It was all so different years ago when the quarries ran their fleets, the rates were stable as their trucks shouldn’t show a loss and therefore the hired haulage rates were good with usually an annual increase. Dave will tell you that Tilcon ran nearly all eight wheeler’s so the hauliers would provide fours and sixes to do a lot of the coated stone work and small handlay jobs and they could afford to change their truck every few years for (usually) a brand new one. All that changed when the fleets were sold off, it became open house for rate cutting for stone, we used to run from Ashbourne down to Sevenoaks to one of Tilcons quarries with eight leggers but that got chopped when artics started doing the same job but fetching the stone from North Wales down into Kent for around £6 per tonne just so they could get a load back up. Any large tonnage jobs to road construction was all at cut rate for everyone, plenty of work but you probably did one load a day for nothing when the fuel was totalled up, the M5 widening at Strensham from Gore quarry near Dave was a case in point as the rate was that poor that hundreds of tonnes a day were not delivered and we were sent down from Derbyshire to help shift it. About a three hour round trip for next to no money and all you had to show for it was worn out brakes and an empty fuel tank!
I guess things will change one day when somebody does their sums and realises that it cant go on?
Muckaway:
Talking of getting short of insulated tippers, I’ve noticed over the last few years, hauliers switching from insulated and alloy bodies to steel ones. Surely this’ll drive rates in the waste sector down, as for every haulier who says no, there’s another one or two willing to do it.
most hauliers who haul tarmac still use alloy bodies and will continue to do so, as tare weights get higher 8 wheelers have less payload than 20 years ago at 30t!
steel bodies used to be used on tarmac years ago and if weight was not an issue would be used again, alloy being far more expensive than steel for a start!
windrush:
A lot different now Moose to when your dad and grandad were in the quarries, good money to be made back then.
Pete.
for the past 18 months i have been driving on nights out of ballidon,caulden,topley pike and on occasion scunthorpe, bredbury
when i am not driving i spend a fair amount of time repairing/welding alloy bodies, i dont run my own truck every day any more, only when i get a decent rate which makes the job worthwhile!
i still have a unit and 33ft 44t spec rear steer flat trailer
moose
Wish we still had some old Foden’s like that running round here, sadly most have been taken out over the years.
They’ed probably stopped building real Fodens before you were born “dew” !! Dennis.
Those 4000s weren’t the most luxurious but you could get a good rest laid between the seats at breaktime! The draughty doors and heavy clutches were a pain but they were basic rough and ready motors.
Dew, Pacars’ have owned Fodens since around '79-80 when Foden went bust. They then bought Leyland Daf mid '90s (I think) after they went pop. The last 4000 series fibreglass cabbed Fodens left the factory around 2000; Where I used to work had some of the last, on W regs.
Muckaway:
Dew, Pacars’ have owned Fodens since around '79-80 when Foden went bust. They then bought Leyland Daf mid '90s (I think) after they went pop. The last 4000 series fibreglass cabbed Fodens left the factory around 2000; Where I used to work had some of the last, on W regs.
I certinaly remember a lot of the older 3/4000 series around when I was younger (I wonder if Dennis remembers a firm called John S. Dainty from this area), just sadly most of the quarries round here starting adding rules about the max age of trucks and it killed off a lot of the older ones. There’s one Alpha cabbed one left in Bardon at Carnforth, the rest are long gone.
Muckaway:
Dew, Pacars’ have owned Fodens since around '79-80 when Foden went bust. They then bought Leyland Daf mid '90s (I think) after they went pop. The last 4000 series fibreglass cabbed Fodens left the factory around 2000; Where I used to work had some of the last, on W regs.
Just been looking through your posts regarding Fodens, I am still running 1994 4000 six wheel tipper that I did a refurb on about 8 years ago, with a 325 ■■■■■■■ and 13 speed fuller it makes light work of the job for an 18 year old motor, will be putting the ex smiths 4000 on the road soon Nathan…cheers
Muckaway:
Dew, Pacars’ have owned Fodens since around '79-80 when Foden went bust. They then bought Leyland Daf mid '90s (I think) after they went pop. The last 4000 series fibreglass cabbed Fodens left the factory around 2000; Where I used to work had some of the last, on W regs.
Just been looking through your posts regarding Fodens, I am still running 1994 4000 six wheel tipper that I did a refurb on about 8 years ago, with a 325 ■■■■■■■ and 13 speed fuller it makes light work of the job for an 18 year old motor, will be putting the ex smiths 4000 on the road soon Nathan…cheers
That W reg was a good motor to drive; a bit thirsty but it was a lot quieter than the Cat powered ones. I think there was a modification to the cab suspension as they didn’t roll like theolder ones. The biggest gripe I had was the annoying Celect security system; It armed almost as soon as you switched the ignition off, and embarassed me on weighbridges more than once. The sister motor still works Armstrong, around Great Malvern…You got the better one of the two!
I have been running 4000’s for 20 years and they are a great tool for the job, the w reg has just been rebuilt and is a different animal now! It will be at work very soon and will be around for quite a while yet.
Armstrong:
I have been running 4000’s for 20 years and they are a great tool for the job, the w reg has just been rebuilt and is a different animal now! It will be at work very soon and will be around for quite a while yet.
You keep them going as long as you can because you wont find anything that will do the job better in this day and age, nor carry as good a payload. I had a P registered 3000 series narrow cabbed eight legger new and then finished my driving days on a F reg 3000 wide cabbed six wheeler and both were fine vehicles.
Armstrong:
I have been running 4000’s for 20 years and they are a great tool for the job, the w reg has just been rebuilt and is a different animal now! It will be at work very soon and will be around for quite a while yet.
You keep them going as long as you can because you wont find anything that will do the job better in this day and age, nor carry as good a payload. I had a P registered 3000 series narrow cabbed eight legger new and then finished my driving days on a F reg 3000 wide cabbed six wheeler and both were fine vehicles.
Pete.
Then when they are retired, a collector somewhere will be waving cheque books.
Not many of the old school left now and I’m fast becoming one of the old uns!