Tankers I drove in the 60s

Hi all

In the 60s I was driving fuel tankers in NZ instead of the wine tankers I drive nowadays and one of the other drivers from the same era, Les Greer, has recently sent me some of his photos of the tankers I was driving then. If you're interested have a look below................

First, a mighty Leyland Beaver with its top speed of 33mph down hill with a tail wind on a good day




Then this Foden S21, with its screaming Foden 2-stroke engine and Foden 12-speed epicyclic gearbox. It sounded just as good as a Jimmy!





Perhaps my favourite of all of them, an AEC Mammoth Major Mark 5





Then an Atki with a Cummins 250 and a ZF 6-speed box and the original Pommie Preston cab. These cabs fell to bits real quick on our roads as they did in OZ and were soon replaced with the NZ-built Taylor Hull cab and later with the Aussie RP cab.





Here is a 6x4 with the NZ Taylor Hull cab, not exactly pretty but purposeful perhaps.




Cheers, Vic

G'day Vic,

Recognise this Atki? I put it on here when I first joined the forum so apologies to those who have already seen it

I do indeed, Bruce. They had more than one, I think, and were very well known

This one was driven by my father and the first of 3 Advance put on the road from '65 onwards.

As a kid I spent many happy hours in the passengers seat, engine cover, or last resort air cleaner...depending on where I was on the passenger seat pecking order!

Quick spec: 250Cummins, ZF box with 2 speed Aux, Kirkstall rear axles etc. These always had the pommy cabs, never replaced with the Taylor Hull, maybe they wouldn't fit under the stock crate overhead.

Dad drove this one for about 4 years, often did TeKuiti - Auckland twice a day, and sometimes 3 x in peak lamb season.

The only time it ever broke down was flat batteries one night in Pukekohe. Got stuck there for the night, luckily the local cop took pity and gave him a cell to sleep in for the night!

Curious about the Foden, what was that 12 speed like to drive?

Yep that Atki was almost the same as the Mobil ones except we didn't have the 2-speed auxiliary.

The Foden box was a beaut to drive, it was actually a 4-speed crash box with a 3-speed epicyclic included and was great to drive if you could remember the order in which the ratios worked. I think I still can after all these years but couldn't guarantee that I would be right with every one.

Vichung, great photos mate .If you got more ,keepem on comming . ian.

Well Hung Vic
GuddayM8

Gr8 Pix
Keep m cummin

Wot other choice of lorries did U have way back when?

Was there any yanky iron Available
From pix I've seen on the NET
looks like U did have sum brands th@ never tuched Australia
Pix of Hayes, Pacific n Canadian built KW
me thinks I have seen from NZ

Cya

[ch9786]

Hi Swishy

There wasn't much North American stuff around in NZ in the 60s except in the logging industry, where there were quite a few KWs and Pacifics. We never had B-model Macks here at all, but when the R-models arrived they were actually assembled here and sold like hot cakes. When I left Mobil/Atlantic in 72 to go to the firm for whom I still work, I was driving D1000 Fords at first, then went to Fiat 684s and 697s, then to R-model Macks which I drove for about 8 years. The company sold its last R-model just a few months ago.

WellHungVic
GuddayM8
Gr8 info
Keep it cummin

Sum info I've lifted off Hanks site


Pacific Truck growth was slow in the 1950's since it took 2 months to build a truck. However, Pacific's reputation had already reached far-off New Zealand and in 1954 the first six trucks were exported there to enter service with New Zealand Forest Services.
The 1970's were good years for Pacific Truck and Trailer. Pacific trucks were sold to places as Swaziland, Tasmania, New Zealand, North Borneo, Philippines.
During its 48 years of operation Pacific built 249 P-9's, 23 trucks for South Africa, and 90 trucks were sold to New Zealand. For a total of 2,308 trucks, many of these trucks are still in operation today 2008.



Just imagine haveing A Nth American truck yankn a tank way back then
the driver would surely B king of the Road compared to mustering along a pommy based lorry

LOL

Cya

[ch9786]

Magic stuff, Vic,