John52 Posted May 17, 2018 Share Posted May 17, 2018 aandncaravan - 2018-05-16 8:54 AM the torque must have been astonishing for it to haul a big lorry or Bus. Well it didn't, that was the problem. Bit of a hill and you were down to walking pace with a mile of frustrated car drivers choking in the fumes behind you. They lasted well because it was a big engine giving low power - low stresses. And they weren't as noisy as others of that time. Not too bad on a fishing boat where you weren't sitting on top of them and you were out on the open sea to disperse the smoke. But what we've got now is a vast improvement :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandy Posted May 17, 2018 Share Posted May 17, 2018 John52 - 2018-05-16 9:20 PM aandncaravan - 2018-05-16 8:54 AM "I'm guessing the 180 horses will have been Gardner horses, which are much stronger than Fiat horses. As I'm sure you know, when it comes to pulling power torque means far more than horsepower". Aandy, Maybe it was even the legendary Gardner 6LX, 10.5 litre, 180 bhp engine from 1964? It's max power was delivered at just 1,800rpm so the torque must have been astonishing for it to haul a big lorry or Bus. That it did so with immense reliability made the engine an Icon. As you say very strong big Horses. My ERF was a Perkins diesel, Gardners were better. But still noisy smelly and sluggish horses with vibration to shake your guts out. ERF / Foden is the only British Engineering Company I'm glad to see the back of. Bit harsh, but they gave such little thought to drivers they can't expect much in return. One of my happiest days at work was when I got my first Volvo. Like to see the ERF/Foden at the steam fairs though If only to remind me I don't have to driv that crap anymore :-D The Perkins in your ERF will not have been a Perkins design but the old Rolls Royce Eagle. I always thought it ironic that a company with such a reputation for engineering excellence produced something so noisy and unreliable. Gardners were head and shoulders above anything else in terms of reliability and, with the possible exception of AEC, quieter and nicer to drive. Much as I look wistfully at these old lorries now, I too was very happy when I got a Volvo (an F86). When I later drove an F88 it was like something from another planet (once I'd figured out the 16 gears). However, if you think ERF and Foden had no regard for driver comfort you should try an early sixties Albion or Leyland with the LAD cab - truly horrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted May 20, 2018 Share Posted May 20, 2018 aandy - 2018-05-17 9:03 AM John52 - 2018-05-16 9:20 PM aandncaravan - 2018-05-16 8:54 AM "I'm guessing the 180 horses will have been Gardner horses, which are much stronger than Fiat horses. As I'm sure you know, when it comes to pulling power torque means far more than horsepower". Aandy, Maybe it was even the legendary Gardner 6LX, 10.5 litre, 180 bhp engine from 1964? It's max power was delivered at just 1,800rpm so the torque must have been astonishing for it to haul a big lorry or Bus. That it did so with immense reliability made the engine an Icon. As you say very strong big Horses. My ERF was a Perkins diesel, Gardners were better. But still noisy smelly and sluggish horses with vibration to shake your guts out. ERF / Foden is the only British Engineering Company I'm glad to see the back of. Bit harsh, but they gave such little thought to drivers they can't expect much in return. One of my happiest days at work was when I got my first Volvo. Like to see the ERF/Foden at the steam fairs though If only to remind me I don't have to driv that crap anymore :-D The Perkins in your ERF will not have been a Perkins design but the old Rolls Royce Eagle. I always thought it ironic that a company with such a reputation for engineering excellence produced something so noisy and unreliable. Gardners were head and shoulders above anything else in terms of reliability and, with the possible exception of AEC, quieter and nicer to drive. Much as I look wistfully at these old lorries now, I too was very happy when I got a Volvo (an F86). When I later drove an F88 it was like something from another planet (once I'd figured out the 16 gears). However, if you think ERF and Foden had no regard for driver comfort you should try an early sixties Albion or Leyland with the LAD cab - truly horrible. Yeah I was astonished when I discovered the Foden I was driving had a Rolls Royce Engine 8-) But then I guess its only like Mercedes churning out rust buckets like the Vito and Sprinter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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