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Sleeper in the Luton I see.
Before I got my HGV ticket, I used to do a couple of nights away most weeks in a Bedford TL that had a Luton body (useful for middling removals), a side door and rear barn doors. After another uncomfortable night kipping across the seats, I came up with a genius (…) Idea. Given the Luton was empty, I could get in the side door, climb over various pallets and fashion a bed in the Luton using furniture blankets - and by gum it worked. One winter night I stopped over at Penrith truck stop, had a wash and some grub, set up camp in the Luton and had a great night’s kip. When the alarm went off pre-sparrow’s fart, I was dismayed to find frost on top of the furniture blankets over my sleeping bag.
I’m not saying my security arrangements were all that, but, well, I was in my early 20s and…
Can’t decide if this van would still be working or on the way to a show as the cars look to be from the mid 70’s ?
It ran from the south-east of England to Ireland on regular removals. IIRC it was still going in the '80s. There was another old girl - a Bedford, I think - that went on even longer!
Good grief. I know how slow a TK Luton is heading into a stiff breeze but that’s a little excessive.
Yes - that’s the one!
Leyland Boxer, luton body by Tiverton Coachworks.
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Thanks to @ramone for the snap. Grace Bros removals, 1960s
I’ve often wondered why Pickfords bought so few of these relative to the total fleet size. Probably down to cost but the cabs were so much more spacious than the standard Bedfords we always had, especially for the larger jobs were you were squeezing a driver and 3 porters into the cab to get to the job.
If only Carl W was still here, he’d have answered your question. My suspicion is that integrals were more expensive to buy up front and if you’re running a big fleet, purchase price is a big consideration. The other aspect (and I’m just surmising here) is that a fleet of separate chassis with standardised body types means you can swap body with chassis and vice versa. I did do the odd removal in a couple of integrals (as hired help) and the cab area was (as you say) vast compared to the TK. When we were on a big job with a TK luton, one or more porters “flew freight” 
Yeah, almost certainly down to cost but how we got away with squeezing four guys into a Bedford cab I don’t know - especially as the unions were so strong. Even when we bought some Ford and Dodge chassis’ in the late 70’s and early 80’s we were still jamming them in like sardines. Another thing I struggled to understand was the end of life policy for these vehicles. No matter what condition they were in they we removed from the fleet after 8 years. I know that this was the policy of the BRS group in the 50’s and 60’s when, generally, an 8 year old wagon was goosed but we rigidly stuck by this ruling. Not against this per se but, when you sell on a perfectly good furniture wagon there’s a fair chance it’s going to be bought by someone who’s in competition to you, so you’re shooting yourself in the foot in this respect IMO.
