adr:
I had a Wagon & Drag (A-frame0 on Luker Bros Removals, Oxford, good for Bulk & light-goods, so great for parcels/Trunking etc but a bloody knightmare when in the centre of Paris doing multiple drops/collections round the back streets finding Antique shops etc. Chris
I used to do relief shunting on nights,there were eight drawbars to load as well as the artics.There was no time to nose trailers in for loading,all were backed in and split which you learned quickly to do or else get torrents of abuse off the warehouse moggies. The worst part was having to do a dolly swap which took a bit of time up.We started at 1700.There was a spare driver came on at 2200 but he was nearly always sent out.
JAKEY:
Thank you both , Chris Webb where did you change over in Oxford ?
adr ,Chris ,I let Ray know your thinking of going back then !!!
As far as I can recall Jakey it was the last lay-by on the A43 before the Oxford Ring Road,there was one opposite where the Basingstoke driver dropped his trailer. Oxford was one of my favourite trunk runs,with TNT flying past,a couple of parcels bouncing about in a 40ft van.
ramone:
My dad drove 1 identical to this for years , 9.6 with a 5 speed box 38 mph , it refused some hills .
This AEC MM is coupled to a “turn table” drawbar which has two points where it can pivot. 1) The turntable itself and 2) where the pin goes through the “eye” at the front of the drawbar. I am obviously not clued up on the exact designations but any trailer without a turntable is a “boys” trailer and whether it has an “A” frame that is fixed to the trailer bogie or has a straight single bar close coupled to the motor they are both “boys” trailers in my book. I rest my case and I would like to see “CF” reverse that Henry Long MM ! Cheers Bewick.
Not wishing to brag.I think that I could at least still put that Hovis type outfit through a reverse slalom course.Then maybe even put the trailer under a demount box from 90 degrees blindside in the dark with only one hand on the wheel at any time and without needing a shunt.But unfortunately never got the chance to drive and 8 wheeler and trailer but sure I’d have enjoyed that even more just so long as it had power steering.
If i am not mistaken that trailer behind longs 8 wheeler is Dyson kid and they were about afoot narrower than the AEC
and you would not see it behind the motor but them Bradford lads could put them into bad yards round Bradford.
Very true Dave old mills built for horse n carts the trailers were Dysons as far as i know and my dad said the one he had was really stiff on the turntable
Carryfast:
But unfortunately never got the chance to drive and 8 wheeler and trailer but sure I’d have enjoyed that even more just so long as it had power steering.
If i am not mistaken that trailer behind longs 8 wheeler is Dyson kid and they were about afoot narrower than the AEC
and you would not see it behind the motor but them Bradford lads could put them into bad yards round Bradford.
Having said that I probably would have soon got ■■■■■■ off with those weird old Brit long prime mover and silly relatively short let alone narrower trailer set ups.
The NZ and fairground outfits pulling a proper trailer seem to be the ideal to me in that regard.
Carryfast:
But unfortunately never got the chance to drive and 8 wheeler and trailer but sure I’d have enjoyed that even more just so long as it had power steering.
If i am not mistaken that trailer behind longs 8 wheeler is Dyson kid and they were about afoot narrower than the AEC
and you would not see it behind the motor but them Bradford lads could put them into bad yards round Bradford.
Having said that I probably would have soon got ■■■■■■ off with those weird old Brit long prime mover and silly relatively short let alone narrower trailer set ups.
The NZ and fairground outfits pulling a proper trailer seem to be the ideal to me in that regard.
Ha ha you could just imagine it … i dont want one of those silly long 8 wheelers and narrow little trailers boss get me one like they use in NZ … the language would be atrocious followed by a size 12 to the rear and loud cries of laughter from the other drivers FFS
Ha ha you could just imagine it … i dont want one of those silly long 8 wheelers and narrow little trailers boss get me one like they use in NZ … the language would be atrocious followed by a size 12 to the rear and loud cries of laughter from the other drivers FFS
Absolutely.With me then agreeing with them that it’s so much better to have a trailer that can’t carry much and which has a mind of its own relative to the prime mover when it’s being reversed and which is invisible much of the time,as I walked away.
Which is probably why the Kiwis are still using that type of 8 axle outfit in general use while the Brits are lumbered with 6 axle artics hauling less weight and being moaned at for smashing the roads.
Practice makes perfect, unless there’s a crowd of drivers watching [emoji38][emoji38]
I did a spell on an A frame wagon and drag, or turntable if you’re Bewick, working for an Italian company doing intermodal demount tilt bodies, I spent a couple of hours playing in a big car park, it was the Centre Routiers at Chalon sur Soane to be exact.
By the time I finished playing i knew what not to do, that is far more important than knowing how to do it as far as those things are concerned. By the end of my first trip I felt comfortable enough to back under a pair of boxes and got it right first time most of the time.
Little by little I got more confident and after a few weeks I could put it anywhere it would fit, unless I had an audience of course!
Many years later I pulled a B train a couple of times, two points of articulation again and it was second nature to get it to go where I wanted it to, like riding a bike, it’s something you never forget.
Now I pull an A train around, so an A frame between two 53ft trailers, I can back it up in a straight line for a bit, but I haven’t even tried backing it into a spot, I don’t think I could turn the steering wheel fast enough, maybe with a very short wheelbase unit that has the steering lock of a black cab, but even then it would beed a hell of a lot of room and would be far quicker to split it up and back the two trailers in one at a time.
ramone:
My dad drove 1 identical to this for years , 9.6 with a 5 speed box 38 mph , it refused some hills .
This AEC MM is coupled to a “turn table” drawbar which has two points where it can pivot. 1) The turntable itself and 2) where the pin goes through the “eye” at the front of the drawbar. I am obviously not clued up on the exact designations but any trailer without a turntable is a “boys” trailer and whether it has an “A” frame that is fixed to the trailer bogie or has a straight single bar close coupled to the motor they are both “boys” trailers in my book. I rest my case and I would like to see “CF” reverse that Henry Long MM ! Cheers Bewick.
With respect for your considerable experience Bewick, I think you’ll find what you term a “Turntable” drawbar, and an “A frame” drawbar are one and the same thing, they both have two points of pivot!
ramone:
Another old drawbar my dad drove at Liverpool docks I think
Hy Ramone nice outfit good load nice bit of roping & sheeting typical yorkshire outfit.
cheers Dave.
You mentioned on one of your replies about how heavy the steering would have been when the canopy was loaded and i looked to see if i had a photo but i havent .My dad had this for about 3 months when the testing regs came into force .Thats how long it took to get his MKV MM up to test standard .
When was the last time anybody saw a brand new A frame drawbar, you just do not see them any more you might see a new drawbar but it won’t be an A frame■■?
The worst part was having to do a dolly swap which took a bit of time up.We started at 1700.There was a spare driver came on at 2200 but he was nearly always sent out.
