Lorries with 13-speed Fuller Roadranger 'boxes

Not really fuller roadranger, but it reminded me of a story from my youth. (I have driven 9 and 13 speed fullers) - ‘4 bars, 6 bars, big mother******s that go Tschh when you hit the brakes!’ I bought my first lorry to carry timber from the borders, mainly to Wigan, in 1969. This was on behalf of my uncle Jack. Jack had worked for George C Croasdale, driving a Leyland Beaver pole trailer and then became manager of George junior’s St Boswell’s mill before leaving to set up on his own. We used to move around the borders with the ‘fellers’ in caravans cutting the timber and me in my Leyland Comet, then in a BMC 6 wheeler, followed by a Mastiff Artic, carrying it South.

I shared a Caravan with Jack when on site and he used to regale me with trucking stories. Once, when he was manager at Croasdale’s mill, George had asked him to visit someone in George’s E type Jag. Jack was wearing wellingtons. He could tell a tale better than me, but there was a good straight as you left the yard and Jack’s foot got stuck on the accelerator beneath the brake and the vision of him fishtailing down the A7 at 120 mph, trying to extricate the wellies has stayed with me!

John.