Lawrence Dunbar:
Is that better Dennis, Regards Larry.0
What width was that fly sheet Larry ? Too wide for my liking,unless for a special job. Cheers Dennis.
Off course we would have pulled you out if it was possible, us old drivers used to stick together in those days, Anyway I allways carried a strong wire rope just in case, & mind you it was well used with my old Atki, Regards Larry.
no mither larry,like dennis said it’s just banter,all the best gaz.
Yes Dennis it was tailor made, to cover reels of paper on load & go jobs to save time, Regards Larry.
This is a shot of the Octopus JEO192 on which I was taught the “finer points” of the sheeting and roping craft !! Did '000 of miles in the passenger seat,both wide awake and in the “land of nod”,thats not me stood on the back by the way,it was a young lad called Thompson,his dad was a relative of Brady’s and he actually drove the other Octopus HEO 557 prior to it going solo.He then went on nights loading Brady trailers and 8wheelers in Barrow Steel Works,I can’t type the universal “nickname” he was known by as it is now classed as a racist slur,but imagine how a miner looks when he has just stepped out of the cage after a shift underground !!! Where’s Diane Abbott when you need her ■■ Cheers Dennis.
Dennis were these Leylands the ones with an oil bottle inside the cab ? I recall British Paints having a one with it in, Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Dennis were these Leylands the ones with an oil bottle inside the cab ? I recall British Paints having a one with it in, Regards Larry.
No,Larry but they did have a push button and dial on the dash that was supposed to tell you what level the sump oil was !! didn’t work mate ,that was my job every morning to dip the oil,Oh! and we did always have a 1 gallon can of oil in the nearside step so I suppose the answer to your question could ,sort of be,yes !!! Cheers Dennis.
The front part of the load has two long pallets banded with the load would it not be better
to just have one on the bottom and the other on the top then band them?,
the ends would not sag as much when put on the trailer deck and the ropes would not cut into the top or you then could just use two more straps.
If it had been me i would have put the ratchets on the nearside for the rear part of the load as if you have to stop
and redo them you are on the safest side away from traffic just my observations. 
No need for sheets on this load guys. It’s only sheeted plastic designed for use on roofs apparently.We were thinking about throwing a fly over the top but consulted our office staff & they said not to bother (although that wasn’t their exact words if you know what I mean!)
TomJaves:
No need for sheets on this load guys. It’s only sheeted plastic designed for use on roofs apparently.We were thinking about throwing a fly over the top but consulted our office staff & they said not to bother (although that wasn’t their exact words if you know what I mean!)
hmm im not sure i’d be going off what office folk tell me i’d be making my own mind up i think .
i’m not having a pop fella but if the ■■■■ hits the fan your defence of " the office staff said it was ok " wouldn’t stand up , so unless the office bodd is a seasoned roper and sheeter …
i’d have thrown a sheet over the front just for piece of mind if nothing else even a bit of cardboard blowing off is insecure load and could be treated as such . 
zzarbean:
I didn’t get chance to photograph my first attempt at roping AND sheeting, I was too busy pulling into every other lay-by to tighten it all up again
We all had to learn as we went, puts a whole new meaning on picking it up as you go along
Thats probably the best way to learn , having to get out and do it again makes you learn faster
Bewick:
GAZ70:
no probs,regarding the snowdrift up at shap i think that was very unsporting of you and young dunbar,i’m sure you’d pull your old pal gaz out
Aye,after we’d had our supper and a “warm up” in the “Jungle”,then we’d get the Bobbies to give us a lift back up the fell in their Landrover to see if you were still digging mate !! Is your Log Sheet in order when the Bobby asks ? A shot of the first 38 tonner we put into the fleet in April '83,parked in a layby on the A590 at Crooklands.Cheers Bewick.
I always liked the P cab Scanias i thought they were a great motor im probably biased because my first motor was a 6 wheeler rear lift unit,some drivers i worked with used to complain if they had to drive 1,apparently they werent tall enough for some,sounds like the little man syndrome to me
zzarbean:
We all had to learn as we went, puts a whole new meaning on picking it up as you go along
You would need to take a weeks course these days, ran by a Logistics Elements defence Instructor (with certificates) followed by a theory and practical exam, and re-take it every 5 years
robroy:
zzarbean:
We all had to learn as we went, puts a whole new meaning on picking it up as you go alongYou would need to take a weeks course these days, ran by a Logistics Elements defence Instructor (with certificates) followed by a theory and practical exam, and re-take it every 5 years
I turned up on Monday morning having driven nothing bigger than a transit van (Amazing how many bikes or bike wheels you can tie on the roof rack) and went out with Mr V in a four wheeler cattle truck, him driving, after picking up various beasts and delivering them to Gloucester market I had to wash the truck out and then take some barren cows to Baxter’s slaughter house on the way back to the yard (with a regular driver riding shotgun)
Once back and having apparently passed the driving test MR V showed me how to tie a dolly and left me to practice across an empty trailer. Coming back 20 minutes later he asked if I’d got the hang of it. Having affirmed that I had he pointed at a 3 axle Albion Revier(sp) and said “That’s yours, be in Barrons at 7.30 tomorrow and load for Devon” and he was gone.
Here ended my formal training and the start of a steep learning curve
Bewick:
This is a shot of the Octopus JEO192 on which I was taught the “finer points” of the sheeting and roping craft !! Did '000 of miles in the passenger seat,both wide awake and in the “land of nod”,thats not me stood on the back by the way,it was a young lad called Thompson,his dad was a relative of Brady’s and he actually drove the other Octopus HEO 557 prior to it going solo.He then went on nights loading Brady trailers and 8wheelers in Barrow Steel Works,I can’t type the universal “nickname” he was known by as it is now classed as a racist slur,but imagine how a miner looks when he has just stepped out of the cage after a shift underground !!! Where’s Diane Abbott when you need her ■■ Cheers Dennis.
This was the sister Power Plus Octopus to JEO 192,HEO 557 pictured here at the time of delivery ,new,to Barrow-in-Furness.It differed slightly from JEO192 by having a slightly different headboard ! However , 557 didn’t pull a trailer for very long and was run solo with various other 8 wheelers.Whereas JEO 192 pulled a trailer for all of it’s “frontline” life,only running solo for it’s last few months in service,1968, which I believed was hauling Tuborg Lager bulk tanks from Felixstowe into London !! Cheers Bewick.