I think Merc went full circle, early SK were splitters, then ZF slapovers, but the early EPS powerliner 1 was ZF, the later manual gearboxes in the 25/28’s were the splitters from Gaggenau plant like the v, early SK, (merc replaced mine free at near 600,000kms because it slipped out of top) and that splitterbox was the one the powerliner 2 EPS was based on which is why I reckon they gave me a new box the old one was ok it needed only a detent, but they wanted it to take back and examine.
Dieseldave, here are a couple of Barco’s for you UCD as you have already mentioned, if my memory serves me right this was a 6 speed with a splitter switch and KMG had the collar. I don’t recall these as being back to front, but Rosemary the 1617 rigid was an 8 speed slapover definately was back to front because when I’m relaxed driving an 8 speed slapover now 25yrs. on I still get caught out,
I have been searching for more photo’s of the 1632, Miss Piggy , Rosemary and do you remeber the 6 legger with the sleeper conversion the gap between the bunks was so little I couldn’t roll onto my side to sleep. Great memories and great trucks never let me down.
bob
Bob Fairbrother:
Dieseldave, here are a couple of Barco’s for you UCD as you have already mentioned, if my memory serves me right this was a 6 speed with a splitter switch and KMG had the collar. I don’t recall these as being back to front…
Hi Bob, That’s exactly my memory of it too.
John really had a soft spot for UCD 324 S, as it was Barco’s first tractor unit.
It’s hard to tell from the size of the pic, but was your pic of UCD taken at Euro Express, Prato Calenzano?? (Near the fruit stand.)
Bob Fairbrother:
but Rosemary the 1617 rigid was an 8 speed slapover definately was back to front because when I’m relaxed driving an 8 speed slapover now 25yrs. on I still get caught out,
Maybe John had changed the fleet a bit in between you leaving and me starting with Barco, I’m not sure about that.
The 1617 Barco had was A 504 CAP IIRC. In my day, that was driven by Fred Roe, but I did sometimes do some James Walker and the Paris/Benelux chase with it 
A 504 CAP was a conventional 8-speed slapover box. There’s no question in my mind about that Bob. My only slight doubt is the reg. number. I’m not sure whether I’ve got a pic of it, but I don’t think so.
Bob Fairbrother:
I have been searching for more photo’s of the 1632, Miss Piggy , Rosemary and do you remeber the 6 legger with the sleeper conversion the gap between the bunks was so little I couldn’t roll onto my side to sleep. Great memories and great trucks never let me down. bob
In my days on Barco, the 1632 was mostly driven by Barry Hartley, but I did do a bit of UK with it now and again. That had a coventional 8-speed slapover as well. As for Miss Piggy. 
She was wasn’t a bad motor.
John did mention the 6-legger, but he’d got rid of it before I worked there. He said he’d had many problems with the diffs on the two axles not being of the same ratio. I also heard the story of Geoff Minnis suffering a breakdown in it in Switzerland. I’ve got a couple more pics of UCD 324 S, I’ll try and get them posted when I get chance. Hey Bob, do we have enough pics to start a Barco thread 
Hi Dave,
The picture of UCD was taken in Spain, I’m not sure if it was at the packhouse where I had loaded melons or the customs compound in Seville. I don’t think I can help with any more pictures as I seem to have missplaced most of mine. UCD certainly was a governors motor as long as it had diesel, enough power in the battery to start it would run forever.
When I left in 82 I think they had the two 1626’s in the pictures, two 1632’s one V and one T reg the 7.5 tonne ( miss piggy ) rosemary the 1617 and the six wheeler.
bob
Bob Fairbrother:
Hi Dave,
The picture of UCD was taken in Spain, I’m not sure if it was at the packhouse where I had loaded melons or the customs compound in Seville. I don’t think I can help with any more pictures as I seem to have missplaced most of mine.
I think I only did a couple of Spains the whole time I was there (about 6 years, but in two spells) One was Valencia with paper reels for Norseman (remember them??) the other was for LKW Walter’s never-go-home European Tour 
Bob Fairbrother:
UCD certainly was a governors motor as long as it had diesel, enough power in the battery to start it would run forever.
That’s exactly as I remember it too. I can honestly say it never let me down.
Bob Fairbrother:
When I left in 82 I think they had the two 1626’s in the pictures, two 1632’s one V and one T reg the 7.5 tonne ( miss piggy ) rosemary the 1617 and the six wheeler.
When I was there, they only had one 1626. There was a 1632 on a “V” and 3 or 4 1633s on "B"s and "C"s, 1 1628 on a “D”, Rosemary, Miss Piggy and a 307D panel van. After that we got 2 1735s on an “E” plate and 1 on an “F” plate. I had a break for 6 months, and went to work for a guy (RJH) out of Erith who offered me permanent Austria in a 2233 on DTs, Schenker and Panalpina. Happy days. 
but does anybody have any pics of mighty Merc on heavy haulage duty??
acd1202:
That truck running out of Manchester Con Base is a 1626 with a 17.5" mid lift conversion, which suggests to me that it is ex Foleys from Fleetwood, they pulled B + I Line trailers.
Thanks for shedding a little more light. I do think it’s a Kent-registered unit though (KE or KM Im sure) so perhaps not from Foleys of Fleetwood? Still, could of been second-hand to them of course.
Olog Hai:
Thanks for shedding a little more light. I do think it’s a Kent-registered unit though (KE or KM Im sure) so perhaps not from Foleys of Fleetwood? Still, could of been second-hand to them of course.
That’s interesting Olog Hai, but it may have been pre-registered to “massage” the sales figures and then shipped up-country so to say. From memory, Kent also had a “KR” reg as well as the ones you mentioned. I used to drive VKR 13 X, (pic on here or SK V8 thread) which was supplied by Sparshatt’s.
my sister took this at truckfest wayback of frank hudsons eurocab
Good picture Carl. I think Frank Hudson also have one of those very unusual T-cab Scania rigids. The only other one I seen is owned by JJC of Salford. Both are 4-wheeler curtainsiders - maybe conversions from units I suppose.
dieseldave:
That’s interesting Olog Hai, but it may have been pre-registered to “massage” the sales figures and then shipped up-country so to say. From memory, Kent also had a “KR” reg as well as the ones you mentioned. I used to drive VKR 13 X, (pic on here or SK V8 thread) which was supplied by Sparshatt’s.
I hadn’t considered that Dave actually so maybe the original poster is correct. I think theres only one way to find out, someone needs to ask the driver if they see him parked up somewhere!
couple of r old truck, manly done ireland - romania, ireland italy
Olog Hai:
I hadn’t considered that Dave actually so maybe the original poster is correct. I think theres only one way to find out, someone needs to ask the driver if they see him parked up somewhere!
Hi Olog Hai, If he’s driving a 1628, we won’t need to wait until he’s parked-up. 
Just hop a ride on a milk float and you’ll soon catch him.
these are great pictures and stories…i worked for parceline in thier workshops for quite a while and the old sk was as hard as rock…the first batch of actros’s were just as tough but after that i think merc lost thier touch.
when i started with parceline they had all 1625 then 1729’s then onto 1831 then the 1831 low height chassis and from there to actros.,the actros was very good upto about x-plate.
i was reminded by the above post.'s…we were off loading the e-plate 1625’s (at parceline)and the replacements were p-reg 1831’s…i started scouting round the site looking for one of the last to go off fleet…no sign of it so onto the traffic office who after a lengthy t-card search located it on it’s way to aberdeen double manned with the highlands and islands trailer…even well on the way to 2 million km’s they could still do aberdeen and back non stop(2 pairs of drivers) without a fuss…
Truckfest Peterboro 19■■ scanner is playing up, sorry.
I drove a LHD 1748 with a cab height conversion loads of room inside , a really good machine it had a HUGE stack at the back aswell.
Did alot of Spain with it no problems around Pamplonia…even fully freighted.
SMc
I was lucky enough to go from a 113 scanny to a 1729 eps to a 1628 all with in 12 months 
no one in the office ever did tell me what i had done so wrong
then again a few other drivers went from there 1733 to the 301 sed atkis, must of been really naughty :laughing: The 1628 was as flat as a whitchs ■■■, still it had a night heater unlike the 301 atkis so there was no rush to make it home These pics are of some of our depots 1733s in customers colours
in the first pic in the background is on of our subbies 1635 which used to go quite well
I am now blessed with even more 3 pointed star crap now,
cant remember the 1834s that we had being hated by any of our drivers at the time unlike the Actros are,
or is it just that we were all a lot keener in our younger days
Did any one see this BBC news yesterday about the problems in Kenya blocking the East African highway,and see all those SK mercs parked up waiting to go.
sk merc at leimgruber’s uag st jakob basel.
Here`s one on the creek in Dubai took oct 2007[
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