More whimsical musings- on this occasion, your time machine stops in 1960 and you must assemble the best 32(+) ton vehicle you can, from the parts available at the time. As before (after?), your dream wagon must make you good profits and help retain the services of the most conscientious, professional driver in the yard. Transport from GB to the continent started to take off in the ‘60s, so you may want a vehicle with some service support abroad.
A swift perusal of the internet (before I set off) reveals that the Fuller Roadranger gearbox was launched in the early 1950’s, and was considered at the time to be a revolutionary step forward, so my Leyland will have this.
The drivers and I agree that the best use for a British lorry cab is the storage of garden tools. The best coachbuilders in the world are Dutch, so I don my ex-army greatcoat and flying goggles, and drive my 8LX-engined chassis cowl from Lancashire to the works of van Eck, where they fit one of their attractive high-mounted steel sleeper cabs on it (Similar to the ones they put on the Vabis LV75). The cost of this seemingly-extravagant build schedule is well covered: On the way, I take the first-ever load of Eccles cakes to Amsterdam, where they prove surprisingly popular in the coffee shops! You may speculate that the return load played a part in the ongoing manufacturing quality problems at Leyland.
bma.finland:
hallo van eck here ,your ultimate truck is ready to the road now cheers benkku
Wow! I had not even considered how it would look. Now I know it is a handsome beast. I’ll have a fleet of them, please. Time to take it for a test run, on that new road they have just built- you know, the one that goes past the Leyland factory. What will they think of it? Great stuff, bma.
Regarding livery- I quite liked Comart’s- the light blue and white made their LB110s look especially elegant, in my view at least. It would make my dream machine stand out even more, as it towers above the typically drab-looking British lorries of the time.
bma.finland:
hallo van eck here ,your ultimate truck is ready to the road now cheers benkku
Wow! I had not even considered how it would look. Now I know it is a handsome beast. I’ll have a fleet of them, please. Time to take it for a test run, on that new road they have just built- you know, the one that goes past the Leyland factory. What will they think of it? Great stuff, bma.
Regarding livery- I quite liked Comart’s- the light blue and white made their LB110s look especially elegant, in my view at least. It would make my dream machine stand out even more, as it towers above the typically drab-looking British lorries of the time.[/quote
let,s what we can do,can take some day,s ,was it in your taste,tryed to get it some brand
Evening all, [ZB], no need for dreams, the lorry was already in build…Bernard 6x2, licence built Gardner, twin stick 10speed, 1200tyres, comodious sleeper, (with a heater that worked)! piped for a proper drawbar, Camion et Remorque,…oh B…r, in the UK I need two men two work it…is Bewick free??..and I cannot work at 35tonnes…back to the drawing board!
Take 2,…easy, I`ve just read the spec again,…1964, the Saviem SM300 V8 MAN, the “new” steel cab, parabolic springing, 3m WB, Telma retarder, 10speed Saviem box, 6tonnes “wet” at 38tonnes gtw, …a massive leap forward from the SOMUA derived JL range with the Pelpel cabin. Just compare that with the 1964 offerings of “our” premium lorry builders, ERF and Atkinson. Only the export offerings of AEC and Leyland came close. But AEC were the superior by a long way, and operators really liked them!!
Tyres are funny things, I remember in the mid 60s being in awe of the “massive” French lorries. Each time I rested at a routiers, I was fascinated at the seemingly huge wheels and tyres on the other lorries parked around my little 4cylinder Foden. Even more so the enormous bed behind the seats in their cabs…but less so the “special” odur that seemed to permeate their cabs!!!
Saviem:
Evening all, [ZB], no need for dreams, the lorry was already in build…Bernard 6x2, licence built Gardner, twin stick 10speed, 1200tyres, comodious sleeper, (with a heater that worked)! piped for a proper drawbar, Camion et Remorque,…oh B…r, in the UK I need two men two work it…is Bewick free??..and I cannot work at 35tonnes…back to the drawing board!
Take 2,…easy, I`ve just read the spec again,…1964, the Saviem SM300 V8 MAN, the “new” steel cab, parabolic springing, 3m WB, Telma retarder, 10speed Saviem box, 6tonnes “wet” at 38tonnes gtw, …a massive leap forward from the SOMUA derived JL range with the Pelpel cabin. Just compare that with the 1964 offerings of “our” premium lorry builders, ERF and Atkinson. Only the export offerings of AEC and Leyland came close. But AEC were the superior by a long way, and operators really liked them!!
Tyres are funny things, I remember in the mid 60s being in awe of the “massive” French lorries. Each time I rested at a routiers, I was fascinated at the seemingly huge wheels and tyres on the other lorries parked around my little 4cylinder Foden. Even more so the enormous bed behind the seats in their cabs…but less so the “special” odur that seemed to permeate their cabs!!!
Interesting time to be “abroad” Cheerio for now.
You can’t have an SM300- that’s a modern lorry! The Bernard sounds attractive though. Please forgive my ignorance but, which cab would it have had in 1960? I would not worry too much about the drawbar/driver’s mate issue- it should be easy enough to attract a mate, with such a fine machine! Likewise the 35t gross weight- a 1960 British bobby would be easily pacified by your gallic charm and wit. Besides, once past Dover, having been served like a king on the ferry, you will be in the land of the free haulier (my historical knowledge may be running short here).
Why were AECs superior to God’s Leyland? As a Lancashire lad, I must protest. My dream 1960 Leyland would have been designed, if not built, before the villain Stokes had had too much influence over the engineers.
When I was a lad, I had the opportunity to sit in the cab of a lorry bringing fruit from Spain (Pegaso, slope-roofed cab- a 2011 model?). The smell will live with me forever- a perfume made of every fresh fruit you can imagine. It was divine. The driver must have survived on the contents of the trailer.
well mr anorak. we are in finland 1962 and sisu a small factory put up this tilt/sleepercab in steel.leyland powerplus and fuller box.unfortunatly it was build in finland,not sweden so it became a unknown motor.
bma.finland:
well mr anorak. we are in finland 1962 and sisu a small factory put up this tilt/sleepercab in steel.leyland powerplus and fuller box.unfortunatly it was build in finland,not sweden so it became a unknown motor.
First “proper” tilt cab in Europe, if I’m not mistaken. I don’t count the 1962 Foden, or the first version of the Ergo, since these retained a fixed driver’s seat/floor. God knows why those two companies did that.
How did the Power Plus compare to the turbo 10 litre engines of the two Swedish makers? Was it as reliable/durable?
i,m a bit to young to know how al went that time ,but sisu used leyland mostly (even turbo versions) to 70´,s when RR came in ,so think they did the work ,cheers benkku
According to the records it’s 1961 for the actual start of the K series but obviously there’s ‘some’ evidence which says I can actually have one in 1960.
According to the records it’s 1961 for the actual start of the K series but obviously there’s ‘some’ evidence which says I can actually have one in 1960.
Kenworth Cabover Motor Trucks
Being a great fan of American Lorries and Motor Trucks,and who has studied the history of these fascinating motor vehicles (I do not pretend to know everything - I’m still learning),Kenworth cabover lorries have been available from the 1930s.
Here is a an un-restored Kenworth Series 500 Roundnose Cabover 6x4 Lorry of the 1940s:-
Kenworth Bullnose KDC825C,sleeper cab over engine,6x4 Boxvan-bodied Articulated Lorry of 1958,it was the last Kenworth Bullnose model to be built - the last regular production Bullnose models were produced in 1955. This Kenworth originally had a ■■■■■■■ 275 engine,but now has a ■■■■■■■ NTC380,uprated to 420 BHP:- fatjacksplace.com/TwoOldTimers
It’s a magnificent lorry! :- fatjacksplace.com/rayohanesi … age003.jpg
The replacement for the Bullnose Cab was introduced in 1954,both day and sleeper versions were made,and Kenworth sleeper cab over engine cabs from 1954-1955,and through the 1960s and beyond were based on this 1954 cab:-
1955 Kenworth Flatnose sleeper cab over engine 4x2 Boxvan-bodied Double Bottom Unit Artic,of Inland Motor Freight,in a Kenworth Motor Trucks advertisement:- google.co.uk/imgres?q=1940S+ … 1,s:0,i:72
The replacement for the Bullnose Cab was introduced in 1954,both day and sleeper versions were made,and Kenworth sleeper cab over engine cabs from 1954-1955,and through the 1960s and beyond were based on this 1954 cab:-
1955 Kenworth Flatnose sleeper cab over engine 4x2 Boxvan-bodied Double Bottom Unit Artic,of Inland Motor Freight,in a Kenworth Motor Trucks advertisement:- google.co.uk/imgres?q=1940S+ … 1,s:0,i:72
VALKYRIE:
Kenworth Series AE16 Flatnose sleeper cab over engine 4x2 Tractive Unit-Artic of the 1954-55 to 1960-61 period:- flickr.com/photos/sombartauc … 53187@N03/
Once again, good research Valkyrie. The AE16 Flatnose is clearly a different vehicle to the K100. We still don’t have a definitive launch date for the K100 series. 1961 according to BLB or 1964, if you believe the Kenworth K100 club.
What are your thoughts on the supposed superiority of AEC over Leyland (or Scania Vabis and other Continentals) chassis in 1960? I get the impression that the European makers were still in the process of catching up with the Brits at this stage, regarding the reliability and durability of the oily bits.
bma.finland:
but not a EUROPEAN is it?,who sold it in europe in 60,s? the KW i mean
Of course you are right, but cf would import the thing himself and send a telegram from wherever it broke down, to get the parts to repair it.
I suppose it is a valid comparison between European and US engineering. From reading the various KW and Mack threads on this forum, European lorries were superior to the American vehicles in terms of driver comfort. I wonder if this was the case in the late 1950s and '60s?
cheers benkku
so it became a unknown motor.
,but sisu used leyland mostly (even turbo versions) to 70´,s when RR came in ,so think they did the work ,cheers benkku
