rivits:
Also the Scottish Bus Group had a huge fleet of Alexander bodied Leyland Leopard service buses fitted with Gardner engines that lay flat under the mid section of the bus floor. It wasn’t uncommon for these buses to be run at 20yrs plus.
I don’t think that SBG had Gardner-engined Leopards, surely? They ran a number of 6HLXB-engined Seddon Pennine VIIs, but I think you’ll find that the Leopards all had the O.600 or O.680 engine, depending upon when they were built
240 Gardner:
rivits:
Also the Scottish Bus Group had a huge fleet of Alexander bodied Leyland Leopard service buses fitted with Gardner engines that lay flat under the mid section of the bus floor. It wasn’t uncommon for these buses to be run at 20yrs plus.I don’t think that SBG had Gardner-engined Leopards, surely? They ran a number of 6HLXB-engined Seddon Pennine VIIs, but I think you’ll find that the Leopards all had the O.600 or O.680 engine, depending upon when they were built
Oh well I stand corrected then
rivits:
Well I still think the Atkinson Borderer is the top dog, the amount of them still on the vintage scene is amazing along side the ERF A series and a lot of these vehicles will have done in excess of a million miles before being retired as yard shunters before eventually falling into the hands of restorers. Most of these vehicles will still be fitted with their original engines, transmissions and back axles.Whilst the vehicles of Johnny Foreigner may have been more refined, the longevity of the British prime mover cannot be denied guys
,
sammyopisite:
8LXBV8BRIAN:
robert1952 said,
however, perhaps we should say the best British assembled truck, as the engine and gearbox were American.
I agree with you on that, for a British long hauli would say the Foden S80/83 with the Gardner 8lxb
conversion would have my vote as for me it was the last true bit of british parts assembled together that worked well,
I would say the Scammell Crusader was a better wagon and they never did an upgrade of the cab from the 60s until they finished it in the 80s and there was quite a few that ran into Europe and beyond.
If BL had developed the Crusader it would have been at least the equal of the Europeans as it out performed them for a few years but they caught it up and then went past them.
The best wagon for longtiverty has to be the Scammell Highwayman as I can’t recall any other model being ran as a fleet for over 30 years like Sid Harrison ran his Highwayman into the 90s from the 60s and the Highwayman as been into Europe in the late 60s and early 70s ( they were unbreakable as well.)
cheers Johnnie
Longevity as a stand out winner as Sid Harrison ran a fleet of Scammell Highwaymen for 30 years or more on general haulage and I know there is other people who have ran a single wagon or so for the same length of time or longer but I do not know of anyone who as run a whole fleet for the same period of time
cheers Johnnie
Harrison also ran some ERF C series ,so not a full fleet of Camels , but yes the Highwayman they would go forever at 45 to 50 mph , but who would like one for tramping out five nights a week ? , i have seen the drivers yanking the wheel round at corners , holes in the floor , the noise , great fun for a little 80 miles to Birmingham from Roderham , bit different to a Scottish built Volvo F10
The best is gonna be the last, it’s an ECX Olympic. There’s a few still about but not many i would want to drive, they haven’t worn well but find I real nice one and you would soon realise that It’s the truck that would have saved them, such a shame. DD
ERF MAN:
The best is gonna be the last, it’s an ECX Olympic. There’s a few still about but not many i would want to drive, they haven’t worn well but find I real nice one and you would soon realise that It’s the truck that would have saved them, such a shame. DD
They were roomy old things, but I thought those awful Eaton Synchro-boxes let them down. Robert 
Jakey Adams had several of these, And all the drivers liked them, My son drove this one, Regards Larry.
robert1952:
ERF MAN:
The best is gonna be the last, it’s an ECX Olympic. There’s a few still about but not many i would want to drive, they haven’t worn well but find I real nice one and you would soon realise that It’s the truck that would have saved them, such a shame. DDThey were roomy old things, but I thought those awful Eaton Synchro-boxes let them down. Robert
And the hydraulic gear change ,no synchro on reverse ,and the poor cab mount bushes ,and the electrics the way they sat down on one side when everything was working fine too many unexplainable variables ,wobbly side windows as no quarter light .
robert1952:
ERF MAN:
The best is gonna be the last, it’s an ECX Olympic. There’s a few still about but not many i would want to drive, they haven’t worn well but find I real nice one and you would soon realise that It’s the truck that would have saved them, such a shame. DDThey were roomy old things, but I thought those awful Eaton Synchro-boxes let them down. Robert
I make you dead right there Robert re the Eaton S16 boxes, terrible installation, but drive one like mine with the ZF Ecosplit and hydraulic linkage and you would agree its up there with the best of them and if the cab suspension is good (rarely) they are a pleasure to drive. not saying i would like a later truck but its what i can afford and i love it. I don’t think its the best ERF ever but its the Best British built long haul truck ever.
PS, in my opinion before you all start jumping up and down
I used to pull unaccompanied trailers out of Dover docks with the ones I drove. I was always 44-tonnes up every trip and the sound of that ■■■■■■■ pulling up Jubilee Way used to make up for all the niggles! Robert
I never thought our ecx sounded as good as the ec 's which we are still running as they are far less trouble than the ecx .
Lilladan:
Harrison also ran some ERFCseries ,so not a full fleet ofCamels, but yes the Highwayman they would go forever at 45 to 50 mph , but who would like one for tramping out five nights a week ? , i have seen the drivers yanking the wheel round at corners , holes in the floor , the noise , great fun for a little 80 miles to Birmingham from Roderham , bit different to a Scottish built Volvo F10
Harrisons also did some long distance the south coast and Scotland. I have been away in one for weeks ( but I always stopped in digs ) and driven one to Ireland, France, Belgium and Holland in a highwayman but it was on heavy haulage and in the 60s they were not the worst thing to drive and you did have to drive them properly.
cheers Johnnie
Dan Punchard:
I never thought our ecx sounded as good as the ec 's which we are still running as they are far less trouble than the ecx .
I agree with that too, I think the EC was a better truck but I wouldn’t want to do long haul in even the best one I have driven
The Atkinson has got to be the best British built motor ever,closely followed by the ERF ! IMHO,Bewick.
Dan Punchard:
robert1952:
ERF MAN:
The best is gonna be the last, it’s an ECX Olympic. There’s a few still about but not many i would want to drive, they haven’t worn well but find I real nice one and you would soon realise that It’s the truck that would have saved them, such a shame. DDThey were roomy old things, but I thought those awful Eaton Synchro-boxes let them down. Robert
And the hydraulic gear change ,no synchro on reverse ,and the poor cab mount bushes ,and the electrics the way they sat down on one side when everything was working fine too many unexplainable variables ,wobbly side windows as no quarter light .
So true, but can I add - they were further cursed with a bottom bunk mounted so high it was behind the seats at the narrowest point making it without doubt the narrowest ledge I’ve ever slept on. I gave up on the front-mounted top bunk the third time it crushed my fingers due to the lack of any struts etc to lower it gently against the side wall plinths that supported it - it felt claustrophobic to drive with it down as it sat quite low. The whole thing felt like a lash-up. It’s like the ERF people saw the early 4-series Toplines and thought the layout was a good idea (debateable even in theory) then set about scribbling on their ■■■-packet to copy it as badly/cheaply as possible
I understand, though I might be wrong, that the high-roof ECX’s square shape was first intended for use as a low-mounted dustbin wagon cab with bench seat behind the driver, which kind of makes sense. It certainly didn’t feel like it was purpose-designed to be a roomy long-haul cab.
I spent eighteen months tramping (UK only) in one of these plastic pigs (X191 XBX - a 6x2 push axle with an M11 380 and Eaton 16 speed synchro) and honestly prefered the earlier double-bunk/Olympic EC which had a much nicer interior layout and usually a proper gearbox too (mostly Fuller 9s or Twinsplits in the ones I drove). Therefore it’s the EC Olympic that would get my vote for the title, even though IMHO their driver experience was sadly completely outclassed by that time by the contemporary Scanias, Volvos and Dafs (amongst others).
I’ve seen a ec/ ecx mongrel in a scrap yard bit of a mix of 2 .
X191 XBX, think I exported that
IM MAY BE GOING OFF THE SUBJECT A LITTLE HERE,BUT THE OLD 680 LEYLAND ENGINE, WHICH WERE IN SCAMMELLS AND LEYLAND BEAVERS ETC ETC WAS LATER DEVELOPED BY VOLVO IN THE EARLY SEVENTIES ? DOES ANYBODY REMEMBER, SO THE EARLY VOLVO 88S WERE ACTUALLY POWERED BY LEYLAND ENGINES, ANY WAY BACK IN THE DAY BRITISH WAGONS COMING OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINE HAD GREAT ENGINES GREAT GEARBOXES GREAT CHASSIS, BUT JUST BEFORE THE END OF THE LINE SOMEBODY SHOUTED HEY BOSS WHAT ABOUT THE DRIVER, AND WE KNOW WHAT THE REPLY WAS, OH JUST CHUCK AN ORANGE BOX IN THAT CRATE OF A CAB THAT WILL DO FOR HIM, 
GOODBYE BRITISH TRUCK HELLO SWEDES,
X191 XBX, Think I exported that
