What is this?

[Vanordinaire]

The initial message was deleted from this topic on 12 July 2019 at 22:56

[and31]

It’s an Armstrong Saurer
Lovely picture!!

[and31]

It’s an Armstrong Saurer

[Pericoloso]

Any idea of the weight of that ?

Equivalent would be about 25 tonnes MAM now.

[Vanordinaire]

Pericoloso said:

Any idea of the weight of that ?

Equivalent would be about 25 tonnes MAM now.

Looks like about 160 2cwt bags so 16 ton load. I remember helping my Grandad load 2cwt wheat bags when I was a teenager back in the 70's, as that was about the only thing you still got in 2cwt bags, but he told me that most bulk stuff was in 2cwt bags when he was younger. You really knew when you'd loaded 160 x 2cwt(100kg) by hand and sheeted and roped it all. .

[Vanordinaire]

Speed limit for commercials was 20 mph back then, so a load like the one in the picture from Edinburgh to Birmingham would have been at least a two day trip one way.
He quite often ran between Aberdeen and London so would be away from early Monday morning till late Saturday night for a single trip.

[Vanordinaire]

He drove his first lorry in 1925 at the age of 15 till he gave up his HGV licence in 1985 at the age of 75, then carried on making local deliveries in a 7.5 tonner till he retired in 1995 at the age of 85.
70 years as a professional lorry driver, I don't think you could do that now.

[chilistrucker]

Cracking picture and I bet he had some cracking stories from back in the day.

[piecost76]

No aircon, cruise, nav, Bluetooth or stereo!

How did they manage in those days

[Vanordinaire]

I worked with Jonny Waugh, the guy on the right of the picture (my Grandad's the one on the left) when I first left school and he was an 'old man' coming up for retirement.
He was my Grandad's 'second man' for a few years. Part of his job was to work the trailer brake when they were running it as a 'wagon and drag'. The trailer brake had a wire rope which ran under the lorry and up through a hole in the back of the cab, and was worked via a ratchet handle by the second man on steep down hill stretches.
He started with my Grandad when he was 14_ just out of school, and was treated like an apprentice. He used to get to take over the driving on quiet stretches of road and eventually got his own licence when my Grandad reckoned he was ready.

[grumpy52]

piecost76 said:

No aircon, cruise, nav, Bluetooth or stereo!

How did they manage in those days

Very few had heaters , no power steering , very little if any assistance on the brakes no sleeper cabs , tough job back in the day .