Can anyone tell me how long this trailer would have been please?
Lonewolf Yorks:
Can anyone tell me how long this trailer would have been please?0
I’d say they were 20ft / 6m trailers. Someone will confirm this or otherwise.
ERF-NGC-European:
Lonewolf Yorks:
Can anyone tell me how long this trailer would have been please?0
I’d say they were 20ft / 6m trailers. Someone will confirm this or otherwise.
20’ looks about right. I remember that the little trailers I had at Pickfords were 20’ single axle jobs.
Lonewolf Yorks:
Can anyone tell me how long this trailer would have been please?0
The overall artic length in that era would have been 30 ft i believe , so with a unit with a bonnet suggests 20 ft . Our forward control Seddons around that time the carrimore trailers were 24 ft .hope this helps —toshboy
This type of vehicle was common when I was a nipper.Companies like National Carriers used to run out of rail depots.(Remember them?)
For those who didn’t know they had "Scammell couplings"instead of the more normal 5th.wheel.
toshboy:
Lonewolf Yorks:
Can anyone tell me how long this trailer would have been please?0
The overall artic length in that era would have been 30 ft i believe , so with a unit with a bonnet suggests 20 ft . Our forward control Seddons around that time the carrimore trailers were 24 ft .hope this helps —toshboy
There were different lengths for the variety of operations. You could have a 20’ (6m), a 24’ (8m) or a 33’ (10m) trailer in those days.
I agree with the above, it’s a twenty foot.
I remember that we were still using twenty eight foot trailers in the early seventies which were quite handy when you had six or seven drops in London. We also had 36 foot single axle trailers which were sometimes a pain trying to back in to some of the sweat shops that we delivered to around The Smoke.
MFS ran 24 ft trailers for wagon and drag purposes,just came under the 18 metre limit.
mushroomman:
I agree with the above, it’s a twenty foot.
I remember that we were still using twenty eight foot trailers in the early seventies which were quite handy when you had six or seven drops in London. We also had 36 foot single axle trailers which were sometimes a pain trying to back in to some of the sweat shops that we delivered to around The Smoke.0
is that the middleton factory mate? ,if so i used to b/load out of there in the late 80’s regulary for a place in measham oppisite the auctions…happy days
That’s a C Reg 1965 Bedford so the overall Artic length from 1964 was 42ft 7ins. Clearly it isn’t a 33ft trailer its coupled to which was the common trailer length then used before the 1968 regs allowed 40ft trailers. Overall length up to 1955 was 33ft 0ins when it changed to 35ft 0ins and nine years later the length above. This was fully likely a 50’s trailer and can’t be certain of its true length but 20ft and 24ft trailers were more common as Auto coupled lengths. Franky.
Thankyou gentlemen 
I would guess 20’ but remember having one as a mobile workshop, it wasn’t mobile any more but had steps up the back. I think they were narrower than standard vehicles, probably 7’10 - 8’ wide. This one had wheel boxes which took room up inside. I also seem to remember it having tapered sides unlike your photo.
Frankydobo:
That’s a C Reg 1965 Bedford so the overall Artic length from 1964 was 42ft 7ins. Clearly it isn’t a 33ft trailer its coupled to which was the common trailer length then used before the 1968 regs allowed 40ft trailers. Overall length up to 1955 was 33ft 0ins when it changed to 35ft 0ins and nine years later the length above. This was fully likely a 50’s trailer and can’t be certain of its true length but 20ft and 24ft trailers were more common as Auto coupled lengths. Franky.
Hey,
Interisting explication, Have been always interested in length dimensions of English trailers over the years.
From ‘68 on, when 40ft trailers were allowed, was there still an overall length dimension ■■ In that time we had 15 meters overall, later 15.5 not allowed in every country in Europe, to pull 41ft (12.60 meters) trailers, 31 Euro pallets.
Now we have the full 45’ ft 34 Euro pallets (13,75) meters trailers and containers, with the inclined front corners.
Eric,
In 1961 When I drove a Bedford TK Scammell coupling artic The single axle trailor was 25 ft long with cable brakes, Which in fact were very poor in performance when going over Shap, I had many white knuckle trips with these under powered under braked T K s.But they did have a good heater to say the least, Plus Im still here to speak my mind, 
, Larry.
Hey,
Interisting explication, Have been always interested in length dimensions of English trailers over the years.
From ‘68 on, when 40ft trailers were allowed, was there still an overall length dimension ■■ In that time we had 15 meters overall, later 15.5 not allowed in every country in Europe, to pull 41ft (12.60 meters) trailers, 31 Euro pallets.
Now we have the full 45’ ft 34 Euro pallets (13,75) meters trailers and containers, with the inclined front corners.
Eric,
Up to 1983 there wasn’t an actual legal trailer length, the UK only went on Maximum Overall Vehicle Lengths and why so many would find their outfit over the limit depending on what unit was coupled to what trailer and where the kingpin position was. This wasn’t so much a problem with UK built tractor units as we tended to have short wheelbases especially during the 60’s and the 13m (42ft 7ins) max limit meant the 33ft trailer was the most suitable length to stay within the law and achieve the Gross Combination Weight allowed at 32 Tons, which never changed for almost 20 years when the Metric 38 Tonne limit arrived in 1983 for five axles plus. From this date a Semi Trailer max length was limited to 12.2m to give an artic max of 15.5m. From 1990 it went to 14.4m with an overall max of 16.5m. There were some adjustments to these limits for International work, Low Loaders and Car Transporters and even load carrying space so plenty really for the unwary to get caught out on. Franky.
Another thing about these Scammell trailers, The floors were laid side to side and not front to rear, Plus the rope hooks were a joke, You had to wheel bridge every other one, So it took twice as long and twice as much rope to make the load secure, 
, Larry.
Frankydobo:
Hey,
Interisting explication, Have been always interested in length dimensions of English trailers over the years.
From ‘68 on, when 40ft trailers were allowed, was there still an overall length dimension ■■ In that time we had 15 meters overall, later 15.5 not allowed in every country in Europe, to pull 41ft (12.60 meters) trailers, 31 Euro pallets.
Now we have the full 45’ ft 34 Euro pallets (13,75) meters trailers and containers, with the inclined front corners.
Eric,Up to 1983 there wasn’t an actual legal trailer length, the UK only went on Maximum Overall Vehicle Lengths and why so many would find their outfit over the limit depending on what unit was coupled to what trailer and where the kingpin position was. This wasn’t so much a problem with UK built tractor units as we tended to have short wheelbases especially during the 60’s and the 13m (42ft 7ins) max limit meant the 33ft trailer was the most suitable length to stay within the law and achieve the Gross Combination Weight allowed at 32 Tons, which never changed for almost 20 years when the Metric 38 Tonne limit arrived in 1983 for five axles plus. From this date a Semi Trailer max length was limited to 12.2m to give an artic max of 15.5m. From 1990 it went to 14.4m with an overall max of 16.5m. There were some adjustments to these limits for International work, Low Loaders and Car Transporters and even load carrying space so plenty really for the unwary to get caught out on. Franky.
Hey, Thanks for the reply, but for an 14.40meter trailer you need a very short tractor for that, is not allowed here 14.40 because of turning radius.
Eric,
No doubt someone will correct me 
but I recall that the first 40ft trailer I bought in late '71 to run behind my first Borderer was only able to run at 30ton gvw. It was only in late '72 that the axle spread on a tandem bogie was slightly moved and then we could operate these new trailers at 32ton gvw. This alteration sticks in my mind because this new trailer was “pulled” at Rickmansworth ,fully freighted , and if it hadn’t been at the new “spread” and 9:25 ton per axle we would have been “booked” as overloaded . However it appeared to be a surprise to the MOT bloke but the trailer plate didn’t lie ! Other than that one episode we never encountered another similar incident. The only other “fun and games” we experienced in later years was always exiting fully loaded from Muggiemoss paper mill in Aberdeen and it was our steel suspended Task tri axles and although the bogie weight was inside the 22ton limit it didn’t matter how many times they checked the individual axle weights they used to vary between 6 and 8 tons and vice versa the next time !!! There was supposed to be a “scientific” reason as to why there was variations but as long as the bogie was within the limits they had to let the motor go ! ■■■■■■■ Weighbridge Wallies ! 
Cheers Bewick
Your correct Dennis in 1972 there were new regs relating only to axle load limits to the spacing between adjacent axles, permissible axle loads had been reduced for closely spaced axles in order to limit their combined effect on lower levels of the road pavement and sub-grade, apparently. Franky.
Frankydobo:
Your correct Dennis in 1972 there were new regs relating only to axle load limits to the spacing between adjacent axles, permissible axle loads had been reduced for closely spaced axles in order to limit their combined effect on lower levels of the road pavement and sub-grade, apparently. Franky.
Thanks for the technical explanation Franky which at the time wasn’t apparent although that particular trailer, a 36ft York SL, certainly saved my “bacon” as IIRC the bogie had weighed in at about 18 ton 7 or 8 cwt and if it had been one of the closer coupled 18 ton bogies I would have been fined for overloading phew ! On thinking back I loaded that particular trailer myself the night before with 21 ton one drop Bracknell and then the Mill asked if I could stick on a one ton drop for Uxbridge which of course I did ! So I knew it was borderline on the weight and I even left a note on the Atky bonnet specifically saying “I hope those B------ are not weighing at Ricky because you are thereabouts over 32 ton” ! but as luck would have it the Gross was just inside 32 ton which I believe was mainly due to the trailer being 4 ft shorter and the York castellated chassis helped as well ! I quipped afterwards that I hoped he hadn’t shown the Weights and Measures blokes my note 'cause that would have really got up their nostrils ! I’ve got to say though that the difference in spread between the old bogies and the new ones was hardly discernible unless you looked closely ! Cheers Dennis.