The Leyland ergomatic cabbed ‘Two-Pedal’ Beaver tractive unit has always been a lorry that has interested me. Has anyone on here any experience of driving and / or running one? They were first introduced in 1966 with the 5-speed Leyland (Self-Changing Gears) semi-automatic Pneumo-cyclic gearbox and a 2-speed rear axle. A slightly later version from 1967 incorporated a splitter unit integral with the gearbox and a single speed back axle. A turbo-charged Leyland 690 engined version with this gearbox was introduced in 1969. In total about 600 ‘Two-Pedal’ Beavers entered service and the gearbox was also used by other Leyland Group companies. The semi-auto box was intended to be the standard fitment in the AEC Mandator V8, and several did enter service. It was also used in the AEC Mammoth Major eight-wheeler and the AV760 powered Mandator, with a few examples of each going into service. Scammell also fitted it into a few lorries, and who knows, it could have been the intended transmission for the legendary Guy Big J with 8-cylinder Gardner 8LXB!
A friend of mine did drive one of the early ‘Two-Pedal’ Beavers with two-speed axle and claims it was a trouble-free lorry and a great truck to drive. The gearbox had been used successfully in Leyland passenger vehicles for many years before being used in the Beaver, but operating conditions for a bus are very different to those of a lorry hauling 20 tons of freight. Leyland was twenty years in advance of its competitors when it introduced this gearbox into lorries, but like everything else connected with Leyland in the 1960s the concept failed and was withdrawn. Yet another great lost cause of British truck building.
The firm I worked for had three two pedal Beavers in the early 70,s with the splitter box. I had to take the other drivers out in one to get them used to it and it was fun when they all stamped the floor looking for the clutch pedal. I cant remember any big problems with them but they were open to abuse if you moved the gear selector straight through from one gear to the next without a pause in neutral. I think this caused both the gears to be engaged at the same time causing one of the bands to slip. The splitter mechanism used to seize up but it was a quick job to strip it down and free it. There was trouble with one and the local agent said have you changed the oil filler, we did not know that there was one. There was a plate bolted to the bottom of the gearbox and the filter came down with it. The lorries were often used on a trip to Sheffield and the drivers would use a lay by about 20 miles from Bristol to park up and thumb a lift home. On a freezing night moisture would freeze in the air pipes and the drivers could not get any gears the next morning. Several times I had to take a couple of 5 gallon drums filled with boiling water up there in the pick up truck to thaw them out.
Hiya …adams butter had ERE535E , it was on the london trunk for
about 6 years with no problem, adams had a Avis rental truck for a while that was a scammell handyman
unit that had a 680 leyland with the auto box. i was asked to mate that day, after geting out of site from
the works i ended up driving it as the adams driver was a 6 speed aec man and did,nt like the 2 pedal idea
john
T.Brady & Sons of Barrow had a Two Pedal Beaver and I recall that Eric Poss who I was on the Octopus with used to crack on about the odd time he’d driven the Beaver in Barrow,he said it was a pleasure to drive.I can’t recall what happened to it but IIRC it was the only one they ran along with a single AEC Ergo Mandator.At this time I believe Brady’s were about sick and tired of Leylands and were looking at alternative marques which saw the first 6X2 Mk1 Atky’s join the fleet and shortly afterwards Scania 110’s from B & W Motors.Cheers Bewick.
Interesting to see where the mirror arms have been mounted on this factory vehicle. That red and cream paint scheme really suits the ergomatic cab and is set off so well by the band on the wheels.
About fourty years ago, I was at a commercial vehicle auctuion at Meashem.
The buzz for my cousin and I would be to sit in and start up motors we previously hadn’t seen before. I remember a pair of red tractor units super comet type cabs (ergomatic), but almost sure they had AEC engines. They had the semi-auto box, which I had only previously seen in Leyland leopard buses, and double deckers. I managed to work this tractor out of the line and took it for a spin, I new then it was a rare motor and was quite made up as I had driven something my older cousin hadn’t.
Never saw any after that, but later in life road tested many fleetline double deckers with the same semi set up, easy to operate and a lot better than a crash box for sure.
As mentioned previously a local bus route, and long distance trunk were different operation wise but its a shame no one gave them long term trial.
my dad had one which was almost new when he worked for deard’s of finchley and had it for a few years before becoming an owner driver-he loved it and thought it was the absolute mutts nutts !
R Dennison of Bradford had one of the first in 1967 (maybe early '68), my uncle drove it.
He and the other drivers all liked it but for us mechanics it was a PITA!
It used to leak oil and fluid everywhere.
Didn’t go wrong much mechanically but you needed a shower everytime you went near it.
They didn’t buy anymore .
edited. after further dredging of the grey cells, I correct myself . It wasn’t a leyland it was an AEC
There was a few firms in Sheffield area who ran them Wheeler roar Transport, Robert Earls with beavers and Trowbridge and Willie Harrison had the semi auto box in mandators. Chris Webb and revman will come up with some more, I never drove them but the Atkinson viewline ballast tractor 4x2 had the same semi auto gear box 5 speed with splitter which I did drive a couple of times and all I can recall was that I was not that impressed and much preferred my viewline with the straight 6 ZF as it was a quicker change.
sammyopisite:
There was a few firms in Sheffield area who ran them Wheeler roar Transport, Robert Earls with beavers and Trowbridge and Willie Harrison had the semi auto box in mandators. Chris Webb and revman will come up with some more, I never drove them but the Atkinson viewline ballast tractor 4x2 had the same semi auto gear box 5 speed with splitter which I did drive a couple of times and all I can recall was that I was not that impressed and much preferred my viewline with the straight 6 ZF as it was a quicker change.
Scotherns(mon amie)had one johnie
cheers Johnnie
sammyopisite:
There was a few firms in Sheffield area who ran them Wheeler roar Transport, Robert Earls with beavers and Trowbridge and Willie Harrison had the semi auto box in mandators. Chris Webb and revman will come up with some more, I never drove them but the Atkinson viewline ballast tractor 4x2 had the same semi auto gear box 5 speed with splitter which I did drive a couple of times and all I can recall was that I was not that impressed and much preferred my viewline with the straight 6 ZF as it was a quicker change.
Scotherns(mon amie)had one johnie
cheers Johnnie
L H Mills on Woodburn Road had a two-pedal Beaver,piloted by Maltese -I keel you -Tony ,been a passenger in it for me sins,talk about a white knuckle ride. I think it was on a “G” 1968 plate and went like sh*t off a shovel.
Evening all, Two pedal Beavers, Ryland Group owned Dobsons of Edinburgh had a number of them. Were “de fleeted”, around 1970, and considering the hammer they had taken, were not bad lorries. Am I correct in my recollection that if you stopped suddenly, in any gear, then the hand change had to be moved systematicaly through each gear position, before selecting the lower gear to move off? Cheerio for now.
my dad had one for a week on the caledonian ( tayforth ) felling depot he brought it home a couple of times , he loved it i remember but he said it was very easy to abuse.
cav551:
Interesting to see where the mirror arms have been mounted on this factory vehicle. That red and cream paint scheme really suits the ergomatic cab and is set off so well by the band on the wheels.
I remenber seeing the brackets on the doors like the ones in the picture when I was an apprentice, the mirrors had been moved to the “A” post mounting this was, I believe a modification to stop a vacuum forming down the side causing the doors to get excessively filthy. I don’t think it worked, this was on our fleet of “E” reg (1967) Leyland Super Comets.
.
,been a passenger in it for me sins,talk about a white knuckle ride. I think it was on a “G” 1968 plate and went like sh*t off a shovel. 
