we ran quite a few seddons late 60,s to mid 70,s last 2 were artics with perkins turbo engines 1 had 6 speed box & 2 speed axle a right flyer
W.H.Williams (Haulage) Ltd Spennymoor
Altogether we operated ten seddon, all with perkins 635.4 engines. On average we could buy three Bedfords to two seddons as they were much more expensive than the corresponding Bedfords. Seddons were OK and in isolation they were good vehicles, however the cheaper Bedfords did provide better service and the Bedford engines provided better fuel onsumption.
Here are three examples
i worked for a bloke who bought a four wheeled seddon tipper and a six wheeler with trailing axle . thy had a brilliant payload , but were pigs to drive , especially when it was wet . he could legally get 14 tons on the six wheeler at 20t gross , but it went over while tipping at 6 months old , i reckon they overdid the light weight thing , there was no strength in the chassis .
High Folks, We had two 13/4 s perkins 354 , 5 speed boxes 2 speed AXLES ONE ,NEW AND ONE SECONHAND ,DID OK ,BUT THE BRAKES WERE SHOCKING ,BUT PASSED MOT EVERY TIME , JUST abit of usless info ,Cheers Barry
Some more of the Seddons in question, the first two photo’s show the early grille but even the later models still had the Perkins 6.354, 5 speed Constant Mesh box and Two speed axle, although AEC 470 and 505 engines were optional. I prefered the older coachbuilt cabs as in the bottom pic and spent many school holidays in a similar 1965 C reg model my Dad drove which unfortunately I don’t have a picture of. Notice the Primrose conversion Six Legger, although Seddon built the DD6 Six Wheeler too. Franky.
Smiles for Miles ran a few Seddon Tractor Units, One of them was painted in Trailer Express Livery when they had an office on Cobble Dene North Shields, Ive no photos of these motors , But perhaps some of the drivers that worked for Smilers may have some, Regards Larry.
My Father drove a couple of Seddon four wheelers for Laws Transport of Reading back in the 1960’s. The first one was an early fifties one (JMO 1 registration) with a Perkins P6 and a wooden sided bulk body which didn’t tip so you had to brush and shovel the grain out through a pair of floor hatches. The second was a MK 15 with the fibreglass cab and Leyland 350 engine and gearbox, that had a Tamplin bulk tank with auger discharge powered by a Briggs and Stratten engine. Fond memories of both of them on trips to Avonmouth and Ranks at Silvertown on school holidays. No pics of course… 
Good pic of the Seddon and Jeff at Ballidon Dan, just needs ‘Boss Hogg’ to come flying out of the weighbridge door to see why he was wasting time… 
Pete.
Two companys from the Oldham area who are still operating today,although Howarths just do trailer rental these days.
ianto:
Back in 1968 my father bought a new Seddon 13/4/354 as a small kid it looked to me a magnificent beest especially after an old rusty BMC. How wrong i was even though it had a good payload of 11ton it was a 20foot flat and to its credit gave many years work it gave a rough ride when empty the perkins 354 was under powerd the gearing was a 5 speed david brown gearbox and a 2 speed axle.Does anyone else remember these wagons ?
I found these photos of my Dad I think they might be of interest
Quality photos Gaz of Seddon mk5L
My old chap’s boss was persuaded to try a Seddon 13:4 with a livestock container on it. The Perkins never gave a moment’s trouble and the cattle box went on to grace another chassis but the Seddon never did a week’s work without something going wrong or falling apart. It ended up being driven by the boss’ grandson as no-one else would have it!
Back in 1968 my father bought a new Seddon 13/4/354 as a small kid it looked to me a magnificent beest especially after an old rusty BMC. How wrong i was even though it had a good payload of 11ton it was a 20foot flat and to its credit gave many years work it gave a rough ride when empty the perkins 354 was under powerd the gearing was a 5 speed david brown gearbox and a 2 speed axle.Does anyone else remember these wagons ?
ianto:
Back in 1968 my father bought a new Seddon 13/4/354 as a small kid it looked to me a magnificent beest especially after an old rusty BMC. How wrong i was even though it had a good payload of 11ton it was a 20foot flat and to its credit gave many years work it gave a rough ride when empty the perkins 354 was under powerd the gearing was a 5 speed david brown gearbox and a 2 speed axle.Does anyone else remember these wagons ?
Hi ianto,
I remember them well,the firm I drove for had one exactly the same age as your fathers a 1968 F reg 13/4 16 ton gross four wheeler tipper. I only drove it for a couple of weeks while the regular driver was on holiday,my Bedford KM was having a respray,the Seddon’ as you say were rough and lurched and jumped about the place,looked good with all the dial’s on the dash,offset steering wheel,same as yours perkins with a two speed,but gutless,same as a Dodge with the same set up I had driven previously.
Cheers Dave.
My Dads old firm and the place I done some of my apprenticeship, Ouseburn Transport on Newcastle Quayside was a big Seddon Diesel user, they had seddons from the Fifties and Sixties with the coachbuilt fibre glass cabs and later the newer Motor Panels cabbed series 13:4’s and 32:4’s. The rigid and tractor 13’s with the Perkins 6354 wern’t my favourites and I later drove one or two before they were condemned. Noisy, tinny and very basic to say the least but the engines did run forever and mainly only gave fuel system problems but not powerful enough compared to other makes around then. They did look a nice motor though especially when new and we had one with a hiab behind the cab not often seen in those days. They were certainly workhorses, but you had to drive one to appreciate them! Franky.
A SEDDON MY DAD DROVE FOR SMITH AND DIXON SUNDERLAND IN THE SIXTIES
Hi ianto,
Here’s one that is parked in Hedley Simcock’s yard at Kington. I think a chap at Whitton about three miles from me had it,he was a builder,but also did a bit of hay and straw haulage.
Cheers Dave.