As you were saying Spardo, Buzzer
nmp
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I probably drove as many R/RL/S types as TKâs.Both as fire trucks and then later gritters and tippers respectively on the council.
I can remember later fire truck spec at least was 6 cylinder petrol and twin carbs.I canât remember the old Green Goddess spec in that regard probably single carb, but the one we had, that was used to test hoses etc, was sent to the New Forest to help out during the big forest fires there during the mid 70âs hot Summer.
Like the WF, I at least preferred the more vertical steering which seemed to help with the awful steering weights.Also the longer gearshift lever compared to the diabolical TK gear shift.
The strange thing, for me at least, was that Bedford never seemed to sort out the problem with the heavy steering. I remember taking a couple of 16 tonners into the rental fleet in 1985 â not by choice I hasten to add â and they were an absolute nightmare to drive. Even unloaded they were difficult no matter how much you greased the stubs.
If youâre referring to new wagons, '83 â wouldâve been the TL and by 1985 even the 7.5 tonner had PAS.
WE had two new TK 7.5 tonners with steel dropside tippers for council work, one was S reg and the other T reg so about 78 / 79 and they both had power steering.
My TK was a 77 model as far as I remember, no pasâŚfirst âtruckâ I ever drove, it was likeca Super spacecab after coming off a Transit pick upâŚon tramping. 
Itâs ok running them down by todayâs standards, but you have to remember they were designed in the 50s.
A bit like Atkinson Borderers the masochistâs dreamâŚMine did not have pas either, I used to carry a grease gun with me and do the kingpins at every opportunity.
It was the first truck I bought, you can imagine the shock to the system when you consider I left a job driving a F10 to go on it to set out on my ownâŚbad move on many levels.
Well if these things had power steering god only knows what they must have been like before then.
Little bit of humour, if you been in transport as long as I have you will have bound to heard this in conversation, answers on a five pound note, Buzzer
nmp
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Came back to the yard one afternoon and the TM said "your wagonâs going back to Coventry and that TK(brand new) is your new wagon. It struggled a bit with 5 cars on the trailer I guess it was a 330, I found the cab a revelation from the Comet I also found the brakes to be sharp, a good heater, the gearstick having the extra linkage wasnât that precise and the transmission handbrake well when loading/unloading it moved back and fore a bit. Had a chat with another driver who preferred home every night so after a week I was back on a Super Comet wagon and drag no comfort but an able motor.
Oily
None of ours had power steering.I canât remember their year but the fact that we were still running Leyland WFâs together with them in the early 1980âs and we even had a 1942 Matador still online, says a lot about SCC replacement policy.
I can also remember problems and delays with changing to the tilt cab TL with our snow plough attachment design which all of the Highways tippers had.It was still a TK dominated fleet when I left in '85.
If ever there was an idea sent straight from the Devil himself, that was it. Some Fodens had them too, the one I drove for K & M pulling a powder tank was one.
I pulled around a curved slip road to stop at the main road at the end, as I let in the clutch to take off again there was a bang and I felt myself going backwards on the slight slope.
A halfshaft had snapped and all I could do was keep my foot on the footbrake with both hand brake and gearbox disconnected from the wheels. No mobile in those days I was forced to wait with a trembling leg 'till one of the backed up drivers behind me had the bold idea to find a couple of rocks and stuff them behind the drive wheels.
No âelephant racingâ in those days. Just lean on the pedal up to 65mph, slip past the slower vehicle and ease back to 60 after putting a few lorry lengths between you. All very civilised⌠til the loony Euro law came masquerading as a safety issue.
Weelll⌠if those who could manage 65mph really did drop back to 60, and not hang on to 65? And if those capable of 70, did not overtake those doing 65?
But in general, they didnât. You spent most of every driving day with people doing what Iâve just described. Apart from anything else, it was expensive to press on at 70mph just because your lorry could do it - and many could, of course. By and large it was safely contained, with the exception of the Irish using the mainland as a land bridge for the channel ports 
!
Thatâs exactly how I remember it Ro.
There were a few exceptions like Independent Express and ANC and Irish and Scottish and at least one very special 2800 ATI at our depot that was reported to our management by the law with its reg number and a âwarningâ .
Having been followed at impossible speeds uphill and on the flat.But having driven it I believed it.
Which with some further investigations by the fleet engineer turned out to have been fitted with a 3300 engine by the factory by mistake explaining how it could pull the high 2800 ATI gearing up to silly speeds.
I also seem to remember the Scottish firm McDonalds having some impressive 3600âs in that regard ?.Over 300 hp without a limiter was quick if held flat out at 30-38t.
âI also seem to remember the Scottish firm McDonalds having some impressive 3600âs in that regard ?.Over 300 hp without a limiter was quick if held flat out at 30-38t.â
Hadnât heard of them CF, mind you they may have been short lived.
Oily
Indeed, one of the Transcons I drove had a 350 Cummins and it flew, but at silly speeds you were doing about 4mpg so you behaved (and because of the Transcon brakes )
Remember an ex driver of mine got a job on Kammac trucking and he used to do Skelmersdale to Blandford Forum in an F10 in under four hours in the late 80âs admittedly it was empty coke cans but the taught liners were high so a lot of wind resistance, Buzzer
