MK1 & MK11 Atkinsons,a class on their own

[bewick]

8LXBV8BRIAN:
Hi Dennis,
I do think your spec with the 2-speed axle was spot on but why only the one ?, mind you back in the 70`s
you had to take what you could get some times great engine poor drive train or the other way round how diffrent it
could have been if you could have got what you required not what they had made.

The spec was fine if you understood it and could handle it,otherwise it was a waste !! But during that time it was impossible to order too far in advance so I just tended to buy what I could when stock was available.Cheers Dennis.

[cja1]

Bewick:
Here you are Tom,a McGuffie Big J (before it got its headboard fitted) just pulled into Crooklands straight from Wukin’ton loaded with Rail,there’s a couple of loads of drums in the background,the black ones will be for Marchon (A&W) Whitehaven but the yellow ones could have been for Teeside or mebe Grangemouth,not too sure eh!Cheers Dennis.

CJA1:
Hi Dennis, From the Piccie it looks es trying to get em on top, LOL" Cheers Chris.

[grumpy_old_man]

Bewick:

Bewick:

fryske:

Whereabouts is that old girl languishing ?

Here’s a shot of what the old girl would have looked like when it was new,this is an October '73 photo of a new Atki I’d just collected from the paint shop.Cheers Bewick.

It saddens me to see photos like this. Here’s a motor that has done a lot of hard graft during it’s working life and to just abandon it to rot just seems wrong.

I know they can’t all be saved but they deserve a better fate than being dumped in a field

[retired_old_fart]

CJA1:

Bewick:
Here you are Tom,a McGuffie Big J (before it got its headboard fitted) just pulled into Crooklands straight from Wukin’ton loaded with Rail,there’s a couple of loads of drums in the background,the black ones will be for Marchon (A&W) Whitehaven but the yellow ones could have been for Teeside or mebe Grangemouth,not too sure eh!Cheers Dennis.

CJA1:
Hi Dennis, From the Piccie it looks es trying to get em on top, LOL" Cheers Chris.

Now there would be a decent motor- Big J, 20 gears, 8-cyl Gardner with no sleeper cab to add weight! Think of the profit in that, Bewick. And the driver would have to supply his own board to go across the engine cover, of course.

[bewick]

Saviem:
Evening Dennis, ZF AK680, what a drivers box, as you said once mastered, like a knife through butter! (hey, and we had them on the Saviems, and the later 690, with splitter).

On recollection, that 180 ■■■■■■■■ revved and went like a rocket, what a power house. Mind you the lads of today with their 500hp motors would laugh at that…like I had to smile at the lad today, rigger boots, “truckers cap”,mega horsepower Mercedes Actros, and could not reverse into our farmyard, (and he had 10spotlights)!! Told me it was the gearbox!!

I`m getting old! Give me the Atkinson Mk 1, even with the off centre steering wheel. Cheerio for now.

Your right “Saviem” this ZF “AK680” was a real “Tuetonic” piece of heavy engineering to say the least ! Would there have been any price differential compared to the DB 6spd or was it a case of the manufactures getting hold of “what they could” at time of build ?.I don’t know if ERF’s ever used the ZF box ? Sounds like you had a good “belly laugh” at the antics of “the modern trucker” trying to reverse his Actros,he would have had even less chance of reversing a motor from “yesteryear” minus power steering ! He probably couldn’t drive a flock of sheep with a good dog either !! Cheers Dennis.

[bewick]

Retired Old ■■■■:

CJA1:

Bewick:
Here you are Tom,a McGuffie Big J (before it got its headboard fitted) just pulled into Crooklands straight from Wukin’ton loaded with Rail,there’s a couple of loads of drums in the background,the black ones will be for Marchon (A&W) Whitehaven but the yellow ones could have been for Teeside or mebe Grangemouth,not too sure eh!Cheers Dennis.

CJA1:
Hi Dennis, From the Piccie it looks es trying to get em on top, LOL" Cheers Chris.

Now there would be a decent motor- Big J, 20 gears, 8-cyl Gardner with no sleeper cab to add weight! Think of the profit in that, Bewick. And the driver would have to supply his own board to go across the engine cover, of course.

Now then “ROF”,how do you know that that Big J hasn’t got the 8LXB/20 gears ? Now that would really send the “Proles” into a frenzy if it had eh! Cheers Bewick.

[retired_old_fart]

Sorry for taking the p*ss, matey, but I just couldn’t resist it! Big J was one of my favourite’s at the time. Old-fashioned in hindsite, but one of the motors a diver aspired to in those far-off days. Still remember the roar of that 205 ■■■■■■■ as we fled past the 180-powered ERF A-series!
I’m surprised Saviem hasn’t joined in- maybe the weather’s perked up enough for him to throw John Deere into his spuds?

[bewick]

Retired Old ■■■■:
Sorry for taking the p*ss, matey, but I just couldn’t resist it! Big J was one of my favourite’s at the time. Old-fashioned in hindsite, but one of the motors a diver aspired to in those far-off days. Still remember the roar of that 205 ■■■■■■■ as we fled past the 180-powered ERF A-series!
I’m surprised Saviem hasn’t joined in- maybe the weather’s perked up enough for him to throw John Deere into his spuds?

There’s nowt like a “bit of banter” ROF !! We had ■■■■■■■ engines in mainly Atkis,a couple of “A” Series and one Seddon,but we never ran any Big J’s with ■■■■■■■ engines,the ones we ran had the 180LXB engine. Now can you imagine the scene,“Saviem” crawling along the rows of tatties on his hands and knees,with a sack round his shoulders to keep warm and slowly filling a “swill” with tatties (and the odd stone or three!).With the John Deere bogged down to its belly in the gateway of the field !! It sure is a hard life being an EU farmer,but do not despair,Santa will soon be on his way from Brussels with a big fat cheque !! Cheers Dennis.

[trev_h]

Bewick:

Retired Old ■■■■:
Sorry for taking the p*ss, matey, but I just couldn’t resist it! Big J was one of my favourite’s at the time. Old-fashioned in hindsite, but one of the motors a diver aspired to in those far-off days. Still remember the roar of that 205 ■■■■■■■ as we fled past the 180-powered ERF A-series!
I’m surprised Saviem hasn’t joined in- maybe the weather’s perked up enough for him to throw John Deere into his spuds?

There’s nowt like a “bit of banter” ROF !! We had ■■■■■■■ engines in mainly Atkis,a couple of “A” Series and one Seddon,but we never ran any Big J’s with ■■■■■■■ engines,the ones we ran had the 180LXB engine. Now can you imagine the scene,“Saviem” crawling along the rows of tatties on his hands and knees,with a sack round his shoulders to keep warm and slowly filling a “swill” with tatties (and the odd stone or three!).With the John Deere bogged down to its belly in the gateway of the field !! It sure is a hard life being an EU farmer,but do not despair,Santa will soon be on his way from Brussels with a big fat cheque !! Cheers Dennis.

Imagine what it was like passing 180’s, Volvo 88’s and 110 Scania’s with this ■■■■■■■ 290 under the cab, made originally for BRS when I drove one of these it was a laugh every mile.

[saviem]

[ Saviem hasn’t joined in- maybe the weather’s perked up enough for him to throw John Deere into his spuds?
[/quote]
,“Saviem” crawling along the rows of tatties on his hands and knees,with a sack round his shoulders to keep warm and slowly filling a “swill” with tatties (and the odd stone or three!).With the John Deere bogged down to its belly in the gateway of the field !! It sure is a hard life being an EU farmer,but do not despair,Santa will soon be on his way from Brussels with a big fat cheque !! Cheers Dennis.
[/quote]
Hey up Dennis, the “dodge” with stones went out years ago!( as did covering rotten spuds in the bulker, with good ones)!!

Crawling, I am…the b… sciatica is giving me merry hell, Big fat EU cheque, now there is a laugh. We are just about fulfilling our contract on spuds, the Maris Pipers have done better than the Wiljas this year. And all the authorities wish to know is, “have we left sufficient headland for the wildlife when ploughing”!!..What b… ploughing, its the monsoon season, you desk bound constipated, shiney arsed idiots,.(Civil Servants…what a description, contravenes the famed , trade description act)!!!

On another thread, us “agricoles”, are getting a lot of stick about mud deposits, let alone the state of our lighting. All I can say is, when you are paying above £10, for a sack from your local, friendly supermarket, you will not see the mud, only wish that we could have lifted more of them! (our insurers have warned us not to clear the mud off the carriageway!! …we would then be liable for any consequential accidents)!!!What a stupid PC world we now live in.

I think that ZFs always went behind the ■■■■■■■■ or Rolls, because of their torque output. But there again, the Brown 6.500, and 6.600, went behind the 205, and the 220. So…probably had more to do with availability than anything else. Anybody experience the "delights ", of the David Brown range change , mainly behind the 8LXB? All that I can remember of this abortionate box was its near terminal banshee screaming…ahhhhhhhhh, (especially if your cash was sunk in the b…r!!!

Well I shall adjourn to the kitchen, to see if my sacking has dried on the AGA, for tommorow is forecast colder, so a little Bollinger enduced fortification is called for. Bon nuit mes braves, Cheerio for now.

[5thwheel]

Bewick:
This is one of 3 Mk1’s we ran at Bewick Transport,this one was the ■■■■■■■ 180 engined tractor,pulled like a train,it had the ZF 6 spd box in it,now that box could sort out the men from the boys,once you’d mastered the gear change though it was like a knife through butter changing gear !Cheers Dennis.

Thats how Dennis made his money,fitting only 1 wiper blade per motor!!

David

[retired_old_fart]

He saved three shillings on the wiper blade, then had to spend a whole fiver fitting a length of RSJ above the bumper to save the fibre-glass from all the knocks his “professional” drivers were giving it!

[5thwheel]

Retired Old ■■■■:
He saved three shillings on the wiper blade, then had to spend a whole fiver fitting a length of RSJ above the bumper to save the fibre-glass from all the knocks his “professional” drivers were giving it!

Thats ballast ROF,to keep the nose down,while they fly along the M6!!!

David

[fryske]

Bewick:

fryske:

Whereabouts is that old girl languishing ?

In Renegade country!

[retired_old_fart]

5thwheel:

Retired Old ■■■■:
He saved three shillings on the wiper blade, then had to spend a whole fiver fitting a length of RSJ above the bumper to save the fibre-glass from all the knocks his “professional” drivers were giving it!

Thats ballast ROF,to keep the nose down,while they fly along the M6!!!

David

My apologies- I never had that problem with my 8-wheeler Mk1. Something to do with the 150 Gardner & Mr Brown’s six speed 'box.

[retired_old_fart]

Trev_H:

Bewick:

Retired Old ■■■■:
Sorry for taking the p*ss, matey, but I just couldn’t resist it! Big J was one of my favourite’s at the time. Old-fashioned in hindsite, but one of the motors a diver aspired to in those far-off days. Still remember the roar of that 205 ■■■■■■■ as we fled past the 180-powered ERF A-series!
I’m surprised Saviem hasn’t joined in- maybe the weather’s perked up enough for him to throw John Deere into his spuds?

There’s nowt like a “bit of banter” ROF !! We had ■■■■■■■ engines in mainly Atkis,a couple of “A” Series and one Seddon,but we never ran any Big J’s with ■■■■■■■ engines,the ones we ran had the 180LXB engine. Now can you imagine the scene,“Saviem” crawling along the rows of tatties on his hands and knees,with a sack round his shoulders to keep warm and slowly filling a “swill” with tatties (and the odd stone or three!).With the John Deere bogged down to its belly in the gateway of the field !! It sure is a hard life being an EU farmer,but do not despair,Santa will soon be on his way from Brussels with a big fat cheque !! Cheers Dennis.

Imagine what it was like passing 180’s, Volvo 88’s and 110 Scania’s with this ■■■■■■■ 290 under the cab, made originally for BRS when I drove one of these it was a laugh every mile.

1

0

Our Big Js were quite a bit earlier than this, Trev. We were lucky to get the 205 (I believe they were NHK?) ■■■■■■■ with AEC six-speed overdrive box.Really decent kit at the time, 1968, but I have to admit the 250 with Fuller box would have been nice. We could probably have kept up with Bewick’s aircraft!

[bewick]

Now I know it’s an Atki thread but this 32/4 Seddon was a right nice motor,smooth as silk,had the 220 ■■■■■■■ engine,Fuller 610 and a higher geared Group axle.We ran it on double shift for it’s fist couple of years.Night shift was to Daventry and back,Bowater tissue down and 20ton of woodpulp back,I’ve sat in both the drivers seat and the passenger seat on a number of occaisions and this motor could get the “better” of SOM Big J’s northbound on the M6 with no problem.I think it must have been better geared but it was a real treat to drive (for a Seddon !!) Cheers Bewick.

[saviem]

Bewick:
Now I know it’s an Atki thread but this 32/4 Seddon was a right nice motor,smooth as silk,had the 220 ■■■■■■■ engine,Fuller 610 and a higher geared Group axle.We ran it on double shift for it’s fist couple of years.Night shift was to Daventry and back,Bowater tissue down and 20ton of woodpulp back,I’ve sat in both the drivers seat and the passenger seat on a number of occaisions and this motor could get the “better” of SOM Big J’s northbound on the M6 with no problem.I think it must have been better geared but it was a real treat to drive (for a Seddon !!) Cheers Bewick.

Dennis, me and Chris, (Kelly), liked those ■■■■■■■ Seddons…problem was , we could only get the Rolls version, so when we did get a ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ it was the man who got out of bed earliest, who sold the lorry! Boy could they go!

Cheerio for now.

[bewick]

Saviem:

Bewick:
Now I know it’s an Atki thread but this 32/4 Seddon was a right nice motor,smooth as silk,had the 220 ■■■■■■■ engine,Fuller 610 and a higher geared Group axle.We ran it on double shift for it’s fist couple of years.Night shift was to Daventry and back,Bowater tissue down and 20ton of woodpulp back,I’ve sat in both the drivers seat and the passenger seat on a number of occaisions and this motor could get the “better” of SOM Big J’s northbound on the M6 with no problem.I think it must have been better geared but it was a real treat to drive (for a Seddon !!) Cheers Bewick.

Dennis, me and Chris, (Kelly), liked those ■■■■■■■ Seddons…problem was , we could only get the Rolls version, so when we did get a ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ it was the man who got out of bed earliest, who sold the lorry! Boy could they go!

Cheerio for now.

Hiya “Saviem”,that particular tractor came to us via a “circuetous” route from Longfield Road Motors at Darlington ! I was a bit dubious at first but as it was a ■■■■■■■ engine (IIRC Seddons had just started fitting the ■■■■■■■■ and we had by then well into the teens of Atki ■■■■■■■■■■■ beggars couldn’t be choosers at that time,I thought why not! and it was a bit cheaper than the Atki (if you could get one of course !)We fitted a Dynair fan to this Seddon which gave it a “little bit more” pep.But a nice smooth motor to drive and quite a bit quieter in the cab without the fan roaring away ! Cheers Dennis.

[sepo]

Just kick start this one again… with some Atkis