The home manufacturers dealers customer relations also left alot to be desired 
, vehicles off the road for days- waiting for parts etc ,whereas (for example ) the local Volvo dealer would go the extra mile & did try and get your lorry back on the road
mazz:
The home manufacturers dealers customer relations also left alot to be desired
Apparently so would AEC and had to many times when the V8 was launched i`ve heard tales of them flying parts abroad for stricken vehicles probably something Leyland frowned upon
Some more stuff about the Volvo:
volvotrucks.com/trucks/globa ⌠d_F85.aspx
Well yes, as you would expect a bit of Trumpet blowing by Volvo, I raised an eyebrow at the final sentance about the FL range! By the way if anyone is wondering about the âSystem 8â mentioned, this refered to the 8 major components that went under a programme of renewal, Engine, Gearbox, Rear Axle, Chassis, Brakes, Steering, Suspension and Cab to produce the Eight Series vehicles that became popular.
To answer the original question though, in a word NO. Reading through the replies on this thread and another similar on this site puts forward many other theories, whatever Political bent you have might decide what answer you prefer, Iâm just glad though I was around when the majority of vehicles on the road were British built, smelly, noisy and looked different. Franky.
The first âforeignâ tractor I rated,although I never ran one,was the Scania Vabis although there werenât many about I believe they were superior to the F86 and then by the time the first F88âs appeared Scania had introduced the 110.My pal John McGuffie ran an ex WH Malcolm Vabis and it did some hard double shift work during the time he ran it and gave no trouble.Heâd sold it by the time I bought his flat traffic business.Cheers Bewick.
Hi all,
Along with a friend of mine who knows far more than I ever will.we have both read this thread with great interest.to comment on the threads title and not the politics,(please donât start me off on any of our fine mpâs)my mate and i both think that volvo trucks uk launch and success was the end result of a very clever marketing move by Volvo.heavily instrumental in that uk launch must have been jim mckelvie a successful haulier and business man,he could speak the operators lingo and gain sales from many other respected names in the industry whom he had known well over many years.for me the man that hired mckelvie earned his Volvo salary that year.the product sold very well.although i was only a child when all this took place it was plain to see volvo had the bit between their teeth and ran with it.when my parents ordered volvo f86/88/89 parts the stores staff always delivered the panels that were ordered,no silly waiting times and apologies because the factory was still on strike.wether volvo finished the uk manufacturers is not for me to say,itâs just an opinion on the thread title.
Regards Andrew.
mmmm 1977 - what were the uk manufacturers offering then ? ERF 'BâSeries , Foden Fleetmaster , Bedford TM , Sedak 400 oh & lets not forget the Leyland ones or maybe youâd rather one of these to replace your 88 
Hope this helps
pete 359:
Hi all,
Along with a friend of mine who knows far more than I ever will.we have both read this thread with great interest.to comment on the threads title and not the politics,(please donât start me off on any of our fine mpâs)my mate and i both think that volvo trucks uk launch and success was the end result of a very clever marketing move by Volvo.heavily instrumental in that uk launch must have been jim mckelvie a successful haulier and business man,he could speak the operators lingo and gain sales from many other respected names in the industry whom he had known well over many years.for me the man that hired mckelvie earned his Volvo salary that year.the product sold very well.although i was only a child when all this took place it was plain to see volvo had the bit between their teeth and ran with it.when my parents ordered volvo f86/88/89 parts the stores staff always delivered the panels that were ordered,no silly waiting times and apologies because the factory was still on strike.wether volvo finished the uk manufacturers is not for me to say,itâs just an opinion on the thread title.
Regards Andrew.
Well said Pete, but Jim McKelvie was a visionary,he also formed a company called Stonefield Vehicles who made off road 4x4 trucks after leaving Volvo
It is probably a bit unfair but there were two men responsible for Ailsa Trucks and they were Jim Keyden and Jim McKelvie, The other Jim gets forgotten by most people
Wheel Nut:
pete 359:
Hi all,
Along with a friend of mine who knows far more than I ever will.we have both read this thread with great interest.to comment on the threads title and not the politics,(please donât start me off on any of our fine mpâs)my mate and i both think that volvo trucks uk launch and success was the end result of a very clever marketing move by Volvo.heavily instrumental in that uk launch must have been jim mckelvie a successful haulier and business man,he could speak the operators lingo and gain sales from many other respected names in the industry whom he had known well over many years.for me the man that hired mckelvie earned his Volvo salary that year.the product sold very well.although i was only a child when all this took place it was plain to see volvo had the bit between their teeth and ran with it.when my parents ordered volvo f86/88/89 parts the stores staff always delivered the panels that were ordered,no silly waiting times and apologies because the factory was still on strike.wether volvo finished the uk manufacturers is not for me to say,itâs just an opinion on the thread title.
Regards Andrew.Well said Pete, but Jim McKelvie was a visionary,he also formed a company called Stonefield Vehicles who made off road 4x4 trucks after leaving Volvo
It is probably a bit unfair but there were two men responsible for Ailsa Trucks and they were Jim Keyden and Jim McKelvie, The other Jim gets forgotten by most people
I.I.R.C, Stonefield was set up to sell military vehicles to South Africa due to Volvo not wishing to sell to Apartide R.S.A.
Well said Pete, but Jim McKelvie was a visionary,he also formed a company called Stonefield Vehicles who made off road 4x4 trucks after leaving Volvo
It is probably a bit unfair but there were two men responsible for Ailsa Trucks and they were Jim Keyden and Jim McKelvie, The other Jim gets forgotten by most people
[/quote]
Endit:
I.I.R.C, Stonefield was set up to sell military vehicles to South Africa due to Volvo not wishing to sell to Apartide R.S.A.
I donât know anything about South Africa, but they did sell some diesel units in Malaya. Most of the vehicles were fitted with a 3000cc V6 out of the Ford Granada / Capri
Jim McKelvie died quite young and the company was taken over. Read about its demise HERE
boris:
mmmm 1977 - what were the uk manufacturers offering then ? ERF 'BâSeries , Foden Fleetmaster , Bedford TM , Sedak 400 oh & lets not forget the Leyland ones
Hope this helps
Hi Boris,
The article makes interesting reading, and fights the Volvo corner very well. Theres no denying that the F10 & F12 were the ânew waveâ at the timeâŚthe facts speak for themselves. I also agree with the points raised on this thread that british wagons of the same era were in fact lagging behind in terms of comfort etc. However, whilst perhaps not offering the same creature comforts as the F10, the ERF B was more than a capable unit.
The one my dad drove from new in 79 was a day cab with a 280 RR Eagle, (âscreaming eagleâ) engine. Being a day unit, and of fibreglass construction, it was light and nippy. And as for fully laden, I remember dad overtaking volvoâs with empty flats, uphill on the M62 whilst pulling a half full tautliner. That said, I acknowledge that it didnât have things such as AC for example.
As for reliabillity, other than services, I do not recal a time during its working life that it was in the fitters shed, bearing in mind that it literally ran day and night, with dad chucking the keys to the night driver at the end of his day shift, and vice-vera the next morning.
Finally, lets not forget that at this time Atkinson Borderers were still earnig their corn, a wagon that, in terms of looks and comfort was still in the flipping 50s!..my dad went from one of these to the ERF, and it was as if he was driving a wagon from another planet.
The point we have to bear in mind, is that there will always be upgrades, and new models that leave the old ones lookingâŚwellâŚold. Cheers.
Regarding the comparison between the B series and F10, I remember the comics touting the E series ERF as a competitive vehicle at the time, 1986. Were they correct? Can anyone who drove or operated these vehicles comment on the merits of the E series, relative to the competition?
[zb]
anorak:
Regarding the comparison between the B series and F10, I remember the comics touting the E series ERF as a competitive vehicle at the time, 1986. Were they correct? Can anyone who drove or operated these vehicles comment on the merits of the E series, relative to the competition?
Around that time we were running a fleet of DAF, Volvo, Renault and ERF, and to be honest there wasnât much to choose between them.
Wheel Nut:
[zb]
anorak:
Regarding the comparison between the B series and F10, I remember the comics touting the E series ERF as a competitive vehicle at the time, 1986. Were they correct? Can anyone who drove or operated these vehicles comment on the merits of the E series, relative to the competition?Around that time we were running a fleet of DAF, Volvo, Renault and ERF, and to be honest there wasnât much to choose between them.
We had 2 Renaults i think they were Turboliners, with 340 and 365 engines (i think someone in France just stuck the badge nearest his hand on the side of the trucks) they both had high roofs and to be quite honest they were very comfortable roomy and fast.The Premiums in contrast i think were a backward step i think i would have modified the original cab just like Daf have with the 95s
When I joined Turners at Fordham in 1990 then the 3 main makes were Volvo FL10, Scania 113, and ERF E Series. Most of the ERFs were odd specifications with Gardner 270 or Gardner 290 engines (the latter with Eaton twin-splitter gearboxes). A small number of ERFs were â â â â â â â 10 litre. There was definitely a preference amongst the drivers for either Volvo or Scania, and as the lorries got older the ERFs spent far more time in the workshops than the Volvos and Scanias. Initial build quality with the ERFs was also inferior to the other makes.
When I first started driving I drove a lot of foden 4000 series with â â â â â â â and cat engines and performance wise they were more than a match for anything else of similar power but it was the same as the erf the build quality just felt a bit kit car compared to say a scania or Volvo