I’d guess '78 to '80. The later badging (TK860) and the wobby indicator/ sidelight was a later mod and I only saw the overrider bar on later TKs (we had one, XMH935T on our fleet).
As I recall that added bumper/protector was available as an extra cost option pretty much from the beginning of TK production.
dont get much earlier than 177BNV the one with the boat (and it had a leyland engine and a 2 speed axle), and quite of few of dads many bedfords were fitted with it , 3 of the NSM one’s were reg’s 41MT, 42MT an 48MT, plates were dfinitely worth more than the motors.
Bewick:
The lightest manufactured ( by Primrose in conjunction with Guy Motors) 8 wheeler in the late 50’s early 60’s was the Guy Warrior Light 8 and it was both light and underpowered but somehow caught the imagination of many operators and I believe sold very well during the time it was marketed mainly through TGB Motors of Clitheroe who were a sister company of Primrose Engineering. The Light 8 , fitted with a light 24ft platform , could achieve a payload of circa 17 tons @ 24 tons GVW. The spec of this 8 wheeler was a single drive Eaton 2 speed axle , a 5 speed Turner box and the AEC 7:7 engine. I also believe that the “futuristic” ( well it was at the time) looking cab helped to sell this chassis but ,of course, it was a lump cheaper than the premium 8 wheelers around at the time including the Guy Invincible 8 wheeler which was a different proposition all together ! Cheers Bewick.
Interesting! Do you confirm this picture, found on a Russian website, shows a Guy Warrior Light 8? The 7.7 litres engine would be the AV 740, delivering 136 bhp in 1953, perhaps upgraded later, but that sounds a bit weak for 24 tons. Nevertheless, a kerb weight of only 7 tons for a 8x2 flatbed is remarquable!
Dipster:
dont get much earlier than 177BNV the one with the boat (and it had a leyland engine and a 2 speed axle), and quite of few of dads many bedfords were fitted with it , 3 of the NSM one’s were reg’s 41MT, 42MT an 48MT, plates were dfinitely worth more than the motors.
tony
Bedford TK and Ford D; here are, side by side, the two British trucks which were popular in France.
Dipster:
dont get much earlier than 177BNV the one with the boat (and it had a leyland engine and a 2 speed axle), and quite of few of dads many bedfords were fitted with it , 3 of the NSM one’s were reg’s 41MT, 42MT an 48MT, plates were dfinitely worth more than the motors.
tony
Bedford TK and Ford D; here are, side by side, the two British trucks which were popular in France.
when dad went to st tropez for the first time in 1970 his D600 broke down , was stuck in montelimar for 3 weeks waiting for parts , no parts available in france , had to be flown out from the uk, and they sent the wrong size replacement piston first time around.
Frankydobo:
Could never get excited about the TM to me it was bland looking, a square box. Same with the Roadtrain just found it uninteresting neither had any character. The late 70’s recession didn’t help a now ailing Bedford, the TM just didn’t cut it in a difficult market and with the TL looking like a tweaked TK it never did as well. Franky.
The look of a truck or car can be very subjective. When you look back at quite a lot of truck cabs they can look bland or just plain ugly. Some just the paint scheme can make a huge difference to the eye. Some of the most stylish cabs/cars may not have given the best drive? Am I right in thinking the TM was fitted with 2 width of cabs according to spec/application? Probably a balls up using the Detroit in the UK trying to keep the power plant in house?
the narrow cab TM’s had the v6 detroit and the bedford 500 , the wide cab’s had the v8 detroit and the ■■■■■■■ , you had to keep the detroit rev’s right up to run it properly instead of the usual low rev technique. never drove one , but spoke to plenty who did.
here’s a cab interior of a 1966 TK tractor unit , shows the dash, dead man , and the 2 speed switch , had a leyland engine as well , would have been a good tool in its day. found it in a bit of a ‘going to get around to doing it up one day’ kind of places.
I realise that we are now way ‘off topic’ relating to Bedford’s but recently a friend who drove for B.J Waters related a story to me concerning one of the ‘lightweight’ eight wheeler Guy’s with the AEC 470 engine. He had an Invincible with the Gardner 6LW engine, his mate had the AEC engined truck which would leave him standing on the flat but he caught him up on hills. It blew headgaskets monthly though! Anyway they were grinding slowly loaded back up the drag at Symonds Yat from the cafe in the bottom and he was only a few feet from the rear of the AEC engined one when it suddenly stopped dead and he heard ‘BANG BANG’ and the Indian head mascot of his truck made a groove in the wooden taildoor of his mates! He got out to see what happened, the other driver always carried a shotgun with him and drove with the passenger window open and had bagged a pair of Pheasents at the roadside! Anyway he loaded the birds up, only to be stopped at Ross for a logsheet check. All was not in order with those though, surprise surprise, however the copper suggested that he would let things go in exchange for one of the Pheasents and much to the drivers annoyance that’s what occoured!
Bewick:
The lightest manufactured ( by Primrose in conjunction with Guy Motors) 8 wheeler in the late 50’s early 60’s was the Guy Warrior Light 8 and it was both light and underpowered but somehow caught the imagination of many operators and I believe sold very well during the time it was marketed mainly through TGB Motors of Clitheroe who were a sister company of Primrose Engineering. The Light 8 , fitted with a light 24ft platform , could achieve a payload of circa 17 tons @ 24 tons GVW. The spec of this 8 wheeler was a single drive Eaton 2 speed axle , a 5 speed Turner box and the AEC 7:7 engine. I also believe that the “futuristic” ( well it was at the time) looking cab helped to sell this chassis but ,of course, it was a lump cheaper than the premium 8 wheelers around at the time including the Guy Invincible 8 wheeler which was a different proposition all together ! Cheers Bewick.
0
Interesting! Do you confirm this picture, found on a Russian website, shows a Guy Warrior Light 8? The 7.7 litres engine would be the AV 740, delivering 136 bhp in 1953, perhaps upgraded later, but that sounds a bit weak for 24 tons. Nevertheless, a kerb weight of only 7 tons for a 8x2 flatbed is remarquable!
The Guy in the picture has a 1965 (not 1953) reg plate The Warriors came out in the late '50s.
windrush:
I realise that we are now way ‘off topic’ relating to Bedford’s but recently a friend who drove for B.J Waters related a story to me concerning one of the ‘lightweight’ eight wheeler Guy’s with the AEC 470 engine. He had an Invincible with the Gardner 6LW engine, his mate had the AEC engined truck which would leave him standing on the flat but he caught him up on hills. It blew headgaskets monthly though! Anyway they were grinding slowly loaded back up the drag at Symonds Yat from the cafe in the bottom and he was only a few feet from the rear of the AEC engined one when it suddenly stopped dead and he heard ‘BANG BANG’ and the Indian head mascot of his truck made a groove in the wooden taildoor of his mates! He got out to see what happened, the other driver always carried a shotgun with him and drove with the passenger window open and had bagged a pair of Pheasents at the roadside! Anyway he loaded the birds up, only to be stopped at Ross for a logsheet check. All was not in order with those though, surprise surprise, however the copper suggested that he would let things go in exchange for one of the Pheasents and much to the drivers annoyance that’s what occoured!
Pete.
A great tale! And life as it used to be. Today, he’d have only succeeded in blowing the head off a lycra loony undertaking him on the hill. Always pays to keep that passenger window open though!
An old driver told me he left Hull early one morning while it was still dark and could smell a load of fish somewhere up ahead of him. He went round a bend and there’s a fish wagon on it’s side with fish spread over the road. He stood on the anchors and his trailer stayed straight but his tractor hit the fish and jack knifed but didn’t hit the trailer.
The fish wagon driver was uninjured so between the two of them they were able to push his tractor straight but only because some fish were still under the front tyres.
Bewick:
The lightest manufactured ( by Primrose in conjunction with Guy Motors) 8 wheeler in the late 50’s early 60’s was the Guy Warrior Light 8 and it was both light and underpowered but somehow caught the imagination of many operators and I believe sold very well during the time it was marketed mainly through TGB Motors of Clitheroe who were a sister company of Primrose Engineering. The Light 8 , fitted with a light 24ft platform , could achieve a payload of circa 17 tons @ 24 tons GVW. The spec of this 8 wheeler was a single drive Eaton 2 speed axle , a 5 speed Turner box and the AEC 7:7 engine. I also believe that the “futuristic” ( well it was at the time) looking cab helped to sell this chassis but ,of course, it was a lump cheaper than the premium 8 wheelers around at the time including the Guy Invincible 8 wheeler which was a different proposition all together ! Cheers Bewick.
0
Interesting! Do you confirm this picture, found on a Russian website, shows a Guy Warrior Light 8? The 7.7 litres engine would be the AV 740, delivering 136 bhp in 1953, perhaps upgraded later, but that sounds a bit weak for 24 tons. Nevertheless, a kerb weight of only 7 tons for a 8x2 flatbed is remarquable!
The Guy Warrior I can specifically refer to was a single vehicle operation called Furness Roadways that was owned by a Kendal chap called Jim Tolfrey RIP and the driver was called Ernie Edwards who lived in Natland village near Kendal and I got to know him not long before the motor was parked up in 1966 and stood until it became derelict well Ernie finished as the firm packed up and he got a job in the Export packing dept at IBIS Engineers in Kendal. The main outward bound traffic for this 8 wheeler was out of Barrow Steel mainly to the Birmingham area and the back traffic was various but mainly loads of Basic Slag from Corby back to the Furness area. He told me he could load 17ton payloads on the Guy when required although many of the loads of steel were, at the time, straight 15 ton loads ! This 8 wheeler was operated on “A” licence from new in 1959 until December 1966. Cheers Bewick.
I only ever drove one TK n that was an ex army on an opencast site,a little bit low on the roof ! Like the Bathgate Reiver I had, nothing in front of you in a bump, slightly worrying. NMP off FB
Frankydobo:
Could never get excited about the TM to me it was bland looking, a square box. Same with the Roadtrain just found it uninteresting neither had any character. The late 70’s recession didn’t help a now ailing Bedford, the TM just didn’t cut it in a difficult market and with the TL looking like a tweaked TK it never did as well. Franky.
The only TM I ever drove was a s/hand day-cab rigid with the 500 - underwhelming to say the least, I hated the ruddy thing which I suppose has coloured my view of them. I daresay the bigger versions were better. The TL replaced the TK but as good as it was, it was too little too late - the Cargo came out a year or so later, and when the Merc 814/ 1114 arrived that was game over for the TL. If Bedford/GM had replaced the TK earlier and sunk some money into it…
coomsey:
I only ever drove one TK n that was an ex army on an opencast site,a little bit low on the roof ! Like the Bathgate Reiver I had, nothing in front of you in a bump, slightly worrying. NMP off FB
0
coomsey:
I only ever drove one TK n that was an ex army on an opencast site,a little bit low on the roof ! Like the Bathgate Reiver I had, nothing in front of you in a bump, slightly worrying. NMP off FB
0
Isn’t this one rather a KM?
its a sorry looking KM with a detroit , going by the bumper.
tony
Thanks! So, some KMs were Detroit-powered; maybe the 6V 53 or 71? I remember the first on a Berliet coach; a lovely sound and pushed hard (some 170 bhp).
