GCR2ERF:
Can anyone offer a definitive guide (such as exhaust type & position, age/reg. year, cab detail etc) on what would determine wether a Buffalo/Octopus/Bison was fitted with the 500-series, L12 or TL11 engine please?My old man drove an R-reg Buffalo, which I always assumed was 500-powered, but would be interested to learn.
In March 1977 Leyland announced that it was phasing out production of 500 series engines, with a time line of “within 3 years”. in reality it was more like 12 months. The L12 became available as an option in the Buffalo in late 1976. The TL11 became available in 1978, there was a naturally aspirated version, the L11 planned, but I never came across one. The Spillers Milling Buffalos I was familiar with in the early 1980s were T and later registrations, with L12 or TL11 engines.
So to answer your question if your dad’s Buffalo was a 1976 R then it is highly likely that it had the 511 engine. If it was a later R reg then it could have been either 511 or L12 powered. The usual exhaust position for the 510 or 511 powered Buffalos was an upright stack mounted behind the cab on the offside. Ironically the 511 version engines were almost right and were the most reliable of the lot, but customer confidence had been lost by then.