-5 lol…the pressures on ya when its in the-20s ,trying to wash the shutes ,wash in and hope you blew the lines out properly.
same ■■■■ different continent.
jimmy
JIMBO47:
-5 lol…the pressures on ya when its in the-20s ,trying to wash the shutes ,wash in and hope you blew the lines out properly.
jimmy
Do your plants have heat pipes/elements so you can run in that sort of temperature? The plant in the pic is a patched up late '50s dinosaur, although is one of their busiest plants; “a new plant is coming this year!” (for the last couple of years apparently)
Muckaway:
-5 this morning at Cassington…which is why I’m parked on the aggregate silo…
… the cold didn’t do the valve any good.
Looks like they got caught out ! water cannot freeze in a drained out system (overnight) and who would (or should) lay concrete at below freezing temps.-----------toshboy
aye we have a boiler for the water …starts up end of november ,lol…extra charge …They close down the sattelite depot and bring the mobile boiler home (fitted in a 53fter) as a spare for the main yrd.
mind you most of the contracters finnish up for the winter end of nov. so only big jobs done in winter …eg windturbines…
we finished up at xmas thank goodness as temps are -23c -+ windchill now…
when running in low temps we check temps before leaving yrd ,we fill side tanks with boiling water and usualy after mixing barrel temp around 23c and with quick set added.
soooo 2 long service guys left to help mechanic set trucks up for next season (springtime),tha rest o us on unemployment till starts back up.
not as bad as it seems as we get 70% of average pay ,and take holidays…all the drivers have over 15yrs min wi company ,most over 25yrs ,just me on2yrs and a guy on 1.5yrs
when we start back noone takes holidays ,av hrs about 60 a wk ,time and a half after 42 ,sat x2,no sun,bank holidays worked ever…most sats off.
did my first yr only on redimix to learn the job ,their way lol…now 90% on rd wi B-train hauling sand ,stone…everybody on mixers when big pours on ,even office staff.hehe.
jimmy
drewster:
Muckaway:
Smiths Concretes’ are all company owned Drewster. They’ve got plants at Banbury (Head office), Bubbenhall (concrete, mortar and quarry although quarry is almost exhausted), Warwick (ex Pioneer), Atherstone on Stour (Stratford, nextdoor to where those 4 firemen died at that fruit packing depot), Cassington (Oxford plant) and Blackthorn (Bicester). The previous batcher at Blackthorn, the late Malcolm “Goosey” Robbins was into railways and and as Blackthorn is on the site of the old station used to have pictures up everywhere of it in the days of steam. He used to have a garden at the plant in true railwaymen style growing fruit and veg until the Health and Safety Police stopped himHis lawnmower was a nanny goat called “Mountfield” who was tethered on a system of ropes and pulleys so all the grass got cut evenly. Dads’ regular job is running aggregates into Blackthorn and would tease the goat by standing where the rope stopped and waving cakes and biscuits at her…until one day Goosey lengthened the goats’ rope and Dad came flying through the batch cabin door about a foot infront of an angry goat
great story about the goat muckaway ,somebody told me once that smiths are half owned by hanson,dont know if its true or not
Is there still a chap called Barry at the Warwick plant,he was there in Pioneer days,he worked at the Coventry plant at bayton road,
garth67:
drewster:
Muckaway:
Smiths Concretes’ are all company owned Drewster. They’ve got plants at Banbury (Head office), Bubbenhall (concrete, mortar and quarry although quarry is almost exhausted), Warwick (ex Pioneer), Atherstone on Stour (Stratford, nextdoor to where those 4 firemen died at that fruit packing depot), Cassington (Oxford plant) and Blackthorn (Bicester). The previous batcher at Blackthorn, the late Malcolm “Goosey” Robbins was into railways and and as Blackthorn is on the site of the old station used to have pictures up everywhere of it in the days of steam. He used to have a garden at the plant in true railwaymen style growing fruit and veg until the Health and Safety Police stopped himgreat story about the goat muckaway ,somebody told me once that smiths are half owned by hanson,dont know if its true or not
Is there still a chap called Barry at the Warwick plant,he was there in Pioneer days,he worked at the Coventry plant at bayton road,
I think so; When Warwick changed to Smiths Concrete, the ods there had their lorries (Leyland Daf 75s) painted in Smiths colours…One of them is now used (in a very rough state) off road by TT Concrete Products at Gill Mill; I’ll try to get some pics as they also have one of Smiths S reg Scania 8wheelers (ex Stratford plant I think).
Does anyone remember this old London Company ,a major supplier in its day with many plants spread around the Capital ------toshboy
Surely one of the last Bisons built?
Muckaway:
Surely one of the last Bisons built?
Got to be Nathan some this way had Constructors on an X plate which replaced the Bison.
Cheers Dave.
Anybody remember SIDCOMIX from Eggbourgh near Selby. I think they were owned by Hobsons of Eggbourgh.
Cliff
RMC and Cemex liveries on a site in Witney
That Scania mixer seems a little underpowered by todays’ standards Drewster; 280 at 26 mgw plus it’s got to drive the drum and I guess a bit of power wasted with adblue? Or don’t they use it?
Muckaway:
That Scania mixer seems a little underpowered by todays’ standards Drewster; 280 at 26 mgw plus it’s got to drive the drum and I guess a bit of power wasted with adblue? Or don’t they use it?
i dont think they run on adblue nathan but your bang on about them being underpowered,ive spoken to a couple of the lads that have driven them and they say that the only thing against the trucks is the lack of horse power,alright probably for driving around nottingham but once you hit some of the hills aroud derby your stuffed 
Banbury allocated but seen outside Cassington plant
Ex Smiths Concrete Warwick plant and then sold to Shayler Concrete Pumping of Wantage
This is (thankfully) no longer used on the road; Owned by TT Concrete based at Gill Mill quarry, it’s used to fill the precast moulds. TT Also have an S reg Scania 8w mixer ex Smiths Concrete in a worse state than this 
I’ll try and get a photo of it.