Front wheel appears to have a wheel-brace attached to it…? Robert
That frigo pic shows a really trim truck. I could almost dream of sailing down the south side of the Alps into sunny Italy in one of those if I could get out my mind the misery of taking of the engine cover to try and bleed diesel through in a fixed cab in mid-winter! Robert 
Cadwallader
Here’s an exciting find: one of the pictures shown by Ashley Coghill at the Middle-East Seminar at Gaydon. It is a Chapman & Ball 5MW on Middle-East work. It appears to be LHD because you can just see the driver and the mirrors are set up for LHD. The trouble with 5MWs they only have two windscreen wipers with a split screen, making it much more difficult to discern whether or not the steering wheel is LHD orientated simply by observing the wiper sweep (as you can on the NGC or the B-series). See what you think… Robert 
Here’s a closer-in view. Robert
newmercman:
Another Facebook share, this one is or was in NZ.
Yup, that one’s NZ, but of course RHD, being NZ. Robert
Here’s a rather fine picture of the LHD 5MW that Richard Read converted to RHD when it came off VIJORE duties on Middle-East work and was eventually fitted with a B-series cab. Robert
To be very honest and crisp…the ERF with 5MW cab made a point in international transport!
When you look at her looks, she really shows eagerness to do the hard job with all power!!!
This article from Commercial Motor was posted a while back. Underneath it I’ve pasted the transcription so that it can be read. Robert
CM article 240372 transcript
Paul Benjamin Sollie is the Flemish-speaking proprietor of Transposies Deleon of Louvein near Brussels. He is more — he is also the largest ERF operator in Europe.
Eight of Paul Sollie’s 10-vehicle fleet are ERF “A” series tractive units fitted with the ■■■■■■■ 335 engin’ The other two are Continental makc — and that is significant.
When last April the Sollie famil disposed of its five supermarkets i Belgium and took over a roa transport business they did so withoi ny knowledge of the technical side of -le industry. What they did realize as that if every supermarket had een so badly served with transport s had theirs then there was a need )1an efficient haulage contractor in elgium.
It would not have been unnatural )r Paul Sollie with his Continental atriotism and his lack of technical nowledge to have decided to take the isy course and continue to buy the tme European marques as he had iherited but he has an inquiring mind -1c1 so he looked around. At precisely te moment as he was contemplating ie expansion of his fleet, ERF was ‘pointing a distributor — its first uropean distributor — ■■■■■■■ istributor Belgium.
CDB’s sales director, M. E. deers, is another man with an quiring mind and before the anchise with ERF was signed he id to be satisfied that the British ;hide would be a strong contender the European scene. It was at this Mit that Paul Sollie and Eddie eleers came together.
The operator made a detailed .amination of every aspect of the R.F: engine size, clutch and steering, gearbox ratios, rear axle, chassis frame, springs, brakes, electrics and cab, and these he compared alongside every other available Continental model. He was satisfied that in every respect the ERF with the 335 engine at 38 tons gross was ideal for his operation. Purchasing the vehicles through a ■■■■■■■ distributor ensured him of replacement engine parts as and when required.
Following a test run. Paul Sollie criticized the clutch effort required and the cab engineering -particularly the leaking windscreen and the draughty ride. The lack of many of the electrical refinements found on Continental Models caused him to describe the cab as functional rather than decorative. I understand that ERF has taken steps and is currently redesigning the cab interior to meet this criticism.
Most operators will acknowledge that although they sign the cheque it is the driver who “buys” the vehicle and this was Paul Soflies next task: to get his drivers to agree that the ERE was as good and indeed better than its Continental counterparts with the exception of the cab engineering., This was without doubt a formidable’
task since the two established drivers had been used to the Continental cab comfort and drivers who were subsequently engaged had been driving in Continental cab comfort with other companies.
The natural leader among the drivers was persuaded to take the ERF on a regular run to Italy through the Mont Blanc tunnel. Off he went with a little reluctanc6 but on his return his apprehension had disappeared.
Alpine hairpins Paul Sollie had recognized that above all else drivers like to sit on top of the most powerful vehicle on the road and on his return the new ERF driver was boasting proudly of how he was “passing other Camion chaffeurs, and I was waving them goodbye on the road”. Of course, at 38 tons gcw he was sitting on top of 9 bhp per ton. According to this man the power steering made the Alpine hairpins child’s play and clutch and gearbox he described as "perfection’’ Thereafter all of the drivers at Transportes Deleon were desperately keen to drive the ERF and very soon they will be, because the two remaining Continentals are likely to be replaced any day now with another two from the “A” series.
The cab deficiencies could have proved to be disastrous to ERF’s
Continental invasion had the company and its distributor failed to react promptly. However, act promptly they did, and 20 of the vehicles now operating in Europe arebeing sent to CDB for cab improvements to be carried out. Not all the ERF operators are involved in long-distance work. Four six-wheelers are fitted with asphalt spreading bodies, eight are tractive units on local delivery work and the other two are tippers. It is in this latter class of vehicle range that ERF and CDB are experiencing a little difficulty. When the tippers are used on construction sites there have been one or two isolated instances of rear axle trouble and this is a factor which is currently being examined. The response to my suggestion that it might be the drivers rather than the manufacturer who were at the root of the problem was a raised eyebrow.
These vehicles do not lack power: they are fitted with the CU 220 engine and running at 26 tons gross they still enjoy 9 bhp per ton.
The entire ERF complement in Belgium, and I include here the first one which now operates from Luxembourg, carry a wide variety of traffics from wine and fruit to glass and steel; bricks and sand, cosmetics and tar. And it is significant that the only real mechanical trouble is found in the “off the highway” operations, which is probably because of the Continental practice of using heavy-duty tippers off highway for what would be, in the UK, a bona fide dumper operation.
Whatever troubles do occur CDB has put itself in the position of being able to supply any part direct from stock. It has at all times eight complete ERF “knock down kits” on its premises in Brussels. Not only does it have the ability to service th vehicles but so also does it have th urge.
To illustrate the point a driver whi suspected differential trouble ii Stockholm had a replacement uni flown to him within one hour a his message. (The fact that this effot was needless as the trouble was a dr fifth-wheel coupling may explai. manufacturers’ reluctance on ma sion to act too quickly.)
Belgium, Holland… France Paul Sollie’s operations show jw how difficult servicing the market Because it must be remembered thE until recently the only ERF agent ha been in Brussels. However, a additional distributor has now bee established in Holland and very soo there will be one in France. Eac week the Sallie attic outfits travi from Brussels to Turin, Stockholn East Berlin, Paris and to other majc centres in France, Germany an Holland so that CDB has to b prepared to send spares an sometimes a mechanic 700 miles ( more to get the vehicle back i service.
CDB’s mechanics are well qualifie in this respect because it is they wb build the ERFs in Brussels. T1 vehicles are supplied from Sandbac as “knock down” kits and this is or of the few countries where the conte is 100 per cent British. From tt moment when the chassis frame placed on to the cradle it takes on’ 10 days to have the vehicle runnir from the workshop, fully painted the operator’s livery.
Back at Sandbach each item carefully checked into the k packaging and on arrival at Brusse the contents are cross-checkt against the original documents. It not too difficult to understand ho costly it would be if one vit component had to be flown special from Cheshire to Belgium to comple a vehicle.
ERF has established a Continent bridgehead in Belgium and one whi4 frankly looks like expanding. One the lessons that has been learned that Continental operators are ma more exacting in their requiremen than their UK counterparts. Thi look to British manufacturers to better than the best European make It also appears to me that in genet maintenance requirements on t Continent are not as high as the demanded by the DoE; the drive at least those on local work, appe to be less skilled than ours and wi the exception of the main trunk roa their road surfaces would in ■■■ loosen the tracks on a Churcl tank!
ERF has learned the lessons, so by homework and others the ha way. No doubt other manufactun will “go to school” on 'ER1 experience.
Read more at archive.commercialmotor.com/arti … exBp89O.99
The above CM article, which until last night I was unable to read (but thanks to ZbAnorak on the RHD thread I now can) gives a fascinating insight into the early days of the 5MW Euro-spec unit.
We can infer the following: that it was a robust unit fit for purpose; that it was a pleasure to drive; that ERF acted quickly to rectify any teething problems. What we can’t infer, of course, is that ERF back-up was up to the task. Robert
There are some interesting comments about LHD ERF 5MW units in the service of Calor Transport at the moment. Here is the link. Robert
“Following a test run. Paul Sollie criticized the clutch effort required and the cab engineering -particularly the leaking windscreen and the draughty ride. The lack of many of the electrical refinements found on Continental Models caused him to describe the cab as functional rather than decorative. I understand that ERF has taken steps and is currently redesigning the cab interior to meet this criticism.”
I guess those redesigns were the transition from 5MW to 7MW? Regarding the initial quality problems- the leaks and draughts- I wonder if the change from 3MW to 5MW addressed these?
[zb]
anorak:
“Following a test run. Paul Sollie criticized the clutch effort required and the cab engineering -particularly the leaking windscreen and the draughty ride. The lack of many of the electrical refinements found on Continental Models caused him to describe the cab as functional rather than decorative. I understand that ERF has taken steps and is currently redesigning the cab interior to meet this criticism.”I guess those redesigns were the transition from 5MW to 7MW? Regarding the initial quality problems- the leaks and draughts- I wonder if the change from 3MW to 5MW addressed these?
The impression I get is that these refinements / improvements characterised the transition from the domestic Euro-spec LHD 5MW (think Gardner 240 / Rolls 220 / David Brown 8-speed / Fuller 10-speed) to the full export 5MW ‘European’ (think ■■■■■■■ 335 / Fuller 9-speed) that we see described in other journals and documents on this thread (Chassis magazine article; and Reitsma’s ‘Flemmish ERFs’ piece). There seems to be a distinct difference between the quality of units like Beresford’s LHD 5MW and Delcon’s LHD 5MWs. The 7MW / NGC is a red herring because that came later and was clearly an out-and-out development of the already mature 5MW. Robert
In all fairness and with respect to the engineers then and we participants now…I “strugle” with some
genuine facts as the A-series with 5MW was ongoing since 1968-1969 with a bridge to the B-series of
1975 (with the sleeper in 1977) and the STRANGE way to “SCREW” the MP-cab with a Scandinavian look,
whereas Seddon Atkinson and some others managed to mount/install the US-lump, NTC335…
In other words…I am ‘convinced’ that a A- or B-series with the original 5MW-cab would also be a very
genuine contributor to the ERF EUROPEAN contest…or do you have ‘other’ suggestions? To my humble
opinion the 7MW was a sidestep despite its acceptance within approx 100 owned ones
ERF-Continental:
In all fairness and with respect to the engineers then and we participants now…I “strugle” with some
genuine facts as the A-series with 5MW was ongoing since 1968-1969 with a bridge to the B-series of
1975 (with the sleeper in 1977) and the STRANGE way to “SCREW” the MP-cab with a Scandinavian look,
whereas Seddon Atkinson and some others managed to mount/install the US-lump, NTC335…In other words…I am ‘convinced’ that a A- or B-series with the original 5MW-cab would also be a very
genuine contributor to the ERF EUROPEAN contest…or do you have ‘other’ suggestions? To my humble
opinion the 7MW was a sidestep despite its acceptance within approx 100 owned ones
Firstly, we have to remember that the LV, A-series, 5MW, 7MW and B-series were all being made that the same time for a period. The B-series started in '74 and it was the B-series ‘European’ that came in '77, not the sleeper cab (which Jennings built at first as a conversion on the ERF premises). I only call the 7MW a development of the 5MW (rather than a sidestep) because it had a bigger, significantly more sophisticated cab which actually tilted. It didn’t just have a bigger front, it was the taller Mark 4 cab, same as the Crusader. The chassis was a little more refined too. The ■■■■■■■ NTC went in both the 5MW and 7MW, so clearly the ‘Scandinavian’ front was for decoration only. The only reason I can think of it not going in the B-series was because it too thirsty! There were no 5MWs on B-series chassis that I know of. Robert
Following on from the last two posts, I don’t think there are is a right or a wrong about perceiving the NGC 7MW as a sideways step rather than a fully independent model. It really depends how you look at it. The fact that it was only offered as an export model for the first two years of its production rather makes it look like a sideways export model, but then it was made available domestically and bought in significant numbers.
It’s chassis wasn’t all that different from the later, heavy 5MW export models, but the cab was very different. IAnd it wasn’t even offered in RHD for example. I certainly think it retained a distinct enough identity to be regarded as a significant model in its own right, in my humble opinion. ERF clearly thought so too, as they called it the NGC ‘European’.
Carryfast takes the argument a step further by wondering why ERF didn’t develop the NGC 7MW instead of investing in the B-series model, thus delaying the next stage of development until the arrival of the C-series. An interesting point of view, I think. Robert
robert1952:
The impression I get is that these refinements / improvements characterised the transition from the domestic Euro-spec LHD 5MW (think Gardner 240 / Rolls 220 / David Brown 8-speed / Fuller 10-speed) to the full export 5MW ‘European’ (think ■■■■■■■ 335 / Fuller 9-speed) that we see described in other journals and documents on this thread (Chassis magazine article; and Reitsma’s ‘Flemmish ERFs’ piece). There seems to be a distinct difference between the quality of units like Beresford’s LHD 5MW and Delcon’s LHD 5MWs. The 7MW / NGC is a red herring because that came later and was clearly an out-and-out development of the already mature 5MW. Robert
The third page of the CM article:
According to the earlier pages of the article, those Belgian tractor units were supplied in mid 1971. The above page depicts the first of them to have a replacement cab fitted. That vehicle has the smaller headlamps, making it a 3MW, according to ERF Peterborough’s explanations. His post also mentions that the 5MW was much quieter then the 3. The 5 seems to have been introduced to address poor driver comfort in the 3. The lorry in the picture has probably had a 5MW cab fitted, but the original lamps transplanted into it. At a guess, based on the text of the article, I would say that the 5MW was fitted to new chassis from 1972 onwards.
If ERF Peterborough could be persuaded to post more regularly, the facts of this interesting bit of vehicle history would be clearer.
robert1952:
Following on from the last two posts, I don’t think there are is a right or a wrong about perceiving the NGC 7MW as a sideways step rather than a fully independent model. It really depends how you look at it. The fact that it was only offered as an export model for the first two years of its production rather makes it look like a sideways export model, but then it was made available domestically and bought in significant numbers.It’s chassis wasn’t all that different from the later, heavy 5MW export models, but the cab was very different. IAnd it wasn’t even offered in RHD for example. I certainly think it retained a distinct enough identity to be regarded as a significant model in its own right, in my humble opinion. ERF clearly thought so too, as they called it the NGC ‘European’.
Carryfast takes the argument a step further by wondering why ERF didn’t develop the NGC 7MW instead of investing in the B-series model, thus delaying the next stage of development until the arrival of the C-series. An interesting point of view, I think. Robert
The idea of developing the 7MW cab instead of the SP makes no sense. The SP was ten years more modern that the Motor Panels cab, plus it was an in-house job- ERF made all the money from the SP whereas, with the MW, it was effectively buying engineering from Motor Panels. Designing the SP cab to suit the entire range of vehicles, from small rigids up to long-distance tractors, was absolutely the right thing to do. If anything, ERF was hobbled by developing three ranges of cabs simultaneously- LV, MW and SP. The A-series cab was launched in 1972, the 7MW in 1973 and the SP in 1974. If the company had been more decisive in the late 1960’s, it would have poured its resources into an earlier SP introduction, and the European would have had an SP sleeper cab in 1972.
Hindsight, of course.