Leyland Buffalo: What's the Story?

G'Day All,

I've asked a question about big Leylands before (Contractors) and have not been chased away so here goes another...

The Buffalo is a Leyland model I completely do not understand - there's so little info about them. It seems clear they were a heavier duty of the Super Beaver fited with the Leyland 900 (really an Albion engine). Now, it seems to me this is exactly what Leyland needed to counter the heavier US makes with the more powerful Cummins engines - the 900, I believe, had 220hp straight out of the box (early to mid 50s) and 275hp turbocharged, and by rights should have been developed to 300-400hp later on. But it seems there were only very few sold, most in Oz, some in South Africa and the rest in... Spain. We had - I think - only one ever imported which is totally weird because the Beavers were part assebled in Israel by Leyland Ashdod and were 10 for an Israeli Pound at the time .

I think Bufallos were offered with a choice of Wilson pre-selector, Leyland's own or ZF boxes, so there was something for everyone. Why the lack of success? Was the engine unreliable? It would not surprise me, Leyland being known to neglect development chronically.

What is also unusual about them is Leyland did not seem to decide whether they would have any particular style of cab or be offered as chassis/cowl to be clothed locally. RHD ones all had a squarish cab, like the one below (that Buff is well known, I believe, down under. Pic from BigLorryBlog)

Next is the lone Israeli import, owned by (then) large haulage firm, Hamenia (check out the hot 1950s fashion statement. Pic by srulik500 (himself Hamenia driver)). Note the cab which was used on Scammell Highwaymen and such like I believe.

Bigger size one here: community.webshots.com/photo/fullsize/2910182890052762935bBICmY

Then there are the Spanish ones (from the www.camionesclasicos.com/FORO/index.php site. First is by one of the moderators, the other one can't remember - disculpas! :-[) - cab is again different and I'm pretty certain by some local coachbuilder (and probably the best looking of the lot). There were split and single screen ones.

... and another variation on the theme, with spider wheels I never saw on a Leyland before:


Any Buffalo experts here? Why the lack of success?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Cheers,

T

Hi Tatra

I can't answer your question, but here are some photos taken at a truck show in NZ yesterday showing one way to make a Buffalo work - fit a Cummins engine

Note the radiator header tank on the bonnet behind the air horn.


http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz350/vicandval/IMG_0091.jpg?t=1256493007


http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz350/vicandval/IMG_0092.jpg?t=1256493007


http://i842.photobucket.com/albums/zz350/vicandval/IMG_0090.jpg?t=1256493007

i dont know too much about leylands ..but what was the motor that DAF took on and upgraded?

Vic,

Thanks for the pics mate - like a Contractor, I suppose... At least it survived!

Kenny,

That was the 680 (also updated by Finnish Sisu) - the Dutch managed to get them to give 300 reliable hp, don't think the Pom ones ever managed more than 220...

What's interesting is British Rail had 900s as railcar engines and there I don't think there were reliability issues, but maybe it's because operating conditions were not as hard.

Where are the Leyland gurus?

Cheers,

T

I've seen a Buffalo in West Oz with a thumping big Albion motor which was apparently an option (although everyone tells the owner it wasn't). I read recently that is was an option but ofr the life of me, I can't remember where.

ccmv.fotopic.net/p41813018.html

Perhaps people were put off by the seat bolted to the back of the cab? Would have been easy to fit something else though.

The Ergo Buffaloes were a bit more successful.

Tatra, I know a chap in the Northern Territory who is hunting down the surviving Buffaloes and knows a fair bit about them. I'll drop him a line.

TatrR
GuddayM8

to Answer the Q:? why we were'nt into Buffallo
mainly coz jist tooo much truck
they B tooo long in the cab
we had laws way back when
th@ the overall length of a semi n primeover bunper to bumper twaz only 45 feet (13.7m)
so the longer the cab = less loading space to fit within the 45' length limit
also the front axle loading for memory twaz only 4.5 imperial ton n the Buff would probly B tooo heavy @ the font end

To much cab for so little power
the poms had a habit
the bigger the truck the bigger the cab to match
the buff for memory had a huge steering wheel n huge long bench seat U could sleep on
me thinks U need 2 B a huge Brute of a man (Like Dedlee Dave) 2 B able to reach the pedals n steerzmanz wheel n cog shiftr stir n stik
n the Leyland Hippo twaz much the same
LOL

ButEyeDoSt&2BCorrected

LOL

cya

There are a couple of bonnetted Buffalos down here in Victoria, one restored one is not. There was only small numbers sold (maybe 20) for roadtrain and heavy haulage work, as Swishy says they were too big for normal semi trailer work.
If they put the turbo Albion motor and a roadranger box in them, would have been a real mover. Using the Leyland naming system this might have been the "Super Buffalo" but it never happened.
I did an article about them in the 2008 HVCV yearbook that has more details.

G'Day All,

@Andy,

Thanks - I would very much appreciate you asking the NT chap about any info.

@Swishy

Thanks for the input. The RHD cabs do in fact look too big for the truck, almost like a cut & shut bus coachawork. But if this was the case, why were they not offered as chassis/cowl like the Spanish exports, or had Beaver or Scammell cabs? Interesting thing about the Aussi max length reg - we had 13.8m, which is what you see in the pic I sent, so all they needed was to have a shorter cab, and from what I remember there were quite a few coachbuilders down under who were more than capable of designing and building such a cab. Another case of the powers that be in Blighty deciding what's best for the colonies?

Comfortable they were not (neither were the Beavers/Hippos) but as for power, I have to disagree with you: 220 hp in 1955 was on Cummins level, and this was just basic power, before any development took place. Can't comment on max weight - never saw a Buff spec sheet but I would not bet against the thing being built like a Brunnel bridge (and if max weight was taken seriously down under as you already said, overdesign was worth zilch. In Israel nobody was interested what you grossed at as long as it did not look too stupid).

@Atkipete

I'm glad you agree with me on the turbo version - I can't remember for sure, but I thought there was a prototype running in the UK?

Also, any chance for a scan of, or a link to that article?

Cheers,

T

I recall, many many years ago, seeing and examining the Leyland Buffalo in W.A. I'm pretty sure it was the only one in W.A. It was so long ago, I can't even recall where I saw it.

It was at least 40 years ago, and the Buffalo was probably in a truck yard for sale. I do remember that enormous bloody cab, and the seats like a park bench, and the drivers seat that folded down from the rear wall of the cab.

I recall it was just a curiosity thing, and I think the brother and I were together, and he was interested in the Buffalo .. because his boss bought a new Super Hippo in 1959, and he got to drive it regularly .. and I got to ride in it!!

The old Hippo was real mans truck, a gearshift that was either in or out of gear .. it broke your arm if you missed a cog .. and the steering wheel was massive ..

Who can ever forget the grumble of the old 680 Leyland as she produced all of that 160 HP! I went riding shotgun with the brother one time (must have been all of 13), and we dragged a Cat D8 around the hills of Rocky Gully with it! .. on a tandem Bosich lowloader! .. and this is it! ..

"Who can ever forget the grumble of the old 680 Leyland as she produced all of that 160 HP!"

Who indeed... Our Hippos (well, you may call them Beavers but Leyland Israel would badge things on a whim) were all bonnetted - a COE was too radical for Israeli operators, I think the first COE anything we got in any numbers were the Comets and then the Ergomatics (or as they were nicknamed for obvious reasons, "Leyland Television"). I think COEs became only trully accepted with the Volvo F88 and the Mack F700 over here. Nowadays it's completely the other way round...

That's an Israeli made Beaver (truck in the pic belongs to the Egged bus museum. Pic from their site). The family connection with the Buffalo is obvious (we also had fully imported ones with the round wings and steel cab - the wings and cab on this are GRP, and there was an even later model with styling unique to Israel). Had loads of them around when I was growing up. Uncle had one to tow his (single axle) low-loader which got replaced by a Flintstone Mack (also Israeli made) with enormeous 237hp It (the Leyland) had weird gearing and everything was like you said (only I think they had it fitted with PAS by then).



Cheers,

T