windrush:
Different horses for different courses. Artics/rigids? Eras? I can only relate to max weight rigid tippers from the 70’s onwards and Foden win by a country mile in my opinion. The truck was designed from the ground up using components manufactured in house (apart from the engine if you dissregard the stroker) whereas the other two just bolted together parts bought in and apart from the cabs were much the same vehicle. Very easy to repair but they did have faults (weak gearboxes was one) and stuck with outdated but reliable worm and wheel diffs and transmission handbrakes while most others were using spring brakes, ie they didn’t move with the times, but they still did the job well enough and most had a long service life. However I think the best Fodens overall were the later Paccar produced ones and they used mostly bought in components as well!Now if Atkinson ‘proper’ used the same chassis as the later Sed Ak 400’s then that was a poor chassis for tipper work and they broke springs and cracked frames regularly, plus they were just too blooming heavy!
Pete.
And here was you just getting into bed with your Horlicks Pete ! Sorry mate you’ll not get much sleep tonight ! Plus you will be having nightmares about Fodens ! Sorry again Mate ! 
Cheers Dennis.