The HGV MOT Test, my experiences!

windrush:
At Tilcon’s Ballidon quarry, in 1975 when I started there, they had a fleet of 40+eight wheeler Fodens. Mostly tippers but a lot of powder tankers as well. We also repaired the Fodens based at Kevin quarry in Staffordshire plus three sand tankers based at Cornets End, Meriden. Apart from a handful of S39’s the majority were S50 half cabs and S80’s and the oldest were on J plates. Tilcon had a six year replacement policy, at Ballidon a driver usually had a new truck every three years and his old one passed onto one of the other quarries to end its days!

Being a large fleet we had a test almost every week, usually a set booking on a thursday. A truck would come off the road on friday, steamed off on saturday morning ready for me to inspect it on monday morning. Then the fitters would set about it, all front brakes were stripped and cleaned and more often than not the balance beams and shackles would require replacement. The old ones were sent away to be rebuilt with bronze weld on the worn faces and new bushes pressed in. Any tidying/welding up of the body would be done and if the driver hadn’t booked a holiday, or there was no spare lorry, he would be set on painting the bumper and fuel tank etc. When work was completed I would load 15 tonnes on its back (we always took them laden for test) and take it for a good run round to warm the brakes up and check for any leaks, then readjust the brakes (previously tested on the rollers to make sure they all actually worked!) and it was ready to roll!

Derby (Raynesway) was our preferred station and they got to know me and the fleet (as Cav said, being a regular) and knew that there wouldn’t normally be anything drastically wrong. Handbrakes on the S50 and S39 chassis was the weak point, being only a transmission drum working on the third axle the rollers couldn’t be used so the truck had to go up the ramp. I carried a short length of scaffold pile to give extra leverage on the lever as despite the brake being stripped and relined etc they barely held a loaded truck anyway. So once up the ramp, place scaffold pipe over lever, stand up in the cab and pull like hell! Of course I then had to swing my legs out of the cab door to prove I wasn’t using the footbrake and then, when all was well, the fun started trying to get the bloody handbrake off again!!! :unamused: “Come on driver, back her down” was the request, and five minutes later after much straining of muscles I was back down again haha. :laughing:

Occasionally though things did go wrong, and some station staff caused problems as well. More later!

Pete.

Hi Pete so the ramps were in all test stations then, IIRC TK’s had transmission hand brakes too, Buzzer