robroy:
Punchy Dan:
robroy:
Punchy Dan:
I am badge snob Norb , it has to say Foden or ERF / ■■■■■■■ or I not interested ,I’ll no mention gearboxes 
Speaking as somebody who has both owned and driven numerous ERFs and swore by ■■■■■■■ once over Dan, ( and no offence here btw) do you not think it’s a bit like owning and running a Ford Cortina when you could run a modern top range Mondeo ?
As much as I liked them at the time, personally there is no way in hell I would swap my modern truck for one now
True , but having not driven foreign lorries I know no better ,not that I would expect a driver to drive my wagon when better is possibly avalible ,however for me it’s about whats left out the job .
Right I see, but do you mean you have never driven one as a driver on one, or that you have never had a go in one ever ?
If it’s the second option, …Christ would you find a difference !
It’s a bit like this, same thing, same principle but…
1
0
Get my drift ? 
lol ,err fh12 m reg ,03 Daf 95 /85 ,fl10 .then ERF EC various ERF and my Foden ,Dennis ,commer ,cargo ,ford d,ooh and a merc of some type ,hey I’ve not had a digi card yet !
robroy:
The memorable ‘very much of their time’ trucks were imo.
Sed Atk 401 290E ■■■■■■■■ 13 spd Fuller box.
Ford Transcontinental…as above.
Daf 2800 DKS Superspace.
Leyland Roadtrain ‘Interstate’
Scania 111
Volvo 86.
Volvo 88.
Seddon Atki Stratocruiser.
DAF 95
Iveco Turbostar…very much ahead of it’s time.
Scania 143 450…best truck I have driven.
SedAtk 401…Most hated thing ever by me, sodding hated every mile I drove in it, the box was the most OK bit of it !
Give me an F12 Globetrotter anyday.
Got to be the Foden in my avatar pic, had it new in May 86 and drove it until November 1996 when it was sold to an OD. It never broke down (except once under warranty, but that was down to a Foden factory mechanics cockup!) and did me well over one million Ks. Rolls 265 Li engine. Never driven, or even sat in, a non British built truck, my driving days were spent in one Sed Ak 400 eight legger with a Gardner 201/Fuller nine speed (very comfy cabwise, but it had the turning circle of the QE2 and broke road springs on a monthly basis!) and four totally different Fodens with Rolls, Perkins and ■■■■■■■ L10 engines.
Pete.
3 wheeler:
robroy:
The memorable ‘very much of their time’ trucks were imo.
Sed Atk 401 290E ■■■■■■■■ 13 spd Fuller box.
Ford Transcontinental…as above.
Daf 2800 DKS Superspace.
Leyland Roadtrain ‘Interstate’
Scania 111
Volvo 86.
Volvo 88.
Seddon Atki Stratocruiser.
DAF 95
Iveco Turbostar…very much ahead of it’s time.
Scania 143 450…best truck I have driven.
SedAtk 401…Most hated thing ever by me, sodding hated every mile I drove in it, the box was the most OK bit of it !
Give me an F12 Globetrotter anyday.
I was an owner driver at the time, parts were a quarter of the price of an F12 Gobstopper, and I had the best of both worlds, cheap to run and a Superspace cab conversion. 
Must be two of the best ever. Volvo F serie and Scania 3 serie.
The black one was mine,never ever failed me. But doing Norway and had 30000kg steel from Finland on the trailer and only 320hp it was abit gutless… but it did the job and did it werry good to.
The previous generation FH is one of the best trucks ever built in my opinion and in time will come to be remembered as such.
For me our Merc SK 1944 S, V8, pull as hell. Better than 1850 LS.
His fuel consumption was so much.
Volvo F10-F12, and MAN 19.321 were a great trucks too.
Best truck ever?
Simple (and I fully appreciate that this will tell you all you need to know)…
(Drum roll, please…)
Alvis Stalwart!!
Goes anywhere – and I mean-- Anywhere!
(Even fully amphibious)
Dog to work on - but who cares!
One of the first trucks I ever drove and fell in love immediately: so much so that I still have one to this day!
robroy:
0
BXI ? Northern irish motor (at some stage )
beefy4605:
robroy:
0
BXI ? Northern irish motor (at some stage )
Private plate taken off my BXi Citroen at the time.
It was an A reg 1984 (A423 GFA) bought from Plevins of Manchester, the wood chip sawdust outfit.
Started it’s life as a 8 Xlb 300 Gardner, we put a ■■■■■■■ 290E in it, and sold the Gardner for export with a ‘picked up’ piston for …2 Grand 
to Walsh and Dearden Blackburn.
Punchy Dan:
I am badge snob Norb , it has to say Foden or ERF / ■■■■■■■ or I not interested ,I’ll no mention gearboxes
Sadly they are no more …euro manufacturers bought them and killed them
Juddian:
norb:
Love this post juddain …Your not a badge man ,you like a vehicle for what it does …unlike the modern driver who wants to drive a badge for the ego ,not for the job
Funnily enough Norb, you being a Daf maniacal chap and all that 
, the last manual lorry i had for a decent spell was a 57 plate CF460 with that crackin little 16 speed box, i really rated that motor and was sad to see it go cos that’s probably the last manual motor i shall get to drive unless i change jobs (unlikely), it was chuckable, it pulled like a bloody train too and where this modern stuff with auto boxes are frustrating as hell at junctions that thing just romped away.
(I’ve driven same spec CF’s with Arsetronic and it ruins the lorry, same as Axor 430 (as mentioned above), with manual 4 over 4 it’s good working lorry with massive torque from 800rpm, put merc’s auto box in it is just tragic 
)
Tell you what that CF reminded me of now i think of it, that 1973 (M reg) Leyland Buffalo, a free revving eager engine mated to a lovely useable gearbox with just about perfect gear ratios for the engine characteristics, no kudos whatsoever of course but who cares, i like lorries that were designed to do a job and give the driver some real lorry driving pleasure made the job not only satisfying but enjoyable too, if that doesn’t sound too corny , Scammel Crusaders with Rolls engines were similar, lovely Fuller box exhaust stack up the back of the cab same as Buffalo, so you tried to make all your gearchanges clean cos other drivers would be watching the smoke trails over the load for any missed changes .
I suppose what i miss is having to drive the things not just point them, i take other’s points about ease of use and all that and not living in the past, but i’m honestly of the opinion that if the job (loads as well as lorries) required some skill and hard mucky work there wouldn’t be half as many numpties in the game and the wages wouldn’t be stagnant, and as a bonus it would ■■■■■■■■ up agencies completely.
There is a rumour that AS Tronic may be obsolete and ZF have a new box in the pipeline …wether it is any better I do not know and we wont until it is in the hands of drivers
I guess you mean the rolls EAGLE DIESEL…I did my class 2 in an old AEC ,the big old ratchet handbrake ,for some reason the lights always changed when you had the handbrake half on lol…no synchros whatsoever ,no self cancelling indicators ,no home comforts ,to stop the engine you pulled the accelerator pedal back with your foot lol…All 50s technology
Thanks for all the suggestions. The article will be on our blog next week.
AndrewG:
Was it the Magirus Deutz V8. If so, 17litre twin turbo air cooled monster of an engine
.
I had an Iveco Turbostar with a V8, it was a downrated to 380BHP but still pulled well.
As a late addition,
I was impressed with my F88, but then after an Atkinson Borderer it was a step up.
I also admit to a sneaky liking for the Sudden Accident 401, for a sleeper it was
a) roomier than the 88
b) easier to access
c) actually drove better, overall it had a good feel to it…well it was new !
ERF B series (Factory sleeper)
Probably the best brakes on a truck of that period ever. Coupled with a ■■■■■■■ and a Fuller box it was good for its time.
Volvo F7 First class little motor, heaps better than its predecessor the F86.
F10/12
probably the most perfect trucks from the late 1970’s and eighties.
Early FH12
Superb vehicles, not had a Volvo since I’m afraid, so cannot comment on the newer marks.
Scania 113
Again, a good made truck.
Current ride is a R450 topline and i cant find anything wrong with it, its not perfect but everything works and works well.
