What are our experiences of IH powered lorries? Obviously the Seddon Atkinson 300 with the DT 466 engine was quite a popular six wheeler, but it was also one of the better mid weight tractor units. However the S/A 200 was voted Truck of the year at one time however it never seemed so popular - possibly because of the reversed gear linkage. Working for a dealer at the time these were popular the only engine work I can recall was on the D358s in the 200 which seemed to drop valves when the mileage topped up. This was probably due to the high maximum revs achievable. The only other thing which sticks in the mind was the ease with which the injectors could be installed the wrong way round, which was quite interesting.
The older 1950s and 1960s genuine IH built lorries sadly I know nothing about other than I think a few specialist airside vehicles were to be seen around Heathrow.
We used to look after a few 200 series and they were fairly reliable but very gutless , we rebuilt some engines but they had done a lot of work . We did one and the owner said he would sort his own spares out and he got them from a tractor dealer , They were nowhere near the same quality and the engine lasted about as long as it took to rebuild it . A good job the customer is always right ! Was there something with the brakes ? would pass the mot but never felt really good . Regards Geoff
We had three 200 and one 300 tippers at Ballidon and the engine’s were never touched. They smoked a bit unless you adjusted the valve clearances the way International advised which involved just rotating the engine once, they were fine then. I think that one 200 had a weak cam as one tappet opened up after a few months but it was never replaced. A bit gutless the 200’s, but then they replaced V8 engined Mastiffs!
Pete.
How did that work with the valves Pete ? I can remember Volvo F86 and F88 had a similar way but you had to move the crankshaft twice to get them all . I think on the 86 it was 124579 then turn the crank and do the rest . Geoff
dosser:
How did that work with the valves Pete ? I can remember Volvo F86 and F88 had a similar way but you had to move the crankshaft twice to get them all . I think on the 86 it was 124579 then turn the crank and do the rest . Geoff
Yes Geoff, my mistake, you are quite correct! 
I meant to say that the crank was set to one position and then after adjusting six valves you turned it one more time. Surprising what a difference it made, with other engine’s I normally set them with the piston at tdc and its opposite number valves rocking but if you set the International engine like that they black smoked a little.
Pete.
Well I thought the International engines were adequate for what they were needed for, the SA 200’s I worked on and drove were quite reliable, I can’t recall any major engine failures sure there was the odd head gasket or overheating job but most of the work was on the fuel system and gave fitters no more to do than other makes. The engine was quite quiet, certainly not as noisy as the previous Perkins 354 in the 16:Four’s and it hauled fully laden just as you would expect from a mid range and cheaper end of the market 16 Tonner, I remember the later ERF E6’s were completely gutless compared and the 200’s were not uncomfortable on longer trips. My Father drove the IH Loadstar tipper during the Sixties and this little four wheeler gave no problems, nice and quiet having the conventional build and rugged and gutsy enough for site work, it also looked different with its US styling and a nice bright paint job.
At the time I would say they were no better or worse than what else was around until the Scania 80’s series came on the scene but even they had their own faults to sort out. Franky.
Here’s one of those little IH Tippers my Father drove belonging to Owen Pugh of Dudley near Newcastle, borrowed from the Owen Pugh thread, I often helped him with maint on a Saturday morning and had the odd drive, very nice little motor. Franky.
cav551:
What are our experiences of IH powered lorries? Obviously the Seddon Atkinson 300 with the DT 466 engine was quite a popular six wheeler, but it was also one of the better mid weight tractor units. However the S/A 200 was voted Truck of the year at one time however it never seemed so popular - possibly because of the reversed gear linkage. Working for a dealer at the time these were popular the only engine work I can recall was on the D358s in the 200 which seemed to drop valves when the mileage topped up. This was probably due to the high maximum revs achievable. The only other thing which sticks in the mind was the ease with which the injectors could be installed the wrong way round, which was quite interesting.
The older 1950s and 1960s genuine IH built lorries sadly I know nothing about other than I think a few specialist airside vehicles were to be seen around Heathrow.
Pandoro was the instigator behind the 32T version of the 300 Series tractor, and had a couple of prototypes on the fleet for testing prior to taking production vehicles, of which they took 25 in 1979/80.
They had 214 rather wimpy horses, and needed every one of the 12 gears to row them along. The big attraction was their light weight, and they replaced a staggeringly unreliable fleet of L12-engined Buffaloes.
Once the 38T limit came along in May 1983, the concept of a light tractor for maximum payloads at 32T, became pretty much obsolete
Frankydobo:
Here’s one of those little IH Tippers my Father drove belonging to Owen Pugh of Dudley near Newcastle, borrowed from the Owen Pugh thread, I often helped him with maint on a Saturday morning and had the odd drive, very nice little motor. Franky.
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Hi Frankydobo, Tahts a cracking photo of Pughs Motor, They had a lot of them working on a pipeline job in those good old days, I had a driver who drove for them before driving for me He was Cally Croziour from Wide Open he allways spoke highly of them, Sadley he is no longer with us RIP Cally, Regards Larry.
