This might be more of Saviem’s bag, but yesterday as I went into the services at Taunton to fuel up, there was a blue Scania tractor unit with lowloader just pulling off the pumps. On the lowloader trailer was (at least it looked like one in the pouring rain!) a Loheac tractor unit. Does anyone on here know anything about this unit in the UK, who it belongs to, history etc?
I look forward to any information,
Ed
EDSHARK:
This might be more of Saviem’s bag, but yesterday as I went into the services at Taunton to fuel up, there was a blue Scania tractor unit with lowloader just pulling off the pumps. On the lowloader trailer was (at least it looked like one in the pouring rain!) a Loheac tractor unit. Does anyone on here know anything about this unit in the UK, who it belongs to, history etc?I look forward to any information,
Ed
Evening all, if it is a Loehac “Ton Ton,” then some ones very, very lucky!! Was it going North?? Cheerio for now.
Salut Saviem!!,
If the Ton Ton was the one with the fibreglass cab and the stubby bonnet then yes it was,
They were heading North out of the service area so I am going to guess the truck may have been brought back from France and was heading to be worked on - I am guessing here that there were no Loheacs brought into the UK by other hauliers!.
IIRC Loheac also made some strange tractor units with their own version of the the Renault G series cab, or did I imagine that?
Ed
When I worked on the cross channel ferries in the mid 60’s our bunker fuel was delivered by a Dunkerque tanker company using Loheacs. Very strange looking beasts!
For those who don’t know what a Loheac ‘Ton Ton’ looked like. Photo taken in Loheac’s yard.
I remember seeing some French Reg. Loheac’s In the late '80’s early '90’s pulling tankers In the UK …
classicman:
For those who don’t know what a Loheac ‘Ton Ton’ looked like. Photo taken in Loheac’s yard.
And these are the more up to date Loheac
that ton ton normal control looks as if someone went to rush green , bought a mixed bag of bits and nailed them together in a hurry . i hope it was a better lorry than it looks .
rigsby:
that ton ton normal control looks as if someone went to rush green , bought a mixed bag of bits and nailed them together in a hurry . i hope it was a better lorry than it looks .
I believe they were originally developed from a US military truck, International, thousands of which were left in Europe after WW2. With new motors very scarce or even unavailable in France Antoine Loheac built his own. The last ones being as shown in Wheel Nut’s picture. They grew into a very large company and still are today running Iveco Stralis and Renault Premiums. Not many TonTons escaped and most were left in the ‘graveyard’ at the rear of the depot in Grande Couronne and were,I believe cleared only after Antoine died.
classicman:
rigsby:
that ton ton normal control looks as if someone went to rush green , bought a mixed bag of bits and nailed them together in a hurry . i hope it was a better lorry than it looks .I believe they were originally developed from a US military truck, International, thousands of which were left in Europe after WW2. With new motors very scarce or even unavailable in France Antoine Loheac built his own. The last ones being as shown in Wheel Nut’s picture. They grew into a very large company and still are today running Iveco Stralis and Renault Premiums. Not many TonTons escaped and most were left in the ‘graveyard’ at the rear of the depot in Grande Couronne and were,I believe cleared only after Antoine died.
Loheac also made his own tanks and the reason the company got so large was that he could carry more than anyone else because they were light.
Wheel Nut:
classicman:
rigsby:
that ton ton normal control looks as if someone went to rush green , bought a mixed bag of bits and nailed them together in a hurry . i hope it was a better lorry than it looks .I believe they were originally developed from a US military truck, International, thousands of which were left in Europe after WW2. With new motors very scarce or even unavailable in France Antoine Loheac built his own. The last ones being as shown in Wheel Nut’s picture. They grew into a very large company and still are today running Iveco Stralis and Renault Premiums. Not many TonTons escaped and most were left in the ‘graveyard’ at the rear of the depot in Grande Couronne and were,I believe cleared only after Antoine died.
Loheac also made his own tanks and the reason the company got so large was that he could carry more than anyone else because they were light.
Did I read somewhere that he used a mixture of Renault/Berliet and Scania engines?
Riverstick:
Did I read somewhere that he used a mixture of Renault/Berliet and Scania engines?
Plenty of Loheac information here:
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=48419&p=551650
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=24867&p=1119245
[zb]
anorak:Riverstick:
Did I read somewhere that he used a mixture of Renault/Berliet and Scania engines?Plenty of Loheac information here:
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=48419&p=551650
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=24867&p=1119245
Evening all, thanks [ZB], for putting the links to my 28 feb 2012, and 14 March 2012 posts ,concerning my friend the late Antoine Loheac,(1904-2006), page 78, and 79, Truckin in the 80s thread, and his truly wonderful creations, (and saved my arthritic fingers a lot of exercise this wet Saturday night)!
wheelnut, you are quite right, a 35tonne gtw tractor weighing only 5.7tonnes ready to go… and a 38tonner at 6.2tonnes…eat your heart out M Berliet, and everyone else. And his tanks, for Chemicals, and Petroleum products were light and brilliantly engineered, but for Gas Antoine purchased proprietry tanks.
classicman is correct that the “Tonton”, (uncle in French, see the links to my old posts as to why they were named so), started to become obsolete, not really because of Antoines death, but the “dead hand” of Brussels and its pervading legislation was the end. (As it will be to any free thinking and acting entrepreneur)!..Truly “grey rules”!
rigsby, yes the “Tonton”, particularly in its earlier form, has unusual lines , but it truly is an exercise in purposeful design. Long wheelbase for stability on tanks or tippers, fully opening hood, to totally expose the front ancilliaries, (and a cab removal takes less than 45minutes), big brakes, copper brake pipes, armoured wiring, DAF 8litre, or 320 Scania, 9sp Fuller, Eaton axle, and later ones had twin splitters, or SAMT boxes, behind 320, or 360 Renault power.
To drive, surprisingly comfortable, modest power, but Loheac was a good employer, paying good wages, …and there was company housing, and no shortage of applicants to work for them.
My strongest memory is of the modest, tall, bespectacled Antoine, a man of whom I have the greatest fondness and respect, truly France`s last lorry manufacturer!!
I shall away to the Bollinger, and toast the life of a true giant of our industry. Cheerio for now.