I drove one in the 60s for ralph hilton when we were based in the old united glass works at charlton ( now sainsburys ) i was on ship to shoretimber work....not a bad truck but at the time i longed for a tk bedford....how many of you caught your shins on the wheel trim...i did....many a time .....slipped when getting in the bloody thing...should have hadelf an safety back then. ha ha
I drove one occasionally in 1972 in Sydney, I was told it was a four tonner with a seven tonner engine in it, it pulled like a train but it must have had drippy injectors 'cos the black smoke it blew was amazing.
Don`t know if anyone here is renovating a Trader,but noticed these on ebat.Nothing to do with me,I only looked at them as they said Iron Fairy.
cgi.ebay.co.uk/Iron-Fairy-Crane- … 1e5e2981ca
Mark
first i drove was a ford d700 but used to be an od top of my road with a Trader but i was so young then 
Bewick:
Dave the Renegade:
Bewick:
Fergie47:
Stanfield:
What a fantastic and evocative photo “Stanfield”. Driver nipping in for a quick cup of tea or lunch perhaps.!!
Who was he ? is that street still there ? what happened to the wagon ?If memory serves, didn’t they do a Trader 75, presumably that was an up-rated engine to cope with the tag axle and higher GVW. What was the original HP ?
Didn’t they also fit an 8 cyl Gardner 8LXB engine in them ? Think I may have a photo somewhere !!!
Sorry Den, only kiddin !!!OK OK you P*taker !! I think the “75” designation was right at the latter end of production and was classed as a 7:5 tonner I don’t think the engine was “tweaked” it was just the stronger springs and I think they could have gone onto air over Hydrualic brakes in place of Vaccum (which were st) The engine was about 90/95BHP from memory but mine did have the 8LXB/Fuller/Eaton (and a 10ft flat!!!)No doubt some of the Trader experts will put me straight.Cheers Dennis.
A Mk 2 version was introduced in mid-1962. Externally it is very easy to differentiate between Mk1 and Mk2 versions; the Mk1 has the words THAMESTRADER in red on a chrome strip along the bottom of the bonnet opening and the white painted grill between the headlights has a vertical divider with a red circular badge with 4 stars, whereas the Mk2 has just the word THAMES and TRADER in white letters spaced out between the headlights replacing the divider and badge. The Mk2 Diesel engined variants had either a 4D or 6D chrome badge on each front wing, on the Mk1 it was a squarish chrome badge with either a red painted 4, 6, 4D or 6D to indicate the engine configuration. The lower edge of the badge had a horizontal chrome strip running the length of the lower part of the wing.
Steady on Dave your baffling us lads with science here!!! What sort of badge did the Traders that were fitted with the 8LXB have? Anon.
had an old trader in1964, tipper body, panic brakes■■? 10 ton up was usual, used it from chelford to junction 18 m6 15 to 20 loads a day running sand to build the motorway, HELL DRIVERS, didnt have anything on us, lots of untaxed trucks from manchester, dragline loading, no cafes, 5 mile breakfast was the norm, change of underwear as soon as you got home, even the dog would’nt come near you, had to pee in a bottle and empty it out the window, if you needed a crap it was in the back if you’d got time,
it’s only a piece of metal
don’t fall in love with it, 
Hiya…wow thats some photo of the trader.It looks like it was taken in the dark ages. Theres a BMC 1100 in the street that makes the photo
after August 1962. I think the chap who owns the truck lives there as theres a television ariel on his roof(loads of dosh)
John
I drove this Trader on distance work for a year in 1969.The photo was taken in the John Brown shipyard in Glasgow.I had just tipped a full load of broadloom carpets onto the QE2 (seen behind) .Just a touch overloaded I would guess!!! Night out money was 19 shillings,so slept in back of van.Worked all hours God sent for that 12 months,saved up enough to get married,then went back to day work and my own bed!!!
JOHN
They wouldn’t win many prizes in a beauty contest would they? although the ones in the photos fitted with sun-visors look a little better. I think you could say that about most trucks though.
moomooland:
More of Edmundsons Thames Traders can be seen in the Edmundson of Preston gallery on the Northwest Trucks web site
Regards Paul
What a photo that is, and what a credit to the man that owned that Trader.
altitude:
moomooland:
More of Edmundsons Thames Traders can be seen in the Edmundson of Preston gallery on the Northwest Trucks web site
Regards PaulWhat a photo that is, and what a credit to the man that owned that Trader.
Paint still wet, love the trailer no. . no 1 of 1 ?
I took this foto on the North of England Run a few years ago at the overnight stop at Carlisle Truck Stop. It’s not exactly what Bewick asked for trailer wise as its a"knock out axle",but you can’t have everything
you ask for.I think the owner from what I recall has a plant hire business in the York area. That machine on the trailer meant the old girl really had to work that weekend,it definitely was not a dummy load!!
Took this a few months ago at Kirkham GVTS
The vehicles were booked in for test by 2 different owners and went through the test hall on lanes 1 and 2 at the same time.
(What are the chances of that)
kevmac47:
I took this foto on the North of England Run a few years ago at the overnight stop at Carlisle Truck Stop. It’s not exactly what Bewick asked for trailer wise as its a"knock out axle",but you can’t have everything
you ask for.I think the owner from what I recall has a plant hire business in the York area. That machine on the trailer meant the old girl really had to work that weekend,it definitely was not a dummy load!!0
hi, kevmac47, could this have been an hybid,
if not it would have been a good old tool,
difficult to climb into (half door)
needed good wheeltrims in them day,s,
ta-ta ,
it’s only a piec of metal
don’t fall in love with it
.
harry_gill:
Hiya,
Only drove a trader once a distance of about ten yards only moved it to free my own motor up, remember it was a very wet Monday morning so had to switch the wipers on they was vacuum operated things and at that very moment they decided to develope a fault and spat a dollop of black smelly goo in my face and down the front of my nice clean first day shirt,the regular driver said that seemingly this was a common problem and was pleased it happened when he was’nt driving it, was this a regular occurance??.
thanks harry long retired.
hiya,
Hello Jim put this post on earlier in the thread it’s the only dealings i ever had with the Trader not a happy one i’m afraid, it did start up OK though and did’nt kangaroo when i pulled it forward.
thanks harry long retired.
harry_gill:
harry_gill:
Hiya,
Only drove a trader once a distance of about ten yards only moved it to free my own motor up, remember it was a very wet Monday morning so had to switch the wipers on they was vacuum operated things and at that very moment they decided to develope a fault and spat a dollop of black smelly goo in my face and down the front of my nice clean first day shirt,the regular driver said that seemingly this was a common problem and was pleased it happened when he was’nt driving it, was this a regular occurance??.
thanks harry long retired.hiya,
Hello Jim put this post on earlier in the thread it’s the only dealings i ever had with the Trader not a happy one i’m afraid, it did start up OK though and did’nt kangaroo when i pulled it forward.
thanks harry long retired.
I had to get up as the wife had the U/taker calling with his tape if I didn’t! So I logged on and had a deco as to whats occurring and what did I see ? a Ford Trader publicity shot and if thats not Harry at the wheel of that yellow one me and Norm are "Dutchmen"Cheers Dennis.
Dave the Renegade:
Bewick:
Fergie47:
Stanfield:
What a fantastic and evocative photo “Stanfield”. Driver nipping in for a quick cup of tea or lunch perhaps.!!
Who was he ? is that street still there ? what happened to the wagon ?If memory serves, didn’t they do a Trader 75, presumably that was an up-rated engine to cope with the tag axle and higher GVW. What was the original HP ?
Didn’t they also fit an 8 cyl Gardner 8LXB engine in them ? Think I may have a photo somewhere !!!
Sorry Den, only kiddin !!!OK OK you P*taker !! I think the “75” designation was right at the latter end of production and was classed as a 7:5 tonner I don’t think the engine was “tweaked” it was just the stronger springs and I think they could have gone onto air over Hydrualic brakes in place of Vaccum (which were st) The engine was about 90/95BHP from memory but mine did have the 8LXB/Fuller/Eaton (and a 10ft flat!!!)No doubt some of the Trader experts will put me straight.Cheers Dennis.
A Mk 2 version was introduced in mid-1962. Externally it is very easy to differentiate between Mk1 and Mk2 versions; the Mk1 has the words THAMESTRADER in red on a chrome strip along the bottom of the bonnet opening and the white painted grill between the headlights has a vertical divider with a red circular badge with 4 stars, whereas the Mk2 has just the word THAMES and TRADER in white letters spaced out between the headlights replacing the divider and badge. The Mk2 Diesel engined variants had either a 4D or 6D chrome badge on each front wing, on the Mk1 it was a squarish chrome badge with either a red painted 4, 6, 4D or 6D to indicate the engine configuration. The lower edge of the badge had a horizontal chrome strip running the length of the lower part of the wing.
Hi Folks,
see if you can sort yourselves out with these two photos
from the A65 thread
6D badge on wing
75 diesel
Cheers Malc.
hiya,
Not me Dennis, i’m better looking than that, glad to see you’re up and about mate, i had to have the flu jab last week, but with having virtually no immune system due to the course of chemo i had about five years ago it hit me a bit hard this time, thought i was croaking over the weekend but it seems you can’t keep a good man down and i’m back to do battle for a bit longer.
thanks harry long retired.
Hi all. I picked back load of bedroom furniure with the Trader(See earlier post) from a firm in Shoredich,I think they were called “Cyril Kaye”. Its about 6pm when I ring in to tell the gaffer,he asks where the drops are and how many. I tell him 17 drops,all over Yorkshire.He goes ballistic and says he needs the van empty at Crossley carpets in Halifax at
8am.on Friday.Seeing as its 6pm on Wednesday,and I am just about out of hours,and still in London,Itell him no chance.Anyway,he says he will pay me a fiver bonus if I get the job done(seemed a good deal as we were on £11 basic then)
Ran up to first drop(Sheffield Coop) That night.Went like the wind all next day,left with just one wardrobe on van for a dept.store in Halifax(half day closing in them days).I put the wardrobe in the back of our Transit,and got the Trader down to Crossleys for 8am and loaded it.That night got my wage,guess what,no fiver bonus. Gaffer said our deal was to deliver all the load,and I had failed!!!(it was a half mile trip for the local lad to drop the wardrobe in halifax).I got the cash eventually,but it shows how tight SOME of us Yorkshiremen are.
HAPPY DAYS? JOHN.