Quite a few threads on here about the best wagon, but what was the slowest old bag of nails you ever drove? We’ve all driven one (or more if you’re unlucky), the yard dog that no-one drove unless it was that or the dole queue, the one that no matter what you did would not under any circumstances be whipped along any faster, the one you swore you could walk faster than.
Me - a 1973 D series WEH 183L. 47mph flat strap, (55 down hill in angel gear, but then there was the iffy brakes to consider if something went wrong), mirrrors flapping like pigs ears in a stiff wind.
Hiya …got a job at coopers of Bollington(best job ever) started on a KM with a 460 engine NBA248P
was the dreaded machine 48mph. i used to do Leek to Sturminster Newton and across to Hove,
i needed to be in Hove before 2 pm to load…i got pulled on that hill nr peas pottage for a weigh check
i’d only got 2 ton load, the chap said you was only just moving.the next KM i got was a flyer 65+
good old days
john
ParkRoyal2100:
Quite a few threads on here about the best wagon, but what was the slowest old bag of nails you ever drove? We’ve all driven one (or more if you’re unlucky), the yard dog that no-one drove unless it was that or the dole queue, the one that no matter what you did would not under any circumstances be whipped along any faster, the one you swore you could walk faster than.
Me - a 1973 D series WEH 183L. 47mph flat strap, (55 down hill in angel gear, but then there was the iffy brakes to consider if something went wrong), mirrrors flapping like pigs ears in a stiff wind.
Volvo F6 tractor, loaded to its plated weight of 28 tonnes gross I only used it a couple of times, but someone else took it from Blackburn to Dudley… no traffic delays and still took over 4 hours!
An old O type Bedford tipper fully loaded with tarmac for G Skinner & son, 28mph was comfortable any faster and it didn’t want to stop but it pulled like a trooper.
A 1960 Bedford TK tipper YCJ 57 running at 14 ton gross with a 300 engine in it for William Powell & Son of Kington,Herefordshire. The two speed axle stopped working on one trip which meant I couldn’t get up a hill loaded and had to fetch the load back to the quarry and tip it off.The two speed soon got fixed.It still wouldn’t pull your Granny off the ■■■■ pot .
JBX295F a SEDDON 13/4/354 it was fitted with a perkins engine 5 speed gearbox and a 2 speed axle a verry light lorry had a 20foot flatbed had a payload of 11 ton at 16 ton gross .Due to its light weight was as rough as hell wen empty when loaded every gradient was a massive hill it had no power at all even cyclists could overtake the lorry
This Dodge that I drove for S W Brisbane of Knighton,Radnorshire didn’t go much better than the Bedford TK that I mentioned in an earlier post.Another Perkins 6354 powered heap.Not as rough as Ianto’s Seddon.I drove one of those as well and they definitely were rough .
Cheers Dave.
volvo f7 for me, flat out it would only manage 53, fitted with a low ratio diff, comfotable but slow, I used to do a changeover stoke to dover occasionally with it made my foot ache, I had a f88 prior to this i begged the boss to buy it back it could catch pigeons the old girl!
ParkRoyal2100:
Quite a few threads on here about the best wagon, but what was the slowest old bag of nails you ever drove? We’ve all driven one (or more if you’re unlucky), the yard dog that no-one drove unless it was that or the dole queue, the one that no matter what you did would not under any circumstances be whipped along any faster, the one you swore you could walk faster than.
Me - a 1973 D series WEH 183L. 47mph flat strap, (55 down hill in angel gear, but then there was the iffy brakes to consider if something went wrong), mirrrors flapping like pigs ears in a stiff wind.
ERF LV 120 Gardner 47 mph flat out, took a load up to Kirkstall Axles, Leeds one Good Friday fully loaded, I thought it would be easier on the way back, not so the factory was shut for Easter, had to bring it back.
i used to go to Nurnberg every week in this, 420bhp, 6 tons down, less back (3-5ton) to GB. the boss ran 2 identical, i never got to drive the other one so dont know what it was like.
This one couldnt pull the skin off a rice pudding, it was around 2.5yrs old when i had it, the most uncomfortable useless piece of crap ive ever had the misfortune to drive.
We had a big j with a 220 roller in it,45mph flat out but it didn’t matter if it was fully loaded or empty, up hill or down dale it done a constant 45mph, it soon got the yard shunters job!
When I was at Rawsons of Wakefield in the '90s they had a fleet of Volvo F6 rigids with drawbars and demountable curtainside bodies. They were already knocking on a bit, but the boss wanted his moneys worth and kept them running well after their sell-by date. We had a daily run to Perfecta beds at Wombwell, only about 12 miles away, and often with not much more than 3 or 4 tons of payload on - but even then, the short climb out of Newmillerdam could often be a 2nd gear job. Windy Hill on the M62 was a nightmare, even empty. When they were replaced by FH12 artics it was a whole new world of double-figure mph on the hills…
When I started at Pickford’s they were all extremely slow the slowest was a constructor with a Leyland 680 28 mph the highwaymen varied between 35 to 42 mph and we had a solid tyred trailer which you had to keep under 20 mph empty other wise it would start snaking. I then got a Atkinson view line in the early 70s which would do 46 mph and going over the M62 I would have to pass general haulage wagons going up the hill from Brighouse as they would be down to 10 -15 mph where as I could do about 22 mph up there at 60 tons gross it was mostly the KM s D1000 and 150 percy powered wagons but it was surprising how many got under the feet.
cheers Johnnie
P S one day the old constructor was pulled in Lichfield ( when the A38 went through it ) for going to slow at around 2 mph by a BEAT copper as he was walking faster and it only had an ingot on of about 40 tons this would around 70/71 as the Samson replaced it just after.
Sadly not driven anything bigger than a 7.5 tonner, but if it’s slow you’re after I could ‘recommend’ an Iveco Cargo 75E14. If there’s a more wheezy, asthmatic, hateful commercial on the road I’ve yet to see it!
The worst one i ever was an old ex WD Jones mobile crane with the lattice jib. I did repair work for an Immingham pipeline company
ECRS Hooymeijer and i was asked to go to Milford Haven to get the crane fit to travel to Half penny green airfield nr Wombourne and take someone with you so they can drive it back and you can follow them. " Great " its February 1970 and its bloody freezing so a quick trip to Grimsby Cold Stores to see my mate and he gives me a redundant cold store suit that turned out to be a lifesaver load the van with what we thought we might need and Chuck and I are on our way, 6 hours later we are there and its time for digs and a pint. The next morning " good god what a bloody shed " a phone call are you sure you need this its only fit for the scrapyard, Oh yeah its a handy site tool, well we will need a low loader then, why it was driven down there and our low loader is in Scotland you can get it back Griff just take your time, dont worry i bloody will.
The core plugs had popped because of no antifreeze,We were next to one of the largest oil instalations in the UK but this engine was dry, the batteries was flat,the balloon tyres half inflated no wing mirrors or passenger side window,lights smashed fuel filters frozen and blocked and no floor in the drivers side. " Go rebook them beds Chuck we are here for the day.
The fuel system was sorted the core plugs back in the oil and the batteries topped and we tow started it and gradually defrosted it.
A Perspex window and a crude wooden floor was fashioned wing mirrors and light lenses were sorted and the tyres blown up, it had to be drained of water before we left it because i daren’t put anti freeze in because it would have found every leak in the system
Next morning " glory" it starts, we had arranged to do 50 mile stints each and i did the first one dressed in pilots boots, cold store suit gloves and a scalf round my face and off we goes, 5 gears if i remember, you only needed two and at 23 mph the govenors came in what a bloody row it drove me crazy it was worse than the cold and that was bad enough,on a down hill stretch i reached 27 mph but then the ■■■■ thing started nodding backwards and forwards on the balloon tyres and you could’nt steer it so 23 it was and after 50 miles i was delighted to swap over thaw out in the ■■■■■■. We reached Wombourne the next day and i was happy we had done it just one phone call to Spurn House Immingham tell them it was there and we are away. The best laid plans sometimes go awry " oh great griff is it ok "
Its as good as it will ever be i suppose, Oh right stay there we will send two forty foots in will you load the gear thats left on them and then we are finished there and you may as well carry on with the crane cos we need it on the aluminium quay at Invergordon.
I suppose it will be quicker now you can use the motorways, my answer would have been blocked on a ■■■■ site let alone a drivers forum.
We got it there and arrived back in Grimsby 10 days after we set out. the only time i see the old Jones cranes now is when i drive past a scrapyard and that is where they belong. The lad that gave me the old cold store suit Mick Simons recieved quite a few bottles of Scotch in the subsequent years because he certainly saved two lives.
El Griffo:
The worst one i ever was an old ex WD Jones mobile crane with the lattice jib. I did repair work for an Immingham pipeline company
ECRS Hooymeijer and i was asked to go to Milford Haven to get the crane fit to travel to Half penny green airfield nr Wombourne and take someone with you so they can drive it back and you can follow them. " Great " its February 1970 and its bloody freezing so a quick trip to Grimsby Cold Stores to see my mate and he gives me a redundant cold store suit that turned out to be a lifesaver load the van with what we thought we might need and Chuck and I are on our way, 6 hours later we are there and its time for digs and a pint. The next morning " good god what a bloody shed " a phone call are you sure you need this its only fit for the scrapyard, Oh yeah its a handy site tool, well we will need a low loader then, why it was driven down there and our low loader is in Scotland you can get it back Griff just take your time, dont worry i bloody will.
The core plugs had popped because of no antifreeze,We were next to one of the largest oil instalations in the UK but this engine was dry, the batteries was flat,the balloon tyres half inflated no wing mirrors or passenger side window,lights smashed fuel filters frozen and blocked and no floor in the drivers side. " Go rebook them beds Chuck we are here for the day.
The fuel system was sorted the core plugs back in the oil and the batteries topped and we tow started it and gradually defrosted it.
A Perspex window and a crude wooden floor was fashioned wing mirrors and light lenses were sorted and the tyres blown up, it had to be drained of water before we left it because i daren’t put anti freeze in because it would have found every leak in the system
Next morning " glory" it starts, we had arranged to do 50 mile stints each and i did the first one dressed in pilots boots, cold store suit gloves and a scalf round my face and off we goes, 5 gears if i remember, you only needed two and at 23 mph the govenors came in what a bloody row it drove me crazy it was worse than the cold and that was bad enough,on a down hill stretch i reached 27 mph but then the ■■■■ thing started nodding backwards and forwards on the balloon tyres and you could’nt steer it so 23 it was and after 50 miles i was delighted to swap over thaw out in the ■■■■■■. We reached Wombourne the next day and i was happy we had done it just one phone call to Spurn House Immingham tell them it was there and we are away. The best laid plans sometimes go awry " oh great griff is it ok "
Its as good as it will ever be i suppose, Oh right stay there we will send two forty foots in will you load the gear thats left on them and then we are finished there and you may as well carry on with the crane cos we need it on the aluminium quay at Invergordon.
I suppose it will be quicker now you can use the motorways, my answer would have been blocked on a ■■■■ site let alone a drivers forum.
We got it there and arrived back in Grimsby 10 days after we set out. the only time i see the old Jones cranes now is when i drive past a scrapyard and that is where they belong. The lad that gave me the old cold store suit Mick Simons recieved quite a few bottles of Scotch in the subsequent years because he certainly saved two lives.
Cracking story, I doubt that’ll be topped… well, maybe not
Any of the Ford Cargo or Transits at Lancashire Dairies of Manchester during the Nineties. E194 UFY Transit with a milk float body for delivering round the Salford Quays area. It had an overdrive gearbox with the switch taken out and the wires taped up to the gearstick. My first truck in a way after coming off the electric milk floats!
E945 VFY was a Ford Cargo 7.5t for delivering to shops with a Don-Bur Slide-a-Side unrefrigerated body. The drivers seat was broken on one side so the garage repaired it with a block off a broken pallet.
F422 AKA was the same. The distribution manager told me to keep the engine running at certain drops to make the customers think it was a fridge motor.
D746 RCM was a long wheelbase Cargo and was like turning round an supertanker.
G458 SVU came to be my first big lorry. A 17t Cargo with a sleeper! It would fly but would make its own mind up if it was stopping or going round corners! Broke down with this one in the middle of Leigh town centre. Policeman told me to push it into a side street out of the way!
Then came the IVECO’s. These were “new” before they had been round the clock twice. K702 KWW must have been a drawbar in a previous life with twin tanks and 230 engine and It Vibratres Everything Comes Off was right.
Eventually the Volvo FL6’s appeared with second life bodies from the scrapped 13t Cargo’s. Very little steering lock and had new clutches every six months.
I only used it a couple of times, but someone else took it from Blackburn to Dudley… no traffic delays and still took over 4 hours!
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