Hardie tyre co

Hardie tyres came into the Northern Territory in a big way around the mid fifties, they must have been a good price as everyone and his dog (dogs?) used them, may have had a deal with Co-ord. Didn't have to worry about them wearing out as they exploded long before that, I had stopped for a tyre check and noticed a lump on the side of a tyre and watched as it grew bigger then went pffft, would have been more suitable for a Wartburg or Lada.
though to be fair, they were not meant for the heat and rediculous loads that were placed on them, nobody had ever heard of a weighbridge, just stacked freight on until no room or with experience be able to judge what the truck could pull up the Barrow Creek jumpup, making sure there was plenty of weight over the single drive as with a couple of trailers hanging down the hill the drive wheels could loose traction, especially if it was wet, I saw Bob foster and his Foden bogey drive, bogie short semi in the rail yard with a Cat D9 sitting on it, don't know what it weighs but looked like a lot of iron from the bend in the semi.
Oddly enough, in 1963 I was carting carbon black from Melbourne to Sydney for the Hardie tyre co with my 1948 KB8 bogie semi, must have been the oldest truck on the Hume at that time, guys just about fell out of their truck when we passed, or would lift the bonnet to see what was under there, the red diamond!, the kicker was when I went through Marulin they thought it was a KB6 and here comes a live one, they would always read the GVW plate and walk away, can't send a picture as my photo-phucket got an attitude, may figure it out one day.

Spose all things considered, with the gear that was available and the task it was put to..
some of the stuff probably did really well..

Can you imagine sending someone out there today in some of those ol rockets...
They would be an hour late leaving the yard....
After failing to find the switch for the 'cooler..



chocs

My memories are the same as Ron's.
Hardie cross-ribs, trying to match up a pair was hopeless they grew so much.
And when they went off so did your mudguard, false economy there.
The only place for them was in the shed waiting to be mounted on the next trade in.
But on the bright side suddenly some new tyre making companies appeared. Bridgestone, Yokohama etc.
Even bought Alliance tyres from Israel until they had a bit of a war which slowed their deliveries a tad. Each tyre came wrapped in paper like tyres from the 20's.
Always running on new cases since they were cheaper than a Bandag but unfortunately nothing could match the milage of the Michy.

Jeffo, Interesting experience you had, yeah, the Michelins were great, expensive though, those rough sharp rocks on the south road would still tear chunks out of them which hurt, tyres have always been the bane of my life, used to have bad dreams about them blowing up, then one night I dreamt I was going around a bend too fast, couldn't make it and drove across the flat ground into a huge stack of beer bottles next to a pub that they used to have, came out the other side and every tyre was flat, never dreamt of them again. A few years ago ago I bought a new Toyota Camry, when I got home I saw it had MITCHELINS on it, I was so exited I had a b/movement!
chocs, I wonder what todays drivers with their powerful engines and strong drive trains, exhaust brakes would think when one mentions about stopping at the bottom of a jumpup to engage bog cog because you are too chicken to risk swapping cogs on the way up, or doing the same thing going down a hill, I was getting a lift one day from a mate with a Magouris-deuch (?) We came over the top of this hill on the Hume at about 40 mph with a steep drop to a pub on the left side at the bottom, beautiful valley ahead, I looked at him and thought we are dead, he engaged the exhaust brake and we stayed at the same speed all the way down and stopped at the pub, brakes cold as charity, I really needed a drink!

Ron....
i still really get a grin when blokes go crook when they have to drop a full gear goin over Wagga Hill!!
Let alone stoppin at the bottom to find the only one left!

chocs

Coming down the gap with a "biggie" on the B model, 1st lo-lo, hand throttle set about 18 hundred revs right down past the helipad, once round a couple of "sharpies" there you could start changing up (and stop if you had to) :

It was the old yardstick,if you needed bog cog to go up,you needed bog cog to go down.Pulling into the building of the Snowy Hydro Scheme in the late 50s and early 60s with vacuum brakes only,on the steep decents,such as Veranda Camp.Both doors open just in case.You came back out on the end of a 12E cat grader.Does anyone else still exist from hauling into the Snowy????

Only did the Toowoomba range a few times, faaark that.
Crawling down in low gear trying to nurse the brakes, see headlights appear in the mirror at a huge rate of knots and hear their engine brake pull them up effortlessly .......so envious.
If I had to go into Brisy, I went Heifer Creek instead, much easier on my old gear.
One trip blew the diaphragm in the break-away valve South of Coonabarabran and the maxi's kept coming on as the compressor couldn't keep up.
Couldn't get the part so I plumbed the trailer brakes up single air line, just like the olden days.
Trouble was they took forever to come on, then locked hard, then took forever to go off but at least I had brakes.
Came down Heifer Creek easy as, stopped in at Haulmark Rocklea, fitted the new part, job done.