smallcoal:
Hi lads a happy new year to you all and your families hope next year brings good fortune
John the same to yourself… Steve “JAKEY” Carl Williams Dean and the rest of the lads who post .
Happy new year to you all.
Thank you lads for the HAPPY NEW YEAR’S and the same to you 
,John ,Mark are you both back tomorrow?
I loaded 1300ft on to a 2200ft motor with a motorbike on Monday in Didcot (5 of us including the manager of Robinsons), with a full packing service ,left midday ,traveled up to Cherwell valley services had my 45 , got to Cambridge at 3.45 ,got the garden including the bikes off and about 500 ft off ,porter put the main bed and cot up , 3 miles away was Cambridge services so went there for the night for 6.45pm ,started at 8am ,back the house by 8.20am ,unloaded by 1030am ,traveled back ,had a hour lunch ,and back by 4pm,nice job ,£20 tip each for the two of us !!! , ohh i cleaned the cab up a bit as the usual driver is a right moaner and even though it was dirty on Monday he still moan ,so i cleaned all the plastics ,door cards,dash ,windows ,done a couple of reapirs on the curtains for him too 
he wont say thanks but i know !
JAKEY:
Thank you lads for the HAPPY NEW YEAR’S and the same to youI loaded 1300ft on to a 2200ft motor with a motorbike on Monday in Didcot (5 of us including the manager of Robinsons), with a full packing service ,left midday ,traveled up to Cherwell valley services had my 45 , got to Cambridge at 3.45 ,got the garden including the bikes off and about 500 ft off ,porter put the main bed and cot up , 3 miles away was Cambridge services so went there for the night for 6.45pm ,started at 8am ,back the house by 8.20am ,unloaded by 1030am ,traveled back ,had a hour lunch ,and back by 4pm,nice job ,£20 tip each for the two of us !!! , ohh i cleaned the cab up a bit as the usual driver is a right moaner and even though it was dirty on Monday he still moan ,so i cleaned all the plastics ,door cards,dash ,windows ,done a couple of reapirs on the curtains for him too
Hi Steve,
That sounds like a nice job…five loading arm chair ride mate
Always nice to get away and get a bit off the other end …makes the next day a little lighter on the mind.
I would have to let the Robinsons driver know i clean the cab after i used the truck
Not back in work tommorow monday for me …loading 1400ft for Pontefract Yorkshire and a couple of lots to go up front first for delivery after the main job…no doubt there will be something to pick up from other Britannia members on my path.
How about you Steve ?
Hello Mark ,
I be telling the driver when i see him mate ,as it was very grubby !!!
I am out on my little 6t Merc tomorrow and Friday doing loads of little jobs .
Got a job tomorrow being loaded from two houses in Abingdon ,stored on the truck untill next Wednesday ,deliver to Redruff Cornwall .
Clipping from 1977.
Morning Steve how’s work been with you we had quiet 2 days you got much on this week
Hello John , yes we got plenty on this week so far , The Hoff is loaded and the wagon is parked in the big warehouse bound for Cornwall on Tuesday morning ,tranship down there though, we got lots of local work on , new truck is going to London ,with two seperate jobs on so that suits me fine although one is central London , enquiries have started again so i am pleased .
I have been driving Robinsons lorries last week , most are pretty trashed though ,.
Thank you Dean ,that was a proper removal wagon ,small fuel tank though, 1800ft cubic capacity was about right for its day .
JAKEY:
Thank you Dean ,that was a proper removal wagon ,small fuel tank though, 1800ft cubic capacity was about right for its day .
The standard Bedford tank was 26 gallon & we used to have 2 linked with a short pipe, until Marsden started cutting off the ends & welding them together to give 52 gallon, which was sufficient weight to have on one side, when full of fuel. On our old petrol SBs we had 26 tank on each side which was OK on petrol but with diesel could cause an air lock occasionally so we kept to 52 gallon on one side.
But even with their 48 gallon the Bedfords could achieve up to 15 mpg so would easily have a range have a range of 650 miles which would cover 90% of their work from Doncaster.
It is the width I would question, most 7ft 1/2in which I would think is a misprint, by that time we were building 8ft 2 & half in width and 9ft interior height would have been too low for our work. We built to 9ft 6in interior height with about a foot more in the drop well.
Hi Steve looking good mate I’m of to Glastonbury and bude tomorrow night out
Hello John ,we have a wagon running back from Cornwall today .
Here is a photo of Fyffes of Forres . They operated two of these Leylands running down rom Scotland dropping off & collecting on route on their way to London, similar to Shore Porter & Clark & Rose offered. They were bought out by White & Co in the late 60s. They occasionally called and dropped off with us any part loads that strayed too far off their A1 route
Carl Williams:
JAKEY:
Thank you Dean ,that was a proper removal wagon ,small fuel tank though, 1800ft cubic capacity was about right for its day .The standard Bedford tank was 26 gallon & we used to have 2 linked with a short pipe, until Marsden started cutting off the ends & welding them together to give 52 gallon, which was sufficient weight to have on one side, when full of fuel. On our old petrol SBs we had 26 tank on each side which was OK on petrol but with diesel could cause an air lock occasionally so we kept to 52 gallon on one side.
But even with their 48 gallon the Bedfords could achieve up to 15 mpg so would easily have a range have a range of 650 miles which would cover 90% of their work from Doncaster.
It is the width I would question, most 7ft 1/2in which I would think is a misprint, by that time we were building 8ft 2 & half in width and 9ft interior height would have been too low for our work. We built to 9ft 6in interior height with about a foot more in the drop well.
Would 1800 cubic ft been about the maximum size in 1968 chaps or were they building 2,000 - 2,200 by then ■■
Carl, you cant knock 15 mpg can you from the Bedfords that was economical running. The Fyffes Leyland looks smart.
Nice pics JAKEY.
Another mighty Bedford from 1974. Crap quality pic.
Dean , i would of said a 1800ft van was a fairly big job back then to do on /off in a day , i mean our TGM IS 2200 FT and on/off with three good men is most likely a NO NO , four men would help but you may be better sending a small luton and not stacking it up sop much on both vehicles , over two days then no problem again with three good men !! No smokers or slackers though !! got to be out by midday so your have to pull your finger out your arse for sure ,and that’s local work.