Leyland Buffalo: What's the Story?

Yes, Manjimup on a winter's morning was a bit of a toe freezer.

Bill Baskett's one seems slightly different, two cutouts along the edge of the bonnet where the others have 3. ??

@ Andy:

Many thanks for the pics and the info. As for the McRobbie Buffalo: good grief, this is rust on UK levels, I did not think NZ was that bad

He's certainly got some work to do. If I'm allowed my 2c, having worked as panel basher for 14 years of my life, his best bet is not to even bother with reconstructing the cab, and try and find a replacement. From the info posted here I very much doubt he'd be able to find an original - what I'm thinking of is sourcing a Scammell Highwayman alloy cab (as was obviously used on the Israeli Buffalo) and fit it to the Buffalo bonnett. There were far more Highwaymen made than Buffalos and I'd hazard a guess a search for a cab (possibly in the UK) will be successful. Even with shipping costs it would be cheaper than trying to reconstruct the NZ/Oz cab... Plus it would look far better in my opinion (pic from ccmv.fotopic.net/c841738_481.html ).



Alternatively, I would think about modifying a Beaver cab - again, many more were made and quite a few found their way to Oz, where they have been preserved by the dryer weather.

The wings a good coachbuilder would be able to save and a chassis (to the extent it's rusty) is easier to repair (or remake).

Any chance getting the owner to post here?

The Rick Thege's Buffalo looks as if it has some sort of a tow truck bodywork?

By the way, I've taken the plunge and posted on the "Spanish HCVC" forum - hopefuly, there will be English speaking people there who'd be able to shed some light on "their" Buffalos. Apparently, if Google's translator is to be trusted , the two Buffs in the pic will be restored.

Perhaps I should rename this thread the "Leyland Buffalo Registry Thread"

@ Pete: Well spotted Sir... Leyland apprentices on a Monday morning?

@ Onetrack: -7

Bill Baskett's one seems slightly different, two cutouts along the edge of the bonnet where the others have 3. ??

I spotted that as well, Pete, but haven't come up with a logical answer.

Tatra,I know this isn`t a Buffalo,but it is close to your home.
www.roadtransport.com/blogs/big-lorry-bl...on-biglorryblog.html

Some Scammells had Bedford cabs

@ Andy:

Many thanks for the pics and the info. As for the McRobbie Buffalo: good grief, this is rust on UK levels, I did not think NZ was that bad

He's certainly got some work to do. If I'm allowed my 2c, having worked as panel basher for 14 years of my life, his best bet is not to even bother with reconstructing the cab, and try and find a replacement. From the info posted here I very much doubt he'd be able to find an original - what I'm thinking of is sourcing a Scammell Highwayman alloy cab (as was obviously used on the Israeli Buffalo) and fit it to the Buffalo bonnett. There were far more Highwaymen made than Buffalos and I'd hazard a guess a search for a cab (possibly in the UK) will be successful. Even with shipping costs it would be cheaper than trying to reconstruct the NZ/Oz cab... Plus it would look far better in my opinion (pic from ccmv.fotopic.net/c841738_481.html ).

Alternatively, I would think about modifying a Beaver cab - again, many more were made and quite a few found their way to Oz, where they have been preserved by the dryer weather.

The wings a good coachbuilder would be able to save and a chassis (to the extent it's rusty) is easier to repair (or remake).

Any chance getting the owner to post here?

The Rick Thege's Buffalo looks as if it has some sort of a tow truck bodywork?

By the way, I've taken the plunge and posted on the "Spanish HCVC" forum - hopefuly, there will be English speaking people there who'd be able to shed some light on "their" Buffalos. Apparently, if Google's translator is to be trusted , the two Buffs in the pic will be restored.

Perhaps I should rename this thread the "Leyland Buffalo Registry Thread"

@ Pete: Well spotted Sir... Leyland apprentices on a Monday morning?

@ Onetrack: -7

Tatra,I know this isn`t a Buffalo,but it is close to your home.
www.roadtransport.com/blogs/big-lorry-bl...on-biglorryblog.html

Bigcam,

That's Genadi Gluk's 1970 Super Beaver which he saved from the Chinese iron eating dragon >

It's got a Powerplus 680 and Willson preselector box. Genadi also has (amongst other trucks) one of the Israeli bonnetted Chifteins (see pic earlier in the thread).

Pic is taken from a meeting a number of Israeli old truck fans had at heavy transport specialist Taavura's headquarters where they met with Martin Phippard:



Mr Phippard himself, I believe, enjoying the luxurious Leyland cab:



For the rest of the pics: i.start.co.il/groups/kenworth/forum/t/62866.aspx?PageIndex=1

Cheers

T

PS: Roadtrain is on 100T GCW permit which probably makes it low mid-size according to Aussi standards!

Interesting site Tatra,I had a bit of trouble reading the writing,but it is to early for the beer goggles.Is that a pic of the Chieften on that page,looks like a LAD cab with the doors reversed,a sort of Pommie 1418 Benz.

...to go back to Buffalos, made contact with the camionesclassicos forum moderator who took the pic of the two Buffs posted at the begining of the thread - he knows of at least another which was used by a crane specialist in his home town, though not many Buffalos were sold in Spain. As for the exotic spider wheels on the third Spanish Buff, well these were probably locally made by axle and wheel specialist Mintegui - the truck seems to be on Mintegui's stand in a show. Apparently it was quite common for local axles to replace the Pommy ones when they gave up the ghost. Engines got swapped for Pegaso and Barreiros products and so on...

@ Grandad: that's interesting - what Bedford cabs did they use? Are these the ones (pics from CCMV)?



They look similar but if you look closer there are differences...

Cheers,

T

Interesting site Tatra,I had a bit of trouble reading the writing,but it is to early for the beer goggles.Is that a pic of the Chieften on that page,looks like a LAD cab with the doors reversed,a sort of Pommie 1418 Benz.

Try using Google's translate translate.google.com/# , it's got Hebrew to English facility but it may come out in Yoda the Jedi English, if you see what I mean.

That pig-nosed Chiftein was only ever made in Israel - they were very popular at one time but not many are left nowadays :'(

See your point about the Merc

I mentioned this earlier, but the weirdest of the Israeli craetions was the Ashdod which, if I'm not greatly mistaken, was a Mack glass front R600 cab fitted on a Leyland Super Beaver chassis and axles and engined by a Thermodyne coupled to (?) box

Cheers

T