Viking:
St Helens corporation have just bought a new snow plough.
I think that’s a ‘home made’ cut and shut Fiat 126, air cooled 600cc twin cylinder petrol engine, built in Poland.
Brian Allsopp:
I am an ex Bells Transport driver amongst other companies in the Bradford area.
Some great photos there Brian ,the top bales on that artic look very similar to those on this early Longs Leyland
Great photo 1930 Reg Bradford, Regards Larry.
Marcus, something for Adrian, I expect Roger gave him a copy anyway. By deduction the location is Tetbury. Photographed by Roger Kenney.
This used to be a common sight on the A40 until a couple of years ago. I think it used to run between Raf Fairford and Raf Croughton.
Buzzer:
Here is another company sadly no longer about,used to see them around alot,cheers Buzzer.
Hi Buzzer, I bought a copy of this photo, but I have a photo of this lorry that I took in Morgan’s yard, it was driven by Tom Brown who, like me spent most of his school holidays during early 70’s with a Morgan driver. My identical twin uncles drove for Morgan’s, which caused some strange looks from unsuspecting people, when seen separately driving different lorries. Sturminster market was a hive of activity in the 70’s, crammed full with lorries such as Morgan’s, A.E. George, N.B Tite, A.E. Stuart, J.T. Heritage, Harraway’s, Dudridge’s etc. I remember a 1966 Deutz artic of Tite’s which used to pull a Doughty twin axle stepframe trailer, I think it was ex Entress transport of Swansea, HWN 573D, can anyone confirm this, or does anyone have photo’s, market scenes etc. Great thread, fantastic memories.
What became of Parceline, who swallowed them up
bubbleman:
Hello lads,heres todays bunch,Cheers Bubbs,
robthedog:
What became of Parceline, who swallowed them upbubbleman:
Hello lads,heres todays bunch,Cheers Bubbs,
DPD
Didn’t those Volvo self/centre steers give a lot of trouble, they sometimes looked like the wheels were wobbling on the motorway ruts !
Trev_H:
Didn’t those Volvo self/centre steers give a lot of trouble, they sometimes looked like the wheels were wobbling on the motorway ruts !
Maybe it’s just me and my memory but I don’t recall hearing the term ‘self-steer’ before. Only twin or perhaps 2nd steer. 
Perhaps thinking it steered itself was the reason why he wrote the other one off. 
Maybe it’s just me and my memory but I don’t recall hearing the term ‘self-steer’ before. Only twin or perhaps 2nd steer.
Perhaps thinking it steered itself was the reason why he wrote the other one off
Yes reading that article it said that the castor steer would lock above certain speeds but I seem to remember something about them shaking violently and giving problems, from memory I don’t think they lasted long before the idea got dropped.
Trev_H:
Didn’t those Volvo self/centre steers give a lot of trouble, they sometimes looked like the wheels were wobbling on the motorway ruts !
The self steer / lock up 6x2 tractors did give some problems, and we were still doing mods and recalls on them many years later at the dealership I was at and VOLVO stood the cost.
The one in the pic looks a very early one, but they were in production till I think about C and D reg 1985-86, I know PANDORO had some C reg F12’s with self steer if I remember, then about 1985 Volvo 6x2 units changed to the non-lift (Just dump) pusher axle fitted. (Full lift/dump came a couple of years later)
Many operators modified the self steer 6x2 and over the years I have seen many variants and mods done, but the most frequent was everything by passed and locked into a non steer 2nd axle.
bubbleman:
Hello Richardp2012,heres HWN714D mate,Cheers Bubbs,
Thanks Bubbleman, lovely shot, great to see it again, I was close on the reg after all these years, nice to know memory is’nt as bad as my eyesight has got. I saw HWN 573D in the book “Views from the north,” and it looked familiar although I was told that Entress ran a lot of these. Cheers
nilocekyd:
Maybe it’s just me and my memory but I don’t recall hearing the term ‘self-steer’ before. Only twin or perhaps 2nd steer.
Perhaps thinking it steered itself was the reason why he wrote the other one off
Well, bugger me, no matter how long you spend in an industry it is never to late to learn something new. 
Seems to be the same as a self-tracking trailer axle, which I did know about, and have had, on a low loader. But the one I had did not have the luxury of locking automatically in reverse, if you forgot the wheels got shoved aside on full lock, and the only way to get them straight was to pull forward. 
Back in the very late 60’s there was a tipper firm from Carnforth,G.E. Moore, who ran a Dennis tipper with a self tracking single wheel axle in front of the drive axle,it was an Italian design called a Cesci.I know one of the drivers of this machine and while the idea was fine for increasing the payload of a hitherto 16ton gross motor to one able to run at 20 ton GVW it was a nightmare to reverse as a locking pin had to be dropped in manually to lock the axle prior to reversing.Apparently this task could be fairly difficult at times,but the idea has been much refined in later years by the vehicle manufacturers.Cheers Bewick.
Trev_H:
Yes reading that article it said that the castor steer would lock above certain speeds but I seem to remember something about them shaking violently and giving problems, from memory I don’t think they lasted long before the idea got dropped.
Bowker had what were said to be the first 4 out of Irvine (ECK 174-7Y) - IIRC they started life as LWB Italian market chassis, and the second steer was inserted at Irvine. They all came badged as F1217 because the lorries were ready before the badges.
The centre axle locked at 30 km/h, and was also automatically locked when reverse gear was engaged. However, if you let it roll backwards out of gear, it seems to go in all directions! ECK 174Y went back to Irvine to be locked in the straight ahead position, and operated as a trial vehicle before production versions followed suit.
The next 6x2 units bought were E-reg FL10s, and they came with a lifting “pusher” axle i.e. non-steering
240 Gardner:
Trev_H:
Yes reading that article it said that the castor steer would lock above certain speeds but I seem to remember something about them shaking violently and giving problems, from memory I don’t think they lasted long before the idea got dropped.Bowker had what were said to be the first 4 out of Irvine (ECK 174-7Y) - IIRC they started life as LWB Italian market chassis, and the second steer was inserted at Irvine. They all came badged as F1217 because the lorries were ready before the badges.
The centre axle locked at 30 km/h, and was also automatically locked when reverse gear was engaged. However, if you let it roll backwards out of gear, it seems to go in all directions! ECK 174Y went back to Irvine to be locked in the straight ahead position, and operated as a trial vehicle before production versions followed suit.
The next 6x2 units bought were E-reg FL10s, and they came with a lifting “pusher” axle i.e. non-steering
We got a new 6x2 FL10,F reg '88 IIRC and its pusher axle was a fixed,non lift.I was apprehensive at the time as regards tyre wear but I needn’t have been as it was very “kind” on tyre and the motor gave us excellent service.Cheers Dennis.