The Leyland Octopus (Commercial Vehicles Archive Series)

Product Information

By using lightweight components, such as a pressed steel rear bogie assembly in stead of cast iron—Leyland has produced a haulage vehicle which can compete in payload terms with the maximum capacity artic which can be legally used on the UK roads. From this point of view it will appeal to operators who do a lot of motorway work with smaller but heavy loads. On this modern day Google aerial view of Bentley, you can see how the M6 Motorway cut through the Wolverhampton Road at this location:

Although the turning circles are big, no problems were experienced while on the road, but parking involved several shunts when turning in between other vehicles. was a year which was to open up the military market for Leyland as their 3-tonner, commonly known as the ‘RAF-type’, was to become the standard subsidy vehicle. The following year saw the start of work on the Farington plant, later associated with bus production. By the outbreak of war in 1914 the company had 1500 employees and had produced approximately 1275 petrol engined vehicles and 415 steam wagons. Without doubt the Octopus is a motorway vehicle. It cruised happily at 96.5km (60mph) on M6 and rarely dropped below 641cm/h (40mph) even on the more hilly sections. Fuel consumption was better on this section of the test than for some of the A roads. This was probably due to the higher axle ratio employed. Although a lower ratio of perhaps 6.4 to 1 would probably improve the figures over A roads, motorway consumption would suffer. A further indication of the possible need for a lower axle ratio came when the Octopus failed to start on a 1 in 5 gradient although it had performance to spare on the motorway. The engine cover intrudes a great deal into the cab making the provision of a third seat impossible. More attention has been paid to the sound insulation on this latest vehicle, particularly around the engine cover.Copies of the new regulations are available from the British Plastics Federation, 47-48 Piccadilly, London, W.I. Foden 14-Ton Tanker ‘Mobilgas’; made 1953 through 1956, eventually superseded by the Regent livery version.

Grab handles are fitted for the driver and passenger, but to enter the driving seat it is necessary to reach for the steering wheel. In August 1962, the Routeman Mk1 was replaced by the Routeman Mk2 with its distinctive cab designed by Michelotti. This new cab was very striking, although it was non tilting, the Leyland group not having a tilting cab until the introduction of the Ergomatic in 1965. Engines for the Routeman Mk2 were Leyland 0.600 or 0.680, or Gardner 6LW or 6LX. The Routeman models were widely used as tankers, both for fuel and industrial liquids. In 1968 a double drive Routeman III was introduced using Albion Reiver hub reduction axles.A management buyout made the bus division independent for a short period before it was sold to Volvo, who integrated Leyland models into their range before gradually replacing them with Volvos as they aged. The whole interior has been revamped on the latest Octopus with ABS plastic trim all round and a ventilated headlining in the same material. Seats, now faced in brushed nylon, remained very cool despite temperatures nearing the 90s on the road test. The First World War had a profound effect on Leyland Motors and the company concentrated on building 5,932 vehicles for the British forces. At the height of the war Leyland was employing over 3000 people. North Works and Farington had expanded, South Works had come into existence as had a factory in Chorley and a steel works with its own power plant was built.

PLASTICS FOR ROAD TANKERS COLLPWING lengthy discussions I between the Home Office, the Fire Research Station and the British Plastics Federation, acceptance regulations have now been issued which permit certain reinforced plastics to be used in the construction of petroleum-carrying road tankers. T Coulthard and Co, an engineering firm in Preston, was taken over by LSMC and the combined company named Leyland Motors Limited. [3] During our brake tests at MIRA the vehicle pulled up squarely every time, However, repeated use on the steep downhill parts of the test route produced brake fade and smoke from the drums, indicating that perhaps an exhaust brake is called for —at least as an optional extra. The park brake was more than capable of holding the vehicle on a l in 5 slope, although the gearing prevented the vehicle from restarting on this gradient even in crawler.

ERF KV

a new group holding company was incorporated to own Leyland Motors Limited, ACV and new acquisitions [6] Rover cars and their subsidiary car, aero-engine and armoured fighting vehicle manufacturer Alvis Car and Engineering Company Edwin R Foden broke away from the family Foden concern and started making his own diesel powered lorries in 1933 using some proprietary units such as Jennings cabs and Gardner engines. Growing rapidly to become a leading manufacturer of heavy vehicles, their fist eight wheeler was the C16.8 followed in 1947 by the 6.8, a completely new design with a Jennings V-fronted cab. In 1954 the ultra moden KV range was released with its oval grille and wrap-around windscreen. It became a fifties classic. The Roadtrain was available in day- and sleeper-cabbed form, in high and low datum versions—this refers to the cab height—high datum versions were intended as long haul vehicles with higher mounted cabs and more internal space. 6x2 versions were built in high cab form only on a chassis that was basically that of the ageing Scammell trunker. The Constructor's chassis was entirely Routeman behind the cab, albeit with altered suspension and with the front chassis rails splayed wider apart to fit the new C40 cab. [14]