Buzzer:
Blast from the past, Buzzer
I always thought that the Irish had some cracking looking fridge hauliers. Sadly alot have now disappeared.
Spardo:
pv83:
Spardo:
Funny thing is, although I have always followed that procedure, in the ensueing almost 60 years I have never found the pin pulled since.Mind you did have a bit of a moment when swapping trailers with a French mate here. Because there was so little room between the back of the cab and the fridge motor my mate pulled the pin before disconnecting the suzies.
It was a regular thing for them, but I always squeezed into the gap whatever the discomfort. On this occasion the trailer started to roll backwards, fortunately slow enough for him to hear my shout and dive in and stamp on the foot brake.
Why not put the trailer brake on first (there should be “dead man’s handle” on every trailer?), pull the pin, drive forward and disconnect the suzies?
Well, I suppose as I was brought up on cable trailer handbrakes which weren’t always reliable, I had a failsafe method when dropping a trailer. Set handbrake, jump out of the cab, climb on the chassis, disconnect suzies, jump off the other side, walk down along the trailer, wind down the legs, round the back collecting the plate (if UK trailer), back up the other side, pull the pin, back into the cab and away. I could do it without thinking, never failed, and the last thing of all was, pull the pin.
BTW Patrick, I have never heard the trailer brake called a ‘dead man’s handle’. In my early days that was an emergency trailer brake on the steering column, later banned I think. But even that wasn’t a true dead man, they weren’t in lorries at all but in trains I think, where the driver had to hold a brake handle off, so that if he collapsed the train would stop.
Well, to be honest, it’s not really a dead man’s handle (see photo), but can be useful when the gap is limited between the cab and the trailer 
Some stuff from the shoe box Oily, hope you don’t mind me posting it here… 
Is this a Leyland Hippo with a local built cab?
.
The first high roof cab…?
pv83:
Well, to be honest, it’s not really a dead man’s handle (see photo), but can be useful when the gap is limited between the cab and the trailer
Yes, I think we had a similar set up when I worked at Gauthier’s here, but old habits die hard, and you must admit that my ‘walkaround’ was as failsafe as you can get.
Thanks to Ray Smyth, lurpak, Buzzer, DEANB and pvr83 for the pics 
Oily
All gratefully received Patrick couple more from the Netherlands.
In colour
Oily
pv83:
The first high roof cab…?
the
Patrick, I wish I could find a shoebox like yours!! It’s brilliant. 
Regards Kev.
Here are a few pictures of Bedford trucks I received this morning.
I wish I’d been able to take a picture of a KM cab sitting on top of a great big Cat lump in outback NSW. The engine was in plain view over the wheels in the heightened wheel arch. Pulling a low loader with a D9 on, it looked like a pimple on a hippopotomus.
kevmac47:
pv83:
The first high roof cab…?the
Patrick, I wish I could find a shoebox like yours!! It’s brilliant.
Just trying to keep it interesting mate
Cheers, Patrick
This one is really fascinating Oily, cheers mate
Wonder if the wrecker was built by Broshuis who were situated in Muiden back in those days…
Froggy55:
Here are a few pictures of Bedford trucks I received this morning.3
0The two above in Australia
2Australian and Isuzu-powered and probably cabbed too.
1USA
Pic nr.3 looks like it’s a rebadged Hino…?
pv83:
Some stuff from the shoe box Oily, hope you don’t mind me posting it here…Is this a Leyland Hippo with a local built cab?
Close, but no cigar! It’s a Leyland Retriever, the lighter WW2 six-wheeler. Most had the standard civvy style Leyland rad as used on the Hippo, this one has the military only rad so not so easily recognisable as a Leyland.
Bernard