Buzzer:
Remember that PBC had four Berliet tractor units fitted with Telmar retarders back in the early 70’s, they were very heavy but super efficient but could be dangerous when tractor unit only especially in the wet, Buzzer
Young as I was then, I remember seeing signs (sometimes on mudlfaps) on the back of many a coach in the early 70s boasting they had a Telma. I had no idea what it was, but I was impressed.
I’ve used a Telma many times, great piece of kit.
there’s a story about the driver doing a bit of part time diving (coaches) for National Travel , Leyland Tiger, Halifax to London service, came back to home depot spitting feathers about how useless the aforementioned Leyland was…“b loody thing won’t go”. The fault was diagnosed, he’d done London and back with the Telma on notch #1. He’s never seen or heard of a Telma. Every day is a learning day.
Best things since sliced bread imo, but Harry’s story of the driver who driver who drove with it on all the way reminds me of my younger brother. He got a casual job driving an F86 for Dixon’s of Derby and brought it back saying it wouldn’t go round corners without a lot of effort. He had never heard of a diff lock.
Back to the retarders though, I think the French encouraged their installation by exempting the weight from the allowed vehicle GVW.
Spardo:
Best things since sliced bread imo, but Harry’s story of the driver who driver who drove with it on all the way reminds me of my younger brother. He got a casual job driving an F86 for Dixon’s of Derby and brought it back saying it wouldn’t go round corners without a lot of effort. He had never heard of a diff lock.
Back to the retarders though, I think the French encouraged their installation by exempting the weight from the allowed vehicle GVW.
I recall the French did allow the exemption mentioned. The kit was heavy , but useful, and worth encouraging. The French can be very pragmatic at times.
Spardo:
Best things since sliced bread imo, but Harry’s story of the driver who driver who drove with it on all the way reminds me of my younger brother. He got a casual job driving an F86 for Dixon’s of Derby and brought it back saying it wouldn’t go round corners without a lot of effort. He had never heard of a diff lock.
Back to the retarders though, I think the French encouraged their installation by exempting the weight from the allowed vehicle GVW.
Correct David the Frogs did allow for the extra estimated 1/2 ton weight, not sure if it was that heavy but was not lightweight, Buzzer
Buzzer:
Remember that PBC had four Berliet tractor units fitted with Telmar retarders back in the early 70’s, they were very heavy but super efficient but could be dangerous when tractor unit only especially in the wet, Buzzer
Young as I was then, I remember seeing signs (sometimes on mudlfaps) on the back of many a coach in the early 70s boasting they had a Telma. I had no idea what it was, but I was impressed.
I remember talking to one of my customers about them a good few years ago. He showed me a Scania coach that they’d had for over 7 years and said that they had never needed to replace the brake shoes in all that time.
Well the Telmar was a very good thing, But fitted to a 8 legger tipper it was reducing its payload by 1/2 tonne, Whereas a coach it made no differance as it would never by loaded with passengers above its legal limit Sad but true.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Well the Telmar was a very good thing, But fitted to a 8 legger tipper it was reducing its payload by 1/2 tonne,
Which is why the French had the right idea in exempting them from weight limits. Where was that really bad accident some years ago in Yorkshire, I think, which careered down a steep hill and demolished a shop and killed several people? I think that was an 8 wheeler tipper and the following outcry gave birth to the organistion BRAKE, didn’t it? I wonder if that would have happened if a retarder had been fitted.
Buzzer:
Remember that PBC had four Berliet tractor units fitted with Telmar retarders back in the early 70’s, they were very heavy but super efficient but could be dangerous when tractor unit only especially in the wet, Buzzer
Young as I was then, I remember seeing signs (sometimes on mudlfaps) on the back of many a coach in the early 70s boasting they had a Telma. I had no idea what it was, but I was impressed.
I remember talking to one of my customers about them a good few years ago. He showed me a Scania coach that they’d had for over 7 years and said that they had never needed to replace the brake shoes in all that time.
I daresay fitting a Telma retarder would’ve cost extra dosh and carried a weight penalty, but if your fleet is saving on brake shoes/ relines then it makes financial sense, not to mention additional braking force.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Well the Telmar was a very good thing, But fitted to a 8 legger tipper it was reducing its payload by 1/2 tonne,
Which is why the French had the right idea in exempting them from weight limits. Where was that really bad accident some years ago in Yorkshire, I think, which careered down a steep hill and demolished a shop and killed several people? I think that was an 8 wheeler tipper and the following outcry gave birth to the organistion BRAKE, didn’t it? I wonder if that would have happened if a retarder had been fitted.
Unless the driver had been incapacitated I expect the wagon could have been stopped. The weight put people off but the cost too. I imagine they were quite pricey to buy and fit. Does anybody remember the price?
Lawrence Dunbar:
Well the Telmar was a very good thing, But fitted to a 8 legger tipper it was reducing its payload by 1/2 tonne,
Which is why the French had the right idea in exempting them from weight limits. Where was that really bad accident some years ago in Yorkshire, I think, which careered down a steep hill and demolished a shop and killed several people? I think that was an 8 wheeler tipper and the following outcry gave birth to the organistion BRAKE, didn’t it? I wonder if that would have happened if a retarder had been fitted.
It was one of Fewston Transports ex Tilcon Fodens that ran away in Sowerby Bridge, a combination of a driver not used to HGV’s ‘possibly’ missing a gear and decending out of cog and worn brakes although many believe that there was a ‘cover up’ as the driver was ex Police? It did sharpen up our gaffer’s maintenance programme though as he also ran an ex Tilcon fleet in Derbyshire.
BRAKE came about when one of Pheaseys powder tankers from Ashford in the Water failed to stop when encountering a queue of traffic on the road between Wadshelf and Baslow, he mounted the bank bit the truck rolled over onto a car killing the female driver and injuring her daughter. It was the daughter who started the BRAKE campaign, this was several years before the Sowerby Bridge disaster.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Well the Telmar was a very good thing, But fitted to a 8 legger tipper it was reducing its payload by 1/2 tonne,
Which is why the French had the right idea in exempting them from weight limits. Where was that really bad accident some years ago in Yorkshire, I think, which careered down a steep hill and demolished a shop and killed several people? I think that was an 8 wheeler tipper and the following outcry gave birth to the organistion BRAKE, didn’t it? I wonder if that would have happened if a retarder had been fitted.
IIRC it was Sowerby Bridge. My younger brother was an engineer with VOSA and he did the technical investigation on the vehicle involved.
It’s a bad hill down from the Halifax Rd at the top down into S Bridge
Lawrence Dunbar:
Well the Telmar was a very good thing, But fitted to a 8 legger tipper it was reducing its payload by 1/2 tonne,
Which is why the French had the right idea in exempting them from weight limits. Where was that really bad accident some years ago in Yorkshire, I think, which careered down a steep hill and demolished a shop and killed several people? I think that was an 8 wheeler tipper and the following outcry gave birth to the organistion BRAKE, didn’t it? I wonder if that would have happened if a retarder had been fitted.
IIRC it was Sowerby Bridge. My younger brother was an engineer with VOSA and he did the technical investigation on the vehicle involved.
It’s a bad hill down from the Halifax Rd at the top down into S Bridge
Hiya,
I do remember another gadget for artics I think it was in use around
the time of the Telmar thingy it was called the Hope anti-jack-knife
device, it was I believe an additional brake that locked the fifth
wheel and the trailer together so’s the trailer couldn’t come round
on you if needing to do an emergency stop,i can well remember it
was a standing advert in the then Headlight magazine.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Well the Telmar was a very good thing, But fitted to a 8 legger tipper it was reducing its payload by 1/2 tonne,
Which is why the French had the right idea in exempting them from weight limits. Where was that really bad accident some years ago in Yorkshire, I think, which careered down a steep hill and demolished a shop and killed several people? I think that was an 8 wheeler tipper and the following outcry gave birth to the organistion BRAKE, didn’t it? I wonder if that would have happened if a retarder had been fitted.
IIRC it was Sowerby Bridge. My younger brother was an engineer with VOSA and he did the technical investigation on the vehicle involved.
It’s a bad hill down from the Halifax Rd at the top down into S Bridge
Hiya,
I do remember another gadget for artics I think it was in use around
the time of the Telmar thingy it was called the Hope anti-jack-knife
device, it was I believe an additional brake that locked the fifth
wheel and the trailer together so’s the trailer couldn’t come round
on you if needing to do an emergency stop,i can well remember it
was a standing advert in the then Headlight magazine.
You’re right. Loads of ads, but did they sell any? Did anybody use one?
I remember seeing stickers on trailers saying that the vehicle was fitted with the Hope device but I’m guessing they were probably own account operators and not general hauliers?
It did sharpen up our gaffer’s maintenance programme though as he also ran an ex Tilcon fleet in Derbyshire.