robinswh:
I grew up in an 8 wheeler like the two in the photographs but my dads was plated Maudsley . Licence plate HAY492 tipper version new in 1951 scrapped in 1964 amazing vehicle but obsolete in the motorway age max speed 35 mpg .The owner was the whitwick granite company whitwick leicestershire which closed a couple of years ago
Blimey, that was frugal Robin 
Only joking, I know what you meant, made my old Highwayman on Ilkeston haulage fairly speedy by comparison. 38 mph flat out in 6th.
Mind you, did a lot more than that in Super 7th. 
Those big 8-wheel (half) vans were very common in those days, I think mainly from Yorkshire. Was the open part of the roof for carrying bales or something?