aye I would like a go on a early 80s clydesdale just because .back to my first motor, but in 2010 over here my motor was a mid 80s twin stick Mack DM or a 69 DMM mack… ,lol no aircon,electric windows ,radio etc, foot hard down 2100 revs and change gear ,it brought me down to earth after euro motors ,even now im on a 99 motor. 
Punchy Dan:
I went with Gunnerheskey for breakfast ,he drove my ERF and never missed a gear
WHO PAID?
Just asking.
Retired Old ■■■■:
Punchy Dan:
I went with Gunnerheskey for breakfast ,he drove my ERF and never missed a gearWHO PAID?
Just asking.
Mention food and guess who appears 
Just keeping you on your toes, Mister Scrooge!
pete smith:
pv83:
Power steering? Power steering! You youngsters don’t know you’re born Pete, before you know it you’ll be mentioning auto 'boxes “for a smooth and comfy drive”…I’ll get me coat…
You keep the cheek up Whips, remember you will be in easy reach of a clip round the lug hole in a couple of weeks!
pv83:
pete smith:
pv83:
Power steering? Power steering! You youngsters don’t know you’re born Pete, before you know it you’ll be mentioning auto 'boxes “for a smooth and comfy drive”…I’ll get me coat…
You keep the cheek up Whips, remember you will be in easy reach of a clip round the lug hole in a couple of weeks!
How about 8wheel Atkinson no power steering 40x 8 tyres and rims and the accelerator in the middle position between the clutch and brake pedals.
Dig
There’s still a lot of manual transmissions over here and today’s driver prides himself on changing gears as quickly as possible, like their lives depended on it so i wonder how they’d like waiting for an old Gardner to slowly drop down from 21 hundred to about 5 hundred to engage the next higher cog ?
In today’s ‘gotta have it now’ and ‘i can’t wait’ world this must seem like an eternity, ha ha.
And no electronic gadgets at all, not even a radio, just man and machine working together. 
Lorry drivers in the fifties and sixties had skinny legs and huge arms - they also cultivated big bellies so they could stand on the clutch and brake pedals. If you have ever backed a draw bar outfit anywhere you will understand it when I say " Thank the good Lord and clever Engineers for the progress that followed". Yes - I look back with damp eyes at those far off days - I was a drivers mate - getting behind the wheel to keep her reving above tick-over otherwise she might shake to bits (if you shut her off she might not start again!) Stinking of diesel, perched on our cases, tool box,spares, cans of oil, blankets, cushions etc. We carried old hessian sacks to wrap round our legs cos of the draughts - you could watch the white lines go by in a Scammel of the fifties. Old wagons are great to look at and operate for fairs and shows, but they are museum pieces now and we have thankfully moved on. My dad would say “you can come with me this one has a heater!” Jim.
jmc jnr:
Lorry drivers in the fifties and sixties had skinny legs and huge arms - they also cultivated big bellies so they could stand on the clutch and brake pedals. If you have ever backed a draw bar outfit anywhere you will understand it when I say " Thank the good Lord and clever Engineers for the progress that followed". Yes - I look back with damp eyes at those far off days - I was a drivers mate - getting behind the wheel to keep her reving above tick-over otherwise she might shake to bits (if you shut her off she might not start again!) Stinking of diesel, perched on our cases, tool box,spares, cans of oil, blankets, cushions etc. We carried old hessian sacks to wrap round our legs cos of the draughts - you could watch the white lines go by in a Scammel of the fifties. Old wagons are great to look at and operate for fairs and shows, but they are museum pieces now and we have thankfully moved on. My dad would say “you can come with me this one has a heater!” Jim.
The way I look at it, the vehicles you describe sound terrible to work with day in day out, and the latest generation (especially the brand new Actros) represent the other extreme. They’re becoming so technology laden and so insulated that there’s simply no fun or satisfaction driving lorries anymore.
Could there have been a time where lorries were just about right? I believe they were spot on between 1985-2005. During this time cabs got much better, lorries were more powerful, their designs were more classic looking, but they were still engineered in simple(ish) ways compared with todays computers on wheels. They did the job. The same goes for cars, I believe around 1995 was the sweet spot.
ezydriver:
The way I look at it, the vehicles you describe sound terrible to work with day in day out, and the latest generation (especially the brand new Actros) represent the other extreme. They’re becoming so technology laden and so insulated that there’s simply no fun or satisfaction driving lorries anymore.Could there have been a time where lorries were just about right? I believe they were spot on between 1985-2005. During this time cabs got much better, lorries were more powerful, their designs were more classic looking, but they were still engineered in simple(ish) ways compared with todays computers on wheels. They did the job. The same goes for cars, I believe around 1995 was the sweet spot.
A proper lorry driver has got to ‘feel’ what the motor is doing at all times and it’s the DRIVER who has to tell the motor what to do. Some might say us old gits are living in the past…maybe so, and technology has moved on. The Auto Scania that I had a go in, I had no idea what gear it was in and the sprung seats and the air suspended cab it was like riding in a bouncy castle. No, they’re not for me 
I didnt realise power steering was available so early , when did it first become an option. I wish I still had the Foden I drove with the 320 Gardner and 9 speed Fuller . Ok before you all start I know its a modern motor but it was a great vehicle. I would love to drive any AEC but a MKV MM8 or an Ergo Mandator would be my choice
Power steering was certainly an option on some BMC trucks from the late fifties onwards, I think the 701 was possibly the first model to have it fitted? However it wasn’t a standard fitment until much later as the FJ and Laird ranges from the late 60’s/70’s still listed it as an option.
Pete.
Well this S 36 Foden along with its C/F tipper trailer, With a 22 tonne payload was a great machine to own & drive, Powered by the good old Leyland 680 PP Engine with a Foden 12 speed gear box with a gear for every hill, One of the best British made motors in their day IMO, Regards Larry.
I think it was around late 1975 - paid £12,000 to John Fishwick to buy his V10 - 320 BHP 1932 Merc - he had managed to import it against all odds the & only one in the country at the time - Probab;y 10 or so came in after on special import
LHD, 14.99l Litre -V10 - 320 BHP - with the big walkthrough LPS cab - awesome motor (we lived in it Me Mother & young son)
It was M reg 1974 - I reckon the last good Merc to die for - None of those since have come anywhere near &* shows how long ago you could buy a really great truck that wasn’t a noisy V8 with a cramped Swedish cab that dropped penny valves for fun
There was an oufit in Honiton offering HGV day out experience in an oldish (Post F12 Volvo) but it all looks a bit corporate & auto box now Juggernaut Truck Driving | Prices From £99.00
ramone:
I didnt realise power steering was available so early , when did it first become an option. I wish I still had the Foden I drove with the 320 Gardner and 9 speed Fuller . Ok before you all start I know its a modern motor but it was a great vehicle. I would love to drive any AEC but a MKV MM8 or an Ergo Mandator would be my choice
Power steering was offered as an option by most of the heavy vehicle category makers from the mid-1950s. Standard fitment on most max-weight rigids (4, 6, and 8 wheelers) from 1965, but British made tractive units were still offered with non-power steering until the mid-1970s. Seddon was the first British builder to offer power steering as standard with its DD8 / DS8 models in 1958, also 4-axle braking on an eight-wheeler. The second steer axle on most other eight-wheelers at the time was un-braked, but it was offered as an option by AEC and Leyland. Confusing or what?
whisperingsmith:
I think it was around late 1975 - paid £12,000 to John Fishwick to buy his V10 - 320 BHP 1932 Merc - he had managed to import it against all odds the & only one in the country at the time - Probab;y 10 or so came in after on special importLHD, 14.99l Litre -V10 - 320 BHP - with the big walkthrough LPS cab - awesome motor (we lived in it Me Mother & young son)
It was M reg 1974 - I reckon the last good Merc to die for - None of those since have come anywhere near &* shows how long ago you could buy a really great truck that wasn’t a noisy V8 with a cramped Swedish cab that dropped penny valves for fun
…
While Swedish lorry enthusiasts will protest that any teething troubles suffered by their V8s were quickly cured, reading the contemporary press indicates that German engineering was ahead overall, in the early 1970s at least. Turbocharging had only broken into commercial vehicles a decade before the introduction of the Merc/MAN V10 and Scania DS14. For reliability/durability, the sensible money had to be on the naturally aspirated German engine. I would like to see more of them on the preservation scene.