a couple of pics of our old F86s, sorry about the quality of the artic one,but it sat in a camera for several years before being developed.
The 4 wheeler was a ex Tolemans drawbar car transporter, and came with a brown trim cab, factory fitted bunk and curtains, not sure what bhp she used to put out, but as a four wheeler she flew, and used to show most other waggons a clean pair of heels,there wasnt much that could outdo her on a bank either.I did have a few nights out with her, but mostly kept it on more local work and markets.
I think the poster who mentioned the gearchange on building sites would have had problem with any foreign motors, it was called cab suspension 
Transcons were a ■■■■■■■ for it.
The 8 wheelers had twin headlights as tipper drivers never check their motors and if a lightbulb blew they still had some 
But Irvine was mentioned too and wasn’t it Irvine who built the F88 290 and the 8 Wheel F86 solely for the British market?
It does seem strange that people bought the eight wheeler chassis to carry more weight then the jocks put more lamps on it 
Wheel Nut:
It does seem strange that people bought the eight wheeler chassis to carry more weight then the jocks put more lamps on it
One of the last Bubbles I remember running was for Don Bryces running containers out of the base in Trafford Park, must of been one of the last ones on the road
Two I posted from another thread
bubbleman:
Hello,heres some pics of my old girl…the wagon not the wife
This was prior to its 1st m.o.t ,just checking that everything worked on the trailer…brakes,lights etc.First time it had a trailer on its back in years.
Picking up the borrowed trailer en route to the start of the great north run in Yorkshire.
Resting at the top of Shap…she screemed her guts out climbing it
Gaydon,a few years ago.
The last time I drove her…nearly 2 years ago,been locked in a garage ever since.…hopefully I’ll get time to get her ready for next years rally season
Hiya Bubbs Iv’e just been browsing the F86s and the York tandem in the last shot,the one with the high headboard is what I would term a “Covent garden Cockney fruit trailer” it even has a shelf for the “super heavy” cockney sheet!!! great shots all the same! Cheers Bewick.
Cheers Bubbs,
andrew brick:
a couple of pics of our old F86s, sorry about the quality of the artic one,but it sat in a camera for several years before being developed.
The 4 wheeler was a ex Tolemans drawbar car transporter, and came with a brown trim cab, factory fitted bunk and curtains, not sure what bhp she used to put out, but as a four wheeler she flew, and used to show most other waggons a clean pair of heels,there wasnt much that could outdo her on a bank either.I did have a few nights out with her, but mostly kept it on more local work and markets.
What was the bubbles hp running @32 t . . tadge under 200?
A couple of Syms’s Bubbles…
i saw this one going into gist,s at ■■■■■■■■■■■ workshop thursday very tidy
I read this recently from the Heritage Commercials mag about the first F86 unit bought in Britain and as the caption says 1967, however I remembered I had a book with a four wheeler Volvo picture and looking through it I came across the Volvo and you can read the caption to see how this little motor arrived in Britain at least three years before the motor sold to Hutchinson’s. I wonder if anyone remembers the Cubitt motor. Franky.
This company ran a large fleet of Volvo F86s.
Hi Marcus found these two bionic bubbles rusting away at Rush green motors sadly i think there beyond repair
Hi Rob,
Very interesting pics from Rush Green.Very sad to see these old girls in such a state with not much to salvage.Scrapyards are wonderful places really especially when you come across a lorry you know or a motor from a long gone company…the 86 with Powells in the headboard is quite interesting as there was a Powells Transport from Almondsbury near Bristol where I come from,they were blue in colour and ran a 6x2 240 F88 and a TM Bedford too…although I cant remember an 86 it could well have been theirs.
Cheers Marc,
Here’s a pic from my collection for you.
I remember James E Laughton of Bedford running a sizeable fleet of F86
Working out of London Brick trunking day and night to Bridgewater
Anybody got any pictures ■■
bubbleman:
Hi Rob,
Very interesting pics from Rush Green.Very sad to see these old girls in such a state with not much to salvage.Scrapyards are wonderful places really especially when you come across a lorry you know or a motor from a long gone company…the 86 with Powells in the headboard is quite interesting as there was a Powells Transport from Almondsbury near Bristol where I come from,they were blue in colour and ran a 6x2 240 F88 and a TM Bedford too…although I cant remember an 86 it could well have been theirs.
Cheers Marc,
Hiya Bubbs you sure are impartial,quite right too!! the punters would get tired of looking at just Atki’s and Scanias that I would put on the thread!!! I could never get exited about the F86 I never thought it up to the job(well our job!)but I acknowledge that a lot of hauliers did run them Geoff Bell and H & M.E.Fearon up our way did and I knew both Geoff and Harry very well.Cheers Dennis.
Dennis , alot of hauliers in my area bought the 86 - Swift’s ,Wrefords , C Butts to name a few, as when running at 32t the 86 could carry 21t (on flats of course) where some of the bigger motors could only carry 19t, eg-Ford’s Transcon . Some more names that spring to mind are A A Griggs & Dukes that ran loads of them .
The payload thing seemed to be a fad of a lot of hauliers in the late 70s where F88’s were replaced by 86s . I think the 86 was good on fuel & reliable so it made economic sense to buy them - well there must have been some reason 
Frankydobo:
I read this recently from the Heritage Commercials mag about the first F86 unit bought in Britain and as the caption says 1967, however I remembered I had a book with a four wheeler Volvo picture and looking through it I came across the Volvo and you can read the caption to see how this little motor arrived in Britain at least three years before the motor sold to Hutchinson’s. I wonder if anyone remembers the Cubitt motor. Franky.
Certainly do Franky started my driving career with Cubitt town transport in 1967 a great little company long since gone they kept that little 4 wheeler for 2 years as a sort of trial motor i dont think they actually paid for it but they did buy some units the first was reg no NOY133E and the second was SLE384F in the course of a few years they had a total of six but i moved on in 1970 to a different company but always had a soft spot CTT a great little firm.
Cheers for the feedback Phil, nice to know a little more about the Volvo, there is a bigger pic of the Hutchinson 86 in the Mighty F7 thread too. Pity the Cubitts Volvo wasn’t saved, or was it! Cheers Franky.
Bubbleman, I just been wandering through the site and was rememebring my dim and very distant past, 
Didn`t Milehams of Avonmouth run F86s? I think they did, and what about Joseph Fish? green motors if I rememeber,but i think they were F10?
Milehams yard was on one of the roads off St Andrews road on the left.