I drove a brand new 6 legger for Coopers of Swindon with an AEC 505 in it, and it was the worst thing I have ever driven in my life, and I have driven a lot of c**p but this thing beat them all hands down.
Richard Stanier:
Hi Guys (!)Just getting back to the Big J/Gardner 240 debate, a few old Guy Motors employees have mentioned this one to me, and I have spoken to one of them - Phil Rogers - this evening. He says that 37 of these trucks were built (or at least ordered) and he remembers them “going down the track.”
I don’t have any photographic evidence unfortunately, and it appears that my earlier reported comment that one was a show exhibit was mistaken, but my belief is that the 8LXB Big J is not a mythical beast.
Good to have you here Rich.
Dave the Renegade:
We had a couple of Gardners this way, "Percy Thrower " at Shrewsbury and " Monty Don " at Leominster.
Look 'ere Renegade you are reducing this thread to a laughing stock !! Just because it has generated more hits than the the Principality threads some of these old hands off SOM have asked me for your address and have threatened to come down and tie you on the front of a Big J ( 8LXB ) and run you up and down a few nights between Falkirk and Southamton . I am having a tough time explaining to them that you only drove a TK and don’t no what the proper meaning of the word GARDENER is !! Yours under extreme provocation Bewick.
right, i want to hear about " femail" pls.
Richard Stanier:
Hi Guys (!)Just getting back to the Big J/Gardner 240 debate, a few old Guy Motors employees have mentioned this one to me, and I have spoken to one of them - Phil Rogers - this evening. He says that 37 of these trucks were built (or at least ordered) and he remembers them “going down the track.”
I don’t have any photographic evidence unfortunately, and it appears that my earlier reported comment that one was a show exhibit was mistaken, but my belief is that the 8LXB Big J is not a mythical beast.
Well Richard they can’t have all disapeared into thin air so where are they South Africa, Austrailia/New Zealand or just a figment of a fertile imagination ? 37 8LXBs going down the track at Fallings Park ! Someones having a laugh I bet Peter Foden at ERFs didn’t know as he would have read the riot act to Gardeners !! no I find it hard to believe that Guy’s would ever have had 37 8LXBs in total never mind all at once !!
ringfur:
right, i want to hear about " femail" pls.
Wot you on about ringfur — have you just come in from the Boozer or what ■■?
altitude:
I drove a brand new 6 legger for Coopers of Swindon with an AEC 505 in it, and it was the worst thing I have ever driven in my life, and I have driven a lot of c**p but this thing beat them all hands down.
Com’on Altitude we are talking about real motors not sparrows ■■■■■■■ !!! Keeper of the thread Bewick.
Bewick:
Dave the Renegade:
We had a couple of Gardners this way, "Percy Thrower " at Shrewsbury and " Monty Don " at Leominster.Look 'ere Renegade you are reducing this thread to a laughing stock !! Just because it has generated more hits than the the Principality threads some of these old hands off SOM have asked me for your address and have threatened to come down and tie you on the front of a Big J ( 8LXB ) and run you up and down a few nights between Falkirk and Southamton . I am having a tough time explaining to them that you only drove a TK and don’t no what the proper meaning of the word GARDENER is !! Yours under extreme provocation Bewick.
My apologies for my spelling Dennis 
I have actually driven a Guy,not a big J,but a Warrior,not far,but Llanelli Steel had a Guy Warrior,which was based at the premises with the other two moters that they ran at C M Philpotts in Kington who I drove for.I did move it around at 32 ton’s and have driven it out onto the main road and reversed it into the workshop with a full load on.As for TK’s drove a few of them,also Leyland Comet,Seddon 13/4, a load of crap,a Dodge Kew,Dodge K900 another load of crap with a direct drive gearbox.Bedford KM with a 466 engine which would out pull any of the previous mentioned,a Commer Maxiload with the TS3 two stroke engine, the best lorry I drove as a regular,also Thames trader,D series Ford 6 wheeler,BMC FFK 140 with the underslung engine,a Scammell breakdown truck,and an AEC Matador recovery vehicle.But not on the same day. 
Cheers Dave.
Dave the Renegade:
Bewick:
Dave the Renegade:
We had a couple of Gardners this way, "Percy Thrower " at Shrewsbury and " Monty Don " at Leominster.Look 'ere Renegade you are reducing this thread to a laughing stock !! Just because it has generated more hits than the the Principality threads some of these old hands off SOM have asked me for your address and have threatened to come down and tie you on the front of a Big J ( 8LXB ) and run you up and down a few nights between Falkirk and Southamton . I am having a tough time explaining to them that you only drove a TK and don’t no what the proper meaning of the word GARDENER is !! Yours under extreme provocation Bewick.
My apologies for my spelling Dennis I have actually driven a Guy,not a big J,but a Warrior,not far,but Llanelli Steel had a Guy Warrior,which was based at the premises with the other two moters that they ran at C M Philpotts in Kington who I drove for.I did move it around at 32 ton’s and have driven it out onto the main road and reversed it into the workshop with a full load on.As for TK’s drove a few of them,also Leyland Comet,Seddon 13/4, a load of crap,a Dodge Kew,Dodge K900 another load of crap with a direct drive gearbox.Bedford KM with a 466 engine which would out pull any of the previous mentioned,a Commer Maxiload with the TS3 two stroke engine, the best lorry I drove as a regular,also Thames trader,D series Ford 6 wheeler,BMC FFK 140 with the underslung engine,a Scammell breakdown truck,and an AEC Matador recovery vehicle.But not on the same day.
Cheers Dave.[/quote
That Guy Warrior sounds like it might have had the Gardner straight eight in it because it probably would have taken it all day to get a mile up the road before you brought it back to the workshop because it was so gutless you thought that those two extra cylinders were’nt working.It might have been better to use the Commer or the Matador as a 32 Tonner.
Carryfast:
Dave the Renegade:
Bewick:
Dave the Renegade:
We had a couple of Gardners this way, "Percy Thrower " at Shrewsbury and " Monty Don " at Leominster.Look 'ere Renegade you are reducing this thread to a laughing stock !! Just because it has generated more hits than the the Principality threads some of these old hands off SOM have asked me for your address and have threatened to come down and tie you on the front of a Big J ( 8LXB ) and run you up and down a few nights between Falkirk and Southamton . I am having a tough time explaining to them that you only drove a TK and don’t no what the proper meaning of the word GARDENER is !! Yours under extreme provocation Bewick.
My apologies for my spelling Dennis
Cheers Dave.
[/quoteThat Guy Warrior sounds like it might have had the Gardner straight eight in it because it probably would have taken it all day to get a mile up the road before you brought it back to the workshop because it was so gutless you thought that those two extra cylinders were’nt working.It might have been better to use the Commer or the Matador as a 32 Tonner.
Hi Carryfast,I think the Guy Warrior had a Gardner 150 in it,it went quite well. I have caught it up between Newnham Bridge and Kidderminster which has Clows Top in between,as I was only driving a sixteen tonner at the time,I thought the Warrior went quite well at 32 ton,and this was in 1970,and the Guy was then long in the tooth,can’t remember it causing the owners any problem,and it was always loaded both ways,midlands to South Wales .
Cheers Dave.
carryfast i think you must have a drink problem only 290 bhp out of a 14L.FORD TRANSCONTI 355 ■■■■■■■ BEDFORD TM HAD NTE370 These would all pass an 8LXB but the gardner would pass them on the fuel pump and most defanatley a detroit dennis i would say all the big js with 8LXBs will have been cut up for there engines cracking thread mate!!! 
yappie:
carryfast i think you must have a drink problem only 290 bhp out of a 14L.FORD TRANSCONTI 355 ■■■■■■■ BEDFORD TM HAD NTE370 These would all pass an 8LXB but the gardner would pass them on the fuel pump and most defanatley a detroit dennis i would say all the big js with 8LXBs will have been cut up for there engines cracking thread mate!!!
Steady on Yappie we havn’t established for certain that Guys used any 8LXBs and here’s you got them all cut up export — do you know somthing we don’t ? And yes it would seem Carryfast has a serious chip on each shoulder where Gardner engines are concerned but if he had to sign the cheques for the fuel I believe the transformation you would see in him would be nothing short of miraculous I am certain !! Bewick.
asked the old man about them and he said smiths of madison used to have big js with the 8LXBs in them
yappie:
asked the old man about them and he said smiths of madison used to have big js with the 8LXBs in them
Yes Yappie I have heard the rumour a few times my- self but as yet no solid proof !! no one has produced a photo of an SOM Big J with 8LXB !!! plenty of ■■■■■■■ Big Js and 6LXBs but no 8s Cheers Bewick.
Hiya in 1978 i had a A series ERF It was 6 years old when i got her it pulled resonably and it just managed to crepe over 64 Mph.I was at that time doing
change overs in Dover.That was pickup at trailer in Stoke pop into Dover change trailers and back to Stoke one a Day not to bad for a old 8LXB and of corse
no M25 so it was down the archway and up the A13.OH and two way traffic through a single bore dartford tunnel 40 mph on dual carrageways no bypass at Canterbury and did it on one tank of fuel loaded both ways.Not bad for an old plodder.
John
3300John:
Hiya in 1978 i had a A series ERF It was 6 years old when i got her it pulled resonably and it just managed to crepe over 64 Mph.I was at that time doing
change overs in Dover.That was pickup at trailer in Stoke pop into Dover change trailers and back to Stoke one a Day not to bad for a old 8LXB and of corse
no M25 so it was down the archway and up the A13.OH and two way traffic through a single bore dartford tunnel 40 mph on dual carrageways no bypass at Canterbury and did it on one tank of fuel loaded both ways.Not bad for an old plodder.
John
And I bet it was a small tank as well John !! Bewick.
and dont forget the GPO big js with the rolls royce 290 by god they could fly !!!
Hi yappie,
I,m afraid Dennis has began to digress off the topic of the Guy Big J,he now seems to be championing the merits of ERF with Gardner engines,we will have to get him back on track. By the way yappie, good to have you on board.
Cheers Dave.
yappie:
and dont forget the GPO big js with the rolls royce 290 by god they could fly !!!
Look Yappie I begining to think you are “suspect” as well a TK Bedford would fly if all it had the trailer was a few poxy sacks of letters !! do me a favour !! Seriously losing the will to live !!! Bewick.
Dave the Renegade:
Hi yappie,
I,m afraid Dennis has began to digress off the topic of the Guy Big J,he now seems to be championing the merits of ERF with Gardner engines,we will have to get him back on track. By the way yappie, good to have you on board.
Cheers Dave.
Hiya Dave anything with a Gardner in it (apart from a Foden ) was OK for me in fact the finest little workhorse we probably had was an A series ERF 6LXB/Fuller 609/Kirkstall HR Fleet name “Judy” . The last Gardeners we ran were 265s in ERF C series and Sed Atk 401s Fuller boxes/ Eaton axles in the ERFs Rockwell in the Atky’s Cheers Dennis.