An engineer who drives comes up with his ideal specification for 1973. He chooses the best of everything, then adds everything else available. True to British form, he tops it all off with a day cab!
I could not find Part 2- CM’s search engine is rubbish. Good luck, if you look for it.
Hi [ZB], interesting find, the writings of a wally!!! Bet he never really drove a lorry, or even ran one for a living!! Theory rules OK.
Cheerio for now, Saviem, (quietly…MBA, Bsc, MIRTE, MBIM,… oh and MD…(merry devil).
Your Dec 13 post is nearer the ideal!! Cheerio for now.
Saviem:
Hi [ZB], interesting find, the writings of a wally!!! Bet he never really drove a lorry, or even ran one for a living!! Theory rules OK.
Cheerio for now, Saviem, (quietly…MBA, Bsc, MIRTE, MBIM,… oh and MD…(merry devil).
Your Dec 13 post is nearer the ideal!! Cheerio for now.
I am having second thoughts about the Berliet cab. The two criticisms it has attracted on here are:
Poor heat insulation. Not a great problem, if you have access to a few tins of squirty foam (First empty a gallon of wax-oil into it- your ideal vehicle may as well be spared the blob gun for its entire life. Not that the Berliet was a renowned rot-box, in fact it was probably better than most, in this respect).
Weight. How much heavier was it than the other big cabs of the day, Saviem SM and Scania LB, for instance?
Saviem:
Hi [ZB], interesting find, the writings of a wally!!! Bet he never really drove a lorry, or even ran one for a living!! Theory rules OK.
Cheerio for now, Saviem, (quietly…MBA, Bsc, MIRTE, MBIM,… oh and MD…(merry devil).
Your Dec 13 post is nearer the ideal!! Cheerio for now.
I am having second thoughts about the Berliet cab. The two criticisms it has attracted on here are:
Poor heat insulation. Not a great problem, if you have access to a few tins of squirty foam (First empty a gallon of wax-oil into it- your ideal vehicle may as well be spared the blob gun for its entire life. Not that the Berliet was a renowned rot-box, in fact it was probably better than most, in this respect).
Weight. How much heavier was it than the other big cabs of the day, Saviem SM and Scania LB, for instance?
Evening all, [ZB], the KB42, was far worse for both heat, and rust prevention. But the amount of “plastic” in the construction helped on the latter front!
The big problem with heat, (keeping it in, or out), was the glazed area. Berliets designers provided a greater “vision” area than most, but with consequential loss of heat retention.
KB42, plus 350kgs on the Saviem cab, (but with only one bunk, the Saviem having two). But the KB42, was around 200kg lighter than Scania, (michel, may have data to support this).
Away to a little light Bollinger to contemplate how “nice” both cabs were as a work place, and think how to protect the lifted “spuds”, from Mr Ice.
andrew.s:
a transcon-big cam ■■■■■■■■■■ speed fuller , but with proper brakes and electrics…
Another Berliet-cabbed ERF/Atki, then. That seems to be the favourite.
yeah but its taller than the berliet-makes all the difference lol
Hi Mr. S. Practically every article about the Transcon says that it was “ahead of its time”, despite its major parts having been in production for five years or more, when it was launched. I wonder how much the elevation of the cab had to do with that opinion?
andrew.s:
a transcon-big cam ■■■■■■■■■■ speed fuller , but with proper brakes and electrics…
Another Berliet-cabbed ERF/Atki, then. That seems to be the favourite.
yeah but its taller than the berliet-makes all the difference lol
Hi Mr. S. Practically every article about the Transcon says that it was “ahead of its time”, despite its major parts having been in production for five years or more, when it was launched. I wonder how much the elevation of the cab had to do with that opinion?
quite possible…
my father owned a transcontinental and he absolutely loved it(apart from the brakes!) i just wish i was a bit older and had a chance to drive it!!
What a bunch of really interesting solutions to this attack of “retrospective idealism”.
I have to agree 100% with Johnnie in the selection of the 350 Bussing Unterfleur. I drove one for a few trips and it was a peach, comfortable as only a long wheelbase wagon and drag could be, near total silence in the cab which was huge and had a totally flat floor and the 350 pulled like a train. A truly excellent motor which many, many German drivers were very sad to see the end of when they were replaced. But, Johnnie, the tractor did exist but it was badged MAN and there was no mid engined version, just the normal under cab fitment.
However I have to seriously disagree with Carryfasts suggestion of the Kenworth K100. I did one trip to Romania with one that belonged to the famous ‘BJ and the Bank Manager’ when he was subbing for us on Grangewood. What an unspeakable piece of ■■■■■■ It had the GM 2 stroke ‘screamer’ that would not have separated the famous black man from your Granny, a completely PVC cab interior and had been designed by a man to whom ergonomics were a closed book! Sorry Gerry, if you read this.
David Miller:
What a bunch of really interesting solutions to this attack of “retrospective idealism”.
I have to agree 100% with Johnnie in the selection of the 350 Bussing Unterfleur. I drove one for a few trips and it was a peach, comfortable as only a long wheelbase wagon and drag could be, near total silence in the cab which was huge and had a totally flat floor and the 350 pulled like a train. A truly excellent motor which many, many German drivers were very sad to see the end of when they were replaced. But, Johnnie, the tractor did exist but it was badged MAN and there was no mid engined version, just the normal under cab fitment.
However I have to seriously disagree with Carryfasts suggestion of the Kenworth K100. I did one trip to Romania with one that belonged to the famous ‘BJ and the Bank Manager’ when he was subbing for us on Grangewood. What an unspeakable piece of [zb]. It had the GM 2 stroke ‘screamer’ that would not have separated the famous black man from your Granny, a completely PVC cab interior and had been designed by a man to whom ergonomics were a closed book! Sorry Gerry, if you read this.
David
Hi David I only had a little drive in as there was a German firm which brought machinery to Pickfords depot and I was asked to take him to the delivery site as they usually offloaded into our warehouse but this one went straight onto site I am certain it was a 4 wheel plus 6 wheel trailer and I was fortunate that the driver let me have a drive ( he had a job getting it back ) and I had recently got a new wagon atki viewline but what a difference
Ellerpack from Mexborugh ? had a couple of Bussing tractor units in the 70s probably before M.A.N.s came over here and I recall a Bussing demo. which had a TV fitted above the passenger side ( left ■■■■■■ ) which probably led to Ellerpack getting theirs, I am certain that bubbleman Marcus as posted a picture of Ellerpacks.
My two’penneth a Transcon without the silly sleeper windows, 350 big cam 13 speed, 13t rear Rockwell rear axle but I’d like S cams 3.8 wheelbase & a Kysor on the roof, passenger seat in the bin & a full time auto electrician on call. I had one similar FWC 611Y I think it was but I’ll change the reg to another I had EHJ 562T so its a 70’s truck.
Better than any Scanias or Volvos imho although I love the look of the 89’s & 141’s the Transcon had the space for being away, where economical & pulled like trains, it would have to be a LHD too as the RHD where a PITA in the winter & too short in the wheelbase, the three I owned/drove where rough old lorries but always got Me home…
ERF B Series or Sed Ak 400 could be had with the same driveline, but with brakes and electrics that worked, both had decent sized cabs and both in LHD export form at least, had longer wheelbases and the steering wheel on the correct side
I’m no fan of British lorries of that era, give me a Volvo or a Scania anyday, but having had the misfortune to drive a Transcon, I’d take either of the Brits over one. I will give you the get you home thing, mine always got me home, a double edged sword as it happens, as it meant I had to take the ■■■■■■■ out the next week
I could live with an ERF I suppose S-Cams would help but none too sure the electrics where much better as I’ve seen one burned out, Sudden Accident fails on wipers I’m afraid. I drove two long wheelbase Henrys & a short one too they had much more room inside with the flattish floor, You know how cab happy I am in the 86 I’m gonna ask for a daycab next week to save all the cleaning…
Maybe my negativity derives from the anticlimax that the Transcon was to me, I’d always wanted a Big 'Enry, got one and it was a pile of junk, same as you I went from the Transcon onto a flat top F12 and it was ten times the lorry
The cab was ok, bit more room than a 111 or F12, but only because of the lower engine hump, a briefcase full of tapes and the advantage was lost, on the F12 the same briefcase slotted down into the angled bit between engine hump and bunk, the one positive was the gearbox, or rather the linkage, it was so direct that the 13speed was an absolute pleasure to stir, even the Texan Atki I have now doesn’t change as well and the stick on that pokes right out of the top of the box of cogs
We need to get this sorted before libations start on Monday, no diesel speak is allowed
Thats all it was the low engine hump, luckily I did’nt have many possesions in those days & big trailer boxes so it was like a barn inside, one had a Kysor though & I was always whacking me swede on the bit that was in the cab.
WTF we gonna talk about then? I know a bit about mountain bikes hth
The Transcon did have presence, that’s one thing in its favour, it felt quite good walking back to it in a lorry park, especially if it was somewhere exotic
Not planning on doing much talking, the bar shuts early and I won’t be home until the early hours the night before, sat in Calgary waiting for rollover hours, got to go to Lethbridge first to get my trailer and then drop it in Winterpeg, not getting enough hours back tomorrow, so an after midnight Sunday gig is on the cards…for a change, two trips to BC this week, so I’ll have a bit of a thirst
fly sheet:
WTF we gonna talk about then? I know a bit about mountain bikes hth
Modern-day bikes are rubbish, aren’t they? Expensive, overcomplicated, engineered so that they wear out early and are then impossible to repair, without more big cost.
It all started with index gears (or “synchromesh”, as you might like to call it)- 10% into the working life of the derailleur, the index mechanism cannot deal with the extra slack, so you’re back to friction levers, or throw it away. The disposable gimmick ethos has now extended to the sprockets themselves- the teeth appear to be relieved in the region of the driving surface, presumably to enable smoother gearchanges with the above-mentioned system, again at the expense of durability. 3,000-odd miles on the gears and a replacement chain will jump teeth, as I was disgusted to discover, earlier this year. Suspension- bolleaux. What are your arms and legs for?
What you need is a machine that can be repaired at the side of the road, using rudimentary tools. You don’t have to fix it yourself, but you need to find someone who can (does this sound familiar?), so the mechanisms must use simple parts, which are available anywhere. Here is such a bicycle, parked outside a lorry factory, incidentally:
anorak check out the “Alfine” hubbed gear system or MTFU & go fixed gear , not that I have a fixxie either or an Alfine rear hub My Yeti 575 with much gay suspension & overengineered Shimano gearing is tucked up for the winter its -20 outside so I’m skating at a weekend now instead.
Your bicycle looks very traditional Sir I hope its serving You well still…btw what factory is it?
& yes bicycles have gone the way of heavy commercials Squire its called progress but I fear its not…
fly sheet:
anorak check out the “Alfine” hubbed gear system or MTFU & go fixed gear , not that I have a fixxie either or an Alfine rear hub My Yeti 575 with much gay suspension & overengineered Shimano gearing is tucked up for the winter its -20 outside so I’m skating at a weekend now instead.
Your bicycle looks very traditional Sir I hope its serving You well still…btw what factory is it?
& yes bicycles have gone the way of heavy commercials Squire its called progress but I fear its not…
The Alfine hub looks good, and it’s not too expensive either. I don’t fancy having to fix it in the middle of nowhere though. I accept that suspension is faster and safer on potholed roads strewn with mud and gravel, especially when carrying a heavy load. My bike is an Irishman’s broom job- the frame in the photo was bent beyond repair by SAS Airlines, so I have built another one out of more scrap!
The factory? Here is a rear view of it, with more bicycles!
) and I had recently got a new wagon atki viewline but what a difference 
I’m gonna ask for a daycab next week to save all the cleaning…
, not that I have a fixxie either or an Alfine rear hub My Yeti 575 with much gay suspension & overengineered Shimano gearing is tucked up for the winter its -20 outside so I’m skating at a weekend now instead.