Chris …
am i correct that you drove both the Mk5 & the ergo? if so which one did you prefer? as you here a lot of drivers critisise the ergo as not being a ‘true’ AEC . I remember my dad used to call them the ‘Rolls Royce’ of lorries in the 60s did you share that view 
tonyhogi:
Chris …
am i correct that you drove both the Mk5 & the ergo? if so which one did you prefer? as you here a lot of drivers critisise the ergo as not being a ‘true’ AEC . I remember my dad used to call them the ‘Rolls Royce’ of lorries in the 60s did you share that view
Hiya…I think chris will agree… you,ve go a 4/5 year old mk5 and you are given a new (no drafts…heater… good wipers…and new tyres) ergo
yes i,ll have some of that. the ergo,s was plenty good enough its the nostagic mk5 that Chris and I are druling over. i used to drive a mamoth
miner of Malc Harrisons( VVT 702 G) and it was a nice lorry to drive as was a 6 legger (flying machine)Marshall WVT 149 G .
John
I think you would find a few draughts in this little lot Lads
JOHN
Hi john…Chris webb sent that photo to me a few months back. i see one of them has still got the plastic AEC badge on the grill.
i recon that photo is the M1 near jct 4… would,t mind one now for showing i,d put up with the odd draft.
John H
3300John:
tonyhogi:
Chris …
am i correct that you drove both the Mk5 & the ergo? if so which one did you prefer? as you here a lot of drivers critisise the ergo as not being a ‘true’ AEC . I remember my dad used to call them the ‘Rolls Royce’ of lorries in the 60s did you share that viewHiya…I think chris will agree… you,ve go a 4/5 year old mk5 and you are given a new (no drafts…heater… good wipers…and new tyres) ergo
yes i,ll have some of that. the ergo,s was plenty good enough its the nostagic mk5 that Chris and I are druling over. i used to drive a mamoth
miner of Malc Harrisons( VVT 702 G) and it was a nice lorry to drive as was a 6 legger (flying machine)Marshall WVT 149 G .
John
John’s right tonyh,the MK5s were in a class of their own especially the later models.They looked the part in their day,a nicer looking motor than the ERFs,Fodens and Atkis,it was a nice driving position too.However the tilt cab series were far better,better forward vision for a start,good mirrors when they were moved forward to the windscreen pillar,good wipers when they were changed to electric (the air assisted were a nightmare,what a waste of time) and altogether a far better environment for the driver.I had three,all with the AV760 - JWW 896D,WWB 342G,OKC 130M and apart from the odd injector pipe busting on the “D” reg they were good reliable wagons.I also had for a while a MK5 Mandator AKU 384B ex Leathers Chemicals and it was a flyer,a real racing pigeon catcher which you needed on the wholesale market job 
A.E.Evans also had an AEC Mammoth Minor on a “G” plate ex Thomas Allen and it was a real treat to drive with the third axle.However I got pulled top side of Scunthorpe by the “Ministry” and after they couldn’t find owt wrong with it measured the whole outfit and gleefully informed me it was summat like 4 or 5 inches over the (was it 15 meters? 
) max length.This would be in 1972/3,so a shorter tank was subbed.
But,the AEC MK5 will still be a fond memory for me just like yer Atki,ERF and Foden enthusiasts.As a postscript another advantage with the tilt cab AEC was that you could hear the radio even with the aerial clamped in the roof gutter
And a few less blankets over the engine cover…
Chris / John ,
did they always start first time, no matter what the weather- or was that a myth?
tonyhogi:
Chris / John ,
did they always start first time, no matter what the weather- or was that a myth?
As far as I can remember they were all first-time starters,ergos and MK5s, at least the ones I drove.In winter I always kept a long piece of stick to shove the cold start button in on the pump when I parked up.Saved you scrabbling about next morning or night as the case may be.
Hi Chris I remember my old fella having a stick in the cab for exactly the same reason he always said it was an essential piece of the toolkit.
JOHN.
tonyhogi:
Chris / John ,
did they always start first time, no matter what the weather- or was that a myth?
I,ve got a photo of Adams butter AECs lined up about 30 i would think but its blurred i,ll scan it again.your question was did the start
a quick flick and they fired up the problem was the air would be frozen . The Adams mk 5 well all adams trunk motors would keep turning
round there was always a loaded trailer and a willing driver so a truck would do a waltham abbey the driver would have a snack his truck
was checked (water/oil) straight back to Leek change over derv oil water a quick rince and straight back to waltham abbey so some lorries was
doing 3 and a bit trips a day .starting sunday tea time and finishing saturday lunch then a full service. there was a semi auto beaver that did
the trunk from 1967 untill 1972 contiually before it collapsed the engine was rebuilt (about 3 days) but it only lasted about a month then went
bang again i think it got robbed for parts. when they had Marathons(TL12s) they was a blur up down up down it was not very often you would
drive down the M1 and not see a Adams butter lorry or two.
John
I had a AEC mandator mk5 when i worked for BRS at sandy lane oxford.It had a rachet hand brake and was plated for 28 ton,they had some with air hand brakes that were 32 tonners,i don,t know if this was the reason for down rateing because of the rachet handbrake.As mentioned about the ignition switch turned the speedo off,yes it was a good idea if you had to run a bit iffy.I normally did london from oxford with witney blankets,about 8/10 drops,as i lived in london all my life i would take my time and spend all week getting tipped.This soon changed and i was sent to liverpool loading at swindon howard tenens with large wooden cases of car parts for liverpool docks.I soon got fed up with this and seeing all the better trucks doing european work i moved back to london and started with SCA in london.After 18 months of european work i was layed off an worked for Joey Martin in spitafields driving an AEC marchall 6 wheeler,to go back to this after a scania was like going back in time.
boyzee:
I had a AEC mandator mk5 when i worked for BRS at sandy lane oxford.It had a rachet hand brake and was plated for 28 ton,they had some with air hand brakes that were 32 tonners,i don,t know if this was the reason for down rateing because of the rachet handbrake.As mentioned about the ignition switch turned the speedo off,yes it was a good idea if you had to run a bit iffy.I normally did london from oxford with witney blankets,about 8/10 drops,as i lived in london all my life i would take my time and spend all week getting tipped.This soon changed and i was sent to liverpool loading at swindon howard tenens with large wooden cases of car parts for liverpool docks.I soon got fed up with this and seeing all the better trucks doing european work i moved back to london and started with SCA in london.After 18 months of european work i was layed off an worked for Joey Martin in spitafields driving an AEC marchall 6 wheeler,to go back to this after a scania was like going back in time.
Howard Tenens eh?
when my dad worked for Swifts-if you were unlucky you’d get the swindon trunk 
… a load of engines in old wooden crates with loose lids & nails poking out! - great for walking on top of- to roll your sheet out 
& then the nails would rip your sheet 
Back then Howard Tenens ran Guy big Js 
tonyhogi:
boyzee:
I had a AEC mandator mk5 when i worked for BRS at sandy lane oxford.It had a rachet hand brake and was plated for 28 ton,they had some with air hand brakes that were 32 tonners,i don,t know if this was the reason for down rateing because of the rachet handbrake.As mentioned about the ignition switch turned the speedo off,yes it was a good idea if you had to run a bit iffy.I normally did london from oxford with witney blankets,about 8/10 drops,as i lived in london all my life i would take my time and spend all week getting tipped.This soon changed and i was sent to liverpool loading at swindon howard tenens with large wooden cases of car parts for liverpool docks.I soon got fed up with this and seeing all the better trucks doing european work i moved back to london and started with SCA in london.After 18 months of european work i was layed off an worked for Joey Martin in spitafields driving an AEC marchall 6 wheeler,to go back to this after a scania was like going back in time.Howard Tenens eh?
when my dad worked for Swifts-if you were unlucky you’d get the swindon trunk
I think the shunter in tenens yard was a commer 2 stroke,the young lad that drove it had a diesel train horn on it,your right about the nails on the crates they would tear the sheets.There was also a yard near bicester or banbury that i would go to load these crates.On one occasion i had to tip southampton docks 104 berth,i was there 3 days in the Q waiting to tip.On the second night i thumbed it back to wantage where i was living at the time,there was always lots of car carriers on the A34 then running to southampton so it was easy to get a lift.This was around 1970.
Hi 3300John. one of Adams here for you mate.
JOHN.
Made a mess of that one sorry.
Stanfield:
About this one.
It seems it WAS ONCE THIS
and also it was THIS
AND NOW IT IS THIS because I have seen it parked up at bailey freight in Stalybridge Cheshire.
JOHN (photos by cherokeeflyer100)
They were very versatile them ‘Albion’ mandators, John
Hey Tony I have made a right b–ls of that havent I they were meant to go on the Albion Thread.I have cleared mine by editing them off,can you do the same and I will then put them on the correct thread cheers
John.
Stanfield:
Hey Tony I have made a right b–ls of that havent I they were meant to go on the Albion Thread.How do I get them off do you know.
John.
It’l probably be easier to leave them on here and put them on the Albion thread again if that makes sense 
Stanfield:
Hi 3300John. one of Adams here for you mate.
JOHN.
thanks for that photo.you see it has a halt sign on the lamp post then another on the barrier. in between was a path, that was the way to school
which was just over the road. we saw plenty of butter lorries then as that was the main entrance at one time. the garage was the building closest to the driver
then in the mid to late 60s a new garage was built at the other end of town nr to Croda(Chris i drove past the other week and the main part of Croda is flattened.) that was the oldest factory on barnfield and was called keyworths at on time.
John
Prior to the uprated C & U Regs. when artics were operated at 24 ton Gross (and of course much more!) the best Drivers motor in my opinion was the Mk 5 AEC Mandator with the 11.3 AV 690 with rotary CAV pump, the best owners lorry being the Atkinson Mk 1 with the 150 bhp 6LX. Once weights were lifted to 32 ton Gross then of course the Scania Vabis and then the Scania 110 was Drivers king with the best British waggon being the Atkinson with the 220 ■■■■■■■■ The Ergo AEC was just a load of Leyland type rubbish, the last waggon I drove was a F reg AEC Ergo Mandator with the AV 760 engine which I shunted from brand new, even the Guy Big J with 220 ■■■■■■■ and AEC/Thornycroft gearbox was better ( good but thirsty engine, lousey truck…Tony