IndigoJo:
Anyway, I got it out to Gloucester, swapped over with the full trailer, then started back and about a quarter of the way up Birdlip Hill it overheated, and it put a “STOP” warning up on the dashboard, so I pulled over and put my hazards on
Absolute rookie mistake here mate. What you should’ve done was go up and down Birdlip until the engine exploded. Then they’ll have to give you a better truck
truckman020:
had an assessment a few years ago on a Leyland thrupenny bit cab [think I spelt it right,not sure though] this was for bentalls department store in Kingston surrey[my home town]this vehicle had a crash box and I just could not get it right,some crunching gears later the assessor said sorry mate you haven’t passed,i replied ok and pulled up on the one way and jumped out,he shouted you cant leave it here,i replied watch me and walked home,he was not impressed,they had modern leylands with synchro boxes but allways sent prospective drivers out on the heap for the assessment,incidentally are bentalls wagons still around,not seen them for ages,last place I saw their transport depot was near Bracknell just off the M3 junction 4 [I think]
Blimey if you’re describing a Leyland FG and Bentalls when it existed in its own right that has to be a lot more than a few years ago.From memory the FG had the same engine and driveline as the WF which I liked but the FG was a much more uncomfortable retrograde thing to drive with the steering and pedal positions being a joke.
As for Bentalls and Kingston Bentalls was sold out and then split up into small seperate tenant departments and un recognisable now apart from the outside preserved facade.While the town is gradually,like Croydon,being turned into a high rise inner city type zb hole by London developers.The rot having set in decades ago when it was handed over to London and the Norbiton high rise blocks went up.Which they’re now adding to in addition to taking out the riverside end of the town and anywhere else they decide to buy up.
I live near Kingston. Bentalls trucks do still exist but they’re all Mercs now. They have a big depot outside Camberley and they send stuff in from there.
I’ve also lived in Croydon and there’s no comparison between Croydon and Kingston. Kingston is much more upmarket because of the riverside and the proximity to Hampton Court and Richmond (and the park, plus Bushy Park on the other side), even though Croydon has acres and acres of parkland; it’s just not Royal Parks so it doesn’t have the cachet (or the deer). Kingston also doesn’t have the huge office blocks that Croydon has – it’s pretty much all low-rise and the new developments just outside the town centre are all residential, not offices. When we lived in Croydon my mum used to go shopping in Kingston almost every Saturday, and she said the shops were more varied with fewer chain stores – almost every shop in Croydon is a chain store.
The biggest problem Croydon has is the lack of pride in the town. People are very quick to dismiss it as “a dump” and any time the local paper tries to foster a bit of local pride, there are letters in the following edition saying it’s all a dump and needs knocking down. I believe it’s full of people who don’t really want to live there; people who need to be close to the city but not too close, and who think they’re country folk really. It’s also very divided, with an affluent south (part of which wasn’t Croydon until the 60s) and an impoverished (but expensive) northern part, and the town centre is run-down despite one renovation after another. It was badly hit by the recent wave of retail bankruptcies (Allder’s, Zavvi, Borders, Woolworth’s and now BHS) and has a lot more empty units than Kingston.
companies running old junk ehh…well as a driver that for the last 6-7yrs has driven 1998 year trucks (separate companies )nothing newer and I have survived ,never once left at the side o the road ,limped in a few times but normally repaired for the following day (or I would be out in an older buggy)need to wear earmuffs though,. Now would I like a newer motor yes of course but certain jobs don’t need new motors …eg the aggregate hauling job I had 3k miles a week ,truck was bought outright in 98 and ran on av 8months a year ,so just tyres etc to keep it on the road…it has been sold to my new boss completely overhauled and back on hauling bales on super Bs for 7-8 months a yr. Now my new job on the highways seal coating an ex unit X 8 trucks now fitted with a tipper body plenty of power 460hp and 18spd fuller never stressed paid for yrs ago,a new truck would be no good as work would have to be found year round to pay the lease payments on the new truck. so over all it looks like I’m on old metal for a few more new years to come. jimmy.
IndigoJo:
I live near Kingston. Bentalls trucks do still exist but they’re all Mercs now. They have a big depot outside Camberley and they send stuff in from there.
I’ve also lived in Croydon and there’s no comparison between Croydon and Kingston. Kingston is much more upmarket because of the riverside and the proximity to Hampton Court and Richmond (and the park, plus Bushy Park on the other side), even though Croydon has acres and acres of parkland; it’s just not Royal Parks so it doesn’t have the cachet (or the deer). Kingston also doesn’t have the huge office blocks that Croydon has – it’s pretty much all low-rise and the new developments just outside the town centre are all residential, not offices. When we lived in Croydon my mum used to go shopping in Kingston almost every Saturday, and she said the shops were more varied with fewer chain stores – almost every shop in Croydon is a chain store.
The biggest problem Croydon has is the lack of pride in the town. People are very quick to dismiss it as “a dump” and any time the local paper tries to foster a bit of local pride, there are letters in the following edition saying it’s all a dump and needs knocking down. I believe it’s full of people who don’t really want to live there; people who need to be close to the city but not too close, and who think they’re country folk really. It’s also very divided, with an affluent south (part of which wasn’t Croydon until the 60s) and an impoverished (but expensive) northern part, and the town centre is run-down despite one renovation after another. It was badly hit by the recent wave of retail bankruptcies (Allder’s, Zavvi, Borders, Woolworth’s and now BHS) and has a lot more empty units than Kingston.
I lived in Kingston from the time I was born in the late 1950’s to around 5 then Chessington from the mid 1960’s to mid 1990’s while both my parents were born and lived there from the 1920’s and 30’s respectively.On that note I guess I was describing Bentalls as they and I knew it as a large all Bentalls department store.As opposed to its current situation.Although I’m not exactly sure what truckman was actually describing and when in that regard ?.But I’d be surprised if it was any type of Leyland with a ‘crash’ box still in service with what remains of Bentalls in recent times which is why I was just guessing that he might have been referring to an old FG.
As for the town the comparison with Croydon is just a matter of extremes but it would be fair to say that,like Croydon,the historic and ongoing change from Surrey market town to just another part of London has unsurprisingly torn the heart out of its previous character. From the 1960’s high density development in Norbiton,the type of which in many other parts of the country having rightly been demolished on quality of life grounds,while in Kingston they are actually adding to it by building more. To the later developments and proposed developments in the town and along the riverside areas.While,also like Croydon,I guess that’s what those remaining,who regard themselves as Surrey residents not Londoners,are rightly complaining about and explains the reasons why they’ve rightly lost any pride in those previous places.
truckman020:
had an assessment a few years ago on a Leyland thrupenny bit cab [think I spelt it right,not sure though] this was for bentalls department store in Kingston surrey[my home town]this vehicle had a crash box and I just could not get it right,some crunching gears later the assessor said sorry mate you haven’t passed,i replied ok and pulled up on the one way and jumped out,he shouted you cant leave it here,i replied watch me and walked home,he was not impressed,they had modern leylands with synchro boxes but allways sent prospective drivers out on the heap for the assessment,incidentally are bentalls wagons still around,not seen them for ages,last place I saw their transport depot was near Bracknell just off the M3 junction 4 [I think]
I had the pleasure of driving one of the FG’s to Bristol from Silvertown (Pinchin Johnson Paints to Dulux at Fishponds) I remember it well. 4 pot diesel that wouldn’t pull yer granny outa bed. And what’s all this about heaters, power steering, radios, door seals etc. But I didn’t find anything wrong with the box though.
What is deemed “old” around Oxfordshire seems to be fairly modern around Derbyshire. Is it due to being close to London, with all it’s lentil munching nonsense, or are those from the Peaks a lot tighter?
peterm:
I had the pleasure of driving one of the FG’s to Bristol from Silvertown (Pinchin Johnson Paints to Dulux at Fishponds) I remember it well. 4 pot diesel that wouldn’t pull yer granny outa bed. And what’s all this about heaters, power steering, radios, door seals etc. But I didn’t find anything wrong with the box though.
Apart from the gearstick being at the back of the cab of course
My first boss had a late 5 tonner for local deliveries. My abiding memory was the heat that the engine generated in the cab in the summer, but it did have a heater for the winter at least. Those lower windows in the front panel were good for spotting kids dodging across in front of you in traffic though. Not really the ideal motor for motorways, but not a bad bakers van.
peterm:
I had the pleasure of driving one of the FG’s to Bristol from Silvertown (Pinchin Johnson Paints to Dulux at Fishponds) I remember it well. 4 pot diesel that wouldn’t pull yer granny outa bed. And what’s all this about heaters, power steering, radios, door seals etc. But I didn’t find anything wrong with the box though.
Apart from the gearstick being at the back of the cab of course
My first boss had a late 5 tonner for local deliveries. My abiding memory was the heat that the engine generated in the cab in the summer, but it did have a heater for the winter at least. Those lower windows in the front panel were good for spotting kids dodging across in front of you in traffic though. Not really the ideal motor for motorways, but not a bad bakers van.
The whole layout of controls/pedals/seat /steering positions was a total abortion.We used them as drain gulley vaccum clearer/tankers.Although from memory ours at least used the same 6 cylinder motor as our older ( and much better to drive ) WF tippers.
Muckaway:
What is deemed “old” around Oxfordshire seems to be fairly modern around Derbyshire. Is it due to being close to London, with all it’s lentil munching nonsense, or are those from the Peaks a lot tighter?
If it isn’t worn out then why change it for something newer that will only do the same amount of work and cost more money? My last truck was 10 years old when the boss bought it (from a breakers yard) and I had three years out of it and then, when I was made redundant, it was sold on to another operator whe had a few more years from it before it was returned to the breakers again! We don’t chuck cash around needlessly up here thee knows lad.
Close to london i see virtually no Mk1 DAF cf 95-2000 with the large indicator lenses ,but up north or in wales is see quite a few still
The oldest truck my firm runs is an 06 TGM 18t auto and is used on pallet ways but he’s sold 2 younger trucks off 1 2008 tgm sister to my truck less kms as well due to poor compression and starter failure also heater has given up the ghost ,the other 2006 iveco has been worked hard on pallets
Muckaway:
What is deemed “old” around Oxfordshire seems to be fairly modern around Derbyshire. Is it due to being close to London, with all it’s lentil munching nonsense, or are those from the Peaks a lot tighter?
A lot of owner/drivers up here, they wouldn`t waste there money on something that needs to go to a dealers to have a bloody bulb changed.
peterm:
I had the pleasure of driving one of the FG’s to Bristol from Silvertown (Pinchin Johnson Paints to Dulux at Fishponds) I remember it well. 4 pot diesel that wouldn’t pull yer granny outa bed. And what’s all this about heaters, power steering, radios, door seals etc. But I didn’t find anything wrong with the box though.
Apart from the gearstick being at the back of the cab of course
My first boss had a late 5 tonner for local deliveries. My abiding memory was the heat that the engine generated in the cab in the summer, but it did have a heater for the winter at least. Those lower windows in the front panel were good for spotting kids dodging across in front of you in traffic though. Not really the ideal motor for motorways, but not a bad bakers van.
The whole layout of controls/pedals/seat /steering positions was a total abortion.We used them as drain gulley vaccum clearer/tankers.Although from memory ours at least used the same 6 cylinder motor as our older ( and much better to drive ) WF tippers.
I think ours was a 6 cylinder, it didn’t seem particularly slow. I remember we had a slightly rotund yard man who couldn’t get in it because the doors were too narrow. He used to have to drive the Terrier which was a much nicer lorry.
Muckaway:
What is deemed “old” around Oxfordshire seems to be fairly modern around Derbyshire. Is it due to being close to London, with all it’s lentil munching nonsense, or are those from the Peaks a lot tighter?
Oxfordshire is close enough to London for companies to need a Euro 4 or later truck for trips into the LEZ. Not a problem in Derbyshire.
I’m sure I remember having the dubious pleasure of occasionally driving an FG whenaworralad in the late 60s.We had a few on contract to Grimsby Fish.My physique has altered and I wouldn’t get into one now.PG
I drive an 08 plate Stralis, the oldest tractor unit on our fleet of four trucks, bought outright when the company was in it’s infancy and is well maintained, as reliable as clockwork, and probably earns more revenue than the other three which are 15/65 plate DAFs on contract with R&M packages.
Muckaway:
What is deemed “old” around Oxfordshire seems to be fairly modern around Derbyshire. Is it due to being close to London, with all it’s lentil munching nonsense, or are those from the Peaks a lot tighter?
Muckaway:
What is deemed “old” around Oxfordshire seems to be fairly modern around Derbyshire. Is it due to being close to London, with all it’s lentil munching nonsense, or are those from the Peaks a lot tighter?
Oxfordshire is close enough to London for companies to need a Euro 4 or later truck for trips into the LEZ. Not a problem in Derbyshire.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Foden 4000 has a drop down front number plate to meet London regs
I don’t know why more people don’t just solve adblue consumption by having a nice chap with a laptop tap a few buttons when next to the truck.
Not that I’m condoning such a nasty selfish practice, think of the children.
To the later developments and proposed developments in the town and along the riverside areas.While,also like Croydon,I guess that’s what those remaining,who regard themselves as Surrey residents not Londoners,are rightly complaining about and explains the reasons why they’ve rightly lost any pride in those previous places.
We don’t chuck cash around needlessly up here thee knows lad. 
I was a lot skinnier in those days and can see some fatso getting stuck in the door.