I hated tipping across slopes Paul, but it had to be done at times when there was no other access. When I started on eight wheelers, and was rather cautious, Fred Brownlee (RIP) told me to “boot it to the top flatout and don’t worry where the material went to as long as it left the front of the body, it will never tip over then” and that is what I did. The body would lurch across but always straightened up again. Of course you couldn’t do that tipping tarmac into a paver and I had a few scares, especially on the banking at MIRA or when one side set of wheels was in a trench and sometimes the rams would jam on the collars and the body wouldn’t drop then which used to annoy the gangers slightly! I survived though and never tipped one over!!
Tilcon S50 halfcab SRB 243K is being driven in that pic by David Lloyd from Cellarhead, working from Tilcon’s Kevin Quarry at that time in its life. I remember rebuilding the Gardner 6LXB engine. The Late Basil McCabe from Wirksworth had it from new at Ballidon quarry.
windrush:
I hated tipping across slopes Paul, but it had to be done at times when there was no other access. When I started on eight wheelers, and was rather cautious, Fred Brownlee (RIP) told me to “boot it to the top flatout and don’t worry where the material went to as long as it left the front of the body, it will never tip over then” and that is what I did. The body would lurch across but always straightened up again. Of course you couldn’t do that tipping tarmac into a paver and I had a few scares, especially on the banking at MIRA or when one side set of wheels was in a trench and sometimes the rams would jam on the collars and the body wouldn’t drop then which used to annoy the gangers slightly! I survived though and never tipped one over!!
Pete.
O
All sounds good to me Pete. There is summat in the human body when it tilts that tightens the bum up, what degree that is I’m not sure but you know it. Cheers Paul
coomsey:
All sounds good to me Pete. There is summat in the human body when it tilts that tightens the bum up, what degree that is I’m not sure but you know it. Cheers Paul
The worst ‘bum clenching’ time I had wasn’t when I was tipping! We were laying tarmac at MIRA and had to move to the other side of the track which entailed going around the banking. I had to follow the paver and roller around it at around 10 mph, very scary when loaded as it felt that at any time the truck and me were going to roll over and end up in the bottom of the ‘basin’ and I was really glad when I got level again and could sit in the seat instead of laying across the engine bonnet! These lads tearing up and down the Motorways and A roads get none of this excitment.
coomsey:
All sounds good to me Pete. There is summat in the human body when it tilts that tightens the bum up, what degree that is I’m not sure but you know it. Cheers Paul
The worst ‘bum clenching’ time I had wasn’t when I was tipping! We were laying tarmac at MIRA and had to move to the other side of the track which entailed going around the banking. I had to follow the paver and roller around it at around 10 mph, very scary when loaded as it felt that at any time the truck and me were going to roll over and end up in the bottom of the ‘basin’ and I was really glad when I got level again and could sit in the seat instead of laying across the engine bonnet! These lads tearing up and down the Motorways and A roads get none of this excitment.
Pete.
For sure Pete. When you’re on a blaw knox n she’s leaning you don’t need a heater on, the relief when you drop the body has to be experienced. Trouble is, of course, that before much longer you’ve got to ■■■■ her back up again. You’d be going through agonies n the laying gang couldn’t give a monkeys
I have mentioned this on another thread but it fits in here well. My father ran a couple of tippers in the late 50’s ,early sixties. One was a Super Comet twin steer. He’d been running a Seddon which was his favourite and would tip anywhere with no problems. When the Leyland was new, he was tipping a load of peat across a slope and even though he had squared up as best he could, the peat stuck up in one side of the body and over it went. He used to carry his tarps, ropes, tools and a jack in the passenger side of the cab (seat removed). When the truck rolled the jack flew over the cab and knocked a chunk out of the steering wheel narrowly missing him. Very shortly after that he had under body gear storage boxes made and fitted to all his trucks! Incidentally the Leyland always had tipping hassles although not as severe, I remember it coming back with a part load of tarmac with the body still partly up and twisted due to a Blaw Knox problem on the M6 construction.
I found coated granite chippings for non-skid topping were the worst for sticking in one side of the body. always spread a bit of dry dust in the trailer - diesel wasn’t allowed!- but it didn’t always solve the problem. I had a few occasions when I had to let the body down a bit sharpish, then spend half an hour with the shovel. Purely due to luck, I never tipped a trailer over and never bent a ram. Didn’t get me any bonus, though!
Retired Old ■■■■:
I found coated granite chippings for non-skid topping were the worst for sticking in one side of the body. always spread a bit of dry dust in the trailer - diesel wasn’t allowed!- but it didn’t always solve the problem. I had a few occasions when I had to let the body down a bit sharpish, then spend half an hour with the shovel. Purely due to luck, I never tipped a trailer over and never bent a ram. Didn’t get me any bonus, though!
We weren’t allowed to put anything in the body for pre-coats apart from water, also they had to be left unsheeted incase any dust etc off the sheet got on them and they would be rejected then. Being granite we didn’t ‘make’ them at Ballidon but I did a few return loads of them out of Weaste for Derbyshire CC. I never had any stick much though, but plenty of tarmac did when it had been mixed far too hot!
Retired Old ■■■■:
I found coated granite chippings for non-skid topping were the worst for sticking in one side of the body. always spread a bit of dry dust in the trailer - diesel wasn’t allowed!- but it didn’t always solve the problem. I had a few occasions when I had to let the body down a bit sharpish, then spend half an hour with the shovel. Purely due to luck, I never tipped a trailer over and never bent a ram. Didn’t get me any bonus, though!
We weren’t allowed to put anything in the body for pre-coats apart from water, also they had to be left unsheeted incase any dust etc off the sheet got on them and they would be rejected then. Being granite we didn’t ‘make’ them at Ballidon but I did a few return loads of them out of Weaste for Derbyshire CC. I never had any stick much though, but plenty of tarmac did when it had been mixed far too hot!
Pete.
I had the odd do with pre-coat but nothing disastrous, never with the hot stuff, although I had a Bathgate cabbed Reiver that used to leave a bit up front that I’d have to shovel off but always thought she could have done with an extra tipping ram. My biggest doings were with scrap engine / gearboxes, they’d come out any way they wanted. Like you said Pete foot to the floor n out as quick as you could. I’ve mentioned this before, one memorable load up to the top n n a couple of lumps came out, left her up n went to investigate n a scrapyard fella were going to lever out a gearbox holding the load back!!■■ Dropped it, they don’t half come down quick with a load in em, then they got the gas cutter on it, sorted.
Silverdale:
I have mentioned this on another thread but it fits in here well. My father ran a couple of tippers in the late 50’s ,early sixties. One was a Super Comet twin steer. He’d been running a Seddon which was his favourite and would tip anywhere with no problems. When the Leyland was new, he was tipping a load of peat across a slope and even though he had squared up as best he could, the peat stuck up in one side of the body and over it went. He used to carry his tarps, ropes, tools and a jack in the passenger side of the cab (seat removed). When the truck rolled the jack flew over the cab and knocked a chunk out of the steering wheel narrowly missing him. Very shortly after that he had under body gear storage boxes made and fitted to all his trucks! Incidentally the Leyland always had tipping hassles although not as severe, I remember it coming back with a part load of tarmac with the body still partly up and twisted due to a Blaw Knox problem on the M6 construction.
There but for the grace of God. An old workmate of mine run up the rrs end of another van, not that bad apparently, but a battery drill shot forward hit him back of his head n killed him. God only knows what a lorry jack would do to you.
Back in the 60s the mob I worked for had ex Derbyshire Stone BMCs . They were weird , the thinnest tipper ram was at the bottom on a flexible mount . You would have thought they might be unstable , but they could go up at bum clenching angles without any problem .
Later in the 80s I had a triaxle trailer which was a sod , when it started tipping the chassis flexed like a bow and there was no way I could tip it an inch off level . The firm had a coal business and the yard sloped so tipping coal could be quite interesting . I always though , well if it goes over it’s in the right place next to the garage . Dave
rigsby:
Back in the 60s the mob I worked for had ex Derbyshire Stone BMCs . They were weird , the thinnest tipper ram was at the bottom on a flexible mount . You would have thought they might be unstable , but they could go up at bum clenching angles without any problem .
Later in the 80s I had a triaxle trailer which was a sod , when it started tipping the chassis flexed like a bow and there was no way I could tip it an inch off level . The firm had a coal business and the yard sloped so tipping coal could be quite interesting . I always though , well if it goes over it’s in the right place next to the garage . Dave
Too right Dave but you’ve forgotten sod, s law. N no mention of them soddin lime ramps
The thing you can definitely say about tippers without much argument : empty they’d wake the dead specially if you’d got coal sides on ■■■■■■■ / two stroke. My best was coming up the M1 near Luton. I’d got a ERF LV 8whlr the exhaust fell off n I flattened it. No point in messing about got going again only an hours run to the yard. 180gardner in her, I was deaf for most of the day after Jesus she was LOUD. Best bit I got a b*****king for not bringing the exhaust back, to this day I still don’t know what they were going to do with it!!
Never had any truck with lime ramps but tipping lime at ICI Houghton we tipped into rail trucks and the s39 I had was very short back end . I had to get half the back wheel off the edge to tip in the middle of the truck , always kept the footbrake on as when the weight came off there was the chance of it creeping back . The silencer thing made me laugh , The 290 Foden had a front exhaust and every time the gaffer did a trip at night he flattened the end of the tailpipe . I was pulling up out of Newcastle U L early doors and there was a muffled thud followed by a whooshing noise , the tailpipe shot off up someone’s drive with a crash and the sound of breaking glass , I didn’t stop to investigate . the gaffer didn’t want to buy a tailpipe so fitters moved the silencer across . Dave
rigsby:
Never had any truck with lime ramps but tipping lime at ICI Houghton we tipped into rail trucks and the s39 I had was very short back end . I had to get half the back wheel off the edge to tip in the middle of the truck , always kept the footbrake on as when the weight came off there was the chance of it creeping back . The silencer thing made me laugh , The 290 Foden had a front exhaust and every time the gaffer did a trip at night he flattened the end of the tailpipe . I was pulling up out of Newcastle U L early doors and there was a muffled thud followed by a whooshing noise , the tailpipe shot off up someone’s drive with a crash and the sound of breaking glass , I didn’t stop to investigate . the gaffer didn’t want to buy a tailpipe so fitters moved the silencer across . Dave
Bet the home owners don’t know what n why to this day. S39 transmission brake very iffy! I pulled up n parked in Banbury n hopped out to stroll down to the laying gang n the old gal was following me!! Always left her in gear after that. Had one on for Trev Glover n they’d rigged summat up so second steer brakes came on with it, sorted.
I survived though and never tipped one over!!
A few to enjoy 
