Wasn’t the Commer TS3 a walk thru cab as well,earlier than the TK or D1000?
I’m sorry chaps but I was just sticking to the thread. Not wanting to go back to steam driven trucks that were for obvious reasons walk-thru, I thought the theme was for company manufactured sleeper cabs of the modern day variety.
Commer TS 3’s, Ford D 800 & 1000’s, Bedford TK’s etc. These trucks don’t come under the category in question. I think the original question asked was about the full sleeper cab was it not ?
Now then young men,listen to old Uncle Charlie If my poor old tired memory serves me right. I had a new Ergomatic Mandator in 1966. Didn’t Air Products have V8 walk through cabs in1971? I may be right I may be wrong But I know youre going to miss me when I’m gone 
You are dead right “Old Uncle Charlie” as I was a fitter at Kirkdale Lewis Haulage of Kirkby in the early 70,s and they had some “Ergo” Leyland Beavers and also (if my memory serves me right) 2 or 3 “Ergo” Leyland Octopuses and as we had a depot in the smelting works at (again I think) Smethwick we also had two AEC mandators which ran out of there with 2 brummy based drivers and were “D” reg with the 9.6 eng. and a straight 6 speed AEC box and were a dream to drive compared to the Leylands.
The “Ergo” cabbed Leyland Beavers where from “B” reg up to “F” reg and had the 680 “Power Plus” engine as they also had some “Cut Downs” as these were some LAD cabbed Leyland Octopuses with the 600 eng. which were 8 leggers that some years earlier went to Leyland Motors @ Chorley and were cut down and converted to tractor units.
The idea of the tilt cab was brilliant but for some unknown reason Leylands tilted the cab and left the o/s seat and floor in place so you couldn,t get at the steering box or any of the pipework or anything else for that matter under the cab which IMHO defeated the object of a “tilt cab” unlike the Volve F86 where you could literally get at everything once the cab was tilted.
Thay also had 2 Guy “Big J,s” with the 220 ■■■■■■■ and again a 6 speed AEC g/box and the steering on them was (unusually for Guy,s) very heavy or so the drivers said.
Just as an aside to this one, at “The North West Museum of Transport” @ Hall St. in St. Helens there is a photo of a line up of about 25 or so “Steam Wagons” belonging to Kirkdale Lewis Haulage" in the then " Cherry Lane" yard in Liverpool which was I think in the Walton area
Sorry TIR, you are, of course, correct 
So in answer to the original question ‘What was the first BIG sleeper cab?’ the answer has to be the Volvo F10/12 Globetrotter, everything that came before had a normal sleeper cab & the first flat floor cab was the Renault Magnum.
First sleepercabs UK would Probably be F88 First F86 was imported 1966 bought by a guy somewhere up Hexam way on logging.So Im summizing the 88 would be shortly after that.Then folowing the likes of scania 110s Mans,Saviems& Dafs were huge compared to Atkis B series ERF & Leyland Dodge etc etc,
The high cabbed moters would be about mid to late 70`s
I am sorry chaps but I am adamant that the first walk-thru, manufactured sleeper cab in the UK was the V8 AEC Mandator. The first in Europe was without doubt the German “Bussing” but this was a rigid or road-train, with an underslung engine. Or rather the engine was mounted on the chassis just to the rear of the cab. When it comes to “Big” or oversized manufactured sleepers ,then the prize for first surely must go to the DAF Spacecab,as first fitted to the 2800 model. I rest my case.
I’m sorry TIR but I think you’ll find that the Globetrotter came out before the Space Cab. If my memory serves me correctly, they were followed by the Berliet TR305/360, latterly the Renault Turboliner, then believe it or not, Foden, which had that wedge shaped monstrosity on the S106, then came the Leyland Interstate, MAN Roadhouse, Merc Eurocab, then last & most certainly least, Iveco with the Eurotech. We really need someone with a stash of TRUCK mags to confirm, but the Volvo came out in 80/81ish & the Daf soon after.
If we’re talking about real lorries & not TK/D1000 puddle jumpers, you’re spot on with the Mandator V8 & the Bussing being the first flat floored cabs.
newmercman:
Sorry to be pedantic, but what about the TK/KM or the D1000, they had walk thru cabs & they were pre 68, which was when the V8 mandator appeared.
I think he’s really talking about Leylands although he did say ‘British’, and also probably talking about heavies (not sure, but I don’t think KMs were top weight from the start) otherwise the Austin/Morris I mentioned above would definitely pre-date the Mandator too.
Still amazed about the Mandator though, TIR, never remember seeing one of them high enough. 
I think TIR is miss reading Clarkys original post .It reads to me as though he wanted to know in general the start of mass use of sleepers & I would still say in UK it would be F88 . The 1st ones being manufactured 1964 /5 & probably first imported 66 /67. After that you had Scania Merc etc etc,If you look at website VOLVO GLOBAL it gives the history of Volvo Also shows a picture of the 1st 86 I mentioned earlier in the post. Judging by the pics of the Mandaters the first looks to be 1969 by the reg & you never saw many of them about. Sorry to be pain TIR but in general I wont be to far wrong
The original post referred to ‘big’ sleepers - not normal sleepers.
I took that to mean raised roof cabs, not flat-tops. The first full raised roof sleepers available in this country were the Leyland (latterly used by AEC - as pictured previously) and ERFs Dome-topped B-Series.
The Magirus is half there, because it was only the back half of the cab which had a raised roof panel.
newmercman:
Sorry to be pedantic, but what about the TK/KM or the D1000, they had walk thru cabs & they were pre 68, which was when the V8 mandator appeared.
Even Quasimodo couldn’t walk through a TK cab!
I’ve often blamed Bedford for the popular picture of lorry drivers walking round with their knuckles dragging on the floor; in reality it was ten hours behind the wheel of a TK which caused it!
My dad had a big j with a flat floor with a v6 ■■■■■■■ in it on a d reg so that must have been about 1966 and a aec mogal on a c reg what about a scammel highwayman flat floor
You are correct young man The Scammell Highwayman did have a walk through cab except you could injure your leg on the gate.How many know what I’m talking about.Except myself.
I do!!! 
Clarky:
Basically a big sleeper…just curious, been looking around at some old pics and just interested in the veteran truckers opinions of the first proper sleeper cabs.
Could be both right Marky. Everybody off in a tangent flat floors high roofs British built.Still think Im not to far out 88s 1418s etc etc then the brits started to wake up. Wheres Bob Tuck when you need him he`d put us right
Thanks Viking.I’m glad that there is at least one person out there Who knows what I’m talking about Too many deadly serious people out there. I put postings on here because I want people to share my memories and opinions. And a bit of a laugh as well.So if I upset anyone .Great!!
charlie one:
Thanks Viking.I’m glad that there is at least one person out there Who knows what I’m talking about :
Two 
- at least 
.
Thanks very much you two. I was getting worried
I certainly remember the 1418 Mercs with the sleeper which had air over hydraulic brakes that were just useless and an engine that wouldn,t pull the prick of a chocolate mouse but at least they were quiet and warm and “Draught Free” but no night heaters and you didn,t have the “dining room table” in the middle of the cab like the ERF,s and Fodens 
Then there was the 1621 which was a more modern cab and a little bit more power but still gutless and the only way to make them move was to keep the engine revving it,s nuts out all the time