My ERFs-a Mongrel English Truck- but a good one

I was chasing a lead on a Scammell near my home in Sth West Sydney, NSW, and found this blue ERF at the bottom. Last registered 29 years go, it has been a country farm tipper for the last 10 years until they 'broke' the back diff, so brought it to the Coal mining workshops to strip out thye good NH250 Cummins & RTO915 Road Ranger to sell, then scrap the truck. I paid the price they wanted for the engine & box & so get the lot untouched, but shabby. When chasing any possible lead for another rare diff, I found the 10 wheeler. Seeing as I have no wife now to temper my old truck addiction, a friendly chat lead to me buying the 10 wheeler cheaper than scrap, but like IKEA "requires some assembly".
Lately I am finding great trucks faster than I can work on the ones I've got. Therefore, I just gave away my J2 bedford with the floor eaten away by rat piss, to the TAFE for the panelbeating section to fix & they can keep it as a TAFE truck. (Sorry Bedford lovers, hope you understand why I was willing to cull the growing collection by letting the Bedford go)
Bear in mind I only saw & secured the new ERF on Saturday so haven't had time to go over it all. The ERF is an original 8 wheeler, with a professionally mounted Neway lazy mounted mid chassis to increase the GVM. It was even fitted with ERF cast hubs & appears to steer itself by trailing so when turning. There is a steering option on the hubs, but appears not connected forward to the power assisted twin steering set up.

The cab interior needs a bit of work. A rat ran out of that passenger seat.and the engine covers are piled in the sleeper. The ERF hub is on the lazy. The crane mounted behind the 6.6metre rusty steel tray has a log grabber for it (but I can't find the hydraulic levers). Whole truck is 9m long & double railed the whole length except for the from 2 metres under the cab where it narrows from the very wide 40" chassis width. I'm stoked but a bit miffed that someone stole the ignition & headlights. I hope the old guy undid, rather than just cut everything when he borrowed the engine, probably chopped it. I'll ask next weekend.
Re sawmill Pic below. I found the ERF's engine powering this 6' saw blade with timber held on the tray of of an older truck. Will talk about what that old truck really is, another time.

Long grass around it so don't show off it's Engineering muscle well, but I'm happy. I only found it tracking down another diff for my ERF MV, but even though it had 2 diffs for me (I only needed 1) it was too good to use for a donor (so still need another ERF Kirkstall T48 bevel reduction diff in 5.65 ratio). Have to refit the original 250 Cummins engine, the RR box, & radiator, as the donk was pulled out to power his firewood sawmill a few years ago.
The owner said that with a dog tralier on it, the ERF carried 50 tonnes of timber coal mine props. A friend in the Sydney Antique Machinry Club tells me it would have originally been rated at 100 tonne GVM, but I don't have a spec sheet & can't see cab plate anywhere.

I confess I like the multi wheelers. Like owning a giant centipede or something from the old kids show "The Thunderbirds".
This is the diff below that I still need for the Blue MV ERF below, for which I need windscreens for.

Brilliant finds Steve. Peter Davies in a recent Classic & Vintage Commercials did an article on all the ERF cab variations. Yours are the Motor Panels type often seen on exports, but interesting to see there is a variation.

Wanted to know how much they carry so found some specs for the 2 ERFs (some slight change in specs at the factory.) Found at site address below:
images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http:...%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1

One of the brochures says my MW ERF was GVM of 27.6ton or GCW 43ton in UK or only 38Ton in New Zealand. That's before the 20,000lbs lazy axle was added.
The MV brochure for the 6 wheeler is a bit more confusing but says the GCW would be 38ton.

They both had 5.65 bevel reduction Kirkstall bogie drives on pivoting BDT suspension (load sharing reversed single spring) & had diff lock & the Road Rangers had deep reduction drive.

G`Day
The cab on blue ERF is metal panels,and main part of cab looks like my s40 foden with split screens.If this is correct and you can`t find them in eastern states I have a pair including door class and rear glass here in WA.
rest of cab very poor but some fittings.
Any body got a drawing of cab mountings for foden mickymouse cab

oldbob70

Steve there was a fellow out around Lurnea way or a bit further out Billy Andrews was his name and had 2 ERF'S
A blue one and a yellow one. Had 250's in them. He did a short stint down on the coal here cant, remember exactly when late 70's or there abouts. He was good mates with Geof Mc Donald who oned Duel the perterbuilt. Yes that pete also done a stint on the coal also before it was Repowered with the 903......Mark