On a recent bike ride I came across this AEC Mercury peeking out from a barn. It’s a Lanarkshire registration - VVD - and the colours make me wonder if it was originally a Tennant Forth lorry - dark blue/light blue and red, plus the headboard which Tennant Forth lorries had. There is the faint outline of a name on the headboard but I was loathe to be nosy as it’s a working farm by the road and there were dogs about! Next time I’m in the area I will see if I can ask a few questions - meanwhile any former Tennant Forth drivers recognise this?
mexifill:
On a recent bike ride I came across this AEC Mercury peeking out from a barn. It’s a Lanarkshire registration - VVD - and the colours make me wonder if it was originally a Tennant Forth lorry - dark blue/light blue and red, plus the headboard which Tennant Forth lorries had. There is the faint outline of a name on the headboard but I was loathe to be nosy as it’s a working farm by the road and there were dogs about! Next time I’m in the area I will see if I can ask a few questions - meanwhile any former Tennant Forth drivers recognise this?
Well its nice to see an old AEC Still looking pretty good, Thank you for posting this photo, I drove on of these in the lates 60s, UBB 805 G It was a flying machine & had good brakes even when pulling the old BTC 4 in line trailers, Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
mexifill:
On a recent bike ride I came across this AEC Mercury peeking out from a barn. It’s a Lanarkshire registration - VVD - and the colours make me wonder if it was originally a Tennant Forth lorry - dark blue/light blue and red, plus the headboard which Tennant Forth lorries had. There is the faint outline of a name on the headboard but I was loathe to be nosy as it’s a working farm by the road and there were dogs about! Next time I’m in the area I will see if I can ask a few questions - meanwhile any former Tennant Forth drivers recognise this?Well its nice to see an old AEC Still looking pretty good, Thank you for posting this photo, I drove on of these in the lates 60s, UBB 805 G It was a flying machine & had good brakes even when pulling the old BTC 4 in line trailers, Regards Larry.
Weren`t they good for 75 mph Larry?
ramone:
Lawrence Dunbar:
mexifill:
On a recent bike ride I came across this AEC Mercury peeking out from a barn. It’s a Lanarkshire registration - VVD - and the colours make me wonder if it was originally a Tennant Forth lorry - dark blue/light blue and red, plus the headboard which Tennant Forth lorries had. There is the faint outline of a name on the headboard but I was loathe to be nosy as it’s a working farm by the road and there were dogs about! Next time I’m in the area I will see if I can ask a few questions - meanwhile any former Tennant Forth drivers recognise this?Well its nice to see an old AEC Still looking pretty good, Thank you for posting this photo, I drove on of these in the lates 60s, UBB 805 G It was a flying machine & had good brakes even when pulling the old BTC 4 in line trailers, Regards Larry.
Weren`t they good for 75 mph Larry?
I had a AEC Mercury when on market work,YWA 322G,it would touch 65 mph indicated speed.When going back to Sheffield from Abbey Wood S.E. on nights Trowbridge Transport from Sheffield Mercurys would cruise past me as though I were parked up.They were part of Lodestar Engineering who were AEC agents in Sheffield,their injector pump man was good. 
Double post
Yes, Chris the Mercury would crack on. I took a rigid to Newcastle upon Tyne from Bolton one day, i hadn’t driven that particular lorry for a few months and the brother of its regular driver was a mechanic. The fuel pump on the AV505 engine must have been easy to “adjust” and on that particular day the speedo wasn’t working, so I didn’t know what speed I was doing. I do know that I did get some strange looks from other drivers as I overtook them on the A1, and I do know that I arrived in Newcastle half an hour quicker than it normally took. I was fully freighted with 11 tons on, so it’s perhaps as well I didn’t know how fast I was going. On another occasion with the same Mercury I came past Celtic’s football ground in Glasgow and the clock outside the ground (is it still there?) said 4.10 pm. I had a full load of Grant’s Scotch Whisky on and I was home (Bolton) at 8.10 pm. And I’d taken a quick comfort break at Southwaite services.
On the other hand, we had a 4 wheeler flat at Burroughes of Bressingham that was driven by an old hand who treated it like a car. We never put a spanner on it except for regular servicing. M.O.T. time - adjust the brakes and go. He would come back from the post M.O.T. trip complaining that it was going too fast. We hadn’t touched the pump, just driven it at more than 30mph and blown the cobwebs out of it. Whoever ended up with that Mercury got the bargain of the century. Jim.