I had just got the sack[after 3 months]from BRS Elmstead mkt for doing the job too quick,and refusing to sleep in digs and making a bed in the cab of an AEC Mercury.I just started with another company doing continental with a Guy bigJ non sleeper.I was the '‘king of the road’.Learning was tough but fun.Mike
Bewick:
BIBS:
Coincidentally I find this site today and yesterday I was in the longton area and had a ride into whitfires yard at farington 1st time id been in for over 35 years i used to cart baled shavings out of there to farms in north lancs n south ■■■■■■■ in my seddon mk 5L started in 1969 as a 17 year old she was just under 3 ton so off i started on a journey thats still goin in those days there was a lot of young lads driving wagons under 3 tons difficult nowadays to get a youngster interested in motors,i met joe grisedale last year who had the causeway garage at rufford in the 60s n70s we used to get jobs done thereand he said to me as i was stood by my seddon wheres the lad i had to laugh as i said im the lad that was 40 years ago,happy days ps, i can still pour a cup of coffee out on the engine cover on the m6I well remember your smart little Seddon Bibbs,up and down the top end of the then M6.But I bet you used to ■■■■ your coffee from a straw !!! “I can still pour a cup of coffee out ALL OVER the engine cover” !!! Cheers Dennis.
And I remember it too, Dennis - in fact, I remember going up to Ingleton, aeons ago, to buy some Atki trim bits, including an improbably large pile of rear hub covers for Kistrkstall axles
I was driving a non-HGV Ford ‘D’ series for a local steel stockholder, who was an absolute gentleman to work for. It was 2 years before I would get my ‘ticket’ for big bendy trucks, its all been downhill from there!! Regards, Mizzo.
Still plugging away with a Leyland 680 powered Foden on BOC(what a noisy ■■■■■!)got the University of Leeds up to do soundchecks,in-cab,an amazing 105 decibels,eat your heart out Health and Safety!! 
Hello, I was driving this ex J.G. Stamper, Penrith ERF 66GX seen here just prior to converting to a powder tanker in the summer of 1972. This was the best wagon I ever had. Cheers Leyland 600.
Giving My mam and dad sleepless nights, was only 3 months old
I was in training for driving one of these
I was about four years into a five year stint working for a timber merchant, roping and sheeting with real ropes that loosened when they dried out, driving mainly D series Fords and a TK Bedford with a 24 foot trailer, b*stard to reverse but it gave me my ‘grandfather rights’ HGV 1. The good thing about D series and TKs was it was easy to kip in the cab and after driving an Albion Reiver on the last job it was nice to be in a quiet(ish) cab with a heater that actually gave out heat.
I was 9 years old and riding shotgun with my dad in his smith of maddiston GUY BIG J4 240 gardner just like the one in my avatar.
yes they did exist remember me dads smug face as we sailed passed every other lorry on the A74, M6,M1 on the way to st Albans depot
my aunt lived in luton so he would drop me off there on a monday morning and spend the week with my cousins then he would pick me up on a friday for the trip back home.
My job was to look out for the traffic police as we cruised at a steady 74mph… YES 74mph lol in that BIG J 240 GARDNER
I thought i was the mutts nutts remember those trips with my dad as if it was yesterday
Bewick:
Could turn into an interesting thread this,and my suggestion of 40 years is only for “guidence” as lets say a varience of 5 years either side of 40 should give enough flexibility to produce some interesting results I would guess,now come on,who’s going to kick this thread off ? Cheers Bewick.
40 Years ago i was in apprenticeship program in a HGV Workshop
ND888 BIGJ:
I was 9 years old and riding shotgun with my dad in his smith of maddiston GUY BIG J4 240 gardner just like the one in my avatar.yes they did exist remember me dads smug face as we sailed passed every other lorry on the A74, M6,M1 on the way to st Albans depot
my aunt lived in luton so he would drop me off there on a monday morning and spend the week with my cousins then he would pick me up on a friday for the trip back home.My job was to look out for the traffic police as we cruised at a steady 74mph… YES 74mph lol in that BIG J 240 GARDNER
I thought i was the mutts nutts remember those trips with my dad as if it was yesterday
There is just no-way that the hard wall,cross ply tyres that SOM ran on their trailers would have stood up to a 74 mph trip of 400 miles!! How often did you have a blow out ■■ Cheers Bewick.
Hi Marky yes your right we went into Sheperds from 1960 to 1980 they made all kinds of ash and hickory handles for most uses always made a quality product n we took the firewood and sawdust away in sacks who was your father n what job did he do in the mill we started goin in for sawdust my father used to take a load of milk each day to hansons at aintree in kits and on return he would double the emptys up and load sawdust back to local farms this was for his self so it caused a big fall out with his father whos wagon it was, so he started on his own in 1962 up to where we are today
Plus the pump must have been tampered with, or perhaps it had a coach diff ? defo not a standard motor, & how did he manage to stop it ? Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Plus the pump must have been tampered with, or perhaps it had a coach diff ? defo not a standard motor, & how did he manage to stop it ? Regards Larry.
Well said Larry !! It had to be the highest geared Big J ever,nowt to do with the 240LXB engine.I ran an Atki Borderer with Fuller 610 ( Big J probably had the heavier 9509) and Eaton 2 speed axle and it could reach speeds of well over 70 but it was “geared up”,the Big J would have had the single speed Hub reduction axle fitted so what was the ratio that enabled it to reached the speed claimed.Where’s Trev H when you need him for technical advice !! Cheers Dennis.
it has been so peaceful lately , i knew it couldn’t last . the phantom big j has struck again , back to the shelters lads !!!
Well Dennis, It would have to be something like minus 4.8 to attain that sort of speed.?. Regards Larry.
HI,MR ,BEWICK .I had a BIG J 180 GARDENER 6 speed box, ex Peter MC cullams thaught she was fast 60 mph flat to the floor.Cheers Barry Wad
Bewick:
Lawrence Dunbar:
Plus the pump must have been tampered with, or perhaps it had a coach diff ? defo not a standard motor, & how did he manage to stop it ? Regards Larry.Well said Larry !! It had to be the highest geared Big J ever,nowt to do with the 240LXB engine.I ran an Atki Borderer 220 ■■■■■■■ with Fuller 610 ( Big J probably had the heavier 9509) and Eaton 2 speed axle and it could reach speeds of well over 70 but it was “geared up”,the Big J would have had the single speed Hub reduction axle fitted so what was the ratio that enabled it to reached the speed claimed.Where’s Trev H when you need him for technical advice !! Cheers Dennis.
b.waddy:
HI,MR ,BEWICK .I had a BIG J 180 GARDENER 6 speed box, ex Peter MC cullams thaught she was fast 60 mph flat to the floor.Cheers Barry Wad
Aye and that would be down hill with a following wind Barry !! The Big J’s we ran with the 180LXB engine would do about 57 mph on the flat ! Cheers Mr. Bewick
Mad to think the 730 scania and 750 Volvo can only do that. Although they would have the edge on the hills 