I was daydreaming today and remembering a Guy Big-J4T unit I used for shunting in the early '80s, when it belonged to A&RJ Wood at Teynham. It had a Gardner 180, David Brown 6-speed constant-mesh box and no power steering. It was on an ‘S’-plate (TKO-467S) so it would have been stored for some time before being registered. It was one of a large batch delivered to BOC at Oare and I was told it was part of a cancelled export order, hence the ‘armstrong’ steering and the ‘late’ reg-plate. Here’s a pic:
THEN, I got to thinking about all those Big-J units that did long-haul work - Middle East, even. Essentially, they were like A-series ERFs: designed for domestic work at 32 tons with modest power and day cabs. However, a significant number acquired sleeper pods or even full cabs and did some serious travelling. In this thread I hope to find out a bit more about these units.
Not all Guy Big-Js had modest power. I understand that Pickfords ran their full-cabbed units with ■■■■■■■ NTC 335s under the engine cowl.
Here are some examples that we know did the Middle-East run. Not all of them made it back, it seems.
Others were more successful, among which was RK Crisp. Does anyone know what destinations his Guy Big-J’s achived?
The cabs were Motor Panels mark 4 short/narrow ones. Some even had home-made high cabs!
I’m very intrigued with these pictures of a left-hand drive (LHD) version shown at Earls Court as early as 1965. Does anyone know anything about them?
Here (bizarrely) is a Spanish artist’s impression of one!!
And Guy was clearly no new-comer to LHD: just look at this Belgian Guy ‘Invincible’!
I mentioned lower-end power units earlier on the page and I am aware that we have debated the use of Gardner 8LXB 240bhp units ad infinitum, nay ad nauseam (!) on this forum. But for the record, here is painting of one!
Here are some more stirring pics of Guy Big-Js, quite clearly on serious haulage work and managing some of the longer and more tortuous routes.
This one had a small cam ■■■■■■■ 14 litre engine with a 9-speed Fuller. Pity it didn’t have a big cab to go with the impressive drive-line 
.
So if anyone can add to this bank of knowledge / pictures, concerning the Big-J on TIR-work or similar, especially those mystery LHD versions, please join in! Robert
robert1952:
I was daydreaming today and remembering a Guy Big-J4T unit I used for shunting in the early '80s, when it belonged to A&RJ Wood at Teynham. It had a Gardner 180, David Brown 6-speed constant-mesh box and no power steering. It was on an ‘S’-plate (TKO-467S) so it would have been stored for some time before being registered. It was one of a large batch delivered to BOC at Oare and I was told it was part of a cancelled export order, hence the ‘armstrong’ steering and the ‘late’ reg-plate. Here’s a pic:
1
THEN, I got to thinking about all those Big-J units that did long-haul work - Middle East, even. Essentially, they were like A-series ERFs: designed for domestic work at 32 tons with modest power and day cabs. However, a significant number acquired sleeper pods or even full cabs and did some serious travelling. In this thread I hope to find out a bit more about these units.
0
Great set of Big J shots Robert ! You mention the DB 6 speed box was used in the Big J but it was the Thorneycroft designed 6 speed box that was used in the Big J which I thought was as good or better than the DB box, we never had to recon a Thorney box but we had to recon a number of DB 6:600 boxes IIRC. The half a dozen Big J’s we ran at Bewick Transport all had the 6LXB engine which may account for the lack of trouble we had with the 6 speed boxes. IIRC the Guy Invincibles did use the DB boxes but then that was prior to when Leyland took over. Cheers Bewick.
Bewick:
robert1952:
I was daydreaming today and remembering a Guy Big-J4T unit I used for shunting in the early '80s, when it belonged to A&RJ Wood at Teynham. It had a Gardner 180, David Brown 6-speed constant-mesh box and no power steering. It was on an ‘S’-plate (TKO-467S) so it would have been stored for some time before being registered. It was one of a large batch delivered to BOC at Oare and I was told it was part of a cancelled export order, hence the ‘armstrong’ steering and the ‘late’ reg-plate. Here’s a pic:
1
THEN, I got to thinking about all those Big-J units that did long-haul work - Middle East, even. Essentially, they were like A-series ERFs: designed for domestic work at 32 tons with modest power and day cabs. However, a significant number acquired sleeper pods or even full cabs and did some serious travelling. In this thread I hope to find out a bit more about these units.
0
Great set of Big J shots Robert ! You mention the DB 6 speed box was used in the Big J but it was the Thorneycroft designed 6 speed box that was used in the Big J which I thought was as good or better than the DB box, we never had to recon a Thorney box but we had to recon a number of DB 6:600 boxes IIRC. The half a dozen Big J’s we ran at Bewick Transport all had the 6LXB engine which may account for the lack of trouble we had with the 6 speed boxes. IIRC the Guy Invincibles did use the DB boxes but then that was prior to when Leyland took over. Cheers Bewick.
I’m delighted that you are the first to respond, Bewick, as I know you’ve taken a great interest in the Big-J on this forum! I’m sure you are right about the Thornycroft 'box - and I’m sure I read somewhere on here that the highly successful AEC 6-speed 'box was developed from Thornycroft’s design (Gingerfold will put me right!). That DB was the only one I ever used, and as I was only shunting I can hardly claim to have used it in ‘anger’! Cheers, Robert
Here is another, almost certainly on the TIR-trail as it has ‘Davies Turner’ on the front - clearly a subbie, then. The location, however, looks distinctly Alpine! Perhaps it didn’t make Mont Blanc (on the way back of course!). Robert
Further up the page I showed a Toprun picture of a stricken '60s-registered Guy on what looks like the Tahir pass. I’ve found another of it with a rather more dramatic context. The trailer appears to be a Eurofleet rental trailer. Great pic! Robert
A reminder here, that in the 1960s it was normal to take a day-cabbed lorry to the Continent. Robert
Another couple of sleepers. Robert
Another one on European work (if it’s not being used as a dock shunter!). Robert
