1957, AEC Mandator ballast tractor, YNN 724. Road trip.

[@mooneymooney1565]

I spent most of my childhood in the cab of an AEC and an ERF with mi fantastic grandad behind the wheel I'm 52 now and I'd give everything I've got in the world to have even just another hour with him

[@rotherham1962]

Totally agree fella, you never forget them and hopefully one day we will meet all our lost loved ones again.

[@exb.r.buckeyeman845]

What lovely memories Mooney, I started as an AEC apprentice in April 1966, and can appreciate all your fantastic feelings.

[@robertp.wainman4094]

​@@exb.r.buckeyeman845 I've always loved the transmission sound of AEC buses, but wonder why some models were more 'musical' than others? London Transport RT's perhaps the best sounding of all.

[@philipdevonald1273]

Spent so many hours with my dad in such trucks, I will never forget the smell of oil and diesel

[@rodneygavinplonker7531]

And it smells good to. And the memory that goes with it. Awesome

[@ROCKINGMAN]

Fantastic AEC tractor unit from 1957, that engine sure sounds great, one of my favourites of buses and trucks, AEC.

[@SX1000ninja]

Who needs Netflix when you can watch these type of videos. Amazing job of restoring this lorry and what a great combination she looks too. How things have moved on from when this truck was designed to now where the ‘MAN’ tractor I drive for a living now has Bluetooth, air assisted seats, power steering, lane guidance and so on. Thank you 🙏🏼

[@lesthiele4921]

Thanks for sharing this great video, it's far more pleasurable seeing these old trucks on the road, I got my licence in a New Zealand Army RL Bedford, and this just brings back those memories, keep safe and well everyone in these crazy Covid times.

[@nkelly.9]

What a beautiful and proper, real truck, sorry lorry. Thank you for sharing

[@davidluck4608]

What a splendid vehicle! I served an apprenticeship and worked at Windmill lane during the 1970s. I also drove RM’s for London Transport and although the buses were semi automatic with no clutch, I always shifted gears manually pausing between changes. You both have a skill at driving this fine Lorry😇

[@exb.r.buckeyeman845]

When the AEC tilt cabs came in in 1967/68 life as a mechanic became a lot easier.

[@9186SZ]

Fantastic video wonderful engine sound

[@joemcgovern1125]

That is a bloody lovely old lorry,and well driven by both of you,nice to see someone can still do it properly

[@eldorado62]

Great shifting, Johnny. Don't rush the changes, feel it through.

[@staffy109]

Magnificent vehicle, I wish I had a 4 x 4 matador, my late father worked for AEC before WW2, cheers Dennis

[@micksminisaustinroverparts5882]

Lovely old truck A credit to yourself for preserving such a thing of English engineering Beauty!!!!

[@1100HondaCB]

I just love AEC trucks and buses.

[@v6200man]

oh that nine six - beautifully driven constant mesh box - what a gem

[@SMayleification]

Thanks Tony. This actually has the slightly bigger 11.3 litre engine, same block, slightly bigger bore.

[@9_19Ming]

Love AEC so much ❤️

[@nigeltomlinson3329]

Wagons with hearts ♥️ not engines with robots 🇬🇧

[@kevinosborne2474]

beautiful lorry , amazing sound 😀

[@jenw6069ify]

Thanks for posting i love it.My father was driving AEC's for many years by a Dutch heavy haulage and crane hire company called Willem v.Twist in the Netherlands untill they switched to german trucks in the mid 70's.I spend all my school holidays on de co drivers seat.As i remember it wel it were all Mandators 6x4 Tractors and the last one has a Dutch build cabin on it

[@SMayleification]

Thank you, a few years ago I was lucky enough to view a box full of AEC works export photo's, a lot of them were Belgium and Dutch operators with locally built cabs. I'm sure that name was amongst them.

[@jenw6069ify]

I checkded some old pictures and discoverd that they were Mammoth Majors.

[@exb.r.buckeyeman845]

Hello Johan, thanks for your comments, I started my Apprenticeship with AECs in Bristol 1966, I worked on the Mercury, Marshall, Mandator, etc and then the first tilt cab in 1977/78, what a difference that made. AECs were late with the Turbo so they lost out. Greetings from Cornwall.

[@exb.r.buckeyeman845]

Great memories Johan, I did my Apprenticeship on AECs in Bristol England, and when the Tilt Cabs came in “ 1967/68 “ life was so much easier as a mechanic. Greetings from Cornwall.

[@basiltaylor8910]

Love that AEC 22O 11.3 Diesel spinning a basic five speed crash box, no range-change or splitter,although you could specify a two speed auxiliary box. Have to work the clutch ,crash box and throttle, a far cry from a ,19 plate Volvo FMX with I-shift auto, just a steering wheel attendant driving one of those.

[@exb.r.buckeyeman845]

Yes Basil, I think David Brown of Tractor and Bentley ? Fame made splitter box’s, but mostly fitted to ERFs and Seddons.

[@basiltaylor8910]

@@exb.r.buckeyeman845 thank you for the kind comment, have you heard of DB,s 'Rockin, Robin' 8-Speed Range Change Box?, Roller engined Seddon 13-4,s were fitted with DB,s ,Rockin Robin Box, Bulwarks ran Roller 13-4,s hauling tankers.

[@Karsiyaka02]

Fantastic sound courtesy of AEC

[@glenrea]

Why can't modern trucks sound this good?

[@LuckyTrucker1]

Modern lorries don't sound that good because they have proper silencing . I drove " sheds " from a 1969 Atkinson to brand new ERFs . The old ones contributed to my partial deafness now . Must agree the Mandator ' trots ' along quite nicey and with the seats being fairly flat it wouldn't be too difficult to make it into a comfy bed .

[@stevetaylor5933]

That's AEC music your listening to!

[@adwest68]

AEC deep Brown sound, every AEC engine, and norm asp engine in fact too

[@normanhughedicko4076]

Emissions control,exaust particle..adblue

[@gooseknack]

Because they don't make them like they used to! Lol

[@SMayleification]

Thanks, Not many this year ! This was done on the return from the AEC rally at Newark last week. Doing Elveston Castle (Derby), Cromford Steam (Matlock) and Lincoln Steam. I don't know if the trailer will be on, some don't have the space for it !

[@scopex2749]

I loved those AEC grilles, first saw them on the Routemaster busses then they changed to different engines and just had crappy painted grilles :((

[@arjanwilbie2511]

that is how i drive my land rovers. people hate me as i do 40mph most times, but it gets me where i need. i hope to get a truck cab on, a harvey frost crane on the back, a home made crane on the front and a perkins diesel.

[@SMayleification]

+Arjan Wilbie It's not through choice mate, as it will only do 37mph flat out, so pushing it over that down hill will over rev the engine and cause serious damage to the valve gear. Good luck with the conversion.

[@arjanwilbie2511]

SMayleification i just like to pootle about on our bendy roads, even on motorways i keep it at 50 maximum as going over that means wasted fuel by air resistance. The perkins engine would limit me on 40mph anyway but it gives loads of power. If i had your AEC i would keep it steady at the 37 mark and just enjoy the trip while impatient folks can just overtake or stay behind me and enjoy the view too.

[@gcfcos]

Wow what a stunner, lovely sound. Thanks for the video link. I take it same guys from that 1995 video I was on

[@SMayleification]

Correct, your's truly amongst them. Ha.

[@1100HondaCB]

These are the trucks my granddad drove.

[@paddingtonfire]

Absolutely fantastic...

[@kevinosborne2474]

proper lorry

[@fatlad5090]

its got a bow in that trailer

[@SMayleification]

Yes, and I know why. Seen it myself with 30 plus tons on it.

[@markdebarr3501]

Nice truck, nice driving

[@SMayleification]

Thanks Mark.

[@BritishRail60062]

I like old trucks :).

[@1100HondaCB]

Me too and old buses.

[@SubvenioArguo]

1:45 You can feel what gear you're in.

[@jaggass]

We must always ask that question what happened to to our industry? we were the giants at building things like these. The likes of Leyland,AEC, Foden etc are gone now. Old British lorries had some really nice styling before they turned into boxes.

[@lukecrowley571]

Leyland are very much still around, but they only build Daf-badged trucks now. A bit of a shame really, but like UK built Nissans and Hondas (and Mercedes F1 cars) we tend not to think of them as truly British because they have a foreign badge on them.

[@jaggass]

Luke Crowley Youre right about Leyland trucks. We have Vauxhall but in essence just rebadged Opel's.

[@hughvane]

Oh my, those window stays on the front screen! I wish modern trucks had those as well as the power-guzzling aircon systems. Just wondering, but would a preselector gearbox have worked in a vehicle of that torque and weight? They were a massive boon to bus drivers without the benefit of power steering, in busy and crowded city conditions.

[@SMayleification]

Ten years after the vehicle was built Leyland offered as an option the 'Coventry Self Changing Gears' semi-auto box (as fitted to buses and coaches) to their 'Beaver' tractor units, commonly known as the Two Pedal Beaver, this was also available on the AEC Mandator V8 models with a splitter arrangement giving ten speeds. Neither was a success even running at only 32 tons gross.

[@hughvane]

@@SMayleification Thank you for that info. I recall the buses I travelled on in the 1960's still having the preselector. That was in Christchurch NZ, and the majority of those buses were AEC, including Regal and Reliance (Mk IV?). I don't know what their gross tonnage would have been, but the p-s gearboxes seemed to last the distance. I don't know of any buses nowadays that use p-s.

[@gb5uq]

There were once between thirty and forty British truck and bus manufacturers. Now there are none.

[@jamesfrench7299]

I knew there were a lot, but not that many.

[@johnpirie3800]

Very nice!

[@colummcmonagle4579]

london country buses used to haveone for breakdown recovery top speed 30mph if u missed a gear youve had it drove one many times great fun colum mc monagle

[@jamescampbell7780]

Magic sound! What like is a long draw-bar trailer to reverse?

[@SMayleification]

Like pushing a piece of string!

[@jamesfrench7299]

Ahhh! After over two decades of seeing pics of these AECs with that front ( TV screen shaped grill and bug eye headlights) I finally get to see one through its paces and the noise exceeded expectations. How did you get the exhaust to sound so sporty?!!

[@SMayleification]

Glad you enjoyed the video, it is much better than looking around a show field with static displays. The exhaust is stainless and that alters the tone, and the bore is only 3 inch, not very big for an 11 litre engine.

[@jamesfrench7299]

SMayleification that sound as it takes off from the first few seconds of this clip is sheer heaven! Total respect to anyone who has the skill and perseverance to get these machines in running condition and looking so professionally turned out. At last, video of them doing actual work!! I

[@squach6239]

SMayleification That is a quality transmission!! What a slick shifting ol thing!

[@torchyboyz]

What a lovely old truck, sounds like a real truck too. What tax bracket is this in, do you tax it historical and if you do do you still need a hgv licence to drive it? Thanks again for a nice vid. Regards, Paul.

[@SMayleification]

Thanks Paul, it is taxed 'Historic Vehicle'. Being pre 1960 you don't need an HGV license to drive it and it's also MOT exempt, but still must be road worthy. All these proviso's mean it cannot be used commercially.

[@steamwally]

Awesome sound, and well turned out truck, I dream of owning something like this one day!.....one day...... What engine's fitted?

[@SMayleification]

AEC's own 11.3 litre direct injection, 6 cylinder diesel. 150 bhp at 1800 rpm.

[@adwest68]

1957, the engine with the separate cranckcase and cyl. Block?

[@carlnapp8673]

Hi, rubbing the gear stick between two gears whilst upshifting, is that an equivlent to the "counting practice" from the Continent? :)

[@SMayleification]

+Carl Napp Ha-ha, Timing is everything, whatever it takes !

[@carlnapp8673]

SMayleification So it is!

[@jaggass]

Stupid questions but was the Mandator spray painted or coach painted?

[@SMayleification]

+michael jagger Sprayed, all two pack, that's all we use.

[@GWLAD]

good vid

[@terrancebubbatrucks]

great video what vintage shows do you go to with your wagons

[@gurpreetsingh-rf3oi]

Beautifu sound...

[@jaggass]

got any bedford's? like TK's or anything?

[@SMayleification]

michael jagger Wouldn't have one in the yard Michael, horrible things !

[@saltsession2745]

Its got a fast diff not like the matador i drove 36kmh flat out in top gear

[@kevvywevvywoo]

lovely

[@jaggass]

what will these do without a trailer a 40-50mph?

[@SMayleification]

michael jagger It did 29 mph when new mate, loaded or empty, it now does 37 mph as I've fitted a faster diff. You cant push it much faster down hill or the engine will over rev and probably drop a valve or worse, you could knock it out of gear to get more speed out of it, but that's illegal so we would never do that.

[@jaggass]

this sounded it maxxed out at 2000rpm. it does well for a 50yr old lorry. high speed diff's do work wonders relating to speed.

[@SMayleification]

[@adwest68]

I like AEC

[@1100HondaCB]

What engine is in this truck? Is it the same engine used in the AEC Swift bus (AH505)?

[@SMayleification]

AEC 11.3 engine, this engine later developed into the AV690, the 505 was only 7.7 litre.

[@1100HondaCB]

The AEC 11.3 engine is the same displacement as the Leyland 680 and sounds similar too.

[@billalbion]

SMayleification I thought the 505 was a bored out version of the 470/7.7 litre engine.

[@jamesfrench7299]

billalbion yes. The 505 is about 8 litres.

[@JohnMyatt-ko5rz]

Needs an overdrive top

[@olafb.9304]

Not so ordinary pedal order!? Brake on left, clutch on right and gas in the middle?

[@SMayleification]

No, conventional layout.

[@colinetheridge9345]

By the way the driver is winding the wheel I guess there was no power steering in those days.

[@SMayleification]

Ha, no, power steering wasn't standard fitting until the mid 1970's, it was available back in 1957 when this was built as the military AEC Militant had it fitted.

[@bernardtharme838]

Why isnt the load secured?

[@SMayleification]

It is, the cradle is bolted directly to the chassis of the trailer and the textile machine within is bolted directly to the transoms of the cradle. This is exactly as this outfit operated sixty years ago other than the load, which is only half the length.

[@michaeljagger7673]

is this a routemaster engine? it sounds just like a routemaster.

[@SMayleification]

Michael Jagger Very similar, the Routemaster originally had the AV 590, which was a reworked 9.6.This has the 11.3, same engine as the 9.6, but just 10mm bigger on the bore diameter, these engines were later reworked becoming the AV 690. It strange that AEC used metric sizing on the earlier 9.6 & 11.3 litre engines, and then imperial cubic inches on the 590/690 later engines.

[@jaggass]

+SMayleification correct me if im wrong but it sounds a bit like a Leyland 0.680 engine when going up and down the gears it barks like a 0.680 too.

[@jamesfrench7299]

@@jaggass far more polished than an 0680. I like the Lancashire lump but the Southall counterpart is more civilised.

[@fatlad5090]

bet it was numb with a full weight load on

[@SMayleification]

High powered for the time at 150bhp. Most were around 120bhp. 🤷‍♂️😂

[@jaggass]

Crash gearbox?

[@SMayleification]

+michael jagger Constant mesh, 5 speed.

[@vtecpreludevtec]

Hippo,Octopus, other names pls?🇳🇿

[@SMayleification]

They are Leyland names from the so called Zoo family. AEC's were Mammoth major (8), Mammoth minor (6), Marshall (6), Mustang (Chinese 6), Mandator (4 tractor), Mercury (4 light tractor), Ranger (4 low height haulage chassis PSV) all beginning with the letter M, the bus range all began with the letter R. Hope this is of some help.

[@joemcgovern1125]

Mike Berg those are Leyland models,there were many different one

[@anthonyperkins7556]

The moment British Leyland got their grubby hands on AEC spelt disaster! It was riddled with the same quality and reliability problems as their own car van and truck division. No wonder the brand died a death under BL. BL's control of AEC turned the company to shit.

[@jamesfrench7299]

Utter tragedy.

[@SMayleification]

[@vbusiarz]

+SMayleification Leyland O.680.

[@SMayleification]

AEC 11.3.

[@SMayleification]