Side Trip: A Great Old Gardner Diesel

[@tonyblake1354]

One of the best diesel engines ever made they run for ever more.

[@SVCSkallywags]

I agree - awesome engines!

[@jmacr02]

The Gardner 6LW, although originally designed in 1931, was in continuous production by Gardner until 1974 and it was the predecessor of the 6LX, introduced in 1958, and 6LXB on which they were based. Gardner engines were fitted to the majority of Scottish fishing boats through the 1950s, 60s and 70s. The 6LX and 6LXB are regarded as the greatest marine diesel engines ever produced. Each engine was manufactured in it's entirety by one man! The Gardner engine fitted to the Radiant Star is not an 8LXB - it is an 8L3B. The 8L3B was the largest engine produced by Gardner into the 1970s and it's commercial marine rating was 230hp. The 8L3B has 8 separate cylinder blocks and heads and should not be confused with the 8LXB which has two blocks of 4 cylinders and heads and, unlike the 8L3B, has much alloy in it's construction. The 8LXB is rated at 176hp. All wonderful engines from a different age of engineering excellence!

[@SVCSkallywags]

Thanks for the great info! I'm actually going to go out and do a series of films on the Radiant Star, it's been a long time since I've been aboard! That's when I started becoming a Gardner fan, when Allen told me some stories about those engines. Then I got to be the care-taker of this one from Sam, it'll be great to see It in a boat again!

[@matui6983]

Slightly wrong info 8LXB has one block and 2 x cylinder heads 8L3 and 8L3B has 4 blocks and 8 single cylinder heads.

[@bobomac8330]

Cruised the qld coast last month, met a cool guy who had a Gardner, he loved it, ran like clockwork. Thing of beauty.

[@SVCSkallywags]

Hoping to get another running model for our program, love to showcase these awesome engines!

[@bulletz9280]

They put these engines in loads of things. One really common application was locomotives, but they also went into trucks, busses, and heavy equipment. They were NOT cheap!! Having a Gardner specified into whatever you were buying would add a significant bump to the ticket. However they were basically the longest service interval engine on the planet, and way overbuilt like the old 1950s Cummins and Caterpillars were. As you already know, some of the stories you hear about these engines are absolutely wild. One such engine, a 6LW just like the one you have, ended up in a small narrow gauge locomotive that worked on a sugar cane plantation in Fiji hauling cane from the fields to the sugar mill. It got brought in to the mechanic shop after the driver reported that for the past week he had to fill the radiator more frequently (beginning and end of shift) so it was assumed it'd developed a coolant leak. On inspection it was found that the radiator hose had completely fallen off, and the loco had run 6 days, 24 hours a day, without any coolant! The hose was simply replaced, and the loco sent back out to the fields, where it did another 10 years of service without complaint!!

[@carllockpick6179]

Hi guys, thank you, for the video. I served my time at Gardners, great engine. Worked away many time on boats.

[@keithgribble5766]

I was lucky enough to purchase a 28ft cygnus boat with a gardner 6lxb installed in 3 years it never missed a beat and I fished it hard,

[@trevorconnell4690]

Gardner and Cygnus were ever the perfect marriage of the UK fishing fleet, I only wish we could start manufacturing them again, but thanks to Perkins, that may never happen, Crosby's,ruston, Blackstone, Leyland, Lister,dorman, Kelvin, but Gardner, I ever salute JL,rip 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧,patricroft, Lancashire, England, UK ❤️❤️❤️

[@simonframpton7090]

Do you mean the garry Mitchell 26 ,I've fitted out many

[@karlclark-kerr9898]

Iv got a 33 cygnus with a 6lxb and twin disk (507)gearbox

[@keithgribble5766]

@@karlclark-kerr9898 perfect combination

[@keithgribble5766]

@@simonframpton7090 not sure mate it was a gm28ft aft wheelhouse I bought her off a guy in chichester , Charlie was his name the boat was called d'artagnan

[@MrCrabbing]

I have a 8LXB in my boat still working every day, it's a 8L3B in that boat you are talking about fantastic engines.

[@SVCSkallywags]

Yes, I've since sorted out the model numbers. Looking to find a replacement for this one, I'd like one a little smaller and easier to move around to keep in the lobby

[@MrCrabbing]

@@SVCSkallywags there are 1LW's too

[@karlclark-kerr9898]

@@SVCSkallywags try get a 3lw or a 4lw

[@matui6983]

1L2 Never was a 1LW They made 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 and 8LW engines.

[@twocyborgdogs]

I know old diesels well a "46" CAT D-4 was my first, this beauty sounds like she runs fine and is ready to serve many years to come.. Anchors aweigh mates.

[@phildwyer-t3q]

a thing of beauty

[@SVCSkallywags]

WE do LOVE our old diesels, almost time to start it up again!

[@robertanderson-yx8mo]

Beautiful engines😊

[@SVCSkallywags]

Indeed! Another video coming out soon, Sam now owns 3 Gardners - we just started up the number 3!

[@PillSharks]

Finest diesel engine in the world and each engine was hand built by one engine builder who did the whole job.. even the nuts are marked so they know where to be put back on the Gardner! As for all the fishing boats being cut up…well you can blame the dictatorship known as the European Union for that! They paid each fishing boat owner £2000 to basically burn the boats they owned! Ports like Grimsby and others which were once full have tiny fleet now whilst the French and Belgium boats steam for hours to fish within our waters.. if you look at ais in the Bristol Channel you will see the Cornish boats are a minority in their own waters!

[@SVCSkallywags]

I'm always sad to hear about boats being cut up! Sure glad some of these old engines are still around. We now have two Gardners (6lw/3lw) at the school - we'll have videos over the next couple of weeks! Also, I'm tracking down another 5lw that is located near the school (same island). And I'm really looking forward to a full tour of Radiant Star and a boat ride!

[@deksea]

All the 6L's have a very nice snort to the exhaust when you put a load to the engine.

[@cseguin]

I'm the process of purchasing an x-packer fishing boat that has a Gardner 6lx powering her . . . and she runs like a dream . . . can't wait to take her out for a trip on the waves.

[@SVCSkallywags]

Such a great engine! I'm working on 5lw for our school, as this engine will be going in a boat next year!

[@annavary1047]

Awesome video. You guys are the best!

[@michaelbeemer3976]

One of my favorite old engines. Little too big or I would’ve tried to install in my boat 🤪

[@ryanh4889]

Cool story.

[@truethought369]

Gardener engines, were built to work and last for a very long time. Slow reving and Smooth.

[@SVCSkallywags]

As you can tell, we are BIG fans of these engines

[@Scottishboy-gg8bc]

Worked on many Gardner engines, fixed at 1000 RPM driving the DC generators, on the Aberdeen (Scotland) trawling fleet. BSW/BSF threads and BA threads/nuts for the decompressors on the heads, dry liners, advance/retard on the fuel injection. Loved the priming levers on the injection pump. Very easy to find if you had a duff injector and after an O/H get fuel up the injectors. Getting access to the bottom ends was a nightmare since there were no crankcase doors so the sump had to be dropped and that was held up with many 3/8 BSF bolts. Read time consuming! Cyl head was a steel corrujoint metal gasket with ferrules and a rubber ring for the water passages. Never used a torque wrench, just pull up the 1/2 BSF nuts nice and tight and the 3/8 BSF nuts behind the Monogram plates. Happy memories.

[@SVCSkallywags]

Awesome and Thanks. next quarter we're taking a boat ride on Radiant Star - 8 cylinder Gardner - can't wait!

[@martynjames5963]

I helped rebuild one of these last week. It's on an old locomotive.

[@SVCSkallywags]

That's Awesome, LOVE these engines

[@karlclark-kerr9898]

I have a gardner 6lxb I'm a commercial fisherman and engineering/diesel mechanic in the uk I stripped it last year by myself I'd love to come and have a look at what you do and share some tips but its a fair distance. She sounds good just run her for an hour at 900rpm and you'll never have an issue

[@SVCSkallywags]

Thanks Karl, We are going to work on this engine in the Fall and source a replacement for the lobby at school!

[@karlclark-kerr9898]

Source something smaller like a 3lw or a 4lw or 4lk

[@AA-69]

I had one of these for years ..they run on a teaspoon of diesel...it had huge winches for launching gliders...I sold it to a guy for a train in Zimbabwe,who had a plantation and private railway .. Broke ma heart to sell it😭 ...ran like a Swiss watch ...107 hp at 1650 if my memory serves me well. ?😘🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@SVCSkallywags]

Very cool! We have just started playing with it's little sister, a 3LW. Not sure what we're going to end up doing with the 6LW....

[@CruisingMaya]

I'm getting caught up with your videos- what a cool engine! Why don't they make engine like this anymore? Or do they? I want one!!!

[@SVCSkallywags]

I need another one! Sam Devlin is putting this in a boat and I really like having one in the lobby. I'd like a smaller 1 or 2 cylinder model.

[@matui6983]

A 1L2 will take a bit of finding and tha same goes for a 2LW, as they are sought after for canalboats.

[@pauldunphy7948]

Gardner the Rolls Royce of diesel engine,s ..I can't think of a modern diesel engine that will match their fuel economy ..and the fact you can work on them with the simplest of tools.

[@SVCSkallywags]

I can't wait to see this one back in a boat!

[@davezoom2682]

A company I worked for had a lot of 5 LW they turned in 19/20 to the gallon pulling 16 tones /32000 pounds day in day out !

[@jacko74fisher70]

I have a Gardner 5lw in my boat

[@simonframpton7090]

One of the smoothest .

[@cidertom5140]

Gardners love to plod along making them work hard at 900-1100 rpm- low down torque although you’d be lucky to see 2100 rpm. Renowned for fuel efficiency durability easy to work on ultra reliable and dependable and run nice and cool. No wonder almost every fun fair has a Gardner or two powering the rides. They have a sound of their own.

[@SVCSkallywags]

You got it! We're heading out to check out a 5lw in the next couple of weeks and an awesome 8L3 is also up for a tour & video, can't wait!!!

[@billalbion]

the LW range was governed at 1700rpm in trucks, 1300rpm in fishing boats. The 6LX, same 6in stroke but 4.75 bore compared to LW 4.25 bore, ran to 1700rpm. the 6LXB was 1850rpm. The bigger L3 governed to 900 rpm ,the later L3B only made in 6 and 8 cylinders ran to 1150rpm in commercial marine use. Gardner management refused to move with the times and develop new more powerful engines and like the dinosaurs became extinct.

[@AA-69]

I was going to say about the travellers loved them ...sold mine to Zimbabwe,for a half size train

[@simonframpton7090]

If you ever see an old boat being scrapped with a gardener engine?for goodness sake save that engine they're gold dust .

[@SVCSkallywags]

For sure! I'm looking for a replacement. This one is going back into a boat and I always want to have one of these in our shop!

[@benhawke7231]

I live in oak harbor 🍻. I'd like to come and check y'all out sometime.

[@SVCSkallywags]

We can make that happen. September is busy with new group of students starting, but send me an email and we'll set something up: [e-mail]

[@EngineEngineer]

Classic Americans trying to improve something tried, tested and reliable with pointless gimmicks lol

[@interestedlen8823]

and talking, endless talking.

[@ianmarshall170]

Perhaps if Gardner had tried improving & modernising they still might be in business?

[@andymack5093]

Haha, sad but true, not least saying in another video Joe McCool is from Scotland .............ffs.