Must say we had some tidy motors even back in the day, Buzzer
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Going back a bit here the early days
, shipping out of Southampton with a Jamie F88, not a lot can remember them having a Volvo, Buzzer
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well well well my truck
Dutch elm disease killed a lot of treeâs here I was driving for Noyce Bros of West Tytherley, M reg Mandator 6mo, Buzzer
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Stan Mathews RIP my first drIver filling up at Penn Farm which was my home and where I first ran from, had two F88âs M reg 240âs, Buzzer
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Bet that would scare the young unâs, a unit with a spare wheel!
Not just the young 'uns, When I had been here in France only a short time I had a blowout on a tri on the autoroute during the night⌠Squeezed as far as I could off the live lane and waited 'till 8am when the office opened then rang them. Nothing was said but I detected a tone, but there was no way I was going to wrestle one of those beasts in the dark next to a live lane. 
Different story, first trip out with a road train in the NT. 16 punctures in one round trip but only 12 spares (4 on each trailer) and I changed every one of them myself with cows stamping and s hitting above my head. The missing 4 were donated by passing drivers from the same firm. Back at base I then had to mend all the punctures. 
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Thatâs a hard job. Thereâs a lot who wouldnât get out of bed for that now. But Iâll bet there are those whoâd still rise to the challenge. My sweet and gentle existence now in my dotage would still have a big hole in it if I hadnât struggled with snow-chains in Turkey or stripped tilts in the desert heat. Life is for living and living isnât all beer and skittles, as people like you know.
In Modern day times we as a company wont let drivers change wheels if punctured, this is because of H&S rules its not worth the risk of a driver injuring themselves and the claims thereafter, long gone are the old days when camaraderie played a part, you could be assured of help in Europe in days gone by most of the time 2 or 3 other drivers would assist and your job was to make a brew, Buzzer
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Not in desert heat but certainly in Italian heat. At WhiteTrucks the tilts were a nightmare and woe betide the driver who did not keep all the boards separate according to which bay they belonged to.
Further back in time at Cheverals of Luton I have spoken before of the giant lumps (just 2) of aluminium we used to take from South Wales to Neuf-Brisach alongside the Rhine. They used to have us into a large warehouse to be unloaded by a gantry crane, which of course, meant stripping the whole of the roof out. Until that is, one day I noticed a giant fork truck on site, the sort that can pick up loaded containers, and suggested that that would be easier. They readily agreed, it simply hadnât occurred to them, and were pleased to find an easier and quicker way, for all of us. 
I donât think I have changed a wheel on a lorry since 1970, for exactly those reasons and it is not a task that I have regretted seeing the back of. 
Last wheel I changed was in the 2010âs.
Hardstanding, proper jack, etc.
I had it done in time to get parked-up in my favourite restaurant. 
Just remembered, when I was on White Trucks in 1983/4 I had a puncture on a tandem on my way empty from Savona to Milan to re-load. I did try to change it but the wheel nuts, even with a long extension were too tight, so we continued off the autostrada till we found a little one man tyre place. Told him we didnât have any tools and asked him to change it for our spare. We did not tell him about our failed attempt.
He agreed and my soon to be wife and I retired to the cab and pulled the curtains telling him that we were tired and would have a kip while he worked. Every now and then I carefully pulled the curtain enough to see him in the mirror, and he was working away but finding it hard.
Eventually he finished and knocked on the door. The charge I donât remember but it was not much and I gladly paid him out of pocket without a receipt.
So my memory of the last time in 1970, remains intact.
I donât know why the Saudis didnât use a container forklift at Haditha. As late as 2002 we still had to strip out to have the load removed for inspection. Then Trevor Dodwell turned up with one of those tilts with sliding canopies - posh as Zb!
IIRC the last time I changed a truck wheel was a trailer wheel in 46deg cent in Tunisia. It wasnât difficult as the trailers were on air. The time before that was an inner unit rear wheel in winter at Erenkoy customs in Istanbul. My current car has run-flats so I donât even need to get out of the vehicle for that either!
EDIT to add: Iâve just found a pic I took through the windscreen at Erenkoy, whilst re-warming my hands round a mug of tea. The lorries give a hint at how long ago it was!
Good job snapper moxy and the others come back to DIT then, if theyâd stayed on the silver dream machines theyâd be changing them themselves, anywhere anytime trailers and units, as they say the show must go on, literally.
Here is Andrew stocking up the Queen Vic but in Southampton this morning, we been stocking her in Italy & Barcelona all Summer but at home today.
Sunday service to Queen Anne duly provided by 1st reservist Bentley Bob in Southampton terminal, Buzzer
Evening Buzzer
Still breathing up ere, a busy month getting cattle in and getting cattle ready to sell, tups sold and getting the sheep tupped itâs all go at the momentâŚ
We have more cattle than we can house so we are having a big day at the auction on Friday, fingers crossed they do alright.
We had some lambs in at Hawes mart this morning which didnât do too bad.
Cheers Wrighty.
Loaded up in Essex.
Three Claas rakes heading north.
Loaded up near Ladybower reservoir.
Latest addition to the family, Cyd.
Delivered some steel to a climbing centre in Wythenshawe.
Thanks for the update Wrighty and the pictures, down here its so mild which dont help as I am in the Blue Tongue zone so markets are very limited to say the least the closest being Hailsham or Ashford neither to which I have been, got 7 sims in barn and the Lims are due in next week all for annual TB test on the 12th fingers crossed for that, on the truck front the boys are still busy so thats a good thing, waiting to see the outcome of Miss thieves budget and have a feeling what she is about to announce wont be good news for any of us cheers Buzzer
Viv done his collections in Italy so customs it is then more in France 2morrow
Not quite as shapey as yours Steve but not too shabby at breakfast 2day.
I see that there is a big increase in taxes on private jetsâŚwill that will hit the UK farming community much?