I first thought of all the old TKs I’d been handcuffed to and forced to take out of the yard, but even they pale in comparison to… (drum roll tish) a 1980 Isuzu Forward
All the ones I drove (I dunno wtf I did wrong in a past life ) were 11 or 12 years old and should never have made it to 11 months. The 8T gross ones (SBR) were slower than a wet Wednesday, noisy as all hell and had no PAS - instead it was manual recirculating ball steering that was only marginally more accurate than a dowsing rod. The brakes were hydraulic only and the final insult was the “parking brake”, one of those lethal poxy twist/ fly-off things that you could guarantee you’d bark you knuckles on at least once a day and that operated a disc on the prop shaft - every time you stopped it would rock back and forwards for ten minutes. I can still remember one occasion when I’d parked one of these on a busy road in a Sydney suburb and crossed 4 lanes to get to a shop for a drink - I looked back across the road for soem reason and the handbrake had let go and there was 8 tns of loaded truck rolling down the road. I legged it at top speed across 4 lanes of traffic jsut in time to stop it rolling into a set of traffic lights - I never forgot to leave these poxy things in gear after that. The bigger 14T gross things (JCR500) had PAS which just meant it was much quicker at being totally inaccurate, and air over hydraulic brakes which remninded me of the TKs I used to drive, except they didn’t work as well. These also had a 2-speed axle - why it was called that I don’t know as on the rare occasion you could get it to engage (after a ten minute wait listening to it grinding away) it would drop back out the instant you even waved your foot at the throttle. The only good thing were the doors (you could get out and run away) and the utter serenity when you pulled the engine stop for the last time that day. The one I drove ate clutches and drank as much oil as it did diesel. One famous occasion (3am on a winter’s night heading back to Sh!tney after finishing a magazine distribution milk run) only days after this same ■■■■ heap had had another new clutch (and the 2-speed axle button gaffer taped in the low position - 80km/h flat stick with a tailwind and the motor bellowing in your ear for 8 hours) it s**t its new clutch just as I was on the run down Bellbird Hill (this is a tight steep descent on Bells Line of Road in the outer NW scrubs of Sinney). I hauled on the brakes, got the boss out of bed and waited. Had it been another few hundred yards I’d have been part of the scenery. The best bit of the whole day was a ride in the tow truck (from memory a KW), jake brake all the way down the hill blaring fit to wake the dead
No competition!! It has to be adolph’s revenge, I drove a 1418 for years and apart from the space in the cab
i detested everything about it. I only drove an Sk for a couple of days (hire motor) and i did not like the that
either. The stupid thing was when I started on my own I bought an 813 and that was always in the garage
for repair. I should have known better. regards kevmac47. Ps I know I posted earlier on the merit of Iveco
But on reflection the Merc is worse.
hi, for me it has to be a guy invincable with a 150 gardner,top speed 45mph, air filter bolted on the inside of cab right next to your earhole making a deafening roar,horn button fixed to the windscreen post so when you turned the steering wheel you knocked the skin off your knuckles, wind whistling up the hand brake through the floor and also around the brake and clutch pedals, i suppose the only saving grace was that it had good brakes, it wouldnt go but it could stop
cheers diesel
FORD D SERIES. GEARBOX (stur it up and aim for one) BRAKES (all or f—k all) complete pile of crap.IVECO still
the same as the old motors.LUMPY GEARBOX LINKAGE puts your arm out of joint,BRAKES on or off.AND as said
prieviously loaded six wheelers wanted to go in straigh lines on corners.I rest my case.
I have commented once on this thread and others and I too have driven a lot of different lorries, none so bad as a Sudden Accident. The 400 was tolerable and had a decent cab, but those 300 series, just what was the idea behind them, an international engine, a strange gearbox and a box of spanners in the footwell to get you home. I was coming home from Dumfries one day and the passenger door fell off
I once delivered a brand new Ebro and that was fun, for a brand new lorry it was like something from the dark ages
Oh god, D series. I think one of my first ventures north of Watford in about 1981 was a 73 D0710 WEH 183L box van. These had a twist-off park brake (I seem to have had my share of them) and this one’s brakes needed standing on to make them work with 4.5 ton in the back. The gear change was “shove and hope” but as there were only 4 to choose from you couldn’t go far wrong.
ParkRoyal2100:
I first thought of all the old TKs I’d been handcuffed to and forced to take out of the yard, but even they pale in comparison to… (drum roll tish) a 1980 Isuzu Forward
All the ones I drove (I dunno wtf I did wrong in a past life ) were 11 or 12 years old and should never have made it to 11 months. The 8T gross ones (SBR) were slower than a wet Wednesday, noisy as all hell and had no PAS - instead it was manual recirculating ball steering that was only marginally more accurate than a dowsing rod. The brakes were hydraulic only and the final insult was the “parking brake”, one of those lethal poxy twist/ fly-off things that you could guarantee you’d bark you knuckles on at least once a day and that operated a disc on the prop shaft - every time you stopped it would rock back and forwards for ten minutes. I can still remember one occasion when I’d parked one of these on a busy road in a Sydney suburb and crossed 4 lanes to get to a shop for a drink - I looked back across the road for soem reason and the handbrake had let go and there was 8 tns of loaded truck rolling down the road. I legged it at top speed across 4 lanes of traffic jsut in time to stop it rolling into a set of traffic lights - I never forgot to leave these poxy things in gear after that. The bigger 14T gross things (JCR500) had PAS which just meant it was much quicker at being totally inaccurate, and air over hydraulic brakes which remninded me of the TKs I used to drive, except they didn’t work as well. These also had a 2-speed axle - why it was called that I don’t know as on the rare occasion you could get it to engage (after a ten minute wait listening to it grinding away) it would drop back out the instant you even waved your foot at the throttle. The only good thing were the doors (you could get out and run away) and the utter serenity when you pulled the engine stop for the last time that day. The one I drove ate clutches and drank as much oil as it did diesel. One famous occasion (3am on a winter’s night heading back to Sh!tney after finishing a magazine distribution milk run) only days after this same [zb] heap had had another new clutch (and the 2-speed axle button gaffer taped in the low position - 80km/h flat stick with a tailwind and the motor bellowing in your ear for 8 hours) it s**t its new clutch just as I was on the run down Bellbird Hill (this is a tight steep descent on Bells Line of Road in the outer NW scrubs of Sinney). I hauled on the brakes, got the boss out of bed and waited. Had it been another few hundred yards I’d have been part of the scenery. The best bit of the whole day was a ride in the tow truck (from memory a KW), jake brake all the way down the hill blaring fit to wake the dead
Atruck that my father had when i passed my test and before i had my own Ford D1614 it was a Seddon 13/4 354.The good thing about the Seddon was the payload of 11 ton at 16 ton gross it was a 20 foot flatbed.The bad things it was so underpowerd that it saw a hill ten miles away it had a 5 speed box and a 2 speed axle and when empty the ride was so rough it was backbreaking
This is the worst bit of gear I ever drove, I only ran it 10 month & gotrid of it, it was a total heep of crap, It is the stupidist disgned wagon I have ever had anything to do with, I had more lumps of bark off my head shoulders& knuckles, I was glad to see the back of it.
Lawrence Dunbar:
This is the worst bit of gear I ever drove, I only ran it 10 month & gotrid of it, it was a total heep of crap, It is the stupidist disgned wagon I have ever had anything to do with, I had more lumps of bark off my head shoulders& knuckles, I was glad to see the back of it.0
I drove a similar one. Coming London bound on the M2 down hill towards the bridge at speed in gear the the rad hose burst emptying all the water & by the time I started going uphill the engine was siezed & all the pistons had melted. I had 2 hitch hikers on board at the time.The rad tank is at the back of the cab on that model. Before that on my first trip the brake pedal fell off as I was driving.
Lawrence Dunbar:
This is the worst bit of gear I ever drove, I only ran it 10 month & gotrid of it, it was a total heep of crap, It is the stupidist disgned wagon I have ever had anything to do with, I had more lumps of bark off my head shoulders& knuckles, I was glad to see the back of it.0
I drove a similar one. Coming London bound on the M2 down hill towards the bridge at speed in gear the the rad hose burst emptying all the water & by the time I started going uphill the engine was siezed & all the pistons had melted. I had 2 hitch hikers on board at the time.The rad tank is at the back of the cab on that model. Before that on my first trip the brake pedal fell off as I was driving.
It just laid on the floor. I was on the old A12 nr. Copford,had 10t of fert up. I managed to stop but I can’t remember how because I think those things had transmission handbrakes. It was not the first time the hose had blown. When it got towed back to base the manager congratulated me ,saying." You did a good job.Now they’ve got to buy a new one!"
I drove a Bedford KM pulled like a train with the 466 engine and a two speed axle.The only thing I didn’t like was as Larry says the cramped driving position.The same as the TK’s no good if you are fairly tall.
Bedfords were a cheap lorry OK for local work,but not man enough for a long term vehicle.
I drove a few A series ERFs on long distance they had an awful habit of cracking your knee on the metal block round the ignition. I once drove unit only from Liverpool to Peterborough in an A series, unforgettable. I preferred the Atkinson Borderer because you had a bit more room. Regard Brian
5thwheel:
Just to be different from a similar thread!!!
) were 11 or 12 years old and should never have made it to 11 months. The 8T gross ones (SBR) were slower than a wet Wednesday, noisy as all hell and had no PAS - instead it was manual recirculating ball steering that was only marginally more accurate than a dowsing rod. The brakes were hydraulic only and the final insult was the “parking brake”, one of those lethal poxy twist/ fly-off things that you could guarantee you’d bark you knuckles on at least once a day and that operated a disc on the prop shaft - every time you stopped it would rock back and forwards for ten minutes. I can still remember one occasion when I’d parked one of these on a busy road in a Sydney suburb and crossed 4 lanes to get to a shop for a drink - I looked back across the road for soem reason and the handbrake had let go and there was 8 tns of loaded truck rolling down the road. I legged it at top speed across 4 lanes of traffic jsut in time to stop it rolling into a set of traffic lights - I never forgot to leave these poxy things in gear after that. The bigger 14T gross things (JCR500) had PAS which just meant it was much quicker at being totally inaccurate, and air over hydraulic brakes which remninded me of the TKs I used to drive, except they didn’t work as well. These also had a 2-speed axle - why it was called that I don’t know as on the rare occasion you could get it to engage (after a ten minute wait listening to it grinding away) it would drop back out the instant you even waved your foot at the throttle. The only good thing were the doors (you could get out and run away) and the utter serenity when you pulled the engine stop for the last time that day. The one I drove ate clutches and drank as much oil as it did diesel. One famous occasion (3am on a winter’s night heading back to Sh!tney after finishing a magazine distribution milk run) only days after this same ■■■■ heap had had another new clutch (and the 2-speed axle button gaffer taped in the low position - 80km/h flat stick with a tailwind and the motor bellowing in your ear for 8 hours) it s**t its new clutch just as I was on the run down Bellbird Hill (this is a tight steep descent on Bells Line of Road in the outer NW scrubs of Sinney). I hauled on the brakes, got the boss out of bed and waited. Had it been another few hundred yards I’d have been part of the scenery. The best bit of the whole day was a ride in the tow truck (from memory a KW), jake brake all the way down the hill blaring fit to wake the dead 
