I was taught to rope & sheet aged 21 by some of the experienced older boys as was the way when on with Lambert Brothers, we carried SMA powdered baby milk on 40ft flats and it was a full 3 sheet job which I think took about an hour or just less if not windy. From Havant’s Wyeth factory to Boots of Beeston via Jack’s Hill.
Still admire the rare rope & sheet load when spotted on the road today, pretty sure I could still do it but not south of an hour.
I was taught to rope & sheet aged 21 by some of the experienced older boys as was the way when on with Lambert Brothers, we carried SMA powdered baby milk on 40ft flats and it was a full 3 sheet job which I think took about an hour or just less if not windy. From Havant’s Wyeth factory to Boots of Beeston via Jack’s Hill.
Still admire the rare rope & sheet load when spotted on the road today, pretty sure I could still do it but not south of an hour.
Spardo, I’d be the same as auto boxes, curtain sides & straps have given better hands according to ‘her indoors’.
I read your link to your ‘Dogging around Europe’ experiences, really interesting idea & definitely must of helped fill the inevitable static boredom after many miles or km’s.
mikey1964:
Spardo, I’d be the same as auto boxes, curtain sides & straps have given better hands according to ‘her indoors’.
I read your link to your ‘Dogging around Europe’ experiences, really interesting idea & definitely must of helped fill the inevitable static boredom after many miles or km’s.
Avoir de la chance.
Never had a lorry with an auto box, but I did change to auto for my 2nd wanderings as age and traffic jams were having a very bad effect on my left knee and right shoulder.
My journeys have come to a stop now due to my wife’s illness. Until only a month ago she was able to travel with me so I cut down the journeys to only those that could be done there and back in a day. Sadly, as she is now confined to bed, no more.
It certainly does Buzzer and I reckon it could be a load of Crosse & Blackwell products on the trailer ! Cheers Dennis.
And a shot of a BTS artic just pulled into the yard in the day !
It certainly does Buzzer and I reckon it could be a load of Crosse & Blackwell products on the trailer ! Cheers Dennis.
And a shot of a BTS artic just pulled into the yard in the day and also loaded with Libby products both C & B and Libbys were owned by Nestles.
This is sure to get the keyboards heated! This was my motor loaded from the cable plant at Wigan circa 1996. This was a regular job for us for the Color Line boat from North Shields to Norway. The loading was done by an experienced gang, every row of timbers wedged and nailed down, chained and strapped. This old trailer was an exception as the rest of the fleet were all new triaxle curtainsiders and flats (with headboards) as we all know the headboard is not loadbearing. Regards Kev.
kevmac47:
This is sure to get the keyboards heated! This was my motor loaded from the cable plant at Wigan circa 1996. This was a regular job for us for the Color Line boat from North Shields to Norway. The loading was done by an experienced gang, every row of timbers wedged and nailed down, chained and strapped. This old trailer was an exception as the rest of the fleet were all new triaxle curtainsiders and flats (with headboards) as we all know the headboard is not loadbearing. Regards Kev.0
Kev, What was the name of the cable company, and whereabouts was it in the Wigan area ? .
Sorry Ray, I can’t remember the company name, but I would turn off the East Lancs Rd after the cafe at Lowton and head north , it would probably be an AEI company.
Ps. I can’t even remember the name of the cafe, but I can recall some good night’s out at the grab a granny nights in the club over many years. Regards Kev.
kevmac47:
This is sure to get the keyboards heated! This was my motor loaded from the cable plant at Wigan circa 1996. This was a regular job for us for the Color Line boat from North Shields to Norway. The loading was done by an experienced gang, every row of timbers wedged and nailed down, chained and strapped. This old trailer was an exception as the rest of the fleet were all new triaxle curtainsiders and flats (with headboards) as we all know the headboard is not loadbearing. Regards Kev.
Did any of those reels ever shift under extreme braking Kev? I realise that a taut strong strap forcing them downwards to stop them rising over the scotches was the plan, but things have been known to break and give way. However, I never had any problems with concrete pipes and drain caps from Stanton and they were loaded in a similar way with the specialist gang in the works doing all that was necessary with wood, nails and hammers, although on one occasion, with an Invincible 8 wheeler a 6 inch nail was driven right through an air tank underneath the bed. Our only job was roping down, and I do mean roping, I never saw a strap till the '70s, in fact I still have several of my own here now doing other jobs, namely as something to grab hold of at either end of my swimming pond in the woods.
kevmac47:
This is sure to get the keyboards heated! This was my motor loaded from the cable plant at Wigan circa 1996. This was a regular job for us for the Color Line boat from North Shields to Norway. The loading was done by an experienced gang, every row of timbers wedged and nailed down, chained and strapped. This old trailer was an exception as the rest of the fleet were all new triaxle curtainsiders and flats (with headboards) as we all know the headboard is not loadbearing. Regards Kev.1
Did any of those reels ever shift under extreme braking Kev? I realise that a taut strong strap forcing them downwards to stop them rising over the scotches was the plan, but things have been known to break and give way. However, I never had any problems with concrete pipes and drain caps from Stanton and they were loaded in a similar way with the specialist gang in the works doing all that was necessary with wood, nails and hammers, although on one occasion, with an Invincible 8 wheeler a 6 inch nail was driven right through an air tank underneath the bed. Our only job was roping down, and I do mean roping, I never saw a strap till the '70s, in fact I still have several of my own here now doing other jobs, namely as something to grab hold of at either end of my swimming pond in the woods.
As seen here top right in the picture
0
Not as far as I know Spardo, you also have to remember they were loaded for a sea crossing,
The standards were very high for load security as the North sea especially in winter is very unforgiving. Regards Kev.
Great shot of the Howarth Bros. ERF loaded with Lime at Horton in Ribblesdale I believe. ■■■■ & David Howarth were good Pals of ours in the 70’s and early 80’s when we used to load them back regularly from London to Milnthorpe and also Hartlepool to Milnthorpe and when they were extremely busy shipping drums of foam from their main customer Angus Fire Armour at Bentham Howarths often needed 3 or 4 40footers in addition to their own so we could always oblige and there was never any danger that we would try to muscle in on their traffic unlike a couple of other hauliers from nearby that continually attempted to get hold of the Angus work !
AS ■■■■ and David were not getting any younger and they both were suffering health wise in 1982 they offered me their business on a plate and all I had to do was pay them as and when I made profits ! We both used the same Accountant in Preston albeit different partners. So between them they did all the work and came to the conclusion that a deal was “a goer” but don’t ask me why but at the crunch weekend and the final meeting I had with my senior partner I decided against going ahead with the deal . It wasn’t like me at all but it was at a time when Derv prices were shooting uo and we were still in recession from memory but the major consideration was the Howarth fleet was getting a bit long in the tooth and they only had one newish sleeper cab so I would have immediately had driver problems as the Bewick distance fleet by this time was all sleeper cabbed . So for once I decided to decline and do you know what when I spoke to David on the Monday morning to tell him my decision he said " Thou’s made the right decision" ! I kid you not ! They did manage to unload their business eventually but it was a disaster I gather as they had sold it to a local Solicitors Son who was clueless apparently.
■■■■ and David eventually went to live in the I O M.
I’m guessing that Kev could have been loading out of the old BICC plant off Spinning Jenny st. in Leigh, close to the David Brown plant, although I would have thought that both places had been long gone by 1996.
The former Leigh Casino a few hundred yards away on Lord st. used to have grab a granny nights and the café that Kev recalls may well have been the New Island café near the lights at Lowton. It’s just a guess mind, and I could well be wrong on all three counts, but it’s the only place near Wigan that produced cable that I’m aware of. You could try typing Spinning Jenny Way into Google street view, but it bears little resemblance to how it used to look in former days.
Our only job was roping down, and I do mean roping, I never saw a strap till the '70s, in fact I still have several of my own here now doing other jobs, namely as something to grab hold of at either end of my swimming pond in the woods. 
