Following Bob Carter 2; about the Thames Trader truck:

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5 жыл бұрын

On the way to Bob Carter's funeral, TTV's Chris and author, driver and vlogger Mat Ireland talk about the differences in trucks, between now and then - handballing 10 or 15 tons of cargo at both ends of the journey, driving vehicles without heaters, power steering, or even comfortable seats . . . "but we didn't know any better!"

Пікірлер: 26

@SloopyDog 11 ай бұрын

I drove a Thames Trader in the 60s. They were heavy to drive as there was no power steering. You had to have arms like Garth.

@balmoraltowers Ай бұрын

I have happy memories of the Trader, I used to pick Overalls and Laundry from local factories and Hotels for Lakeland Laundries in Barrow in Furness, some great people drove them, they got superseded by Bedford TK’s good time’s 😊😊

@eddkennedy6458 Жыл бұрын

Great trip down memory lane, thanks for uploading.

@andrewclarke615 2 жыл бұрын

The first Trader, I went in, (I wasabout 7 years old) was a 6 wheeler,DBE 779C, tipper,double dropside, body, similar colour, to the one, in the film, but had an orange roof, bonnet, grill, and bumper, for going on "live" airfields, collecting grass, for making into animal feeds. Was marked,as Glentworth Bulb company, others in the fleet, were Notts Crop Driers, and one as Glentworth Grits,(it was a County conversion).

@eddkennedy6458 Жыл бұрын

The six wheeler Thames traders were rare enough.

@306champion Жыл бұрын

11:02 I couldn't agree more Mate. Thanks blokes, very enjoyable.

@geoffjones9899 Жыл бұрын

i remember going down to portsmouth from the south wales valleys in one of these loaded with drums of paint with a neighbour when i was a young boy in the 60s good memories of those days

@robertcamble3543 Жыл бұрын

One of this truck still survive in Jamaica . Check out Jamaica truck show 2022 if you're interested is seeing how they set up the old Leyland trucks they bought from England how beautiful they look now.

@carlwesternut2434 3 жыл бұрын

I want one of these. Call me weird, but i like the look of the nose and cab.

@aswclassicsiow8588 11 ай бұрын

When I did my mechanics apprenticeship 70 to 75, with a Ford Main Dealer are mid weight recover truck was a Trader with a hand wind up crane lift on the back our heavey recover truck was an ex army scammel

@stevbrkr 5 жыл бұрын

The smaller trucks, 1.5 to 3 ton had a four-cylinder 200 CID petrol or 220 CID diesel engine, the same engine as the Fordson Power Major and later Super Major tractors. The 4 ton and 5 ton came with the four-cylinder engines or an optional six-cylinder 300 CID petrol or 330 CID diesel. Four-speed boxes were standard with a two speed rear axle option on 3 ton and larger. Two-speed axles on 5 and 7-ton trucks were standard in NZ and Australia. Brakes were servo assist up until mid-1960 and were terrible. Hydrovac brakes with larger drums were introduced in late 1960 that was much improved. In1961 a 5-speed gearbox became an option on six-cylinder trucks, both direct and overdrive being available. The introduction of the Mk 2 Thames Trader in 1962 saw the diesel engines fitted with a Minimec fuel injection pump and modified cylinder head. Also, front springs on the larger trucks were longer to improve the ride. Air assist brakes and power steering was also added to the options list. A six-cylinder diesel truck with a five-speed box and two-speed axle and Hydrovac brakes is a much nicer truck to drive than the early ones. With a two speed axle, 55mph in a diesel truck is possible depending on the axle ratios chosen with 65mph possible in a six-cylinder petrol with two-speed axle and overdrive. I have about ten Thames Traders, early, late, petrol and diesel that includes early 7-ton petrol, 7-ton diesel and two Mk2 7 ton diesels. I also have the normal control versions as well.

@shaun5944 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the information Steven, you know your lorrys mate 👍

@eddkennedy6458 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for your vast knowledge on the Thames trader, my dad ran 4 or 5 of them, in tipper form in his haulage company, often went to work with him with my brothers, i remember one of them had a metal sign riveted on the taiboard in red letters with a white background it read CAUTION AIR BRAKES happy times.

@andyclark1173 Жыл бұрын

Great vid. In the early 70’s my dad had a trader being the newest driver. It was the only one in the company the rest were D series. The thing I found strange having been in different lorry cabs was in the trader, you were virtually sitting on the floor. I like the dash and controls design layout so for export Fords only had to move the steering wheel and the pedals.

@stevepoulton8826 8 ай бұрын

I had a nightout with my dad in one of these on Looe harbour carpark in the late 60s, dont ask me how but i think we were both sitting up.ha.

@timprosser186 5 жыл бұрын

The Thames Trader was a bloody good vehicle. They were exported in their thousands around the world. I grew up on a plantation in Papua and the Thames was the backbone of the country; general transport, road building and primary production were the main purposes of these trucks / lorries. At the age of eleven in I could drive the 4 tonner reasonably well, in fact, I actually got my drive licence in the truck. Colonial conditions were torturous by British standards. All roads were dirt (not gravel), the main 60 mile route to town by today's reckoning would be extreme with some 10 rivers to ford, 2 hills so steep that sometimes cargo needed to be unloaded and the hill driven twice. The Thames worked its guts out for about ten years and in that time only once broke a spring, finally rust decayed the cab and thus had to be retired. I've a soft spot for the Thames, bloody good trucks !!!

@pauldiack3070 4 жыл бұрын

A Wee trick was pull the cold start button out to get up the hills 😂

@grumpystruckshop3807 3 жыл бұрын

There were 2 petrol traders, 4 and 6 pot, first truck i ever drove on the road was a 6 pot petrol very rare then, let alone now!!!!

@TomRelubbus 5 жыл бұрын

I drove a long wheelbase Thames Trader in the early 1970s, doing three trips a week between West Cornwall and London - all at the breakneck speed of 44 MPH! Although the roads were different and it was only on dual carriageways that it seemed slow. I also drove a TK Bedford, with a Leyland 370 engine!, compared to the Trader the TK was pure luxury because it had a heater and I could sleep across the seats. The Trader was a nightmare to try and sleep in. I also drove a Commer twostroke, a Ford D1000 and an AEC Mercury - but by the mid/late 1970s Volvo F88s and Scania 110/140s were taking over. After that the roads were changing, transport cafes started disappearing and it all lost its charm for me. Then I discovered the delights coach driving...

@TheByard 3 жыл бұрын

As a 17 year old back in 1962 I drove a Thames 15cwt van and Thames Trader 3 tonner for a civil engineering contractor. They had a contract at West Ham repairing the main outfall sewer pashing through a bridge over rail track and a road. The winter was very bad and my main job with the Trader was picking up coke from the local gas works. The site had been scaffold over and stoves kept it at a working temperature so work continued. The worst day with the Trader was when the silencer fell off in the Blackwall tunnel, it was deafening in the cab pulling up the hill to get out of the tunnel.