One of M. A. Ponsoby’s units passed me today travelling east on A48 from Carmarthen… neat looking kit fairplay!
They are mate. Had to load in their yard a few years ago, nice bunch of lads, and a nice and tidy fleet.
Thanks Patrick, just wondered as I hadn’t heard them mentioned for a long time. Have they still got all those ERFs or have they moved on since the demise?
After I left Econofreight at Markfield, Leicester, I believe some of the drivers moved on to LHH when that depot closed. Passing through Leicester one day I recognised some voices on the CB chatting away. Can’t remember names now though.
I think they just go about their business, without making a fuss mate😉.
Not sure if they’ve got an ERF or Scammell hadden away somewhere, but the fleet now consists of DAF and MAN units.
@spardo , couple of examples, lifted from their FB page.
Yes, when you think about it, ERFs looked like MANs at the end didn’t they, or did I dream that? 
MAN were the last owners of ERF, and yes, some MAN cabs were used for the ECS and ECT models. The ECT was more or less a MAN TGA with a Cummins under the hump.
Here’s an old C-series to keep you going:
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Strewth, I bet those single drives had some traction issues, particularly on heavy haulage.
Leicester had a few of those C-series 6x2 units plated at 75t with Cummins 290s. They had an air dump system operated from the dashboard to help with traction. Apparently they worked well on slippery sites.
TBH I was never a great fan of twin-steer even on general haulage, but they did vary rather from manufacturer to manufacturer. The ERF C-series was apparently one of the better ones and sold in large numbers. I wasn’t over-keen on the Merc version contemporary with it.
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What didn’t you like about twinsteers exactly then? As it’s much better than having just a pusher axle?
Here’s an old C-series to keep you going:
Or cummin-ooh vicar
Manoeverability in tight spaces, particularly with the Mercs.
Compared to a standard 4x2? I wouldn’t have thought that it would make such a big difference?
The worst of the lot was a 2035 twin-steer with EPS. It had the lock of a super-tanker. Useless in farm yards!
There you go @les_sylphides , a SK twinsteer, coupled to an old lowloader with a fixed axle, delivering agricultural machinery. How’s that for manoeverability in tight spaces?
Well, this was over 30 years ago. All I know is that I used all sorts of units, mostly 4x2 in one particular little farm yard and this particular 1735 didn’t cut the mustard! It had a 13.6m fridge on the back, not a low-loader.
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PV83, you’ve really got me thinking now!
When 38t first came in, over 40 yrs ago now, I liked (both driving and looking at) the third added axle on units if they had double wheels because they looked right. So I was happy with double drive and also with a trailing axle that had double wheels. I didn’t like the look of single-tyred third axles. It was a bit like thinking that a proper lorry should have a bonnet or proper bus should have a half cab and open platform. I appear to have unconsciously harboured this prejudice all these years without questioning it and used that Merc 1735 ‘one-off’ as an excuse to support my otherwise irrational bias.
In reality I have driven countless units with single-tyred third (steering, mid-lift, trailing etc) axles and had absolutely no trouble with them at all. Sometimes it just takes someone to raise an eyebrow to make you look at yourself in the mirror!
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