We use to have DODGE COMMANDO ,dropwell truck where the ramps stowed in the chassis by the drop well ,if I recall correctly it was a right bugger as you had to unload the well before you could get to the ramps !!! I think a few times my uncle Raymond "the great Raymondo " got caught out a few times ,load the well up but no where to put the ramps.
We still got the last van my dad had as his regular ride (parked in the warehouse for over 5 years ) , not much too most I would say but to us priceless .
JAKEY:
We still got the last van my dad had as his regular ride (parked in the warehouse for over 5 years ) , not much too most I would say but to us priceless .
Fair play Steve it looks smart and in good condition a credit to your old man a well looked after van ,how’s work with you I been busy 2 nights out last week bideford and Exeter ,mark you busy not had chance to call in but will do mate
Hello john, Dads van is a bit dusty these days but still looks good , was going to get her out ,run up ,wash, polish etc but it would take most of the day to get to it .
Last week and this week have been crap , in -fact this month is a no profit month so far 
.
People now trying it on time of year, lost two good jobs to Bishops doing the jobs at cost and Robinsons have lost five because of Bishops slashing the prices.
smallcoal:
JAKEY:
We still got the last van my dad had as his regular ride (parked in the warehouse for over 5 years ) , not much too most I would say but to us priceless .Fair play Steve it looks smart and in good condition a credit to your old man a well looked after van ,how’s work with you I been busy 2 nights out last week bideford and Exeter ,mark you busy not had chance to call in but will do mate
Hi John,
Yes mate always busy with Robbins 
… never a dull moment…home tonight been up to Middlesbrough this week…the CM mags are still there to pick up mate
JAKEY:
Hello john, Dads van is a bit dusty these days but still looks good , was going to get her out ,run up ,wash, polish etc but it would take most of the day to get to it .Last week and this week have been crap , in -fact this month is a no profit month so far
People now trying it on time of year, lost two good jobs to Bishops doing the jobs at cost and Robinsons have lost five because of Bishops slashing the prices.
Hi Steve,
Been up to Middlesbrough this week and hard the same story up there abouts Bishops mate !
Hello Mark , I do not think this year is unusual buddy ,it caught me out a bit ,one job still used me I took the container price down £1 on all 5 and took £200 off the move but they were well cheaper still but client got a better deal and booked us ,for my 330ft containers (same as pickfords ) I get £20 per container per week plus vat but includes insurance ,what are you prices down there ?
JAKEY:
Hello Mark , I do not think this year is unusual buddy ,it caught me out a bit ,one job still used me I took the container price down £1 on all 5 and took £200 off the move but they were well cheaper still but client got a better deal and booked us ,for my 330ft containers (same as pickfords ) I get £20 per container per week plus vat but includes insurance ,what are you prices down there ?
In the eighties Pickfords took a similar stance. I think they called it variable costing. In busy times they charged full price, with the other extreme being in quiet times running at a loss, taking the opinion that even though a job might make a loss it was contributing towards overheads, so if the van & staff stood idle it would cost the yearly profit more than running at a loss but contributing to overheads. What they didn’t quite understand that companies like ours had nowhere near the overheads that they had plus in the North East prices were always tight as the disposable income was much lower than probably any other area of the country and as I explained at a Banking Association Dinner in about 1984 when people in the South said things were getting tight, that would be what we considered as a good time.
Carl ,thank you for the reply , I know a few companies do this at this time of year ,I think it caught me out a bit as the summer has been busier than ever.
One of the jobs I lost to Bishops was a storage for two years and a four day when it comes out to the Isle of Skye ,any how we cannot win them all but there price must of been cheap as I had worked for the clients family a few times ,even took a family member to the isle of skye ten years ago.
Carl Williams:
JAKEY:
Hello Mark , I do not think this year is unusual buddy ,it caught me out a bit ,one job still used me I took the container price down £1 on all 5 and took £200 off the move but they were well cheaper still but client got a better deal and booked us ,for my 330ft containers (same as pickfords ) I get £20 per container per week plus vat but includes insurance ,what are you prices down there ?In the eighties Pickfords took a similar stance. I think they called it variable costing. In busy times they charged full price, with the other extreme being in quiet times running at a loss, taking the opinion that even though a job might make a loss it was contributing towards overheads, so if the van & staff stood idle it would cost the yearly profit more than running at a loss but contributing to overheads. What they didn’t quite understand that companies like ours had nowhere near the overheads that they had plus in the North East prices were always tight as the disposable income was much lower than probably any other area of the country and as I explained at a Banking Association Dinner in about 1984 when people in the South said things were getting tight, that would be what we considered as a good time.
Hi Steve & Carl,
To be totally honest with you Steve I can’t speak for everyone in the South Wales area who are storing in the proper manner…but I know in the Swansea area in the last couple of years you would struggle to get £20 per container…there are certain companies i’m told that are cutting there prices to the Bourne no names mentioned in the same way you are experiencing in your area…but like Carl has mentioned also South Wales is very similar to the North East not of disposable income…prices have always been tight…but it does not help when you have certain big companies cutting prices to ridiculous levels…Thatcher’s baby competition is good…not when the big boys are putting the smaller guys out of business with there price wars…there’s always only one winner.
Regards Mark
Clipping from 1973.
How we managed before someone came up with the idea of ramps. In reality loading with a walk in tailboard, drop well and wheelboxes was so easy why would we bother?
LPT765J was a Bedford KF Luton van painted in Courtaulds Livery Its sister LPT866J was painted in our cream/brown livery both identical Marsden Bodies just painted in different livery.
The photo shows the Late Eddie Ramsey, who by that time had retired from driving to take over as our Warehouse manager preparing & cleaning out the van ready to load.
We had about 20 vans painted in Courtaulds livery and this is the only photo of one that has turned up, so far, and sadly does not illustrate the livery, but it does illustrate the full size of a 2,000 cu ft luton van of its day.
Carl Williams:
How we managed before someone came up with the idea of ramps. In reality loading with a walk in tailboard, drop well and wheelboxes was so easy why would we bother?LPT765J was a Bedford KF Luton van painted in Courtaulds Livery Its sister LPT866J was painted in our cream/brown livery both identical Marsden Bodies just painted in different livery.
The photo shows the Late Eddie Ramsey, who by that time had retired from driving to take over as our Warehouse manager preparing & cleaning out the van ready to load.
We had about 20 vans painted in Courtaulds livery and this is the only photo of one that has turned up, so far, and sadly does not illustrate the livery, but it does illustrate the full size of a 2,000 cu ft luton van of its day.
That is a proper removal van pic Carl nice one
Great photo, from this angle is does not look like a 2000cuft motor ,to me about 1300 ,I may be wrong though.
JAKEY:
Great photo, from this angle is does not look like a 2000cuft motor ,to me about 1300 ,I may be wrong though.
It was we had over 50 built to same specification (Most integrals but same body size) Internal 23ft long x 8ft wide x 9ft 6 high =1748 plus Luton ^ drop well =2,000 cu ft
Carl Williams:
JAKEY:
Great photo, from this angle is does not look like a 2000cuft motor ,to me about 1300 ,I may be wrong though.It was we had over 50 built to same specification (Most integrals but same body size) Internal 23ft long x 8ft wide x 9ft 6 high =1748 plus Luton ^ drop well =2,000 cu ft
To be comp;etely axxurate 1748
plus luton 7 ft x 8ft x 4ft 6 252 cu ft
Drop well 4ft 6 x8 ft x 1ft= 48 cu ft
1748+ 252 + 48 = 2048 cu ft
Thank you Carl , I have a two year old now 2200cuft motor stood out side my office window and it looks far longer than the photo you have there with a dropwell and false luton , it must the angle of the photo.
JAKEY:
Thank you Carl , I have a two year old now 2200cuft motor stood out side my office window and it looks far longer than the photo you have there with a dropwell and false luton , it must the angle of the photo.
Yes these were 30ft overall length, we had a few built to 36ft but after 1973 settled on 34ft as they were long enough to get into most areas .This took them up to 2300 cu ft
Carl Williams:
JAKEY:
Thank you Carl , I have a two year old now 2200cuft motor stood out side my office window and it looks far longer than the photo you have there with a dropwell and false luton , it must the angle of the photo.Yes these were 30ft overall length, we had a few built to 36ft but after 1973 settled on 34ft as they were long enough to get into most areas .This took them up to 2300 cu ft
This Seddon (Photographed new at Marsden’s Longshaw Street Warrington) was built to 34 ft (Although being a passenger chassis) could have gone up to 36 ft was 2300 cu ft because the body had a full luton drop well and wheelboxes in the front and rear of the body to get the useable inside height,
