What do those of you who used to drive them think? As a kid in the late 70’s I used to get trips out in blue dart Big Js, I thought they were a good looking cab for their time (on the outside at least), this thread is inspired by recent photos of Dennis’s Guys on the Bewick thread, looked a decent motor in the 70s. Both cabs came out in 64ish, so the proposed debate is which was better? Suggest we ignore the V6 engined ones to keep the engine hump comparison the same. Should a more open minded BL Management have scrapped the ergo, developed the raised (ala 8lxb engined Big J) cab, scrapped the 0680 and standardised on the AV760, TL12 and 6LXB ( and the 8 potter of course! 
), for all 6&8 wheelers and tractors? 10 speed box in everything, better sleeper, better engine cooling than the too low ergo? plus economies of scale, standardisation etc. Bewick rated the 6lxb as an economical fleet motor in the late 70s, the buffalo wasn’t favoured at all?
Personal preference would be for an updated Big J with decent sleeper (we don’t do “decent” in Brit lorries!), 350 ■■■■■■■ & Eaton Twin Splitter.
And a modified gear linkage to preserve the fingers! And a nice Isringhausen seat, please.
I thought the ergo cabbed motors were nice to drive, but the bigger-engine ones tended to overheat a bit.
I drove a bigj in 1975 for only a couple of weeks working for city meats out of their abbatoir in waltham abbey essex I was very green then and as I was a butcher had gone there for a cutting job but when they knew I had an hgv offered me a driving job on nights they also had a sed atki 4 wheeler would that be a 200 not sure it had a 2 speed axle but was very knackered old thing, the guy had a 5 speed g/box not sure what engine but as old as it was it certainly could march on but this job was only locals like guilford canterbury and kingston small meat markets but I spent a lot of time at these places waiting for them to open so I would try and get my head down the guy was the most uncomfortable cab with a huge engine hump a massive steering wheel and a fuel gauge on the tank not on the dash but when you look on the old pathe films of the traffic in the 60s and 70s you see loads of big js they must have sold a hell of a lot of them, cannot comment on the ergo however when I worked for my cousin in the 60s in his scrap yard as a kid we had an uncle who worked on BRS he would pop in a couple of times a week in his ergo AEC I recall as I was the kid in the yard would have to syphon 10 gallons of derv out of the ergo I got very good at it when I was 12 or 13, very happy days indeed learned to drive at that yard in all sorts of old crap
No contest,the Big J wins “hands down” as far as I’m concerned,great motor ! 
Cheers Bewick.
Bewick:
No contest,the Big J wins “hands down” as far as I’m concerned,great motor !
Blimey Bewick I was flamed on the Ergo topic for suggesting that the Ergo was a classic example of what can happen when the idea of an all in house made wagon goes catastrophically wrong.In the form of a wagon fitted with the choice of Leyland 500 or AEC V8 and a cab more suited to a local refuse collection wagon. 
Big J for me as well, though I never drove either but worked on both! We had an Albion with the Ergomatic cab but it was the fixed version, ex Oxted Greystone Lime, and it seemed to rot away rather rapidly.
Pete.
How are you keeping “CF” me old mucker,behaving yourself I hope 
Now look 'ere my son if you claimed that the Pope was catholic 99:9% of the TNUK members would disagree with you ! Anyway what is your latest Crusade ? no doubt you will be the “only man in the Regiment marching in time” as usual or are you mellowing in your “dotage” Cheers Bewick.
Bewick:
How are you keeping “CF” me old mucker,behaving yourself I hope
Bewick:
How are you keeping “CF” me old mucker,behaving yourself I hope
The very notion of CF claiming that the Pope was Catholic made me check, instinctively, what religion the Pope was.
[zb]
anorak:Bewick:
How are you keeping “CF” me old mucker,behaving yourself I hopeThe very notion of CF claiming that the Pope was Catholic made me check, instinctively, what religion the Pope was.
With you on the Big J’s.
This was a charismatic motor!
Yes it looked small if you parked it next to a 111, but it was the generation before.
I liked vans - I know we’re never going to agree on that. When London Carriers moved from the Invincibles, which I also thought looked good, to the big j’s I thought they were the best thing since sliced bread.
I know they’re not easy to drive like the modern truck/cars, but they were of their time!
John
John West:
With you on the Big J’s.This was a charismatic motor!
Yes it looked small if you parked it next to a 111, but it was the generation before.
I liked vans - I know we’re never going to agree on that. When London Carriers moved from the Invincibles, which I also thought looked good, to the big j’s I thought they were the best thing since sliced bread.
I know they’re not easy to drive like the modern truck/cars, but they were of their time!
John
Dead right there John,we ran six of them at Bewick Transport,three new and three secondhand (nearly new) and they all,without exception, gave us excellent service,OK they wern’t Scanias or Volvos but they were half the price so when we needed “wheels on the ground” they did the job,although they wern’t expected to perform like the Scandinavians they never-the-less did the work they were tasked with,economically and reliably. great motors of their time ! Cheers Dennis.
Driven both over the years, its the Guy for me…
I found the Ergo was a comfortable, cosy cab - a drivers wagon. The Big J was more “hairy chested” a perch for an overalled roper and sheeter and definitely the Governors or owner driver’s choice. There was something indestructable about the Guy whereas you would never treat the AEC or whatever badge the same. I did an engine change on both and the tilt cab gets the vote. However a regular Guy mechanic would probably say you never needed to with proper fleet maintenance. Jim.
It’s got to be the Big J,with or without the big Percy!!!
David
I attended a local (ish) vintage show today and there were several restored commercials there, I was sitting opposite a Leyland Beaver with the Ergo cab for several hours and it occoured to me that there wasn’t a lot of protection in a smash with that cab compared to the Big J/Motor Panels offering. Maybe the truck driver’s that I spotted on the M1 today travelling about ten feet from the truck in front would ease off a bit if they still had the lack of crash protection of an Ergomatic cab! 
Pete.
windrush:
I attended a local (ish) vintage show today and there were several restored commercials there, I was sitting opposite a Leyland Beaver with the Ergo cab for several hours and it occoured to me that there wasn’t a lot of protection in a smash with that cab compared to the Big J/Motor Panels offering. Maybe the truck driver’s that I spotted on the M1 today travelling about ten feet from the truck in front would ease off a bit if they still had the lack of crash protection of an Ergomatic cab!Pete.
I learned a lot from the drivers at Pritchett Brothers in the early seventies, which digs to stop in etc.
(Dennis, Mr Bewick, was lucky, he had his apprenticeship with Possy, King of the road . My Dad still wanted me to be an accountant or a solicitor at that stage, but later realised I was never going to be)
So, after returning in convoy from Glasgow with about 3 other drivers, we stopped at Ecclefechan (there’s a name to conjure with!)
One of the drivers got out and reamed another driver (it wasn’t you Eddie) for travelling too close to him. ‘Longest wagon I’ve ever driven! In my mirrors it’s 100 foot back before I can see any road!’
Made me think.
John
Big J for me, drove one in anger for couple of years ,before moving onto a Foden with 12sp box. Big J never missed a beat and seeing that I was staying in digs in those days, I didn’t have to sleep across the hump too many times.
windrush:
I attended a local (ish) vintage show today and there were several restored commercials there, I was sitting opposite a Leyland Beaver with the Ergo cab for several hours and it occoured to me that there wasn’t a lot of protection in a smash with that cab compared to the Big J/Motor Panels offering. Maybe the truck driver’s that I spotted on the M1 today travelling about ten feet from the truck in front would ease off a bit if they still had the lack of crash protection of an Ergomatic cab!Pete.
More worrying was if the ergo cab got knocked over, it would take your head off in the drivers seat.
I don’t think any cab has ever beaten the seating position of an Ergo. It was just putting up with the noise that got you down.