harry_gill:
Hiya,
I parked a Mk1 Atki up one Friday afternoon it was a three year old job, rare
being a 1965 registered but with a 220 ■■■■■■■ engine, quite a bit of power
in a 1965 chassis, on parking it up I was given the reins of a brand new Scania
80 for my Sunday shift to Dover which was hampered by three breakdown’s a
sucked in fuel tank, the paint shop had blocked the fuel tank vent “a pinhole”
in the filler cap which I spotted and sorted with the aid of a lapel badge pin,
a burst fuel pipe rubbed away when the securing clip “dropped off” in motion
I sorted this with the help of a garage at Cannock who just happened to have
a little bit of suitable sized flexible pipe it was only on the delivery side so not
a lot of pressure and a couple of jubilee clips, I got into Dover AM dropped my
trailer and went to pick my return trailer up, as usual it was dropped low and
very front end heavy and the little Scania had a job getting under it, I did the
usual and pulled forwards to check I’d got hold of her and bang a bleedin’ half
shaft broke to later be discovered was metal fatigue faulty. I did get the load
and motor back home on the diff-lock,and praised for my initiative, and the
first thing I did was ask for my old Atki back , I didn’t get it so I looked for a
new employer which in those days was easy, it did entail driving a brand new
Atki but this time a bit less power only having a 180 Gardner in her.
thanks harry, long retired.
Now your “open hostility” toward l’al Scanias “H” is understandable after reading this tale of woe but it’s a long time to bear a grudge isn’t it Cheers Dennis
atkiman:
Now boys …took me old girl for a spin this morning on my return found 3 air leaks spent from 3-5 sorting them out and it not due out till march!!!glad itz not still working. …would be there now!@@!! Cheers jamie
Now then Jamie, I just rebuilt this Borderer last week so how does it compare to your one, never had any air leaks and it drives like a dream Cheers Dennis.
Looks a beauty that Dennis, but anything less than 20 gears and I’m not driving it . Give it a few weeks and I am sure it’d develop a few leaks.is that the one that ended up in henry cooks?
atkiman:
Looks a beauty that Dennis, but anything less than 20 gears and I’m not driving it . Give it a few weeks and I am sure it’d develop a few leaks.is that the one that ended up in henry cooks?
New onto the fleet in September/October 1973 and it cost me full list plus £250 cash ! and it was the worst spec Atki I ever bought,■■■■■■■ 220/DB 6:600/Seddon Group axle, NO Power steering, what a ■■■■■■■ Dog but you couldn’t get new units at that time for love nor money and when you needed one pronto you were at the mercy of the dealers and the only ones available (if any) were poxy specs like this one !! We double shifted the bollox of it for 18 months then I got rid, by this time it had had a couple of gearboxes plus the hub reductions had been stripped and re-built a couple of times, Oh! and the engine was “breathing” but otherwise it looked immaculate as daft as it seems I recall I just about got back what I’d paid for it as there was rampant inflation during that time of anywhere from 15 to 25% annual ridiculous, but I’ve got to say that out of the many Atki’s we ran over the years this was the very very worst no danger ! Cheers Dennis.
spotted that group axle. .not great. What do you need power steering for as my dad would say get some weight over the back axle and you’ll think you’ve got it! !!
atkiman:
spotted that group axle. .not great. What do you need power steering for as my dad would say get some weight over the back axle and you’ll think you’ve got it! !!
ZF Power you can’t wack it Jamie !! Cheers Dennis.
Love the video there Road- Ranger, it would be great to see more of these, as Robert 1952 says. Whilst reading the classic / heritage truck magazines, I often wonder why there aren’t more interior pictures… Great memories - I would have done a fair few miles in Atki’s with my Dad when I was young - he had 3 of them all up; An ex- John Raymond (J reg) - 180 Gardner / 5sp David Brown box - bit slow that one, also a new one (from Praills Hereford in 1973, CVJ 803L), flash one that - 220 ■■■■■■■■ 9sp Road ranger, auto lube, and I couldn’t tell what back axle, but definitely tall geared, would cruise at 70mph when empty, and lastly he had another 2nd hand one - ex Owen Morris (I think) from Newent - ECR 989 L - 205 ■■■■■■■ this time, & Road ranger box.
A little story about one job I got when working for Old Robbie Killingbeck way back in the mid 60s instructed to report to Preston Dock with a 33foot trailer and pick up a 30foot container rope on job no twistlocks proceed to a farm on the outskirts of Bury, I can’t remember the location found the place no bother after enquiring from a passing postman, the farm was a derelict place with loads of room to spin round and park up and backing onto a loading ramp which looked like it had been hastily prepared using I would think a JCB type of thing, I was given a fiver and told to use a pick-up and go and get myself some breakfast, a fiver in those days was half a weeks wages so even after buying a brekkie and a packet of cigs and a newspaper I’d still got about three quid in my pocket nice start to the week, the guys at the farm had told me we’ll be a couple of hours you’ve no need to rush back so I called for a couple of pints, just about a couple of hours later I drove back to find the farmyard blocked with police vehicles and my motor was well and truly blocked in the pick-up keys were confiscated and I was placed in a police van awaiting “processing” as to being an accessory to what turned out to be a bunch of Irish agricultural thieves who had been storing stolen farm machines at the farm and shipping them to Ireland via Northern Ireland Trailers and Preston Dock I got away after being “cleared” of any involvement and the container being emptied which at the time looked like a couple of newish tractors inside and standing outside waiting to be loaded was what looked like a couple of stripped down machines which looked like they was going to be the remainder of the load Oh’ and after many radio messages I was free to go empty to a not best pleased Mr Killingbecks yard. Forgot to add my motor was a Mk1 Atki.
thanks harry, long retired.
Sounds like a good script for a film “H”, now then how about a suitable working title ? “The one that got away” , “H”'s Great Escape , “Carry on Thieving” certificate PG !! Anon 1.
Bewick:
Sounds like a good script for a film “H”, now then how about a suitable working title ? “The one that got away” , “H”'s Great Escape , “Carry on Thieving” certificate PG !! Anon 1.
Hiya,
Aye 'Dennis, and it must have been about the one time in my life when I got paid
for doing virtually nowt plus I still had the change from the fiver in my skyrocket,
thanks harry, long retired.
Bewick:
Sounds like a good script for a film “H”, now then how about a suitable working title ? “The one that got away” , “H”'s Great Escape , “Carry on Thieving” certificate PG !! Anon 1.
Hiya,
Aye 'Dennis, and it must have been about the one time in my life when I got paid
for doing virtually nowt plus I still had the change from the fiver in my skyrocket,
thanks harry, long retired.
And I just bet that if you were to sift through the handful of megs and shrapnel you carry about in your “sky” “H” I think you may just still find a few ill-gotten bob from that fateful day. Dennis.
Cheers Dennis 
Cheers Dennis.
as daft as it seems I recall I just about got back what I’d paid for it as there was rampant inflation during that time of anywhere from 15 to 25% annual ridiculous, but I’ve got to say that out of the many Atki’s we ran over the years this was the very very worst no danger ! Cheers Dennis.
Cheers Dennis.
