Commer Trucks as Fuel Tankers?

This is what the twin steer tankers look like - this is a pommie trayback but you get the idea. The Perkins powered ones had single headlights.

Lang

Is there some logic behind those Commer model numbers eg CD 715 ?

This is the late model list. I think Australian ones would have had an "E" on the end for "Export" eg VAAWE.

Lang

Odd how not one of those photos has the front mounted exhaust.
Every fuel truck I saw as a teenager, always had the exhaust routed out to the front.
That photo of the two stroke Commer (Europa) has the conventional muffler location but with a 180 bend and the second muffler discharges forwards. We didn't see that approach in Aus. until the later model SWB prime movers.
Hanging 2-big mufflers across the front of a Commer was a bit of a squeeze.

Jeffo

The white later model one has a front mounted exhaust (outlet at least) pointing out ahead of the LH front wheel. So all those rules must have just been an Aussie thing. As you well know - we are the World Kings of red tape.

I look at all the faithfully restored older trucks on this forum - and cringe at the fact they have been totally stuffed up by the need (regulations/red tape) to fit those bloody yellow plastic mudguards over the drives.

Oldfulla

The white one is an airfield tanker and had to have the front exhaust with a mesh spark arrester. It would have been BP, SHELL or MOBIL by the late 60's after CALTEX dropped out of light aircraft refueling.

Strange thing seen now at secondary airports is a tanker coming up with full BP colours on one side and full SHELL colours on the other. Depending on what credit card you use you get either SHELL or BP paperwork.

All the hoses are to get at the various tanks and angles for aircraft. Quite often if there was a hurry the pilot would climb up on one wing with a hose and the tanker driver on the other.

They often had a split tank in the 60's. One with 80/87 octane and one with 100/130 so you would need two hoses on each side to cater. We now only have 100LL so any of those old split tankers left would just have the one fuel coming out of every hose.

Jet fuel is not carried in split tankers because the wrong octane is not the end of the world but sticking kerosene in a piston plane is a disaster.

Lang

Is there some logic behind those Commer model numbers eg CD 715 ?

Pete, the C series were the third model to use that cab and the first to have the option of the TS3 diesel. In N.Z. the Mk.1 and Mk.2 7 tonners were R series and used the 290 cubic inch sloper petrol motor. C715=C series petrol motor, 7=7 tons payload, 15=last 2 digits of wheelbase- 115 inch wheelbase. CD715=C series TS3 diesel motor and as above. 741s were 141 inch wheelbase and 762s were 162 inch wheelbase. There was also a really short wheelbase prime mover-C/CD1093, I think, 93 inch wheelbase, but as far as I know we didn't get those. The early cabs were the BLSP cab-British Light Steel Pressings, which was a Rootes group subsidiary.
Lang's page from the Parts List is for the later cab, two headlight models that were available with the upright 6P.290 petrol motor or Perkins 6.354. I think you could also get the smaller 6P.252 petrol and 4 cylinder Perkins 4.236 diesel in 4, 5, and 6 ton models as well. This cab was built for Rootes by Joseph Sankey of Warrington. These were VA, VB, and VC series. Because there were more options available by the 1960s, the model codes got a bit longer.
After the 2 letter series code, the next letter denoted the engine:
A=Perkins 6.354
F=Perkins 4.236
J=6P.252 petrol
K=6P.290 petrol
The next letter denoted the gearbox:
S=4 speed synchro
Y=5 speed constant mesh
W=5 speed synchro
V=6 speed synchro overdrive
Z=4 speed constant mesh
And then the numbers representing the payload and the last 2 digits of the wheelbase.

TS3 diesel models with the four headlight Sankey cab were CA, CB, CC, CE series.
Engines codes were:
D=3D199-105 h.p.
E=3DA199-117 h.p.
T=3DB215-117 h.p.
G=3D215-135 h.p.

For example CBEW887, or CEGV815 etc.

The wide front axle Maxiload models were an exception to this rule in that instead of using the payload in tons their model codes featured the gross weight. So they were CC/CE14 and CC/CE16 series for 14 or 16 tons gross. Maxiloads were available with a really long wheelbase model at 215 inches too.

The parts book (and the accompanying workshop manual) shows only the single headlight for all those models listed. It is my understanding the Perkins trucks had single lights and Knockers had twin. My Perkins powered prime mover was designated VAAWE and had single lights. I can't remember the wheelbase but presume it was the 12 ton tractor listed.

Lang.

Thanks Hamish, I will keep that list for future reference.

Thanks for everyone's input so far. Can anyone out there crack the manufacturing date and serial number codes? I need someone with a late CE8 post 1969 workshop or parts manual that may have some info there. Has anyone that ever involved in building them,worked on them or even sold them? I would like to hear from you.

Regards
Camma