Buzzer
windrush:
Spardo:
windrush:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Foden demonstrater travelling through Buxton on the way to (I believe?) Tunstead quarry. They were not a success and only a handfull made.
Pete.
Interesting, do you know why that was Pete?
Some information here David. heritagemachines.com/commercial … umptrucks/
Pete.
The 12-cylinder two stroke referred to in the link was developed for marine use, and it is on record that most British naval vessels had them for either propulsion or to power generator sets.
The stumbling block with the Foden Dumper was two-fold - being the largest available at the time, dumping a full load into a stone crusher would often overwhelm it, resulting in delays, and because of the rigid rear axle the frames were prone to cracking. This information came from a former Foden field service engineer, so is probably reliable.
Thanks both very interesting, another sad tale of disappeared British engineering.
I especially liked this non-techie quote though:
In my excitement when I learned about this new truck, I wrote from my boarding school to Foden to ask for more details. Working out that the firm would not cater for schoolboys, I typed the letter giving my family address. The result was a visit to my long-suffering mother from a salesman who failed to appreciate the educational benefits.
The thought that Foden sent a salesman to a private house to try and sell a giant dumptruck to a housewife just cracked me up. With enterprise like that how could the whole vehicle engineering house come tumbling down? But it did. 
Buzzer
My old Foden photographed brand new at the original owners PSR in Halifax . 320 Gardner and 9 speed Fuller. We got it when it was around 5 years old pulled like a train
