Who out there remembers this great outfit their ERF fleet ranked with the likes of Curly Cargill’s only more comprehensive but this was indeed a very impressive fleet and a credit to Gordon .
Gordon Plants lorrys was so clean after the sale, people just had the name on the doors and headboard changed and run them around for as much as ten years wihtout bothering to have a repaint. A chap i think his name was Graham Sims had a 8 legger on hay and straw and may of run the ERF for over 12 years in
Plants livery and it looked origanal.Plants run all Gardner engine ERF’s and none of them had a oil leak.Theres a metalic blue six wheeler on the circuit thats ex Plants.
John
Bewick, if Gordon Plants trucks were red, we bought one about 30 yrs ago at the sale. A 4 wheel ERF with a 5 pot Gardner. I was to young to drive it, probably
good for me as its top speed was about 50 mph. Good buy though gave little trouble, and sold on when we bought an artic. Seasons Greetings. Paul
Paul John:
Bewick, if Gordon Plants trucks were red, we bought one about 30 yrs ago at the sale. A 4 wheel ERF with a 5 pot Gardner. I was to young to drive it, probably
good for me as its top speed was about 50 mph. Good buy though gave little trouble, and sold on when we bought an artic. Seasons Greetings. Paul
Hi Paul the ERF you bought at Plants sale would be a Gardner “100” and did it have the tapered chassis ? They were real lightwieghts but the same chassis with the perkins engine and a light flat could carry 11ton on pallets !! All the Best for Christmas and the New Year Bewick.
Bewick:
Paul John:
Bewick, if Gordon Plants trucks were red, we bought one about 30 yrs ago at the sale. A 4 wheel ERF with a 5 pot Gardner. I was to young to drive it, probably
good for me as its top speed was about 50 mph. Good buy though gave little trouble, and sold on when we bought an artic. Seasons Greetings. PaulHi Paul the ERF you bought at Plants sale would be a Gardner “100” and did it have the tapered chassis ? They were real lightwieghts but the same chassis with the perkins engine and a light flat could carry 11ton on pallets !! All the Best for Christmas and the New Year Bewick.
Hi Bewick,
Roberts of Knighton ran several ERF four wheelers,the early one’s had the five cylinder like the one you refer too,the later one’s had Gardner 120’s in them.
Cheers Dave.
Dave the Renegade:
Bewick:
Paul John:
Bewick, if Gordon Plants trucks were red, we bought one about 30 yrs ago at the sale. A 4 wheel ERF with a 5 pot Gardner. I was to young to drive it, probably
good for me as its top speed was about 50 mph. Good buy though gave little trouble, and sold on when we bought an artic. Seasons Greetings. PaulHi Paul the ERF you bought at Plants sale would be a Gardner “100” and did it have the tapered chassis ? They were real lightwieghts but the same chassis with the perkins engine and a light flat could carry 11ton on pallets !! All the Best for Christmas and the New Year Bewick.
Hi Bewick,
Roberts of Knighton ran several ERF four wheelers,the early one’s had the five cylinder like the one you refer too,the later one’s had Gardner 120’s in them.
Cheers Dave.
Hello Dave ,the later ones you mention with Gardner 120 (6 pot) were the heavier straight thro’ chassis only would carry 10 ton on pallets I guess !! We once had an ex Sutton 4 wheeler on the fleet in the early 70s 6LW/6spd DB/single spd eaton axle 24Ft Ali Flat it wasn’t a trailer model though !Hope this usless info is of interest mate !!! Regards Bewick.
Hi Bewick,
That sounds the same as the later ERF four wheelers of Roberts,he still had one until he sold up I think. A chap named Jack Phillips drove it,they did a lot of fert also woodcemair,Atkidave will put me right about it.They seemed a good moter,they stuck it well for Roberts as far as I know.
Cheers Dave.
Bewick, you are spot on. Our ERF did have a tapered chassis, and carried 10+ ton. My cousin drove it and normally just ran from Tredegar Heads of The Valley’s to the Midlands with steel pipes. Most return loads were
for HY-MAC Excavators in Rhymney. Unfortunatly my cousin was taken from us at a young age, but lived for the business. He did his apprenticseship with Hills of Tredegar coaches, as a diesel fitter, then went driving
for the family business. Even though the ERF was a day cab he never complained about nights out.
The only time I ever heard him complain was when he had a trip to Scotland, at 50 mph and a block of wood holding the throttle down, he said he was wondering if he would ever get home.
We have lost some great characters over the years, but thankfuly due to this site we can keep the memories,
and friendships alive.
Regards Paul.