stepthru:
how fast would those Scammell Highwayman units go that HArrisons were still running about in until a few years ago?
didn’t they all get Gardner engines shoehorned in?
surely they must’ve changed the gearing in them to use on the motorway??
I think they had the Leyland 680 engines in Stepthru.At least two of 'em had a third axle fitted but not sure what the gross weight or top speed would be.
His older tackle was on internal work in BSC Templeborough - formerly Steel,Peech and Tozer and I remember them well.
stepthru:
how fast would those Scammell Highwayman units go that HArrisons were still running about in until a few years ago?
didn’t they all get Gardner engines shoehorned in?
surely they must’ve changed the gearing in them to use on the motorway??
I think they had the Leyland 680 engines in Stepthru.At least two of 'em had a third axle fitted but not sure what the gross weight or top speed would be.
His older tackle was on internal work in BSC Templeborough - formerly Steel,Peech and Tozer and I remember them well.
yes- it’s the 3rd axle ones I’ve seen - they looked quite well balanced - haven’t they still got all the old Rigid 8’s rotting in the back?
stepthru:
how fast would those Scammell Highwayman units go that HArrisons were still running about in until a few years ago?
didn’t they all get Gardner engines shoehorned in?
surely they must’ve changed the gearing in them to use on the motorway??
I think they had the Leyland 680 engines in Stepthru.At least two of 'em had a third axle fitted but not sure what the gross weight or top speed would be.
His older tackle was on internal work in BSC Templeborough - formerly Steel,Peech and Tozer and I remember them well.
yes- it’s the 3rd axle ones I’ve seen - they looked quite well balanced - haven’t they still got all the old Rigid 8’s rotting in the back?
I haven’t been near Sid’s yard for years but I’d like to bet there’s some old 8-leggers still around.I don’t even know if they are still operating as the steel industry in Sheffield is a shadow of it’s former self.IIRC they bought some new Scammell units years ago and never used them.
stepthru:
how fast would those Scammell Highwayman units go that HArrisons were still running about in until a few years ago?
didn’t they all get Gardner engines shoehorned in?
surely they must’ve changed the gearing in them to use on the motorway??
I think they had the Leyland 680 engines in Stepthru.At least two of 'em had a third axle fitted but not sure what the gross weight or top speed would be.
His older tackle was on internal work in BSC Templeborough - formerly Steel,Peech and Tozer and I remember them well.
yes- it’s the 3rd axle ones I’ve seen - they looked quite well balanced - haven’t they still got all the old Rigid 8’s rotting in the back?
I haven’t been near Sid’s yard for years but I’d like to bet there’s some old 8-leggers still around.I don’t even know if they are still operating as the steel industry in Sheffield is a shadow of it’s former self.IIRC they bought some new Scammell units years ago and never used them.
A mate of mine tells me that the new units Sid bought were Fodens not Scammells and yes there are still some old Scammell 8-leggers lurking in his yard.I can’t remember the model name but United Molasses had a rake of 'em.Apparantly Harrisons are still operating,so there you are.
I got done in 1986 in a 142 A946 NAR non intercooler which was empty
at the time. on the Essex stretch of the M25 and was clocked at 84mph
at 2am in the morning and got three points and a fine. yes i agree its
not a clever thing to do but the m25 that time in the morning then was
empty unlike now
Norde was an engineering company that worked with TBT to produce a tractor unit to TBTs’ specifacation.
It was ■■■■■■■ powered, had SCG 8 speed semi automatic gearbox, AEC back axle with rubber suspension, and quite a stylish cab.
It was “billed” as a 60mph heavy goods vehicle and was capable of two Derby to London trips a day, without exceeding drivers hours. The motorway leg of the journey was said to take just over the hour!
Well fancy that.
ciao for now.
in 1989 my dad bought a q reg erf 4x2 rigid, it was a 57 a series chassie with a b series cab rebuilt by erf in 86, it had a gardner 180, eaton 2 speed locked in high and someone had put a 13 speed gearbox in it, he said he had to 70mph before putting it into top, done 17mpg
mandator mick:
:shock: Norde was an engineering company that worked with TBT to produce a tractor unit to TBTs’ specifacation.
It was ■■■■■■■ powered, had SCG 8 speed semi automatic gearbox, AEC back axle with rubber suspension, and quite a stylish cab.
It was “billed” as a 60mph heavy goods vehicle and was capable of two Derby to London trips a day, without exceeding drivers hours. The motorway leg of the journey was said to take just over the hour!
Well fancy that.
ciao for now.
Well there you go, thanks for that Mick, the legend I had was that it was an 8 legger.
The bit about the rubber suspension rings true though and as to the cab, I wonder if anyone has a photo?
Trucks had various maximum speeds and you could have two or three trucks with consecutive chassis numbers that had a difference in top speed of 6/7 mph. I know on Trans Uk we had a variety of different trucks doing the middle east, but by far and away the fastest were the F88 290’s up to 76 mph, in fact I remember on one occassion a pair of us driving round what was sort of Sofia by pass , a single track road that as you completed it bacame a dual carriageway for a few miles. I was driving a Fiat 619 max speed about 65mph and Taffy was driving his F88 290, as we got onto the dual carriageway we passed a Bulgarian police car, this one was a Lada Riva with the KAT sign on the roof, KAT was the name for the police. We were doing about 55-60 and obviously breaking the speed limit, the next thing was he pulled out some distance behind us blue lights flashing and sirens blaring. I was by this time flat out and Taffy came past me very rapidly and quickly disappeared up the road. The police car was only catching me slowly so I slowed down knowing I couldnt get away. KATman came past me with the cop in the passenger seat leaning out of the window waving his red lollipop at me, as he passed me he was flat out with dark smoke pouring out of his exhaust. He gave chase to Taffy but could’nt catch him and about 5 mile up the road there he was parked at the side of the road waving me down. First request Passeport, second request Tachograph, which they knew recorded speed, the problem is by that time the same tacho had been in the machine for 2 or 3 days since you left Austria or Germany and could give no accurate reading. They gave me a load of grief for about half an hour and all the ’ Problem Collegga’. Anyway it was just a way to get a few Deutch Marks as a fine. As for Taffy he got clean away as they could’nt catch him, I caught up with him down at Svilengrad the bugger and he thought it was hugely funny.
Back in the 80,s working for GBE I got the brand new man 321 silver bullet and on the first trip ran with a subbie who had a White Road Commander that could and used to do 90 on a regular basis I caught him on the hills but mine would only do about 80
During my Dad’s many stints at Bird’s he had the ex racing truck (a 112 scania A35 WVP 6 x 2) which would cruise fully loaded (38 tonnes) at 85.
He claimed that tractor only it would do 110 flat out. It scared the living daylights out of the tachograph inspector when the tacho had to be “recalibrated”!!
hiya,
in my very early days as a civilian driver i drove a maudsley 8 wheeler pulling a trailer can’t remember the reg but was only 2 letters and 2 numbers this was 1957 and the motor i think went back to 1939 the top speed was 35 mph can’t remember ever passing anything but always had my own convoy bet i got called a few names in those days, but to rectify things i once drove a seddon 32 ton job that would do 90+ then everbody else was a pest revenge was sweet, oh happy days, thanks harry long retired.
stepthru:
how fast would those Scammell Highwayman units go that HArrisons were still running about in until a few years ago?
didn’t they all get Gardner engines shoehorned in?
surely they must’ve changed the gearing in them to use on the motorway??
I think they had the Leyland 680 engines in Stepthru.At least two of 'em had a third axle fitted but not sure what the gross weight or top speed would be.
His older tackle was on internal work in BSC Templeborough - formerly Steel,Peech and Tozer and I remember them well.
yes- it’s the 3rd axle ones I’ve seen - they looked quite well balanced - haven’t they still got all the old Rigid 8’s rotting in the back?
I haven’t been near Sid’s yard for years but I’d like to bet there’s some old 8-leggers still around.I don’t even know if they are still operating as the steel industry in Sheffield is a shadow of it’s former self.IIRC they bought some new Scammell units years ago and never used them.
I was talking to one of their drivers about 15yrs ago,he was a bit of a character,i asked him how fast it would go and he said up to 55mph but it all depended on how much noise you could stand.
harry_gill:
hiya,
in my very early days as a civilian driver i drove a maudsley 8 wheeler pulling a trailer can’t remember the reg but was only 2 letters and 2 numbers this was 1957 and the motor i think went back to 1939 the top speed was 35 mph can’t remember ever passing anything but always had my own convoy bet i got called a few names in those days, but to rectify things i once drove a seddon 32 ton job that would do 90+ then everbody else was a pest revenge was sweet, oh happy days, thanks harry long retired.
I like that Harry.I remember our firm hiring a couple of Sed-Atkis for the Xmas rush.They were BRS Rental units from Hull.One of them was reg KUB 799V and I think it was about the quickest motor I’ve ever driven - RR265 and Fuller 9-speed I think.
Have great memories, as a lad , of sitting on the engine cover of a Detroit powered TM ,between my Dad and his mate, as we hammered along a section of the A6 in Bedfordshire doing 75 mph with a bathtub tipper trailer bouncing along behind.
I think she would have gone further but Dad decided enough was enough.
hiya,
hello chris, this wasn’t a sed ak it was a straight seddon last ones made i think, it was transferred from from brs gateshead to brs consett where i worked it had a 290 roller in it it was a bit battle scarred but would it go, i kept it till consett depot closed, the end of my brs career a sad day, thanks harry long retired.
stepthru:
how fast would those Scammell Highwayman units go that HArrisons were still running about in until a few years ago?
didn’t they all get Gardner engines shoehorned in?
surely they must’ve changed the gearing in them to use on the motorway??
I think they had the Leyland 680 engines in Stepthru.At least two of 'em had a third axle fitted but not sure what the gross weight or top speed would be.
His older tackle was on internal work in BSC Templeborough - formerly Steel,Peech and Tozer and I remember them well.
yes- it’s the 3rd axle ones I’ve seen - they looked quite well balanced - haven’t they still got all the old Rigid 8’s rotting in the back?
I haven’t been near Sid’s yard for years but I’d like to bet there’s some old 8-leggers still around.I don’t even know if they are still operating as the steel industry in Sheffield is a shadow of it’s former self.IIRC they bought some new Scammell units years ago and never used them.
I was talking to one of their drivers about 15yrs ago,he was a bit of a character,i asked him how fast it would go and he said up to 55mph but it all depended on how much noise you could stand.
balls of steel to take one of those up to that speed
In the 70s my dad ran a leyland clydesdale tipper it got fitted with a high ratio diff from a leyland beaver after the bearings went in the origional. He normally drove about the normal 60ish on motorways but I remember once going up the M6 when W.H Malcolms Mack with low loader went past us and gave us a toot of the airhorns as my old man new the driver . Dad responded by putting the foot to the floor and we went passed him doing 84 .The Mack looked as if he was going backwards. During my own working life I served my time as a coach mechanic before they needed limiters and we had one Volvo B10M that was called the ton upper as it did over 100 no problem.
stepthru:
always wondered this – in the days before limiters and then I guess particularly when the motorways were unrestricted… what sort of speed could trucks move at??
cvc magazine goes on about things like AEC mercurys being capable of 70mph or so?? surely the first hill would’ve slowed one right down??
what about those 60’s artics or the 8 wheelers – how about those rattly old scammells that harrisons in sheffield kept using? surely they weren’t still going on the M1 with those even in the 70’s??
any of you, ahem, more senior guys enlighten me??
dear, dear gentelemen whats all this speed for, you only have to do more work, owner drivers want it so do bosses, but the poor driver!!! even the old gardners that only did 30mph could be made to fly, black smoke used to be as effective as that on a destroyer, boosted revs from 2 to2,5 thou, valves bounced a bit and dropped a few times, but still the quest for speed goes on,
i admit i jockeyed all the gardners i drove, but i had it working so that the revs dropped back to nornal when on tickover, usually the engine roared and slowed roared and slowed, at traffic lights and everyone stared, then it took off like a thoroughbred belching smoke and flame, i got stopped by the bogies for excessive smoke a couple of times, but they could’nt find the jockey that was on, anyone with a 6lw, a6lx a 6lxb, i might tell you,
i had an erf 320 ■■■■■■■ 38 ton 6 leg unit in the 80s, top speed 86 mph
loaded full up ta-ta stan the man
it’s only a piece of metal
with wheels on
was on internal work in BSC Templeborough - formerly Steel,Peech and Tozer and I remember them well.
Norde was an engineering company that worked with TBT to produce a tractor unit to TBTs’ specifacation.