m.a.n rules:
yours has got to be the most versatile motor i’ve ever seen dan… credit to ya…
Cheers you got to try.
Punchy Dan:
m.a.n rules:
yours has got to be the most versatile motor i’ve ever seen dan… credit to ya…Cheers you got to try.
Well Dan you know they say, He who Dares Wins 
, Regards Larry.
For all you Foden Lads/Worshippers , direct from Finland via Hull all the way courtesy of MAP !
There is a tale and a reason for the return to the UK of this ------- I can’t describe it in my own words otherwise I will be in deep ■■■■■ with my Marra from Ponteland ! 
Cheers dennis.
Now then Dennis everyone has their own opinion of Fodens, But I must say I never liked the S 80/81s, The one had was nowt but bother I had for six month & I got the hot spanner out and then sold the bits, This S36 was a far better performer IMO, Regards Larry. AKA The Fodeniser
Larry did you take that photo of Blyth river from that point while waiting to get into the Seven Stars for a malt? I am not sure if it is still there. I spent many school holidays directly opposite in and around Colpitts marine engineering workshop and yard (now Eddie Ferguson House) plus going aboard many of the colliers that needed repairs by Colpitts men. Thee was no H&S in those days the proprietors were great friends of my parents hence my holidays there. Used to return to ■■■■■■■ with skin pitted in with coal dust blowing off the staithes along Low Quay. I don’t think the Alcan silos caused much dust.
Cheers, Leyland 600.
Leyland600:
Larry did you take that photo of Blyth river from that point while waiting to get into the Seven Stars for a malt? I am not sure if it is still there. I spent many school holidays directly opposite in and around Colpitts marine engineering workshop and yard (now Eddie Ferguson House) plus going aboard many of the colliers that needed repairs by Colpitts men. Thee was no H&S in those days the proprietors were great friends of my parents hence my holidays there. Used to return to ■■■■■■■ with skin pitted in with coal dust blowing off the staithes along Low Quay. I don’t think the Alcan silos caused much dust.
Cheers, Leyland 600.
Hi “Leyland600”, I did in fact take this picture I was delivering a 30ft Lamp post which was for a security firm just along from the Alcan, The post was for lighting up their premises and for a CCTV System, I think Alcan stuff still comes in there, But its loaded onto railway gear to go to Fort William, Stay safe, Regards Larry.
Where’s it headed Dennis?.. E.M.R. with any luck.
I’m currently using a wheelie bin that can’t hold as much as those stupid Lucas headlights.
Hi Dennis I noticed that foden has the name Wilson on it.They were part of the pitadro group along with Hutchinson from Dunfermline Fife. They had a fair amount of tippers. Pitadro still trading but not in transport cheers Ray
I always find the decision on what make of vehicles to buy is based on experience of a particular make of vehicle but I really don’t get some of the things people say about a particular make. I haven’t the experience of most of the people on here but in respect of the experience I have got I bought Fodens when I was a transport manager and can only say good things about them, I look at companies that bought hundreds of vehicles in their lifetime, see London Brick, there’s no way they would have bought significant numbers of a particular make if they weren’t any good.
As a driver I’ve driven pretty much everything and I have to say the Dafs I drove were by far the easiest and most comfortable to drive, I found volvo’s and Scania’s to be to cramp, very heavy, the eight wheelers we had at Shanks were almost a ton heavier than the Dafs. I sometimes think there’s an element of snobbery if that’s the right expression with vehicle selection. I always remember a conversation I had with Gary Holmes of G. Holmes bulk Haulage, he told me he could pay drivers less money if he bought them a Scania and they were happy with that purely because they wanted to be seen and able to say they drove a scania.
I guess if you have a bad experience with a vehicle that kind of puts you off that make for life. The only time I’ve experienced that was a brand new Peugot car I bought, was nothing but trouble from day one so that’s it with me, I wouldn’t buy another Peugeot if they were buy one get one free but the other cars I’ve bought have all been pretty similar in regards to reliability etc.
I pretty much agree with all you say Kempston, speak as you find is my motto on this subject. I too have driven almost all makes of lorry and a great variety of cars too and I am struggling to remember any particular one in 50 years which stands out as bad.
I have my favourites of course, and they vary according to the era. For instance, when I was driving Albions and Dodges on a regular basis I drooled over a Mark 1 Atki that shared the yard. When I finally got to drive one and later a Mark 2, I thought I had reached the pinnacle, but I wouldn’t want to tramp the highways now on nights out for a week at a time with one.
In the 80s and 90s I bought Fodens, and the only reason I changed to Volvos was because they couldn’t supply them with air suspended front axles, necessary for the demount operations I planned, but when I drove the FH 10 I thought that was the best ever. Then here and a brand new Magnum. Never owned one so never had to pay for one, but to me the best in cab experience I have ever had, apart from the horrible ZF gearbox that is.
Now, I have a Citroen Berlingo with half a million kms on the clock and a Peugeot Partner auto approaching a similar milestone. Both have cost me over the years, gearboxes and other minor and less minor replacements, but I really love driving both and, for the work I do, I can’t imagine anything better. 
Thanks to Leyland600, Punchy Dan, Lawrence Dunbar and Bewick for the pics .
Oily
A66 2019 and heading east on to Stainmore.
Bewick:
For all you Foden Lads/Worshippers , direct from Finland via Hull all the way courtesy of MAP !
There is a tale and a reason for the return to the UK of this ------- I can’t describe it in my own words otherwise I will be in deep [zb] with my Marra from Ponteland !
I am now able to supply further details and a shot of the “Finnish” end of the Foden saga ( saga being the operative word ) supplied by our Finnish Agent ,bma benkku this shot shows our Finnish haulier ready for “the off” to the ferry . Well the MAP trailer had been previousy shipped out unaccompanied loaded with an extremely expensive load of concrete monitoring technology and the trip fitted in perfectly for the trailer to be reloaded for the return trip with this poxy Foden 8 wheeler chassis which had been purchased “as seen” by the Chap who had, originally , bought it new in the UK ! I wonder how this Foden ended it’s days in Finland ?, I’ll try and find out further info for the “Foden Worshippers Club” promise ! 
And back home in Blighty !!
I’ve never actually been to Finland and so am therefore unable to comment with any degree of authority, but first appearances would appear to suggest that the Finnish people are evidently unfamiliar with the concept of oxy/propane as a possible solution to the S80 problem.
This course of action by the way, could quite easily have been initiated at the gates of the Foden works 30 odd years ago thereby sparing the country the ignominy of seeing the ugliest, box of Whitworth nuts and bolts ever to emerge from Sandbach “grace” the highways and byways or this green and pleasant land…
Comparing the S80 with the S40 would not be too dissimilar to comparing Tracy Emmin with Bridget Bardot…( anyone remember her by the way?..phwooarr! )
…Just my opinion, but this opinion is based on having driven one or two.
It wouldn’t be a massive job to restore that,depending on the mechanicals of course. Glazing would be easy as its all flat glass. It looks like a mark two S80 with the step behind the cab but with a few modifications that the later S83’s had like the air inlet etc? I preferred the S83 myself, the S80 was only intended as a ‘stop gap’ model and the S83 was vastly superior in the steering and cab areas (no air washers or wipers either! ) and was probably my favourite Foden cab until the Paccar ones arrived.
Pete.
17 July 1985
Glos/Warks Railway
Toddington
Gloucs
Eng.
Out of use. A still intact Bedford KM 4x2 tipper.
Drove a TM and a couple of TKs, but never a KM.
I had a lift in a short wheel base KM tipper once.
The ride was appalling.!!
pyewacket947v:
17 July 1985
Glos/Warks Railway
Toddington
Gloucs
Eng.Out of use. A still intact Bedford KM 4x2 tipper.
Drove a TM and a couple of TKs, but never a KM.
I had a lift in a short wheel base KM tipper once.
The ride was appalling.!!
Midland Storage had a few when I joined, tractor units, I drove one for a while, found it quite comfy. But my eyes were set on promotion. Mk.1 Atki.
First unit I could afford was a KM, 1970 H reg, 3 years old and £450
Not pretty, but I can do yacht finishes with a brush, so after a quick rub down and some Dulux it looked great.
Pulled a 40’ wide spread tandem with full twistlocks and looked a bit overawed with a 40’ box on it.
Sometimes struggled and the 466 engine had an incurable habit with engine oil, around a gallon for 70 motorway miles.
BUT what a good earner, and when I came to sell it I made a profit on it along with the money it earned to buy a proper
sleeper cab unit for Middle East work.
Just some of the lorries my Dad drove during his time at Midlands Storage