A company that has been mentioned a few times and an associate of Ackworth Transport was a late user of Eight leggers and trailers, well after many hauliers had gone over to Artics.
Photos of their lorries have appeared in books but mostly in Black and White. One combination I admire is that of a 1967 Leyland Octopus and dangler leaving their depot in Westbourne Road in North London, taken by Peter Davies, that pops up on the internet when I do a search.
I know Harrison’s livery was green but I need a little more detail as I have just completed a model of the subject above.
Does anyone have any recollections of the colour scheme of Harrison’s fleet, particularly in the mid to late sixties?
Another Vehicle I am interested in is Bedford’s TL tractor unit. Did Bedford ever supply this model with an automatic (scammell or Hands style) coupling for general sale? The forces certainly used them as late as 1999 but were any built for BR or ICI, companies that utilised the coupling?
In fact I’m not sure BR bought TL tractor units? They certainly had TL rigids, some used as crew vans and track maintenance vehicles.
Hi,
Are you building a model of the TL out of intrest ?
They did sell a automatic coupling that was designed with Taskers of Andover. However that was on the TK and i dont
know if it was offered on the TL model. Bearing in mind how many were used by breweries etc you would think it was
available on the TL. I will have a look through my stuff and see what i have.
The Auto couplings went out of use long before Bedfords TL was introduced. The new 1968 Testing and Plating regulations meant the auto coupling braking standards couldn’t be met. The TL was launched June 1980. As for Harrisons I’m sure someone on here worked for them and should be able to answer your livery question, possibly Harry Gill. Franky.
Ah it was Grumpy Old Man who worked for Harrisons, he’s usually around site. Franky.
Bit on the TK / Taskers auto coupling.
1969
1971
teech:
A company that has been mentioned a few times and an associate of Ackworth Transport was a late user of Eight leggers and trailers, well after many hauliers had gone over to Artics.
Photos of their lorries have appeared in books but mostly in Black and White. One combination I admire is that of a 1967 Leyland Octopus and dangler leaving their depot in Westbourne Road in North London, taken by Peter Davies, that pops up on the internet when I do a search.
I know Harrison’s livery was green but I need a little more detail as I have just completed a model of the subject above.
Does anyone have any recollections of the colour scheme of Harrison’s fleet, particularly in the mid to late sixties?
Another Vehicle I am interested in is Bedford’s TL tractor unit. Did Bedford ever supply this model with an automatic (scammell or Hands style) coupling for general sale? The forces certainly used them as late as 1999 but were any built for BR or ICI, companies that utilised the coupling?
In fact I’m not sure BR bought TL tractor units? They certainly had TL rigids, some used as crew vans and track maintenance vehicles.
IIRC we only had one Leyland, the Chinese 6, Joe Tinker was the regular trunk driver.
images45.fotki.com/v1636/photos … 011-vi.jpg
Colour ? this is the best I can do. picclick.co.uk/Col-Photo-Harris … 17056.html
All over green, orange coloured lettering.
HTM 373, that’s the one…me and the wall one Monday morning…the wall won. 
Frankydobo:
The Auto couplings went out of use long before Bedfords TL was introduced. The new 1968 Testing and Plating regulations meant the auto coupling braking standards couldn’t be met. The TL was launched June 1980. As for Harrisons I’m sure someone on here worked for them and should be able to answer your livery question, possibly Harry Gill. Franky.
Not sure! If I read it right, the automatic coupling was not outlawed but it was the braking coupling mechanism, that didn’t comply, that was the problem.
The Auto coupling was good up to 12 tons or so but after the law changed brake lines had to be used, rather negating the convenience of being able to couple up and uncouple from inside the cab.
Certainly the MOD used the coupling up to 1999, whether on the queen’s highway I couldn’t say, and BR and ICI used them later than most. When they finally retired them I could not say.
Sent from my SM-J330FN using Tapatalk
DEANB:
Hi,
Are you building a model of the TL out of intrest ?
They did sell a automatic coupling that was designed with Taskers of Andover. However that was on the TK and i dont
know if it was offered on the TL model. Bearing in mind how many were used by breweries etc you would think it was
available on the TL. I will have a look through my stuff and see what i have.
Sort of. Just been assembling a Promod kit of the TL tractor unit. Still trying to decide whether 5th wheel or automatic coupling - hence the request for info.
DEANB:
Bit on the TK / Taskers auto coupling.
1969
1
1971
0
Thanks for posting.
Just remembered ICI ran at least one Leyland G-line cabbed lorry (chieftain?) with an Automatic coupling.
Not sure! If I read it right, the automatic coupling was not outlawed but it was the braking coupling mechanism, that didn’t comply, that was the problem.
The Auto coupling was good up to 12 tons or so but after the law changed brake lines had to be used, rather negating the convenience of being able to couple up and uncouple from inside the cab.
Certainly the MOD used the coupling up to 1999, whether on the queen’s highway I couldn’t say, and BR and ICI used them later than most. When they finally retired them I could not say.
I took your original question to mean the Auto coupling in general in road transport. Certainly some company’s/organisations continued to use an auto coupling however with the trailer brakes converted to air and giving higher brake readings than before afforded with the mechanical arrangement as you say, even so the gross weights of these vehicles would be limited as the auto coupling could only be developed so far and couldn’t compete with the 5th Wheel. Many of the organisations as you suggest would also have a limited range or even on site only operation. The Military like the Fire Service also are responsible for their own if you like Annual MoT although different terms are used, in other words their vehicles don’t attend MoT Stations, they are self governed and have certain parameters to abide by. Also many lighter non 5th wheel coupled outfits operated used fixed couplings, noticeable from the lack of trailer landing leg’s because the unit and trailer wouldn’t need to be normally separated unless for maintenance. Franky.
When I worked for Baxters Road Services they had T K Bedfords with the automatic coupling,The brakes as Franky said were cabel and not very affective at all, They had a T K unit painted in Thos Hedley livery & this one had air over fluid braking system & had suzis It pulled flat & tipper trailers at that time, Regards Larry.
grumpy old man:
Colour ? this is the best I can do. picclick.co.uk/Col-Photo-Harris … 17056.html
All over green, orange coloured lettering.
HTM 373, that’s the one…me and the wall one Monday morning…the wall won.
I always knew I was born too late. 
I worked with at least one driver at Feltham ( Ron ) who I think had worked at Harrisons London depot before the Carryfast takeover/merger.Maybe Sonny too.
I think from memory that the original Harrisons directors were there to the end and carried out the UPS handover.
Carryfast:
grumpy old man:
Colour ? this is the best I can do. picclick.co.uk/Col-Photo-Harris … 17056.html
All over green, orange coloured lettering.
HTM 373, that’s the one…me and the wall one Monday morning…the wall won.
I always knew I was born too late.
I worked with at least one driver at Feltham ( Ron ) who I think had worked at Harrisons London depot before the Carryfast takeover/merger.Maybe Sonny too.
I think from memory that the original Harrisons directors were there to the end and carried out the UPS handover.
ah,Sonny…now there’s a name from the past! 
…when at National Carriers in '79,we ran a fleet of Ford D Series with auto coupling…shame i didn’t take any photo’s
carryfast-yeti:
Carryfast:
I worked with at least one driver at Feltham ( Ron ) who I think had worked at Harrisons London depot before the Carryfast takeover/merger.Maybe Sonny too.
I think from memory that the original Harrisons directors were there to the end and carried out the UPS handover.
ah,Sonny…now there’s a name from the past!
Sonny usually drove 2500 BJX 472Y from memory when I started.Coincidentally both him and Ron were on regular Dewsbury runs at that time and both of them still lived in London and commuted to Feltham.
It think Holroyd was one of the original Harrisons directors ? I seem to remember them all being called the ‘three wise men’ ?.
The lightest TL tractor unit was the TL1630, a 96" Wheelbase and GCW of 16260Kg powered by the 330D, 330T or 330TD engine. Even this weight would mean a more robustly designed Auto coupling. In all my civilian and military experience of the TL Bedford I haven’t seen one with an Auto coupling always the 5th Wheel but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been examples especially in military use. I would have thought too by the intro of the TL even BRS had long got rid of the Auto coupling last seen on the TK’s. Franky.
Carryfast:
carryfast-yeti:
Carryfast:
I worked with at least one driver at Feltham ( Ron ) who I think had worked at Harrisons London depot before the Carryfast takeover/merger.Maybe Sonny too.
I think from memory that the original Harrisons directors were there to the end and carried out the UPS handover.
ah,Sonny…now there’s a name from the past!
Sonny usually drove 2500 BJX 472Y from memory when I started.Coincidentally both him and Ron were on regular Dewsbury runs at that time and both of them still lived in London and commuted to Feltham.
It think Holroyd was one of the original Harrisons directors ? I seem to remember them all being called the ‘three wise men’ ?.
the ‘Gang of Four’,were Martyn Oldroyd,Bobby Hazeldine,Tony McClallan and Phil Kirk. iirc,Martyn married Mr Harrison’s daughter.the couple of times i met him,Martyn seemed a decent guy.
my 2500 was BJX 471Y,and my mate Cliff Barley had BJX 473Y…so Sonny stuck in between us
ERF-NGC-European:
carryfast-yeti:
Carryfast:
grumpy old man:
Colour ? this is the best I can do. picclick.co.uk/Col-Photo-Harris … 17056.html
All over green, orange coloured lettering.
HTM 373, that’s the one…me and the wall one Monday morning…the wall won.
I always knew I was born too late.
I worked with at least one driver at Feltham ( Ron ) who I think had worked at Harrisons London depot before the Carryfast takeover/merger.Maybe Sonny too.
I think from memory that the original Harrisons directors were there to the end and carried out the UPS handover.
ah,Sonny…now there’s a name from the past!
…when at National Carriers in '79,we ran a fleet of Ford D Series with auto coupling…shame i didn’t take any photo’s
NMPs:
4321
thanks for posting the NCL pic’s 
the D Series artics were tremendous fun to drive…you could get in and out of anywhere in them!
carryfast-yeti:
Carryfast:
carryfast-yeti:
ah,Sonny…now there’s a name from the past!
Sonny usually drove 2500 BJX 472Y from memory when I started.Coincidentally both him and Ron were on regular Dewsbury runs at that time and both of them still lived in London and commuted to Feltham.
It think Holroyd was one of the original Harrisons directors ? I seem to remember them all being called the ‘three wise men’ ?.
the ‘Gang of Four’,were Martyn Oldroyd,Bobby Hazeldine,Tony McClallan and Phil Kirk. iirc,Martyn married Mr Harrison’s daughter.the couple of times i met him,Martyn seemed a decent guy.
my 2500 was BJX 471Y,and my mate Cliff Barley had BJX 473Y…so Sonny stuck in between us
I can also remember Phil Kirk’s name being mentioned a few times ( was it regarding union negotiations ? ) so seemingly four of them not three ( all former Harrisons ? ) that’s the first time I’ve heard all the other names.
Do you remember one of them being into power boats/hydroplane racing I think I can remember seeing a boat hull and parts in the workshops at Dewsbury ?.
Can’t remember Ron ( Hjerling’s ) unit number but sure it was probably 474Y he’s the one who ended up with the ‘2800’ ATI which had a 3300 motor in it from the factory by mistake.You can guess how quick that thing was. 
i think Phil Kirk was the finance man…i can’t recall ever going into the workshop at Dewsbury,but i do remember a vintage ERF sitting outside,possibly was waiting to be restored.the 2800’s were super lorries to drive,but very rarely see any in preservation
