Mark, we always have that many tie rails on those UVB bodies as you start to get star marks along the outside of body ,due to furniture corners being pushed up and damage it , learnt this with the old bodies ,they are light but thin , we also have the stainless steel locking bar on this truck ,on the next one and my next truck for me ,will have two loading bars , great for locking the containers in place and the low one for stopping pallets of tiles (which I carry on mine) from shifting , I might have to have something on the floors so I can ratchet strap as well .
JAKEY:
Mark, we always have that many tie rails on those UVB bodies as you start to get star marks along the outside of body ,due to furniture corners being pushed up and damage it , learnt this with the old bodies ,they are light but thin , we also have the stainless steel locking bar on this truck ,on the next one and my next truck for me ,will have two loading bars , great for locking the containers in place and the low one for stopping pallets of tiles (which I carry on mine) from shifting , I might have to have something on the floors so I can ratchet strap as well .
You have thought about a lot of things there Jakey…it will make the job a lot easier at the end of the day mate…the whole fleet is a credit to you both…
.and nothing better than a well earned pint after hard job on a hot day mate…that Merc is still in mind condition …looks like that all he’s at to do to her is add is name to get.
marktaff , its was a great wagon with us and looks like although its doing far more mileage with Graham its still a good motor, it only had two drivers from new here , only things we had to do was a new set of injectors and we had a mid life repaint and tidy up, but it was great motor ,what let it down was being a 13.5t and it was a 2000ft body ,as you know the loads on removals are getting heavier .
x4hvj , new and undelivered ,built by Mi bodies 2007.
Mark , yes a pint or two is lovely after unloading in the summer , when I took the MAN to Belfast in the Summer ,I did take two porters with me, we went to the pub called "the port side " on the port in Belfast about 2 mins from Stena line ,I bought them a good meal each and a pint ,I left them at 8pm ,telling them both not to late tonight , they came back ■■■■ faced at midnight 
, they had to keep getting out in the night for a ■■■■ which woke me up every time , I loved it though as it had been ages that I had took a big truck for us on a night away .
Onje thing about this job is you can get a shower at the customers house if they are ok with it , some times there take you to the pub for a meal and drink .
I think it was October 16 that there were five of us on a night out in Sheffield in two motors on a Friday night , me and my brother went back to the cab at 10pm ,not sure what time the others came back but they did go clubbing .
JAKEY:
Mark , yes a pint or two is lovely after unloading in the summer , when I took the MAN to Belfast in the Summer ,I did take two porters with me, we went to the pub called "the port side " on the port in Belfast about 2 mins from Stena line ,I bought them a good meal each and a pint ,I left them at 8pm ,telling them both not to late tonight , they came back [zb] faced at midnightOnje thing about this job is you can get a shower at the customers house if they are ok with it , some times there take you to the pub for a meal and drink .
I think it was October 16 that there were five of us on a night out in Sheffield in two motors on a Friday night , me and my brother went back to the cab at 10pm ,not sure what time the others came back but they did go clubbing .
Jakey your right there the 13ton vans especialy with a 2000ft body are getting a bit risky now when fully loaded…like you have pointed out things are getting heavier. …mainly these days what’s in cartons…you know with the 18tonners you have piece of mind…
Night’s out yes we have one or two maily the youngsters never know when they have had enough…like you say up and down then all night taking a leak…myself I’m normaly in bed by 10 to
marktaff:
JAKEY:
Mark , yes a pint or two is lovely after unloading in the summer , when I took the MAN to Belfast in the Summer ,I did take two porters with me, we went to the pub called "the port side " on the port in Belfast about 2 mins from Stena line ,I bought them a good meal each and a pint ,I left them at 8pm ,telling them both not to late tonight , they came back [zb] faced at midnightOnje thing about this job is you can get a shower at the customers house if they are ok with it , some times there take you to the pub for a meal and drink .
I think it was October 16 that there were five of us on a night out in Sheffield in two motors on a Friday night , me and my brother went back to the cab at 10pm ,not sure what time the others came back but they did go clubbing .
Jakey your right there the 13ton vans especialy with a 2000ft body are getting a bit risky now when fully loaded…like you have pointed out things are getting heavier. …mainly these days what’s in cartons…you know with the 18tonners you have piece of mind…
Night’s out yes we have one or two maily the youngsters never know when they have had enough…like you say up and down then all night taking a leak…myself I’m normaly in bed by 10 to
Hi both,it’s better with the cabs now when we did long distance we would sleep in the back of the truck sleeping bags and the blankets over us ,we were in Kelso one night we went into this hotel ordered a pint the landlord asked where we from we told him he moved from Wales to Kelso we had bed breakfast evening meal for nothing as he was glad for Welsh company lovely night had 
You got some lovely trucks jakey like the pics as well
jakey I really admire you removal people I did it when I was 16 17 bloody hard work specially old pianos had one once in Newport on top of post office we had to send for Fred brooks strong as a ox I recon you earn every penny you get regards rowly
Thank you all for the kind comments , yes this job is and always was hard work but there still people with 20/30/40 and 50 years service doing the job, I want to work here forever but I want another 10 years running the joint then im going to be just a driver/porter ,next truck I have for my self will be my last .
JAKEY:
Thank you all for the kind comments , yes this job is and always was hard work but there still people with 20/30/40 and 50 years service doing the job, I want to work here forever but I want another 10 years running the joint then im going to be just a driver/porter ,next truck I have for my self will be my last .
You’re right Steve there are a lot of blokes that won’t do anything but Removals, it’s bloody hard work but is also a good giggle. as you know we had some good blokes on Luker’s & had some great laughs! But you can do the job for a lot of years if you don’t strain yourself trying to be Superman instead of getting someone to give you a lift, & you think about the job, yes brute strength comes into some of it, but very often the way you lift/carry something makes all the difference, with a bit of thought you can lighten the load! My main Porter/mate was Duncan Colwell, strong as an Ox when needed, but he was brilliant with a Map, he used to put me right on the door of every drop, little Antique shops in the centre of Paris/Rome etc etc down little side streets, that’s half the battle if you got someone good to work with, especially when I had the Wagon & Drag, he used to do all the paperwork at the Border’s etc, anything that lightened the load for me & left me to get on with the driving. Chris
Hello chris , yes you are correct about a giggle but hard work , I speak to Duncan most weeks as he is a rep for Simpson packaging .
Marktaff, we started on Nielsens yesterday ,here are a few photos of the two trucks on the job , seven men yesterday ,six men today ,feet are hurting and knackered .
