some operators had the later 135hp model. When the two strokes eventually wore out they were often repowered with a 6V53 GM.
Reason was the road from that particular mill crossed a low load limit bridge, originally a 10-ton load limit. (single bin days)
Then pressure from the milling company had the limit increased to 20t per traffic lane per span. (two bins)
The bridge scored some upgrades and we were then granted special permits to carry 28-ton per traffic lane per span, thus the very light tare weight prime movers.
Legal load was 16t on the spread, 8t on the drive and only 4 t on the steer back then. Had to be careful when loading as it was very easy to have 30+t all up.
Other mills had no such problem and could use “real” trucks although “B” doubles were not yet around and large dog trailers weren’t as popular as they are today. The unloading facility was also a limiting factor with only 4-overhead cranes and the weigh bridge designed for the length of a 4-bin combination.
Biggest units were 4-bins with a 2-bin Octopus or Mandator up front towing a 2-bin (2-axle) dog trailer.
That same company started out pulling 1-bin on a petrol Bedford (as per the OP’s first photo) and towing the same two bin dog trailer. Lots of accidents with that combination, vacuum brakes and only the rear axle on the dog braked.
Still out pulled my AEC Monarch though and all grossing the same 28t.
Not sure why those UK trucks were carting juice. Here it makes economic sense to keep production all in the one factory so juice is fugled to give raw sugar and molasses. The process needs steam and power which are readily available at the mill. Small juice mills were popular back in the 19th century, but the economics soon had everything under the one roof.
One mill here takes it to the next level and refines to white sugar, some others produce ethanol.
Of course we also have the Bundy rum distillery.
Just a question: out of what is produced sugar in Australia? Cane or beetroot?
Sugar cane.
Froggy55:
Thanks. Now, this one is definitely a tipper, and subsequently carrying powder sugar, I guess!0
I think Martin mentioned it as a MkII Mammoth Major. Would it then be a pre-WW II model? Single or twin axle drive? Probably powered by an A 185 engine developing 125 bhp. Any idea of the gross laden weight of such a lorry + trailer? Fleet number 203, the same as the Bedford.
It is more probably a Mk.III as bulk powder transport didn’t start until after WW2. (There was an interim model AEC Mammoth Major produced 1946 to 1948 based on a Mk.Ii with 9.6 litre engine). All eight-wheeler and drags were for 32 tons gvw following a relaxation of legislation in 1942 that allowed an eight-wheeler to pull a trailer for the first time. Previously only four wheelers and six wheelers could pull drawbar trailers. That legislation lasted for 40 years in the UK. The first bulk flour tankers were used in 1952. Incidentally there is a big difference between cane and beet sugar in bulk. Cane sugar is much more sticky. A week on Tate and Lyle work out of Silvertown could leave up to a ton of sugar stuck in the tank and a washout needed.
Retired Old ■■■■:
Well spotted, Rigsby.
Would my powder tanker count, given that I regularly loaded sugar after the customary “Quick Brush-out”!.
how did you blow sugar ? i would have thought free air only no use of the rear pads . i know on plastic granules that was how it had to be done or it got too hot and the granules blocked up , so it would follow that sugar could do the same . dave
