1980’s Euro-Trucks
Discussion
Growing up in the SW of England artics were either ERF, Foden, Volvo or Scania.
Occasionally some mad-man would have a Mercedes. But that was it.
Then when I was about 10 we drove through France & I was immediately drawn to these 2 vehicles.
The looked stylish, seemed very exotic & sounded amazing.
I later found out that was because they had V8 Diesels, which kind of makes sense.
Anyway, these are they.
The Berliet TR / Renault R series:
The Iveco TurboStar.
I thought I’d share & see if it prompts discussion or if anyone else has a favourite 1980’s truck.
Occasionally some mad-man would have a Mercedes. But that was it.
Then when I was about 10 we drove through France & I was immediately drawn to these 2 vehicles.
The looked stylish, seemed very exotic & sounded amazing.
I later found out that was because they had V8 Diesels, which kind of makes sense.
Anyway, these are they.
The Berliet TR / Renault R series:
The Iveco TurboStar.
I thought I’d share & see if it prompts discussion or if anyone else has a favourite 1980’s truck.
Fane said:
I was always a fan of the rarer British Tractor Units - Bedford TM, KM and the heavier Cargos. Loved a good Magirus Deutz air cooled Tipper too.
The later TM’s with the big cam Cummins fitted were a very good motor-very underated.My father owned a Detroit two stoke version and he really liked that.was lovely to drive
Having driven trucks from this era (MAN, Foden, ERF, Volvo) they really aren't that nice to drive. Uncomfortable, appalling brakes by modern standards, crash gearboxes in most (not the Volvo's) noisy.
Driving one now would be nostalgic particularly the MAN and Fodens but only for a short while. Working all day in one would be tiresome.
Driving one now would be nostalgic particularly the MAN and Fodens but only for a short while. Working all day in one would be tiresome.
1988 I sold trucks for a Ford HTSD (Heavy Truck Specialist Dealer) which meant commercials from a Fiesta van up to a 38 tonne Turbostar.
The Turbostar and the lesser tractors in the range were always a hard sell against Swedish and German opposition because the interior was spartan and plastic in comparison. Good choice of engines and boxes, good trucks, but not popular.
Cargo was a decent truck 17-24 tonnes mostly tipper work as they were light.
Very difficult to see past a Scania 113 though. Used to run them with tag axles pulling fridges in and out of Cornwall.
The Turbostar and the lesser tractors in the range were always a hard sell against Swedish and German opposition because the interior was spartan and plastic in comparison. Good choice of engines and boxes, good trucks, but not popular.
Cargo was a decent truck 17-24 tonnes mostly tipper work as they were light.
Very difficult to see past a Scania 113 though. Used to run them with tag axles pulling fridges in and out of Cornwall.
944 Man said:
and31 said:
The later TM’s with the big cam Cummins fitted were a very good motor-very underated.
My father owned a Detroit two stoke version and he really liked that.was lovely to drive
They built Bedfords with a Detroit Diesel?!?My father owned a Detroit two stoke version and he really liked that.was lovely to drive
Later TM’s could be specced with 6v92 or 8v92 detroits I think. Also Cummins big cam14 litre and Cummins L10,and Bedford 500 turbo.
Edited by and31 on Wednesday 20th July 10:16
Edited by and31 on Wednesday 20th July 10:18
The manual gearbox made the vehicle, personally i preferred constant mesh gearboxes because once you'd got the hang of the box and matched engine to road speed to gear choice they slotted in beautifully, this especially true in British motors and MAN's, mind you the 70's built MAN F8 with column gearshift took a bit of working out the first time you tried one.
Swedish motors in particular i never found one manual box that could hold a candle to a constant mesh made by eaton/fuller or even Spicer, most Swedish boxes were synchromesh, something that has no place in a truck because it causes the gears to baulk, once on the move you could go clutchless on many trucks but synchro woudln't allow those gears to slot in so easily.
Can't knock the reliability of the Swedish motors of the period, but apart from a 12 litre Volvo or Scanny 111, (people rated the 141/2 V8s but they were like rocking horse poo) i never found them to have the guts or to give the driving pleasure that a Cummins, Eaton Fuller, Rockwell drivertrain could offer.
Problem with 2 strokes as used in Bedfords is that they would gobble fuel at twice the rate of the alternative Cummins, hard work too because always needed top be kept on song where the Cummins would pull happily from 800rpm with something like 90% of peak torque from those low revs.
One of my favourite trucks of the 80s was the F90 MAN, mine new in 86, fitted with Eaton Twin Splitter (arguably the best engine for the ETS, because the MAN engine revved up and down very quickly, so clutchless, by design, gearshifts were seriously quick), it had the dubious ability of cruising at 95, not kph, and never gave a moments trouble.
Lots of miles in DAF 2800s, in DKTD and DKSE form, the former having the back to front splitter box (from Daf 2600) , the latter a standard 8 speed range change, very reliable decent trucks.
Daf 2500 was a nice little motor, what it lost in power it made up for in chuckability, 2300 was just hopeless, on an par with a Volvo F7 or Scania 80/81, 2500 had the most direct steering i'd experienced to date, i'm fairly sure instead of the usual king pins Daf had fitted roller bearings instead to the 2500 first.
Unlike many who hated them i had many happy miles in a Sed Ack 401, with the E320 Cummins lump, only an 8 speed Roadranger box but such was the lugging ability of that engine that was still 2 gears too many, geared to 1100rpm @ 70mph, that could eat the miles up very quickly, fitted with Jake Brake, which meant you barely used the brakes except to bring the motor to a final halt.
Also covered many miles in Scammell Crusaders though these were really 70's motors too, invariably with a Rolls 290 lump, hard riding in day cab form but good tools to work with.
I thought the 80's were the best days of lorry driving, i started in the 70's and had my fill of woefully underpowered Gardner 180's in tiny boneshaker cabs, and no power steering, just getting issued a truck with power steering was like winning the pools.
80's motors had the go and driveability without all the electronic garbage and the awful automated manual boxes whcih have ruined the modern truck.
Swedish motors in particular i never found one manual box that could hold a candle to a constant mesh made by eaton/fuller or even Spicer, most Swedish boxes were synchromesh, something that has no place in a truck because it causes the gears to baulk, once on the move you could go clutchless on many trucks but synchro woudln't allow those gears to slot in so easily.
Can't knock the reliability of the Swedish motors of the period, but apart from a 12 litre Volvo or Scanny 111, (people rated the 141/2 V8s but they were like rocking horse poo) i never found them to have the guts or to give the driving pleasure that a Cummins, Eaton Fuller, Rockwell drivertrain could offer.
Problem with 2 strokes as used in Bedfords is that they would gobble fuel at twice the rate of the alternative Cummins, hard work too because always needed top be kept on song where the Cummins would pull happily from 800rpm with something like 90% of peak torque from those low revs.
One of my favourite trucks of the 80s was the F90 MAN, mine new in 86, fitted with Eaton Twin Splitter (arguably the best engine for the ETS, because the MAN engine revved up and down very quickly, so clutchless, by design, gearshifts were seriously quick), it had the dubious ability of cruising at 95, not kph, and never gave a moments trouble.
Lots of miles in DAF 2800s, in DKTD and DKSE form, the former having the back to front splitter box (from Daf 2600) , the latter a standard 8 speed range change, very reliable decent trucks.
Daf 2500 was a nice little motor, what it lost in power it made up for in chuckability, 2300 was just hopeless, on an par with a Volvo F7 or Scania 80/81, 2500 had the most direct steering i'd experienced to date, i'm fairly sure instead of the usual king pins Daf had fitted roller bearings instead to the 2500 first.
Unlike many who hated them i had many happy miles in a Sed Ack 401, with the E320 Cummins lump, only an 8 speed Roadranger box but such was the lugging ability of that engine that was still 2 gears too many, geared to 1100rpm @ 70mph, that could eat the miles up very quickly, fitted with Jake Brake, which meant you barely used the brakes except to bring the motor to a final halt.
Also covered many miles in Scammell Crusaders though these were really 70's motors too, invariably with a Rolls 290 lump, hard riding in day cab form but good tools to work with.
I thought the 80's were the best days of lorry driving, i started in the 70's and had my fill of woefully underpowered Gardner 180's in tiny boneshaker cabs, and no power steering, just getting issued a truck with power steering was like winning the pools.
80's motors had the go and driveability without all the electronic garbage and the awful automated manual boxes whcih have ruined the modern truck.
Smint said:
The manual gearbox made the vehicle, personally i preferred constant mesh gearboxes because once you'd got the hang of the box and matched engine to road speed to gear choice they slotted in beautifully, this especially true in British motors and MAN's, mind you the 70's built MAN F8 with column gearshift took a bit of working out the first time you tried one.
Swedish motors in particular i never found one manual box that could hold a candle to a constant mesh made by eaton/fuller or even Spicer, most Swedish boxes were synchromesh, something that has no place in a truck because it causes the gears to baulk, once on the move you could go clutchless on many trucks but synchro woudln't allow those gears to slot in so easily.
Can't knock the reliability of the Swedish motors of the period, but apart from a 12 litre Volvo or Scanny 111, (people rated the 141/2 V8s but they were like rocking horse poo) i never found them to have the guts or to give the driving pleasure that a Cummins, Eaton Fuller, Rockwell drivertrain could offer.
Problem with 2 strokes as used in Bedfords is that they would gobble fuel at twice the rate of the alternative Cummins, hard work too because always needed top be kept on song where the Cummins would pull happily from 800rpm with something like 90% of peak torque from those low revs.
One of my favourite trucks of the 80s was the F90 MAN, mine new in 86, fitted with Eaton Twin Splitter (arguably the best engine for the ETS, because the MAN engine revved up and down very quickly, so clutchless, by design, gearshifts were seriously quick), it had the dubious ability of cruising at 95, not kph, and never gave a moments trouble.
Lots of miles in DAF 2800s, in DKTD and DKSE form, the former having the back to front splitter box (from Daf 2600) , the latter a standard 8 speed range change, very reliable decent trucks.
Daf 2500 was a nice little motor, what it lost in power it made up for in chuckability, 2300 was just hopeless, on an par with a Volvo F7 or Scania 80/81, 2500 had the most direct steering i'd experienced to date, i'm fairly sure instead of the usual king pins Daf had fitted roller bearings instead to the 2500 first.
Unlike many who hated them i had many happy miles in a Sed Ack 401, with the E320 Cummins lump, only an 8 speed Roadranger box but such was the lugging ability of that engine that was still 2 gears too many, geared to 1100rpm @ 70mph, that could eat the miles up very quickly, fitted with Jake Brake, which meant you barely used the brakes except to bring the motor to a final halt.
Also covered many miles in Scammell Crusaders though these were really 70's motors too, invariably with a Rolls 290 lump, hard riding in day cab form but good tools to work with.
I thought the 80's were the best days of lorry driving, i started in the 70's and had my fill of woefully underpowered Gardner 180's in tiny boneshaker cabs, and no power steering, just getting issued a truck with power steering was like winning the pools.
80's motors had the go and driveability without all the electronic garbage and the awful automated manual boxes whcih have ruined the modern truck.
Couldn’t agree more!!Swedish motors in particular i never found one manual box that could hold a candle to a constant mesh made by eaton/fuller or even Spicer, most Swedish boxes were synchromesh, something that has no place in a truck because it causes the gears to baulk, once on the move you could go clutchless on many trucks but synchro woudln't allow those gears to slot in so easily.
Can't knock the reliability of the Swedish motors of the period, but apart from a 12 litre Volvo or Scanny 111, (people rated the 141/2 V8s but they were like rocking horse poo) i never found them to have the guts or to give the driving pleasure that a Cummins, Eaton Fuller, Rockwell drivertrain could offer.
Problem with 2 strokes as used in Bedfords is that they would gobble fuel at twice the rate of the alternative Cummins, hard work too because always needed top be kept on song where the Cummins would pull happily from 800rpm with something like 90% of peak torque from those low revs.
One of my favourite trucks of the 80s was the F90 MAN, mine new in 86, fitted with Eaton Twin Splitter (arguably the best engine for the ETS, because the MAN engine revved up and down very quickly, so clutchless, by design, gearshifts were seriously quick), it had the dubious ability of cruising at 95, not kph, and never gave a moments trouble.
Lots of miles in DAF 2800s, in DKTD and DKSE form, the former having the back to front splitter box (from Daf 2600) , the latter a standard 8 speed range change, very reliable decent trucks.
Daf 2500 was a nice little motor, what it lost in power it made up for in chuckability, 2300 was just hopeless, on an par with a Volvo F7 or Scania 80/81, 2500 had the most direct steering i'd experienced to date, i'm fairly sure instead of the usual king pins Daf had fitted roller bearings instead to the 2500 first.
Unlike many who hated them i had many happy miles in a Sed Ack 401, with the E320 Cummins lump, only an 8 speed Roadranger box but such was the lugging ability of that engine that was still 2 gears too many, geared to 1100rpm @ 70mph, that could eat the miles up very quickly, fitted with Jake Brake, which meant you barely used the brakes except to bring the motor to a final halt.
Also covered many miles in Scammell Crusaders though these were really 70's motors too, invariably with a Rolls 290 lump, hard riding in day cab form but good tools to work with.
I thought the 80's were the best days of lorry driving, i started in the 70's and had my fill of woefully underpowered Gardner 180's in tiny boneshaker cabs, and no power steering, just getting issued a truck with power steering was like winning the pools.
80's motors had the go and driveability without all the electronic garbage and the awful automated manual boxes whcih have ruined the modern truck.
As for the MAN F90,I had a couple of 8 wheelers with the five pot engine ,both with 13 speed fullers-one of these could go very fast indeed!!
As a kid in the 80's I was a bit of a truck nerd, tends to happen when parent works for Cummins...
That sand rat truck reminded me of a book I had back then:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cola-Cowboys-Franklyn-Woo...
Now downloaded to Kindle to see if it's as good as I remember
That sand rat truck reminded me of a book I had back then:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cola-Cowboys-Franklyn-Woo...
Now downloaded to Kindle to see if it's as good as I remember
zax said:
As a kid in the 80's I was a bit of a truck nerd, tends to happen when parent works for Cummins...
That sand rat truck reminded me of a book I had back then:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cola-Cowboys-Franklyn-Woo...
Now downloaded to Kindle to see if it's as good as I remember
Great book, I'll have to dust my copy down and read it againThat sand rat truck reminded me of a book I had back then:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cola-Cowboys-Franklyn-Woo...
Now downloaded to Kindle to see if it's as good as I remember
944 Man said:
and31 said:
The later TM’s with the big cam Cummins fitted were a very good motor-very underated.
My father owned a Detroit two stoke version and he really liked that.was lovely to drive
They built Bedfords with a Detroit Diesel?!?My father owned a Detroit two stoke version and he really liked that.was lovely to drive
My Dad had both, in 1975 Truck magazine, a new journalist, Phil Llewelyn did an article on my Dad in his early TM hauling tin from Cornwall.
|https://thumbsnap.com/dEXMAkg7[/url]Here's a very young me on the front if the V8 engined one.
[url]Edited by graham22 on Friday 12th August 23:54
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