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quicksilver

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11 hours ago, willswitchengage said:

Another from the Malta trucks Facebook group. World's smallest 8*4?

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That is awesome! 

 

I recently saw a scaffold lorry that was utterly normal until I spotted the bin lorry style cab with integrated beacons. I think it's a Dennis eagle? Made me wonder why I don't see them more often?

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6 hours ago, Snipes said:

I recently saw a scaffold lorry that was utterly normal until I spotted the bin lorry style cab with integrated beacons. I think it's a Dennis eagle? Made me wonder why I don't see them more often?

In London especially those 'high visibility' low entry cabs are becoming more common for stuff other than bin lorries. They all seem to be the Merc Econics though as opposed to the Dennis Elite things.

Dennis does export though, I saw a truck carrying Renault-badged Dennis bin lorries on the ferry recently heading to France.

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1 hour ago, quicksilver said:

Those are some tidy shunters - nothing missing, broken or fixed with gaffer tape. I've seen road lorries in a far worse state than those.

The FLs are all not in bad order though 97 is a bit of a pig to drive; the Scanias are less suited to the shunting IMO but they're a decent steer and they're leagues ahead to drive. 117 is the oldest of the FLs (H892 HSJ), with 98 and 99 (J183 JYS, J879 JNS) and 97 (N191 JGG) following. Scania 470 has lost it's plates but is the former T428 KJV, while 478 is T452 TTW.

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Yep, definitely showmen's lorries and it's very typical of them to just dump old stuff in the yard and never get rid of anything. The Foden is/was with Peter Jolly's Circus, a real 1970s throwback with a fleet of Ford D-series and other contemporary lorries.

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3 hours ago, quicksilver said:

Yep, definitely showmen's lorries and it's very typical of them to just dump old stuff in the yard and never get rid of anything. The Foden is/was with Peter Jolly's Circus, a real 1970s throwback with a fleet of Ford D-series and other contemporary lorries.

 

4 hours ago, Nicola H said:

definite showman's / circus vibe to those vehicles 

Spot on, Peter Jolly's Circus, they park up in the old coal siding next to my house over winter. When I first moved in they still had lions and tigers, for which a daily visit from the local abattoir was required. They have a load of old kit, huge road trains that do about 20mph.

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Drove this from Shoebury to Poole Docks and (almost) back on Friday, carrying a load of steel box sections for the Channel Islands. My first ever long distance run in my current job, no less:

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Not much to look at (it's one of the oldest trucks on the fleet, a fleet which is being slowly but surely replaced by brand new DAF CFs), but it drove really well and sounded great :)

Sadly, everything went to pot on the way back due to bad traffic everywhere, meaning that I ran out of driving hours and had to be rescued from a layby on the A127 near Warley by the transport manager and senior driver. Not ideal. 

At least what doesn't kill me makes me stronger...

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Drove a very un-shite 2018 DAF CF to Southampton and back today, as I was down as a 'spare' driver ("Andrezj isn't in. Could you take AKZ to Southampton?"). It's the only truck on my company's fleet with a manual gear change (4 high, 4 low) and it's an absolute joy to drive:

photo_2019-08-19_16-24-11.jpg

Best truck I've driven so far :)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Had a weird segue of Wiki hunting the other day. Wanted to StreetView Sri Lanka. Dropped a pin at Galle Cricket Club, where an Ashok Leyland bus appeared. Wiki led me to discovering that Ashok Leyland took on Czech manufacturer Avia a few years back (now back in Czech hands apparently). Made me wonder when I had last seen one in the UK. Stuck it into How Many Left, originally 75 sold here, now about 33 of them left.

 

Lo and behold, look what I found on the A3 today!

received_358447375061118.jpeg

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On 8/19/2019 at 6:12 PM, Shep Shepherd said:

Drove a very un-shite 2018 DAF CF to Southampton and back today, as I was down as a 'spare' driver ("Andrezj isn't in. Could you take AKZ to Southampton?"). It's the only truck on my company's fleet with a manual gear change (4 high, 4 low) and it's an absolute joy to drive:

photo_2019-08-19_16-24-11.jpg

Best truck I've driven so far :)

We have some of these on our fleet and agree they are a very nice drive, they sound and feel like proper lorries unlike the new Volvo 6 wheeler we have which feels sanitized in comparison and has a slush box which takes away the driving pleasure.

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3 hours ago, Slappy said:

Had a weird segue of Wiki hunting the other day. Wanted to StreetView Sri Lanka. Dropped a pin at Galle Cricket Club, where an Ashok Leyland bus appeared. Wiki led me to discovering that Ashok Leyland took on Czech manufacturer Avia a few years back (now back in Czech hands apparently). Made me wonder when I had last seen one in the UK. Stuck it into How Many Left, originally 75 sold here, now about 33 of them left.

 

Lo and behold, look what I found on the A3 today!

received_358447375061118.jpeg

I seem to remember Royal Mail bought quite a few of these, but likewise I haven't seen any for years. I also remember on our local news a LONG time ago the story of a local entrepreneur who wanted to bring their assembly to the UK under the brand 'Longton'. I don't recall it materialising.

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4 hours ago, Slappy said:

Had a weird segue of Wiki hunting the other day. Wanted to StreetView Sri Lanka. Dropped a pin at Galle Cricket Club, where an Ashok Leyland bus appeared. Wiki led me to discovering that Ashok Leyland took on Czech manufacturer Avia a few years back (now back in Czech hands apparently). Made me wonder when I had last seen one in the UK. Stuck it into How Many Left, originally 75 sold here, now about 33 of them left.

 

Lo and behold, look what I found on the A3 today!

received_358447375061118.jpeg

One of our local recovery companies use one of those. Right pile of crap. Probably hard to get parts for as there can’t be many dealers about. 

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I think this may be an entrant for Late Reg madness as well. The reg reads DX13 DDF, the original Avia Ops ceased in 2010, so this appears to be a Longton supplied one, which also ceased July 2013 after Ashok pulled the manufacturing plant and relocated it to India I believe.  

“We thought it was a winning product and had put a lot of work in, and sold nearly 20 trucks in the UK, so this is a severe setback."

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On 8/19/2019 at 6:12 PM, Shep Shepherd said:

Drove a very un-shite 2018 DAF CF to Southampton and back today, as I was down as a 'spare' driver ("Andrezj isn't in. Could you take AKZ to Southampton?"). It's the only truck on my company's fleet with a manual gear change (4 high, 4 low) and it's an absolute joy to drive:

Best truck I've driven so far :)

For over two years I drove a 26t DAF CF with the 12 speed shitetronic or whatever it’s called. Pains me to say it but I’d probably have taken a pay cut to have the same lorry with a manual four over four.

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After a fortnight of driving DAF CFs and LFs, I got to drive one of my company's Volvos today, specifically an FE. Here it is in a suitably shite location; the USAF have definitely left the building:

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Although I prefer the larger (and heavier) FM, the FE is lovely truck which goes and handles well, has great cab ergonomics and is fitted with a decent stereo and aircon, but the steering column stalk automatic gear shift takes some getting used to; the first time I drove an FE (the sister of the one in the photos), it took me some time to figure out how to get it to move, as I was used to having a lever or switch in the centre of the cab floor.

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I could do with a hangar like that. It would make a perfect tat hive/living space :)

Volvos everywhere!

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Typically, I was the last driver back, as I had to go as far as King's Lynn, which is a bit of a slog. Hopefully, I'll get a shorter run on Monday.

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I quite like the twisty stalk gear selector on those Volvos. I drove one a few years back when I did some general haulage work having just moved to Sussex. Still prefer a 6 speed H-box or a 4 over 4, but that's the way I roll.

Meanwhile, I drove this pathetic vehicle to a Rolls Royce restoration business today.

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290hp and less than 1000Nm of torque means these Econics are woefully underpowered. They do a 350hp version, probably more economical to run as you don't have to thrash the bollocks off of it to get it to move (Equivalent Dennis has a 330hp Volvo engine).

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  • 2 weeks later...

 I have a mixed fleet of MANs and DAFs for the bigger stuff along with a new MAN curtainside 3.5t, a Sprinter curtainsider 3.5t and a Vivaro for the smallest jobs.  Thankfully got rid of the Citroen relay when the MAN arrived.

The biggest problem with having your own trucks is that when you move house, its hard to justify getting a company in to do it so you end up doing it all yourself. 

Also missing from pics is our 500,000 mile 58 plate Sprinter curtainsider still daily driven by an 85 year old that has driven it since it was new. 

Won't be buying any more MANs as although the local dealer is ok, MAN themselves are a shower to deal with. 

 

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Sprinter Curtain-1.JPG

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I like the company name. Very Autoshite. :D

 

Also, surely when you move house you don't need to move all of those? You don't keep them all at your house, do you? Your driveway must be massive! Actually, you do show one of them on your driveway. It is indeed massive but not quite big enough for all of them.

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