Lister or Bedford (500)
windrush:
Muckaway:
windrush:
kevmac47:
Without a doubt ■■■■■■■■ that 14ltr lump still performs magic,well ahead of its time and it sounds fantastic.No doubt the gardner boys will be sticking their oar in but whatever happened to Gardner?? PS. ■■■■■■■ are still around.A good engine the 14 litre, just far too heavy for an eight legger tipper! Pity really, but ours were 5 cwt down on payload with the big ■■■■■■■ fitted. The L10 performed well in six wheeler’s though, and it was light.
Pete.
The L10s sounded nice when working hard…pity the exhause brake was quieter than a ■■■■ in church
When our Foden’s came new ■■■■■■■ stated that they wouldn’t warranty the engine due to the exhaust brake being a Foden fitment so we blanked them off!
Pete.
You didn’t miss anything by doing that, Pete!
The Albion 4 Cylinder was an honest little engine in its time and was probably on a par with the Gardner 4LK.Both these little engines were extremely frugal on derv. Bewick.
MERCEDES V8, even better with twin turbos engineering at its best,
hi all,
the 1980’s and 1990’s sk merc. v8’s were a bomb proof engine in my opinion.
regards andrew
Pebbles 74:
kevmac47:
Didn’t that sowing machine factory in Peterbro get taken over by Cat?It did indeed, which also got them the last vestiges of Rolls-Royce Diesel (Shrewsbury) - now CAT Reman & Defence, Perkins Stafford (formally Dorman Diesels
) & incidentally some of the last Gardner parts stock which had been bought by Perkins.
Andrew
Not trucks I know, but there were some ridiculous transatlantic journeys made by ‘Cat’ engines made by Perkins in Peterborough, shipped to the USA to be put in Ferris Zero Turn mowers and then shipped back to the UK…
pete 359:
hi all,
the 1980’s and 1990’s sk merc. v8’s were a bomb proof engine in my opinion.
regards andrew
My uncles’ best mate drives a H reg Merc SKV8. He’s told his boss he’ll retire if he retires the Merc 
A plant hire firm from around here, LA Lockhart have 2 or 3 SKs on R regs (ex Hills I believe) and they’re being kept soldiering on because they’re so tough and reliable…
i had an albion 4 potter in 1965 dennis , there was nowt to touch it at 14 tons . it pulled like a train , and was pretty quick on the flat . i wish the brakes had been as good as the engine though . cheers , dave
Speaking from a Fitters point of view I haven’t come across an engine make yet that didn’t need something done to it or it suffering from some problem or other but some engines of identical make and design can be as different as chalk and cheese from each other, one might need very little attention during its life while another turns out to be a pig from day one. I suppose looking at the purely British transport scene during the Fifties, Gardner obviously comes to mind for reliability but AEC, Leyland, Albion and others all made good hard working engines that done the job asked of them. The next decade saw faster (motorways) and bigger engines coming in so ■■■■■■■ was a hit and nobody worried too much about the fuel being used, V engines were tried by most makers and some never stood up to it while others seemed to be reliable although with not as much power as the ones that did give problems. ■■■■■■■ still remained a favourite during the Seventies/Eighties but after those big engines seemed to lose their way and the L10 was a nightmare for them. The foreign engines were better in the heavier end of the market but in the lighter end Britain had better. By the Noughties engines with all the regulations and emission laws that they had to abide by saw the end of big lugging diesel drinking oily leaking lumps we fondly remember and today its hard to tell one from the other, they are controlled by electronic gadgetry and no longer suffer from the mechanical ailments so much as in the past but whats all this sensor switching signalling state of the art stuff about, might as well have a big electrical motor instead!
Something that always amuses me though is why drivers are so obsessed with Brake Horse Power, they probably know the BHP of every motor they drove yet this knowledge wouldn’t make any difference, it either went like stink or it didn’t, simple as that. Cheers Franky.
I am intrigued by the post about block changing and the engine being crap on fuel. I was brought up in a different era and was taught about economy (the most efficient method was to keep the revs in the green. The tachometer is coloured green, amber and red for a reason, not just to match the curtains.
OK , if the road is fairly level, you can miss the odd gear. Don’t get me wrong. I am not having a go, just misunderstanding the definition of block changing
Bewick:
kevmac47:
ramone:
This might suprise a few but we had a Scania 420 on a 54 plate which we put 800000 k/ms on (it had 200,000) when we got it and the engine never missed a beat it was double shifted for 4 years.I dont think Scania truck rental were too happy when they got it backIf thats a red dot engine I may be wrong but I think its based on a ■■■■■■■ idea, (recirculating hot fuel).Licenced by ■■■■■■■■
The ■■■■■■■ injection system was called “the P.T.” short for Pressure/Time and once you got a ■■■■■■■ started in cold weather(we fitted our ■■■■■■■ with their easy start canister) and they were better starters than Gardners IMO,the fuel pump drew a lot more derv than the engine required and returned the excess to the tank,so in PDQ time the whole tank warmed up and you never had any waxing up in extremely cold conditions.The ■■■■■■■ pump could ■■■■ a gallon can dry in a few seconds!In wet weather you could also see by the line on the fuel tank(top wet bottom dry) how much derv you had in the tanks on your motor.Bewick.P.S. We have had the odd occaision where some of our Gardners had their fuel freeze up while running on the motorway.
Your correct there Dennis,my 240 powered Guy froze up a few times on night trunk whilst waiting for a change over at Garstang,had to set a small fire under the tank to unfreeze it,and I wasnt the only one,a Maddiston driver called Tammy,almost set fire to his diesel tank,Alex Smith issued an order to all depot managers,no more fires!!!
Rgds,
David
Frankydobo:
Something that always amuses me though is why drivers are so obsessed with Brake Horse Power, they probably know the BHP of every motor they drove yet this knowledge wouldn’t make any difference, it either went like stink or it didn’t, simple as that. Cheers Franky.
How many know what torque is produced by an engine, and what the torque curve is like?? More informative than a bhp badge!
240 Gardner:
Frankydobo:
Something that always amuses me though is why drivers are so obsessed with Brake Horse Power, they probably know the BHP of every motor they drove yet this knowledge wouldn’t make any difference, it either went like stink or it didn’t, simple as that. Cheers Franky.How many know what torque is produced by an engine, and what the torque curve is like?? More informative than a bhp badge!
BHP is just torque multiplied by engine speed.You can get a lot of bhp by multiplying a small amount of torque by a lot of engine speed like an F1 car or you can get a lot of bhp by multiplying a lot of torque by a small amount of engine speed like a big truck engine.In the context of big truck diesels it’s the bhp figure that matters because a lot of power,produced at low revs,is the same thing as a lot of torque.
Wheel Nut:
I am intrigued by the post about block changing and the engine being crap on fuel. I was brought up in a different era and was taught about economy (the most efficient method was to keep the revs in the green. The tachometer is coloured green, amber and red for a reason, not just to match the curtains.OK , if the road is fairly level, you can miss the odd gear. Don’t get me wrong. I am not having a go, just misunderstanding the definition of block changing
We have a training school where i work and we have a driving assessment from time to time .They always insist on block changing which is fine in the right circumstances but going uphill with a low powered and very tired Daf 85 isnt a good thing.In the name of fuel economy it is though or so i was told,didnt agree but the instructer as been driving for years and driven all kinds of vehicles (hes a liar) and hes been on an economical and safe driving course so he must be right…i give up but im with you wheel nut keeping the revs in the green band and not over reving
Hi Ramone,
I 've got a driving assessment on Mon morning, think they’ll show me how to block change on an auto
After 35yrs with them, no accidents and no convictions they want to see if I’m any good 
I’m almost tempted to walk to the wagon with dark glasses and a white stick
Best engine? thats a broad question, its horses for courses !
Trev_H:
Hi Ramone,
I 've got a driving assessment on Mon morning, think they’ll show me how to block change on an auto
After 35yrs with them, no accidents and no convictions they want to see if I’m any good
I’m almost tempted to walk to the wagon with dark glasses and a white stickBest engine? thats a broad question, its horses for courses !
Its a load of bull just like the drivers cpc ,the auto Dafs we have are appalling ,going forwards bad enough but trying to reverse in a tight space makes you look silly theres no control,thats why i opted for Scania opticruises with the clutch pedal and no adblue but i got over ruled this time and weve just got 4 new FM11s which are much better than the Dafs but i prefer manuals
240 Gardner:
Frankydobo:
Something that always amuses me though is why drivers are so obsessed with Brake Horse Power, they probably know the BHP of every motor they drove yet this knowledge wouldn’t make any difference, it either went like stink or it didn’t, simple as that. Cheers Franky.How many know what torque is produced by an engine, and what the torque curve is like?? More informative than a bhp badge!
I agree with you 100% I can recall all my wagons bhp, but not torque; What I do know, is that my 340 Cat can outpull my mates’ 360 Daf up Birdlip for two thirds of the way up, then he catches me near the Air Balloon pub- AND NO THE PUB ISN’T PART OF THE EQUATION! 
Wheel Nut:
I am intrigued by the post about block changing and the engine being crap on fuel. I was brought up in a different era and was taught about economy (the most efficient method was to keep the revs in the green. The tachometer is coloured green, amber and red for a reason, not just to match the curtains.OK , if the road is fairly level, you can miss the odd gear. Don’t get me wrong. I am not having a go, just misunderstanding the definition of block changing
What I forgot to mention Wheel Nut, was like so many Fodens, the rev counter doesn’t work! I drove this particular truck when it was a year old as it’s driver at the time took out the new employees-it didn’t work back then and come to think about it, I’ve had 4 Fodens in my 10 years of driving, and only the Alpha has had one that did work… 
windrush i remember them rr265s when they first came into ballidon i used to go with my father as a kid in his bedford km
and then later ford d series, them rollers did seem to go well! i remember being told you,ve got to be doin 55/60 before you can get em in top gear
and when you look back how long they lasted!
a mate of mine had his first drivin job on one of em when stb was running
kevmac47:
Without a doubt ■■■■■■■■ that 14ltr lump still performs magic,well ahead of its time and it sounds fantastic.No doubt the gardner boys will be sticking their oar in but whatever happened to Gardner?? PS. ■■■■■■■ are still around.
So why have you never run one Kevin i know how much you like them. 
